New app will improve the safety and reliability of drone flights across the United States.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has partnered with Kittyhawk to redevelop B4UFLY to further its safety mission and create a new and improved mobile application to help recreational drone operators learn where they can and can’t fly.
The project is being done at no cost to the FAA.
Photo: FAA
The B4UFLY app will continue to be available to the public until the new app is deployed. The data will continue to be updated, but no new features will be added.
“We want to provide drone pilots with the best tools possible so they fly safely and responsibly,” said Acting FAA Administrator Dan Elwell. “As drone sales increase and our nation’s airspace becomes busier and more complex, it’s vital that we work smarter and partner with the private sector to develop innovative products that advance safety.”
The FAA and Kittyhawk’s Feb. 13 agreement will provide the public with a simple, easy-to-understand mobile application that provides situational awareness for recreational drone pilots. The FAA and Kittyhawk plan to launch the new app later this year.
Kittyhawk is an enterprise drone operations software company and has been an FAA Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) UAS service supplier since October 2018.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) presented a project at the International Symposium on Experimental Robotics involving an autonomous drone fleet system that collaboratively mapped an environment under dense forest canopy.
Designed with search and rescue in mind, the drones used lidar, onboard computation and wireless communication, with no requirement for GPS positioning.
Each drone carries laser-range finders for position estimation, localization and path planning. As it flies, each drone creates its own 3-D map of the terrain. A ground station uses simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) technology to combine individual maps from multiple drones into a global 3-D map that can be monitored by operators.
The MIT team tested its concept via simulations of randomly generated forests, and world-tested two drones in a forested area at NASA’s Langley Research Center. In both experiments, each drone mapped a roughly 20-square-meter area in about two to five minutes, while the control system integrated their maps together in real-time.
The drones were programmed to identify multiple trees’ orientations, as recognizing individual trees in impossible for the technology, and individual trees’ orientation very difficult. When the lidar signal returns a cluster of trees, an algorithm calculates the angles and distances between trees to identify the cluster and determine if it has already been identified and mapped, or is a new mini-environment.
The technique also aids in merging maps from the separate drones. When two drones scan the same cluster of trees, the ground station merges the maps by calculating the relative transformation between the drones, and then fusing the individual maps to maintain consistent orientations.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued more drone flight restrictions — this time, near U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard vessels operating in the vicinity of Naval Base Kitsap, Washington, and Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia.
Drone operations are required to maintain a distance of at least 3,000 feet laterally and 1,000 feet vertically from the ships and submarines.
The Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Nebraska returns to Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor following sea trials. (Photo: U.S. Navy/Lt.Cmdr. Michael Smith, Commander, Submarine Group Nine)
At the request of the Department of Defense (DOD) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG), the FAA is using its existing authority under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations § 99.7 — “Special Security Instructions” — to address concerns about potentially malicious drone operations over certain, high-priority maritime operations.
The special security instructions, provided in an FAA Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), are now in effect. Additional information on these special security instructions includes a visual depiction and geospatial definition of the relevant airspace.
The FAA also warns drone operators that the USN and USCG vessels are authorized by law to take protective action against drones perceived to be safety or security threats, which could result in seizure, damage or destruction of the drones.
Operators who don’t comply may face civil penalties and criminal charges.
Any operator with an overriding reason of public interest or necessity (such as conducting a search-and-rescue mission) to operate their drone in close proximity to the cited USN and USCG vessels must first coordinate with the USN or USCG point of contact.
In a separate Special Notice Advisory NOTAM, also effective today, the FAA strongly advises drone operators to remain clear of DOD and Department of Energy (DOE) facilities and mobile assets, as well as USCG vessels.
The notice applies nationwide and alerts operators who ignore this caution and conduct drone flights perceived to be a safety or security threat to these facilities and mobile assets could face a reaction by security forces that results in the interference, disruption, seizure, damage or destruction of their drone.
Information can be found here on these two NOTAMs, and all of the locations currently covered by § 99.7 restrictions. This website also provides an interactive map, downloadable geospatial data, and other important details. Additional information, including frequently asked questions, is available on the FAA’s UAS website.
