May, 2019 - ARPAS UK

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The CAA’s Innovation Sandbox

The UK Civil Aviation Authority has launched a new virtual space in which new technology can be safely tested – the ‘Innovation Sandbox’. The Sandbox is offering innovative companies the chance to discuss, explore, trial and test emerging concepts, helping the UK’s aviation sector to continue to be at the forefront of technology.

The new UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Innovation Team, initially funded by a Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) grant, has launched the Innovation Sandbox with six participants.

The six participants and their projects are:

Altitude Angel – a company delivering solutions which enable the safe integration and use of highly automated drones into airspace. Through its airspace management platform, GuardianUTM O/S, it delivers software foundations for safely unlocking the potential of drones.

Amazon – a future delivery system from Amazon designed to safely get packages to customers in 30 minutes or less using unmanned aerial vehicles.

NATS and Searidge Technologies – air traffic control body NATS and its digital tower partner, Searidge Technologies, are working to implement new technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital air traffic control towers.

NBEC Consortium* – Cranfield University and its partners, Blue Bear Systems Research, Thales and Vodafone are creating an experimentation corridor that will enable drones and unmanned aircraft fly beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) by having their locations tracked and thus safely fly in the same airspace as manned aircraft.

Nesta Challenges – the Flying High Challenge, part of Nesta Challenges, is a collaborative engagement with cities, technologists, researchers, regulators, government, public services and the public to shape the future of urban drone use in the UK.

Volocopter – a company developing electrically powered urban air taxis (#eVTOLs) – based on drone technology – to help modern cities solve their increasing mobility issues.

The CAA’s innovation team will work closely with the participants to help them understand how they can meet regulatory requirements. Ultimately, this will be one of the elements these innovators will need in order to bring their new aviation and travel products and services to market.

Announcing the new Innovation Sandbox, Tim Johnson, Director at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said:

“The UK is a global leader for aviation innovation and we are excited to be playing our role to support this. Public safety remains our number one priority, and our Innovation Sandbox will allow for the creation of world-first technologies, tried and tested in a safe environment.”

Emma Simpson, Head of the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s new Innovation Team, added:

“We are working to enable innovative ideas and continue to collaborate with the international community, working with industry, for the public. These first six participants in our Innovation Sandbox are bringing exciting opportunities for the UK to benefit from in years to come.”

Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Greg Clark, said:

“We are in an era of rapid technological change and it’s exciting to see how these pioneering projects will put the UK at the forefront of growth industries of the future. Our innovation-friendly approach, builds on our global reputation in regulation, and is helping make the UK the global destination of choice for new aviation technology as part of our modern Industrial Strategy.”

Aviation Minister, Baroness Vere, said:

“New technologies such as artificial intelligence and drones have the potential to transform how we move people and goods around, both key aims of our Future of Mobility Grand Challenge and our forthcoming Aviation Strategy. The work of these six innovators demonstrates that the UK is a leader in exploring how to safely utilise these opportunities for the good of the country.”

Chris Forster, Chief Operating Officer at Altitude Angel, said:

“All the team at Altitude Angel are excited to be part of the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s Innovation Sandbox. Here in the UK we have the opportunity to lead the world in demonstrating how manned and un-manned aircraft can safely co-exist in mutual airspace. With our fellow Sandbox innovators, we’re looking forward to making this concept a reality.”

Professor Iain Gray, Director of Aerospace at Cranfield University, said:

“The potential of drones and unmanned vehicles to boost UK productivity is well documented and the technology is well developed. However, there are understandable regulatory concerns that need to be overcome about how they operate alongside manned aircraft. Being part of the CAA’s sandbox will allow The NBEC Team (Cranfield, Blue Bear Systems Research, Thales and Vodafone) to develop NBEC into a national asset that will pioneer the integration of manned and unmanned aircraft.”

Andy Taylor, NATS Chief Solutions Officer for Digital Towers, said:

“New technology, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital air traffic control towers, is set to revolutionise how air traffic is managed at airports all around the world. We’re really pleased to be working closely with the UK Civil Aviation Authority, exploring what these technologies are capable of and the impact they will have on the aviation industry.”

