The British government is working with Nasa to come up with a realistic plan for monitoring drone use. The system would allow authorities to monitor all low-flying drone traffic through a cloud-based system, with drone pilots able to view real-time information about other nearby flights.
Details of the system were revealed by Lord Ahmad, who was asked what was being done by the government to address the rapid growth in drone use. "The Government are in early discussions with Nasa about the drone traffic management system, and it is hoped that those discussions will lead to a UK involvement in the development of that system and the participation of UK industry in future trials to test the robustness of the technology," he told the House of Lords.
The system Lord Ahmad is referring to is Nasa's plans for "unmanned aerial systems traffic management." In other words, it is developing air traffic control that will monitor all low-flying drones. Nasa hopes to have this running within five years. As well as providing information about other drones nearby it would also provide details on restricted areas to avoid and weather conditions.
The announcement that the UK government is in discussions with Nasa follows the House of Lords' call for a drone register back in March.
It also comes off the back of the Civil Aviation Authorities's (CAA) drone code this summer, which stated that drones must be kept within the pilot's line of sight, must not fly above 400 feet, and must steer clear of other aircraft and airfields. The code also explained that drones fitted with cameras cannot be flown within 50 metres of people, vehicles, buildings or congested areas and large gatherings. The CAA has so far legalised more than 670 commercial uses for drones. "These are aircraft. They are viewed in the Air Navigation Order as aircraft, and you have responsibilities under that order," Paul Cremin, from department of transportation, told the parliamentary inquiry on drones.
The European Commission estimates the drone industry could create 150,000 jobs by 2050, which has prompted the British government's rush to regulate. Concerns have arisen about drones colliding with commercial planes and helicopters, and about drones flying over large public events and places.
Other possibilities for drone regulation that have been floated include "geo-fencing," which would fit drones with a GPS system that would inhibit their ability to fly over restricted areas such as prisons and airports, and tracking all drones. Failing that, Boeing has developed anti-drone laser-technology that can bring down a drone in a matter of seconds.
There have been over 400 calls to police about drone-related accidents in the last two years, according to the government report. https://www.wired.co.uk/article/boeing-anti-drone-laser-technology
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