MEMS-based sensing solutions company Acienna released OpenIMU, a professionally supported, open-source GPS/GNSS-aided inertial navigation software stack for low-cost precise navigation applications.
Integrating an inertial measurement unit (IMU)-based sensor network will greatly improve its navigation and self-location capabilities, Acienna said.
It is aimed at developing autonomously guided vehicles for industrial applications, autonomous cars, factory or industrial robots, drones, remotely operated underwater vehicle or any kind of smart machine that needs to move fast or slow, on land, in the air or in water.
“Our breakthrough open-source software for INS/GPS algorithm development is the first professional grade open-source navigation stack running on a low-cost IMU,” said Mike Horton, CTO of Aceinna. “Not only will this kit save developers time and money, it is simple to use and does not require a Ph.D.”
OpenIMU enables advanced, easy-to-deploy localization and navigation algorithm solutions for a fraction of the time and cost of traditional methods, Aceinna said.
OpenIMU’s combination of open-source software and low-cost hardware enables rapid development of advanced solutions for drones, robotics, and autonomous applications. Its extensible software-infrastructure provides all the code needed for algorithm development.
The freely downloadable stack includes:
FreeRTOS-based data collection and sampling engine
Free IDE/compiler tool chain based on Visual Studio Code
JTAG debugging for debugging code loaded on IMU
Data logging, graphing, Allen Variance plots and maps
Extensive documentation
Robust simulation environment with advanced sensor error models
To install OpenIMU stack now, follow the directions. Several ready-to-install free GPS/INS and IMU applications are available at Aceinna’s Navigation app store.
The OpenIMU Development hardware development kit includes JTAG-pod, precision mount fixture, EVB and an OpenIMU300 module.
The OpenIMU module features Aceinna’s 5 deg/Hr, 9-Axis gyro, accelerometer, and magnetometer sensor suite with an onboard 180-MHz ARM Coretex floating-point CPU.
The IMU is delivered in a 24 x 37 x 9.5 millimeter module that operates at 2.7-5.5 VDC.
The OpenIMU Development kit is available for immediate delivery.
2018 State of the GNSS Industry survey respondents who identified themselves as from the survey sector constituted 30% of the total, corresponding to the percentage of the magazine’s readership.
What is the most promising and practical way to gain the increased accuracy that survey and other high-precision applications continue to demand? (Source: GPS World 2018 State of the Industry survey)
Higher Accuracy. Regarding the most promising technology to get the increased accuracy that surveying continues to demand, the outright choice was “dual-frequency, dual- or multi-constellation GNSS,” with “real-time kinematic” coming in second. Surprisingly, the newest technology to be introduced to GNSS receivers, inertial correction, lagged at just over 5%.
Inertial correction devices, which contain gyroscope and accelerometer technology, are now being installed in survey-grade receivers to increase accuracy and productivity. It’s a gamechanger in GNSS data collection for surveyors, so I am surprised by the survey results. These sensors work in conjunction with the receiver to more accurately collect positional information in relation to the point being acquired. While RTK positions are normally collected at 1-20 Hz, the inertial device works in tandem to further refine a more accurate location. As this technology becomes more publicized in phones and other devices, the surveying community will begin to take notice.
What role will drones (UAVs) play during the next three years in the survey sector? (Source: GPS World 2018 State of the Industry survey)
Drones. Concerning the role that drones (UAVs) will play in the next three years, by a slim margin — 47% to 42% — respondents state that up to 20% of their work will be completed by UAVs vs. those who feel less than 10% of their work will be done by a drone. Only1.3% answered that UAVs will take over most of their work and displace surveyors in the field for specific survey tasks.
I see UAVs becoming a standard equipment much like the EDM/total station and GNSS receivers, as it is clearly a unique tool for not just collecting visual images but as a remote sensing device. While it won’t replace workers in the field, it will allow crews to become more efficient, tech-savvy and valuable for human-only types of data collection.
Business. A whopping 85% of the survey sector found this market either “very healthy, with strong growth” (37%) or “relatively healthy, with moderate growth” (48%). This compares with total of 79% across all GNSS industry sectors. So we’re on top! That is, we are doing comparatively well amid the rest of the GNSS industry — which itself is in very good shape indeed.
