One of the major pains of drone operation and ownership (or so I'm told) is fully understanding when and where no-fly zones exists. Though there are permanent zones, the real hassle is any temporary ones posted thanks to wildfires and the like.
Without proper information, you could easily be flying where you should not be flying. However, drone manufacturer 3DR's found a solution — at least for its Solo smart drone.
The company's partnered with AirMap to "integrate [its] safety information software into its Solo smart drone app in anticipation of the coming holiday season."
While there are other drones out there with access to data on permanent no-fly zones — like from DJI, for example — this AirMap partnership brings continuously-updated information on those pesky temporary zones for use with 3DR's Solo drone. That's a major step forward, given that you're more likely to not know about temporary no-fly zones rather than permanent ones.
What will this actually look like for users of the app? If drone pilots open up 3DR's Solo app in a restricted area, a warning is displayed. Users can then tap said warning to bring up a map displaying any relevant information, including "real-time Temporary Flight Restrictions that may be established in the areas around wildfires, major sporting events and other sensitive places."
The press release from 3DR about the partnership is quick to point out that this is just the first step, and the intention is to eventually display even more granular information about local, state and federal regulations as they relate to flying drones. Like the data from the initial collaboration, all of this should feature real-time updates in case they change for whatever reason.
In the future, this kind of real-time updating will likely only become more common with the constant influx of new and better drones and software. Most hobbyists aren't looking to constantly be breaking the law by accident when they're out catching some sweet overhead footage of parks or whatnot. 3DR's just trying to stay ahead of the game by putting it in the palms of folks' hands sooner rather than later.
Via: Engadget