Kathy Nothstine, Flying High Programme Lead at Nesta Challenges, said:

“There has been some astonishing work with innovative technologies in the UK, such as unmanned aerial vehicles, and we look forward to pushing the boundaries and examining the potential for emerging technologies as part of the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s Innovation Sandbox. By working collaboratively across industry, tech innovators, regulators, front line services, cities, the public and government, the UK can continue to lead the way in aviation technology that will make us global leaders for years to come.”

Florian Reuter, Chief Executive at Volocopter, said:

“The UK Civil Aviation Authority Innovation Sandbox provides the necessary fertile ground to work with all stakeholders towards making London a city showcase for new forms of mobility. We are excited to embark on this learning journey together on how to enrich the mobility mix with our electrically powered Volocopter air taxis.”

The CAA

20/5/2019

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ARPAS-UK FRZ Survey

ARPAS-UK have put together a feedback form for people who have experiences requesting permission to fly in aerodrome FRZs. We are looking to capture both GOOD and BAD experiences and would appreciate your help. There are 3 main reasons for this form:

1) We plan to publish a league table of the best and the worst aerodromes for drone integration in the UK. We believe that this will improve best practice and encourage better drone integration efforts.

2) So the ARPAS committee can equip itself with knowledge for our upcoming meetings with the regulators, so they have direct feedback from operators as to the impact of the new aerodrome restrictions.

3) To help inform operators as to which aerodromes obtaining permission might be difficult, or where a fee is being asked for. This should help you with planning your work.

If you have some experiences to share, please spend 3 minutes filling this out as it will help us to help you. Also please share with friends and colleagues.

Go To Survey

With best wishes from,

The ARPAS-UK Committee

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A Week in the Life of… Matt Greaves of Drones on Demand

“Wow, your job is cool!”

Last Friday I went back to school to spend the day with Year 4 (8-9 year olds), talking about maps and drones, linking Geography and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day talking about different kinds of maps, teaching basic grid references and how a compass works (and how to stay safe outdoors – I am a Mountain Rescue volunteer after all).

I also surprised the children with a drone map of the school and surrounding area (ortho, point cloud and contours for those wanting a more technical description) that I had been and flown in the week before hand. I then spent the afternoon talking about safe drone use (and handing out copies of the Drone Code), answered lots and lots of questions about drones and flew a short demo.

It got me thinking, is my job really as cool as these children think?

Looking back over the last few weeks, it has been a really diverse mix of meetings, drone operations, updates to documentation, preparing to go back to school and running a business. I’ve probably spent a bit more time in the office than usual as the weather hasn’t been very drone friendly.

Since attending an OSC writing course at the CAA I’ve been working on updating our EVLOS OSC and writing new ones for reduced separation distances; this has been a labour of love that I was keen to finish. Given the weather confined me to the office, it was a good time to get them finished and submitted – especially as renewal looms in July. I’ve also made some minor tweaks to the standard documents to reflect the latest legislation changes.

I’ve also used the time while confined to barracks to catch up on the running of the business; making sure that the books balance, updating the website, catching up on social media and responding to tenders. I’ve also taken the time to respond to the consultation on the proposed charges for UK drone registration (if you haven’t already there is still time to have your say: https://consultations.caa.co.uk/finance/drone-registration/). All not exactly fun, but very necessary.

Regulatory documents and administration aside, it’s a really, really interesting time to be involved in drones. It is heartening to see how drone technology is being trialled and adopted to benefit people and the environment.

Last week I visited our local police forces and fire services to talk about drone use in Mountain Rescue (in my voluntary Mountain Rescue capacity). Mountain Rescue already has strong working relationships with the emergency services and it’s great to be able to share their best practice around how best to utilise the technology as another tool when searching for missing people. This is going to help develop common working standards and will hopefully lead to earlier finds of missing people.

After lots of planning and weather watching, I spent a day in various fields in the East Riding of Yorkshire scanning them with a multi-spectral camera in preparation for next year’s crop of potatoes. The theory is that by using the drone data the yield of the field can be increased by identifying disease and pests early, areas of poor irrigation and compaction. By identifying these issues, early action can be taken – hopefully reducing the amount of fertiliser and pesticides required as well as increasing the amount of crisps that can be produced! It was really interesting to learn about spuds and how they are grown on such a huge scale.