Poll results reflect the positive nature of the surveying profession in relation to technology, specifically GNSS and the utilization of UAVs, in our every day work. Previously, introduction of new technology has been historically unreliable, less than user-friendly, and expensive. The trend with newer technologies, however, has been quite the opposite with shorter, easier learning curves and lower cost of entry. These factors have led more surveyors to upgrade their equipment, implementing newer technologies and thus creating more efficiency in the profession.
For more results from the 2018 State of the GNSS Industry, see this page.
TIM BURCH is a professional land surveyor and secretary, Board of Directors, National Society of Professional Surveyors.
Streamlined application and 30-minute response improve unlocking process.
DJI’s Matrice 200 drone. (Photo: DJI)
Drone maker DJI is introducing improvements to its geofencing system. Professional drone pilots with authorization to fly in sensitive locations can now use a streamlined application process to receive unlocking codes within 30 minutes.
DJI’s geofencing system uses GPS and other navigational satellite signals to automatically help prevent drones from flying near sensitive locations such as airports, nuclear power plants and prisons. These improvements are carefully designed to help expand the beneficial uses of drones in sensitive areas that have been restricted in DJI’s geofencing system.
While those areas will remain restricted to more casual drone pilots, DJI now staffs its global authorization team around the clock in order to process applications and provide unlocking codes quickly.
Professional drone pilots can apply to unlock restricted zones at www.dji.com/flysafe/custom-unlock. This portal page allows pilots to easily enter information about their aircraft and controller, as well as authorization documents supplied by the controlling authorities in areas where they wish to fly.
Enterprise users can for the first time include multiple aircraft in a single unlocking request.
“DJI now processes most requests within 30 minutes, though requests involving unusual circumstances or requiring additional documentation may need additional time,” said Michael Perry, managing director of North America at DJI. “By making it easier for authorized pilots to put drones to work in sensitive areas, DJI is once again showing why professional drone operators choose our aerial platforms for the most important tasks.”
“DJI first implemented geofencing in 2013, and it is now established as an important tool to help our customers make thoughtful flight decisions, while also addressing legitimate concerns about safety and security by helping prevent unauthorized flights in the most sensitive locations,” said Brendan Schulman, vice president of policy & legal affairs at DJI. “These improvements illustrate DJI’s ongoing commitment as the industry leader to continually improving the safety features we implemented years ago, while enabling beneficial applications for our technology.”
For more information about how enterprises are using DJI products to work safer, faster and more efficiently, visit enterprise.dji.com.
The newly released version 6 of the Virtual Surveyor drone surveying software offers a faster, more efficient workflow and better overall user experience in a more stable platform, according to the software maker.
Version 6 offers new capabilities, an improved licensing system and an extended free application.
“Surveyors who have used the Virtual Surveyor package in the past will be amazed at how easily they can manipulate data and how quickly the software renders results of even the most complex topographies,” said Tom Op ‘t Eyndt, managing director of Virtual Surveyor nv in Belgium.
Virtual Surveyor leverages the expertise and interpretation skill of a land surveyor and combines it with the computing power of the computer, the company said.The software generates an interactive onscreen environment through orthophotos and digital surface models, generated from the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), where the surveyor selects survey points and breaklines to define the topography.
Image: Virtual Surveyor
Virtual Surveyor enables land surveyors to complement traditional fieldwork with UAV imagery to generate highly accurate topographic products up to five times faster than otherwise possible. It bridges the gap between UAV photogrammetric processing software and engineering computer-aided design (CAD) packages.
“The focus of Version 6 development has been to streamline the workflow — from the importing of drone data to exporting topo information into CAD — to make the surveyor more productive,” Op ‘t Eyndt said.
Key enhancements in Virtual Surveyor 6 include the following:
Easier editing – The new editing functions allows users to quickly select, delete or move individual point and lines placed by the computer during the automated creation of elevation points. The associated Undo/Redo function allows reversing all edit operations.
