
On Business Matters this week Chris Ashmore looks at a Donegal company that looks set to play a major role in helping to solve underground issues that ultimately can affect millions of people.
Underneath our cities, towns and villages and reaching into rural areas too there is an enormous network of pipes, of water mains, of sewers, of drains.
And so when there is a problem, be it leaks, blockages of structural collapses, locating the exact spot is vital, but can be time consuming, costly, and difficult and there can be health and safety issues too. There can also be a lack of knowledge when it comes to the accurate mapping of what lies beneath the ground – some sewerage systems go back to Roman times.

But huge strides have now been made by an Inishowen based company called Subterranean Software that specialises in software for drones operating in underground and constrained environments.
And recently it has named as a winner at this year’s Stelios Foundation North-South Business Cooperation Awards along with their partner, Good Friday Robotics.
Founded by Anthony Hutton and Aidan Gallagher and based at the ii (Inishowen Innovation) centre in Buncrana, Subterranean develops highly advanced and autonomous software systems that enable drones to navigate environments where GPS is absent, radio links are degraded and visibility is minimal.
You can listen to the full programme here:
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