A new knowledge hub by US-based global drone firm Auterion, will establish its hub in Rwanda.

This follows an agreement signed Tuesday, December 20 by Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and the firm, in Kigali.

The agreement, RDB said, sets the stage to collaborate on developing Rwanda’s drone industry, helping tackle major social problems in the country.

In Rwanda, drones are largely used for battling malaria through precision mapping of mosquito breeding sites and in spraying the larvicide.

Zipline, arguably the world’s largest drone delivery service for medical supplies, also recently secured $61 million in a new deal with Rwanda, as the firm extends its operations in the country.

Under the agreement, RDB added, Auterion is also expected to collaborate on rolling out services in areas like freight and postal cargo, health and humanitarian aid.

Auterion is a drone platform that powers any drone with the software, payloads and seamless workflow integrations required for government drone operations.

Commercial drone applications such as mapping a construction site or inspecting a powerline, are about capturing data.

However, the entire process of flying a drone, collecting, transferring and analysing data is very manual as it stands.

Auterion, therefore, enables automated workflows for different drones and use cases, bringing data in real-time.