Better CAD integration – The addition of Descriptor functionality means that point descriptions remain with the point during export to CAD, working the same way as the land surveyor collects data in the field.
3D geometry retained – All points, lines and other data imported into the software, either from a UAV or field surveyed data, retain elevation values and integrate seamlessly into the merged scene. This allows a surveyor, for example, to collect point values from a ditch bottom that may be obscured by vegetation in the drone image and have the bottom points accurately represented in the topography.
Improved drawing tools – Users can now densify (drape) lines and boundaries to map current surface conditions. Individual vertices are now adjustable in all directions and exact X, Y and Z locations can be specified as well. Sub-surface modeling is now possible with these new improvements. Created features can then be exported to CAD for profile or alignment creation.
Extended free plan – Referred to as the Valley version, the free Virtual Surveyor suite has added functionality, including the ability to import photogrammetric data.
Improved licensing – We better honor our principle: “The license follows the user”. With an improved licensing system based on a Virtual Surveyor Identity (email) the user will be able to work where he or she wants.
“The enhanced user experience will continue to appeal to professional land surveyors, who are our core client base,” said Op ‘t Eyndt. “And the seamless integration with CAD and advanced drawing tools will make Virtual Surveyor more attractive to design engineers.”
Virtual Surveyor is available in a free 14-day trial.
Designed to incorporate aircraft into the MANET, the Auto-Tracking Antenna System is a complete portable ground-to-air system for tracking aircraft, including drones. Army, Navy and foreign customers can use it for better airborne communications relay and full-motion video camera/sensor data transmission, Persistent said.
Photo: Persistent Systems
“The Auto-Tracking Antenna System represents a major step towards achieving the vision of a truly networked battlefield,” said Herb Rubens, CEO of Persistent Systems. “The tracking antenna rotates to follow air assets, keeping them connected to the MANET. “The air platforms orbit over our users on the ground, extending the MANET bubble and keeping soldiers connected to the enterprise. High throughput, low latency connectivity empowers the warfighter and decreases the dependence on SATCOM, which both reduces cost and increases network availability.”
Designed for ease-of-use, quick assembly and portability, the Auto-Tracking Antenna System can be assembled and deployed in less than 15 minutes, the company added.
The portable and lightweight design is completely collapsible, with the main five-foot parabolic dish breaking down into eight individual petals.
The entire system fits into most standard-sized SUVs for easy transport and compact storage.
Photo: Persistent Systems
Mimicking the MPU5’s modular RF structure, the Auto-Tracking Antenna System has interchangeable S-band, L-band and C-band MIMO feeds that allow it to cover all frequencies where Persistent’s five radio modules operate.
The antenna feeds twist-lock into place for quick and simple installation. An Automatic Heading System enables the tracking antenna to self-calibrate prior to operation for greater precision and less than one-degree pointing accuracy.
“Our customers require a system that is simple to put together, turn on, and works,” said Louis Sutherland, vice president of business development at Persistent Systems. “They want to extend the Wave Relay MANET out to aircraft and achieve high data-rates and reliable HD video transmission. The Auto-Tracking Antenna System truly delivers.”
The large parabolic dish enables video streaming out to distances of 130 miles (over 200 kilometers) while maintaining high throughput and strong signal strength.
Photo: Persistent Systems
Combining the precisely aimed tracking system with the MPU5 radio and Wave Relay MANET achieves optimal connectivity and reliable communications for manned and unmanned aircraft to communicate further than ever before.
The antenna is IP67 rated and built to endure harsh environments and weather, so it can be setup and left out for as long as the mission requires.
DroneUp is collaborating with industry leaders and government officials to promote the desired outcomes of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), public safety personnel, and the unmanned systems community by announcing the Responsible Community Pilot (RCP) program.
DroneUp is a drone pilot community focused on safer skies through continuous education and sense of purpose. The announcement was made at the AUVSI Xponential show being held this week in Denver.
The mass proliferation of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS), specifically those operated by non-commercial pilots, has created nearly unparalleled policy, safety and legislative issues.
To remove confusion and help increase resources available to all pilots, DroneUp is partnering with the International Association of Community Drone Pilots (IACDP) to provide tools and resources to meet the real objectives of improving airspace safety.