The ARPAS community came to the rescue ahead of these flights with their specialist knowledge – I was having trouble finding the instructions for how to calibrate the multi-spectral camera; one question to the ARPAS collective and I was furnished with the user manual. Thanks folks!!

As part of this multi-spectral project, I got to try out another flavour of Pix4D. Already certified in Mapper, I got to play with Fields – it’s very interesting and produces some very colourful views of the fields. Analysing what it means is beyond my skillset; I need an agronomist to tell me what the data is showing! Thankfully we have one on the proof of concept team.

I also met with the founder of another drone company for lunch, which we spent comparing notes on the latest technology and innovations. In their business they have just started to use sensors that are mounted on drones to detect mines that have been laid in war zones. This drone method of detecting mines is not only quicker but also far safer than sending someone in on foot to manually detect the mines. It’s still at trail phase, but the technology could have a huge impact on the daily lives of many people in historic war zones.

I’ve managed to find a few hours to test fly and get to know the characteristics of a new aeroplane and have been pondering how to test that a parachute system actually works, without totalling the drone if it doesn’t – turning the motors off mid-flight isn’t something that I’ve tried before! I managed to source a ‘crash test dummy’ and we’re planning the test in the next couple of weeks, which we’re going to video from the air and ground.

All in all – it’s been a very busy couple of weeks, but I think I’d agree with the children; it is a pretty cool job.

Follow me on Twitter: @dronesondemand

Website: www.dronesondemand.co.uk/

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IMechE UAS Challenge 2019

16-18 June – UAS Challenge 2019
Snowdonia Aerospace Centre, Llanbedr, LL45 2PX

Participating teams of undergraduates from national and international universities are required to undertake a full design and build cycle of a UAS with specific mission objectives, before competing in a final two-three day ‘fly-off’ event in the UK,

The Challenge is set as a year-long project with phased stages of completion that require strict adherence and assessment in order to qualify. The focus on safety and technical competence throughout the competition is a very high priority and the steering group comprises of expert, professionals in aerospace engineering and flight safety, many of whom are senior staff at leading organisations in the sector of aerospace and defence.

The Challenge provides several categories of awards:

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IMechE UAS Challenge 2019

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BIEA Competition

Introduction

The International STEM Youth Innovation Competition is an event for students under the age of 18, organised by the British International Education Association (BIEA). It aims to raise the level of technological enthusiasm among students from all over the world as well as to stimulate students’ passion for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The competition builds bridges between science, technological innovation, education, and young people across a variety of industries. The competition is held every summer with a new science and innovation theme picked every year. The first event took place in 2018 and was only open to British students with the theme of creating a drone for a rescue situation. From across the UK, more than 2,000 schools participated, comprising of almost every type of school imaginable. The finals were held on 28th June 2018, at the Big Bang Fair South East.

2019 will be the first international competition, with student teams from around the world taking part to design and develop drones in the battle of protecting wild and endangered animals. We welcome entries from all over the world and it is free to enter. The final of this year’s competition will be held in the UK in July 2019.

The Born Free Foundation is an official partner of BIEA. With special thanks to The Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS).

Theme of 2019

Over the last hundred years we know of at least 96 species of animals that have gone extinct, that is, lost to this world forever. Humanity has proven itself unable to stem the tide of destruction that it has caused through its actions. Our abuse of the environment has come at a high price as more and more species are added to the critically endangered lists, but there is a weapon in our arsenal that we can use to try to change the future: Technology.

The competition theme in 2019 reflects two major concepts: Technological innovation and conservation of endangered animal species: “Fighting extinction”.

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BIEA Education: STEM Challenge 2019: Drones & Wildlife

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Richard Glyn Jones – ViDAR, Saving Lives at Sea

ViDAR is an incredible technology that not only increases the confidence level of finding people and objects in water to 96% but it removes the guesswork of finding things.

