Modeling the impact of UAVs in sustainability

Abstract

In the last few years, sustainability has become one of the priority lines for many companies and organizations, especially public administrations. This trend has been even more evident in some regions where the preservation of natural resources is of utmost importance, not only from an environmental perspective, but also from an economic one. In this context, technology has become one of the key factors to achieve sustainability goals. An example of these technologies are Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) which are being used more and more with sustainability purposes. However, although some efforts have been made to propose software approaches to model sustainability, some examples that model the impact of technology on sustainability are still needed. This paper presents an instance of a sustainability metamodel for the UAVs domain. This model allows to specify the impact of UAV-based processes on sustainability, and also to identify potential limitations that may hinder its applicability. Finally, the paper provides some suggestions to complete the metamodel based on the instantiation process.