By providing free access to a community-based set of guidelines and programming, the RCP program engages drone pilots through training, certification, idea-sharing and community.
DroneUp provides the means and connections with the community to help pilots operate in the national airspace. Some of those free tools include:
Continually updated online courses and exams that improve regulation awareness
Mission-driven experiential exercises that improve piloting skills
An online community for questions and discussion
Mobile apps that verify where it is safe to fly and active advisories nearby
Comprehensive Standards of Conduct
Detailed Safety Guidelines
Advocacy on behalf of the community
“Our efforts to build this community through training and a sense of purpose are having dramatic positive effects on ensuring air safety,” said Tom Walker, Founder and CEO, DroneUp. “We are dedicated to not only continuing our efforts, but to sharing collected data that will prove invaluable to officials as they draft future policies.”
In advocating for both commercial and non-commercial use of small unmanned aircraft systems, IACDP represents commercial, recreational, military and public safety pilots.
“IACDP is motivated by a desire to make a positive impact on the industry,” said IACDP President John Evans. “We are still growing and expanding our training, certification, and advocacy resources. We see organizations like DroneUp as valuable strategic partners for our mission.”
To date, more than 20,000 non-commercial sUAS pilots are active members of DroneUp’s RCP community. Through affiliations with its non-profit partners, this number is expected to increase to more than 100,000 sUAS pilots over the next six months.
Membership in DroneUp’s RCP program requires successful annual completion of the RCP training and examination online.
Upon completion of the certification, RCP participants will receive a certificate with a unique ID number, an RCP badge in DroneUp’s mobile app; they also may request a personalized RCP ID Badge.
Tony Murfin Contributing Editor, Professional OEM & UAV, GPS World
As the days tick down towards the always-anticipated Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Xponential convention in Denver May 1-3, the unmanned vehicle industry is preparing once more for one of its largest exhibitions.
More than 750 exhibitors will be spread over a huge 370,000-square-foot exhibit floor at the Colorado Convention Center and 8,500 visitors from unmanned systems and robotics are expected to come to share ideas, gain insights and carefully examine the unmanned innovations on show.
STEM Outreach. This year the show will not only feature industry innovation and growth, but will also highlight resources for potential science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) graduates with interactive and engaging content, including:
A buildathon/hackathon to conceive, design and build inventions during a timed competition prior to Xponential. Final projects will be displayed on the Xponential show floor as a representation of innovation and collaboration.
A dedicated area in the Xponential exhibit hall will describe the STEM education programs and services supported by AUVSI and the AUVSI Foundation to foster and cultivate the next generation of innovators and leaders.
An area of the show floor will also showcase the winners of student robotics competitions.
Denver area high school students will be invited to tour the exhibit area to introduce them to emerging unmanned technologies and applications.
A reception at the show promises to mix young professionals in unmanned systems with seasoned industry leaders, and finally,
The Women and Diversity in Robotics forum will feature speed networking with leaders to review STEM opportunities for career-focused women and girls.
Survive and Thrive. Meanwhile, the Denver exhibition will demonstrate how the rapidly evolving world of UAVs has encouraged “survive and thrive” for those new entrants who together seem to have adapted to address almost any and all opportunities. We’ll mention a couple of examples here, and attempt to provide a better cross section of the huge number of companies and products present following the actual show.
For instance, one of the drawbacks for small, predominantly electric-powered, multi-rotor UAVs is that their endurance is limited. Providing longer duration operations may be outside their envelope — for such longer term things as providing temporary mobile-phone signal coverage, or police/agency reconnaissance/search, or for larger vertical inspection jobs.
Presumably, floating one of several available models of lighter-than-air, blimp-type UAVs might be more expensive or cumbersome than using a multi-rotor unmanned vehicle, so overcoming power-supply issues would seem to be key. One way to do this is to attach a strong tether bringing power up from the ground.