Key Takeaways

Technology exists to solve a problem so you firstly need to understand the client’s problems before you can successfully sell the technology.
The first thing people see is your marketing material and the challenge is making sure the right message is in the right document – there is no one size fits all approach – especially when dealing with different clients and different industries.
I used to think that marketing is just marketing back when I was just involved in delivering engineering projects but now I know that marketing is one of the key functions of any business.
Don’t just send a generic data sheet to a new client unless it meets their requirements otherwise you’ll disengage straight away.
17 meetings in 3 days – Trade Shows have a huge value as lots of our target clients will be in one place at the same time. It’s sometimes easier to arrange meetings at a trade show than at the customers office.
Make yourself aware of the customer cycles before hand so don’t just expect the PO after the first meeting.
Understand what the customer wants and what their problem is and how to solve it – mindset is everything in this regard otherwise you’ll struggle if you just try to sell the product

Mentioned Links and References:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/DTSI_UK

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/richardglyn-jones/

DTSI Group Website: https://www.dtsigroup.co.uk

Sentient Website: http://www.sentientvision.com/

About Richard Glyn-Jones:

Richard Glyn-Jones has worked in the Aerospace Industry for more than 23 years covering many aspects from aircraft fuel systems, repair and overhaul of commercial and military components, integration of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems and setting up the Australian manufacturing supply chain for a number of F-35 components. Since 2015 Richard has been the Managing Director of the DTSI Group where he has worked with a wide variety of UAV manufacturers and operators and some of the world’s leading suppliers of Surveillance and Reconnaissance technology.

About DTSI Group:

DTSI Group works as an enabler for businesses to introduce cutting edge technologies to the global market. The focus is on Special Mission equipment for use in Search & Rescue, Maritime surveillance, Border Protection and Covert missions such as anti-piracy, illegal fishing detection and smuggling detection.

DTSI works with end users to help develop their requirements, System integrators on the addition of capabilities to their platforms and technology developers to bring their products to the market.

If you love this episode and can’t wait to hear more then please subscribe to the podcast on your favourite platform and if you’d like to receive notifications you can subscribe below and I’ll email you when a new episode comes out 🙂

The Curiosity Key Podcast

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Geobusiness


			UAV industry flying high at largest geospatial event in the UK

FREE to attend seminar

Since their commercial introduction more than a decade ago UAVs – known as drones to the public – have been used for a growing list of applications. Adopted by professionals across a range of disciplines, they have become commonplace. With increased payloads for cameras and sensors like laser scanners, they are increasingly the surveyor’s platform of choice for data capture. In this session attendees will learn how they are helping sectors like architecture, mining, highways emergencies and the heritage sector in the reality capture process. And by tethering, they can provide sustained aerial coverage of a site, for instance, during an emergency.

Sponsored by:

International Exhibition

Explore more than 200 exhibitors from across the globe will showcase the very latest in geospatial products and services. Keep up to date with what’s new and exciting in this rapidly growing industry.

Presentations

Free to attend seminars, conference and commercial workshops will run back-to-back over the two days focusing on the remarkable impact of geospatial solutions and demonstrating the latest products and services
.

GeoDATA Forum

A new co-located event for professionals involved with geospatial data software and services. This new event will see speakers and keynotes presenting thought provoking talks on a range of GIS related issues


	In collaboration with


	Official Charity		Supported by


	Media Supporters

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British Transport Police join ARPAS-UK as Emergency Services Members

As a progressive force, British Transport Police is continually looking to benefit from the newest technology and in 2018, the Force was proud to launch a trial project investigating the use of drones. They have a small number of pilots and are currently trialling several types of drones. As a national police force, they have the capability to deploy across England, Scotland and Wales in support of our officers.

The pilots are all police officers themselves and regularly support officers on the ground in searching large areas of the railway for missing persons, trespassers or suspects attempting to flea police custody. The team are available 24 hours a day and have equipment allowing the drones to operate during the hours of darkness.

The drones capability offers a number of advantages to operational policing teams, and the drone team at British Transport Police will continue to work with their officers nationwide to help keep the railway a low crime environment.

ARPAS-UK is delighted to welcome the British Transport Police to our growing Emergency Services Membership.

Month: May 2019

Grand Champion

Runner Up

3rd Place

Innovation

Design

Scrutineer’s

Safety & Airworthiness

Business Proposition

Most Promise

Highest placed new entrant

Media & Engagement

Introduction

Theme of 2019

ViDAR is an incredible technology that not only increases the confidence level of finding people and objects in water to 96% but it removes the guesswork of finding things.

Key Takeaways

Mentioned Links and References:

About DTSI Group: