No Wonder Everyone is Confused About the Drones in New Jersey!

SUMMARY:
Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) is complicated. Government agencies are uninformed, under-equipped, and underprepared.  However, the systems, tools, processes, rules, and regulations are available to solve this problem.  Here's a list–with links–from Airspace Link to help you understand the current landscape.

Given the events regarding the mysterious drones in New Jersey, Airspace Link thought it would be useful to put together a quick list of resources and recommendations that might facilitate an effective response to what is playing out in the news. Organizations can immediately use this information to properly assess Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS or Drone)-related incidents, filter out what is benign, make the appropriate decisions, and take effective action. This is by no means an exhaustive source of information, and endless references and resources are available. Still, this list hits on some key fundamentals that will improve the outcome for your city or organization.

Laws and Regulations 

Understanding the regulatory framework for drone operations is crucial for effective oversight. These foundational laws and guidelines establish the boundaries for legal drone activity and provide the basis for enforcement actions: 

Drone Operators and Aircraft 

• Unless exempted or within exceptions, drones operating in the United States must be registered with the FAA (LINK) 
• Unless exempted or within exceptions, drones operating in the United States must broadcast identification and location information (Remote ID LINK) 
• Drone operators flying commercially must be FAA certified (LINK) 
• Recreational operators flying recreationally must pass an FAA test (LINK)  

Drone Operations 

• Drone operations are regulated by the FAA and must follow specific operating requirements (LINK) 
• Drone operations can be limited based on when and where they are flying and often provided in publicly available maps approved by the FAA (LINK) 
• Drones operating in controlled airspace must be authorized by the FAA using an FAA-approved application (LINK) 
• The FAA can authorize operations outside of the regulation limits through waivers (LINK), and information about those approved waivers is public (LINK) 
• The FAA can authorize organizations to operate outside of the regulation limits in response to emergency situations through a Special Government Interest (SGI) process (LINK) 

Airspace Authority 

• The FAA is the legal authority of the national airspace and aviation to include drones (LINK) 
• The FAA coordinates with federal, state, and local agencies in response to anyone who would threaten national security and access to the national airspace (LINK) 
• The FAA provides guidance to law enforcement for suspected unauthorized drone operations (LINK) 

Technology 

The drone ecosystem encompasses various aircraft types and detection systems. Here's what city leaders need to know about the key components:

UAS (Drones) 

Many drones are currently being flown across the United States, and it is good to have an idea of what the different categories of drones look like and are likely to be seen flying. This list was made considering the number of drones sold and the market share:  

• Recreational (DJI, Autel, HUBSAN) 
• Public and Private Organizations (Skydio, Parrot, DJI, Autel, Wingtra, AgEagle) 
• Commercial Delivery (Wing, Zipline, DroneUp, Manna) 
• Domestic Military / Security (Small, Medium-Large)  

Airspace Detection and Tracking

There are many methods and technologies available to broadcast, detect, and categorize crewed and un-crewed aircraft in US airspace. The following are categorical examples: 

• Remote ID broadcast: Per FAA regulations, drones must comply with broadcasting location and identification information requirements. (LINK) 
• Radio Frequency Detection: Uses the signal broadcasted by the drone and drone controller to detect uncrewed aircraft (DeDrone, AeroDefense, Whitefox)  
• Radar: Uses transmitted radar signals to detect crewed and uncrewed aircraft (Accipiter, Echodyne) 
• Optical: Uses video and image feature recognition to detect crewed and uncrewed aircraft (uAvionix, DeDrone) 
• ADS-B: Uses aircraft broadcast of location and identification information to detect crewed aircraft (uAvionix) 
• Public Air Traffic Information: Commercial and public sources of crewed air traffic information available online (FlightAware, FlightRadar24) 

Example of historical drone flight traffic log on Airspace Link's AirHub Portal system.

Leverage Existing Authoritative Government Software and Data

Governments can implement airspace awareness tools using existing government data and software systems through collaborative solutions with Esri technologies:

• Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are vital for governments at all levels, providing location-based data and analysis to improve public services and make informed decisions. GIS is a key to the safe integration of drones at all levels of government.  
• FAA Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) from 3rd party GIS systems (LINK) 
• Local Government data integration (LINK) 

AirHub® Portal: A Unified Solution

Effective drone management requires bringing together regulations, technology, and operational procedures into a unified system. Airspace Link's AirHub® Portal provides a single drone operation management system, complete with comprehensive features invaluable for effectively applying the above knowledge and technology across all organizations to operate drones and effectively overseeing drone operations within an organization’s jurisdictional authority. 

 In a situation such as New Jersey, the system would combine various data sources and apply them to key capabilities that would proactively enable all stakeholders to support a coordinated response across all stakeholder organizations.

The critical capabilities that would be invaluable in the New Jersey situation should address four key capability areas: 

• Airspace Awareness:Direct access to combined data to understand what is flying where with context data required to support rapid assessments using authoritative and regulatory-based data (i.e., ability to answer questions such as is the reported siting a drone? Is the drone flying compliant with regulations? Is it a first responder drone? Is it in restricted airspace? Is the drone flying near critical infrastructure, airports, or crewed aircraft?) 
  
  
• Common Operating Picture: Data sourced from strategically placed aircraft detection systems, authoritative airspace data, drone operations data, and other organization data that provides information using a single set of maps and reports across jurisdictional boundaries. The common operating picture should be accessible to all authorized organizations ensuring immediate access to the data needed for timely assessment and response. (i.e. Do all organizations have the same situational awareness about a drone event? Whose jurisdiction is the incident in? Is an organization responding to a suspicious drone sighting?) 
  
  
• Operations Coordination and Communication: Capabilities that support operation planning workflows and allow for sharing related details across stakeholder groups, mitigating conflicts, and ensuring coordinated responses. (e.g. Is a public safety organization responding with another drone? Is a response team on the scene? Have public and commercial operators been made aware of a safety concern?) 
  

Example of flight operations management on Airspace Link's AirHub Portal system.

•  Public Outreach: Informing, educating, and coordinating with a jurisdiction’s community using modern methods (i.e., websites, applications, social media) and platform data to proactively mitigate operational issues or public concerns associated with information gaps. (i.e. Does the community know where to fly a drone legally? Can the organization comply with public transparency policies and laws when operating a drone? Does the community have awareness and knowledge related to normal or official drone activities?)    

As mentioned earlier, this blog only scratches the surface of information and insights that an organization may consider when it comes to how to best position for the use of drones or exercising jurisdictional responsibilities when it comes to drones in their communities. Providing timely, targeted, and meaningful information and insights is top of mind given the urgency surrounding New Jersey, but we also see it as an opportunity to contribute to all organizations and stakeholders' success in supporting the operations of drones legally, safely, and in harmony with their communities.  

The future of urban airspace is already here.  Is your city or organization ready for it?

Learn more about these features in Airspace Link's ouTube Series, AirHub® Academy. Watch a tutorial today on UAS Traffic and UAS Traffic Encroachments.