Orion UAS. The Elistair (France) Orion UAS will no doubt be featured on the company’s booth. This multi-rotor UAV has been developed for longer term aerial surveillance and telecommunications operations. Typical users include law enforcement, private and public safety, national security, asset protection, emergency communications and crisis management, so these tethered drones are deployed by police forces, public security departments, public and private security companies, and governments in more than 30 countries.
Photo: Elistair
The Orion UAS uses industrial components and system redundancy, including autopilot sensors, motors, power distribution and logic controls, and has an emergency parachute system. The patented micro-tether system ensures a stable platform supplied with continuous power from the ground to enable up to 10 hours of endurance. The mechanical structure of the drone is designed to sustain strong winds with maximum stability. With system redundancies and automated emergency procedures, the user is able to focus on safety-critical missions and data collection, while the risk of human mistakes is reduced.
The onboard camera has both FLIR and optical, enabling night/day surveillance with gimbal stabilization and low latency — the 30x optical zoom makes it possible to detect a moving person from kilometers away. And the tether system provides high-speed, interference-free data transmission so the system is also virtually undetectable. It’s easy to see why tethered drones are becoming more popular for security applications.
Identifying UAVs. At the FAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Symposium last week in Baltimore, a key issue discussed concerned remote identification and tracking of drones. It would seem that the FAA is about to announce a new rule that could eventually clear the way for drones flying over people and beyond line-of-sight of their operators — and this may be a key topic of discussion at Xponential.
The FAA rule appears to mandate that every drone should in some way communicate its identification — presumably its FAA registration ID — so that its operator could also be known.
One well-known company, Ford, has already announced that it has a concept using onboard collision lights on a drone to optically signal the 10-digit FAA registration number to the ground for capture and decoding. Maybe other exhibitors at the show will have other solutions — perhaps radio based? We’ll see.
Sensefly eBee drone.
Sensefly’s eBee. At the sensefly booth, we may also hear about several interesting announcements on recent drone applications:
Products on display will include the RTK/PPK-enabled eBee Plus professional mapping drone, the eBee SQ drone for agricultural applications and the albris mapping and inspection drone, as well as the senseFly S.O.D.A camera and GeoBase.
In addition, senseFly sales manager and GIS scientist Briton Voorhees will deliver a presentation titled, “Comparing workflow and point cloud outputs of the Trimble SX10 TLS and senseFly eBee Plus drone,” on Wednesday, May 2, at 11 a.m. in the Mapping and Surveying Track.
Booth visitors can also find out more about senseFly’s comprehensive 360 solutions, which are designed to improve operational efficiencies and support decision-making in the surveying, mining and quarries, agriculture and inspection sectors.
And many more. GNSS players also expected to be at the show include Hemisphere GNSS, NovAtel, Rockwell-Collins, Septentrio, Tersus, Trimble, Accord/Aspen Avionics, Comnav, Navtech, Swift and Topcon, as well as GNSS chip manufacturers u-blox and Intel — although Intel may likely focus on its UAV/communications offerings at this show.
There will also be a number of antenna suppliers, inertial sensor manufacturers, UAV autopilot manufacturers and several ancillary electronics and mechanical systems suppliers — all trying to solidify their positions in the UAV vehicle and systems integration supply chain.
The major focus, as usual, will be on UAV/UAS vehicle manufacturers and system integrators and their products — there is always a great exhibition of actual UAVs from all sectors of the industry.
So, along with a parallel program of educational presentations on a wide range of industry aspects, the AUVSI Xponential convention promises to have plenty of opportunities to find things of interest to almost anyone, and many areas to focus on for experts already in the industry.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expanding tests of an automated system that will ultimately provide near real-time processing of airspace authorization requests for unmanned aircraft (UAS) operators nationwide.
FAA Acting Administrator Dan Elwell announced the expansion at the third annual UAS Symposium, which kicked off on March 6 in Baltimore.
Under the FAA’s Part 107 small drone rule, operators must secure approval from the agency to operate in any airspace controlled by an air traffic facility. To facilitate those approvals, the agency deployed the prototype Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) at several air traffic facilities in November 2017 to evaluate the feasibility of a fully automated solution enabled by data sharing.
