As the number of drones flying through our airspace increases, NASA is developing a plan to keep track of and direct all these hovering devices.
The space agency has partnered with telecom company Verizon to develop technology to direct and monitor all of the commercial and civilian drones in the U.S.
According to documents obtained by The Guardian, Verizon signed an agreement last year with NASA "to jointly explore whether cell towers ... could support communications and surveillance of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) at low altitudes."
The $500,000 project is already under way in Silicon Valley and NASA this summer will begin testing the system, which uses radar, satellite and cellular signals to track the drones. Verizon is scheduled to finalize the technology by 2019.
Currently there is nothing stopping drone pilots from sending their aircraft pretty much anywhere they like, but NASA hopes the new system could enable geofencing of certain sensitive areas such as the airspace of the White House or Capitol Building in Washington. Geofencing uses GPS or radio frequency identification (RFID) to define geographical boundaries and set a virtual barrier.
The documents revealed that the plan is still at the exploratory stages as the FAA is yet to clearly define regulations for commercial drones. The current proposal would limit drones for recreational and commercial use to 55 pounds, 100 mph speeds, heights of 500 feet during daylight hours and require the aircraft to remain within line of sight of the pilot. The aim of the NASA project is to "jointly explore if cell towers and communications could possibly support Unmannned Aerial Systems (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM) for communications and surveillance of UAS at low altitudes".
A new system is needed as the current air traffic control system isn't capable of tracking small drones flying at low altitude. Radar coverage at low altitudes is unreliable so using the cellphone network and partnering with Verizon is a viable alternative. Verizon is the largest wireless telecom company in the U.S. with an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 cellphone towers across the country. Workshops have also been held with other carriers like AT&T, though such is the scale of the project that NASA is getting help some of the biggest tech firms, too.
The Guardian also reports that Google and Amazon are currently testing the systems with their commercial drone projects at NASA's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley. Google is spending $450,000 testing its self-driving cars at Ames and is also sharing data from its Project Wing drone project. Amazon has invested $1.8 million in the testing of its Prime Air drones and contributing to plans for the monitoring project.
