The concept of drone operations in the urban areas

Abstract

In this paper, the concept of drone operations that would be used for transportation of goods in the urban areas, in the lower part of the airspace above urban areas, is proposed. To make the most of the potential that this concept brings, it is necessary to harmonize the already existing operations with the future ones, to design the airspace for these operations, and to adopt regulations that will enable safe operations. Although it is necessary to invest large amounts of money to provide satisfactory conditions for the safe functioning of the system, the benefits that such a system brings will lead to multiple profitabilities. The concept of drone operations in urban areas has been described through three phases of evolution. The Phase 1 is the most favorable for the operator from the aspect of efficiency because it means moving from point A to point B by the shortest path. Phase 2 introduces the idea of a partial arrangement of the system. In the Phase 3, the concept of operations is described in a fully controlled and organized system, with the urban traffic control in charge of supervising and guiding unmanned aircraft. Depending on the criteria, the results show that the concepts of operations presented in phases 1, 2, and 3 can be more or less suitable for application and implementation in the lower airspace and can be used sequentialy.

Keywords

• drones
• urban airspace
• safety