drone

Unmanned aerial vehicles solution provider PrecisionHawk, Verizon, Harris and space and satellite imagery service provider DigitalGlobe have jointly completed initial testing of airspace services for consumer and enterprise drones.

All companies involved in the project combined their own technologies to complete the test.

In the project, Verizon’s LTE network, Harris’ ADS-B and aircraft surveillance network, DigitalGlobe’s geospatial big data platform and PrecisionHawk’s low altitude traffic and airspace safety (LATAS) platform were integrated for safe drone technology.

Currently, FAA Pathfinder programme and the NASA UTM project have been assessing this ecosystem.

PrecisionHawk LATAS director Tyler Collins said: "With this collaboration, the innovation of the tech community is addressing the timely need for safety services to accelerate drone integration.

"Verizon, Harris and DigitalGlobe bring technology components, expertise and credibility that are critical to the success of this ecosystem. We look forward to expanding testing through the FAA Pathfinder and NASA UTM programmes in 2015."

"LTE networks have the potential to allow drones to deliver sensor data for processing, analysis and decision-making mid-flight."

Verizon Ventures director David Famolari said: "LTE networks have the potential to allow drones to deliver sensor data for processing, analysis and decision-making mid-flight and to receive command and control inputs in real-time, resulting in a safer, more reliable shared airspace.

"While much further study is required, this demonstration is an important step in advancing industry efforts to safely manage commercial UAV operations at scale."

LATAS platform operates over LTE and through satellites, which connects airspace safety technologies such as detect and avoid, dynamic geofencing and aircraft tracking to provide safety for the drone market.

Verizon offers secure and reliable connectivity to LATAS users by using its existing infrastructure of cell towers it operates across the US.

DigitalGlobe’s Geospatial Big Data senior director Shay Har-Noy said: "We are leveraging satellite derived information to create consistent information and analytics for safe drone flights.

"This is a significant collaboration that represents a huge step forward for the FAA and the safety and wellbeing of the American public."

DigitalGlobe provides geospatial content and analytic capabilities for the identification of terrain and ground obstacles.

Harris’ automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) ground station supports FAA’s NextGen surveillance initiative to improve the quality, accuracy and reliability of flight tracking data throughout the US’s entire National Airspace System (NAS).

Image: PrecisionHawk, Verizon, Harris and DigitalGlobe have jointly completed initial testing of airspace services for consumer and enterprise drones. Photo: courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net.