Based on the prototype’s success, the agency will now conduct a nationwide beta test beginning April 30 that will deploy LAANC incrementally at nearly 300 air traffic facilities covering approximately 500 airports. The final deployment will begin on Sept. 13.
Drone operators using LAANC can receive near real-time airspace authorizations. This dramatically decreases the wait experienced using the manual authorization process and allows operators to quickly plan their flights. Air traffic controllers also can see where planned drone operations will take place.
Beginning April 16, the FAA also will consider agreements with additional entities to provide LAANC services. Currently, there are four providers — AirMap, Project Wing, Rockwell Collins and Skyward. Applications must be made by May 16.
Interested parties can find information on the application process here. This is not a standard government acquisition; there is no Screening Information Request (SIR) or Request for Proposal (RFP) related to this effort.
LAANC uses airspace data provided through UAS facility maps. The maps show the maximum altitude around airports where the FAA may authorize operations under Part 107. LAANC gives drone operators the ability to interact with the maps and provide automatic notification and authorization requests to the FAA. It is an important step in developing the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management System (UTM).
AeroScope addresses safety, security and privacy concerns while protecting drone pilots
DJI has unveiled AeroScope, its new solution to identify and monitor airborne drones with existing technology that can address safety, security and privacy concerns.
AeroScope uses the existing communications link between a drone and its remote controller to broadcast identification information such as a registration or serial number, as well as basic telemetry, including location, altitude, speed and direction.
Police, security agencies, aviation authorities and other authorized parties can use an AeroScope receiver to monitor, analyze and act on that information. AeroScope has been installed at two international airports since April, and is continuing to test and evaluate its performance in other operational environments.
“As drones have become an everyday tool for professional and personal use, authorities want to be sure they can identify who is flying near sensitive locations or in ways that raise serious concerns,” said Brendan Schulman, DJI’s vice president for policy and legal affairs. “DJI AeroScope addresses that need for accountability with technology that is simple, reliable and affordable — and is available for deployment now.”
DJI demonstrated the system Oct. 12 in Brussels, Belgium, showing how an AeroScope receiver can immediately sense a drone as it powers on, then plot its location on a map while displaying a registration number. That number functions as the equivalent of a drone license plate, and authorities can use it to determine the registered owner of a drone that raises concerns.
In March 2017, in response to growing calls by governments worldwide for remote identification solutions, DJI released a white paper describing the benefits of such an approach to electronic identification for drones.
AeroScope works with all current models of DJI drones, which analysts estimate comprise more than two-thirds of the global civilian drone market. Since AeroScope transmits on a DJI drone’s existing communications link, it does not require new on-board equipment or modifications, or require extra steps or costs to be incurred by drone operators. Other drone manufacturers can configure their existing and future drones to transmit identification information in the same way.
Because AeroScope relies on drones directly broadcasting their information to local receivers, not on transmitting data to an internet-based service, it ensures most drone flights will not be automatically recorded in government databases, protecting the privacy interests of people and businesses that use drones. This approach also avoids substantial costs and complexities that would be involved in creating such databases and connecting drones to network systems.
This system is consistent with DJI’s problem-solving approach to drone regulation, which aims to strike a reasonable balance between authorities’ need to identify drones that raise concerns and drone pilots’ right to fly without pervasive surveillance.
DJI has led the industry with safety and security advances such as geofencing and sense-and-avoid technology, and believes the rapid pace of innovation provides the best means to address new policy concerns.
Drone identification settings will be included in DJI’s initial drone software to allow customers to choose the content of their own drone’s identification broadcast to match local expectations both before and after identification regulations are implemented in different jurisdictions.
To protect customers’ privacy, the AeroScope system will not automatically transmit any personally identifiable information until regulations or policies in the pilot’s jurisdiction require it.
“The rapid adoption of drones has created new concerns about safety, security and privacy, but those must be balanced against the incredible benefits that drones have already brought to society,” said Schulman. “Electronic drone identification, thoughtfully implemented, can help solve policy challenges, head off restrictive regulations, and provide accountability without being expensive or intrusive for drone pilots. DJI is proud to develop solutions that can help distribute drone benefits widely while also helping authorities keep the skies safe.”
