DroNet wants to speed up risk assessment of drone flights

Longer drone flights in Germany are associated with legal hurdles. Nothing works here without the appropriate permit, which ensures that use in the commercial sector is slow to spread. The new DroNet service is now set to change that.

Risk assessment easier with DroNet

Anyone in Germany who wants to fly a long distance with a drone through the area cannot avoid a risk assessment. This is true at least when it comes to commercial flights. With the help of DroNet, this usually time-consuming and nerve-wracking procedure is now to be simplified considerably. This is a digital data service based on data from mobile communications providers. Vodafone is involved in the innovative process as the lead provider. The group developed DroNet in cooperation with the Vienna-based startup Dimetor. The two parties yesterday presented their new project. The great benefit of the new service becomes clear when one considers the previous procedure of risk assessment.

So far, it is still mandatory that drone flights require a permit if they run over a longer distance. The reason for this is obvious. Since the drone pilot does not usually have direct visual contact with the flying object, there is always a certain risk. Accordingly, a risk assessment must be carried out in advance. This involves taking various parameters into account in order to assess the possible risks associated with the drone flight. Particularly important is, for example, whether and how many people are on the route. It also plays a role whether the drone is flying through a dead zone. This could mean the loss of radio contact and ensure that the pilot can not control the drone temporarily.

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Long waits will be cut

It is mainly the long waiting times that are currently a major nuisance for commercial drone flights. For example, although the application for a risk assessment is regularly filled out quickly. However, the processing of the same and the subsequent approval usually take several weeks. This was also emphasized by Vodafone during the presentation of DroNet. The new service makes use of the mobile phone data that can be collected along the planned route. This makes it easy to estimate how many people are on the route. Furthermore, the strength of the mobile network can be used to estimate how good the coverage of the mobile network is.

Professional users in particular are expected to benefit from the new technology. This by no means only includes people who want to shoot breathtaking film footage from lofty heights. Instead, Vodafone has logistical flights in mind. Since civil deliveries by drone will probably also become common in the future, DroNet is an exciting step in the right direction. An interface with the relevant aviation authorities is also intended to speed up the process. Of course, Vodafone is involved in this area for a reason. With the help of drone flights, providers could earn a lot of money in the future. After all, the control of the flying objects is based on mobile communications. However, in view of the sometimes poor network coverage in Germany, this also seems somewhat worrying.