DJI - ARPAS UK

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US Disaster Relief Program, COVID-19 Update

One Week In, and 100 Drones Already Committed

What a week this has been. Seven days ago, DJI announced we were activating our Disaster Relief Program to help public safety agencies in the United States confront the coronavirus. Today, we’re pleased to announce we are distributing 100 drones to 40 police, fire and public safety organizations in 21 states. This is the largest single deployment of drones to fight COVID-19 that we know of – and we look forward to seeing what our brave first responders do with them.

How it Started

DJI first created the Disaster Relief Program last fall to quickly send drones and supporting accessories to vetted public safety agencies dealing with local emergencies like tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires and floods. Over the last few years, drones have proven to be force multipliers for police, fire and rescue services by providing real-time aerial perspectives on chaotic situations, finding people in distress, assessing and mapping damage, and helping speed-up recovery efforts while freeing personnel to work on other tasks on the ground. We envisioned the Disaster Relief Program helping focus those efforts in specific parts of America. But with coronavirus raging, we retooled the program to mobilize for fighting a single problem from coast to coast.

A week later, we have received several hundred requests from across the entire United States to support police, fire and emergency management departments; state patrols; search and rescue units; and even hospitals. DJI’s Director of Public Safety Integration, retired fire chief Wayne Baker, and I reviewed applications from the hardest-hit parts of the country to learn more about their current situation, their plans to use drones to manage the crisis, and their ability to do it quickly. Even in a time of crisis, it was frankly inspiring: All across America, first responders are embracing drone technology to help their communities, accomplish more in less time, and protect their own personnel. They came up with creative ideas, shared proofs of concept and were eager to demonstrate how their work can help the greater public safety community.

Where we Are Today

The 40 organizations receiving these 100 drones from DJI all show great promise for how they can quickly gain real-world “COVID-19 Deployment” experience in using drones. We want to learn what works and what doesn’t work, gather information about different use cases, develop best practices and share that information with everyone. Right now is not the time to re-invent the wheel, so we hope our contribution of drones and expertise will catalyze new productive drone uses across the country.

We’ll let the individual departments announce their participation in the DJI Disaster Relief Program on their own schedule, as they receive equipment and get into the air. One preview comes from the Daytona Beach Police Department in Florida, where Sergeant Tim Ehrenkaufer, who heads their drone unit, unboxed two DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise drones yesterday (pictured below). He’s looking to use the drone with a loudspeaker attached, so they can spot groups of people gathering and warn them to disperse – without endangering any of his officers.

Here’s an infographic breaking down the recipients:

With 100 drones helping combat the virus at 40 organizations in 21 states, we hope to gather an extraordinary range of real-world experiences that will help public safety agencies do their best work to protect the public during an unprecedented crisis. Chief Baker and I are planning a webinar at 11 am Pacific time on April 15 to help share lessons learned – be on the lookout for more details about this event.

It took incredible work from many, many people across many time zones to bring the DJI Disaster Relief Program coronavirus effort to fruition so quickly. I want to thank everyone who contributed – from our internal stakeholders across DJI departments and regions, to our Enterprise Channel partners who turned on a dime to make these products available, to the public safety agencies who said they want to “Pay-It-Forward” and help information to improve the entire nation’s ability to respond. The battle against COVID-19 is going to be a marathon, not a sprint, but we hope this early effort can illuminate one way for America’s frontline responders to protect the public, keep themselves safe and hopefully save lives.

By Romeo Durscher for DJI

April 1, 2020

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DJI’s AeroScope Passes Evaluation by UK’s National Infrastructure Protection Agency

The UK has had its fair share of drone-related disruption, most notably with the grounding of flights across several days at London’s Gatwick airport – around this time last year.

Ever since, the UK government has been grappling with the issue of drone misuse. New legislation has been passed enforcing drone registration for hobbyists, while airports around the country have upgraded their security systems.

Now, DJI’s AeroScope system has been officially included in UK’s Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) Catalogue of Security Equipment. CPNI works to identify risks to and reduce the vulnerability of infrastructure, including airports.

AeroScope is a situational awareness tool that can be easily deployed at sensitive locations to detect and track nearby DJI drones and the location of their pilots.

The system was assessed successfully under the CPNI Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (CUAS) Detect, Track and Identify (DTI) Testing and Evaluation Standard. As a result, it will be included in the CPNI’s recommended security equipment catalogue.

AeroScope / DJI

AeroScope as a go-to remote-ID solution

AeroScope is targeted at hobbyists and works on the presumption that people will obey the rules – both with regards to registration and no-fly zones. As a result, it’s not really intended to be deployed against drone pilots with malicious intent.

Having said that, there’s no reason why the system can’t be used in conjunction with other counter-measures to protect sensitive locations. Depending on the infrastructure, most drone-related disruption is caused by clueless hobbyists and those bending the rules on the presumption that they won’t get caught. AeroScope can certainly help with that.

“Whether implementing safety features into DJI drones or developing protocols such as our ‘Elevating Safety: Protecting The Skies In The Drone Era’, DJI recognises the importance of working with all stakeholders to ensure a safer flying environment for everyone,” said Christian Struwe, Director of Public Policy, DJI EMEA.

“It’s fantastic news that our DJI AeroScope system has been recognised by the UK’s Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure, as a remote-ID solution to enable authorities to identify who is flying near sensitive locations or in ways that raise serious concerns.”

Balance between drone ID and pilot privacy

AeroScope represents DJI’s best efforts to find a middle ground between authorities’ need to identify drones and pilots’ right to fly without pervasive surveillance.

It works with all current models of DJI drones and transmits via an existing communications protocol, so there’s no requirement for new on-board equipment or modifications.

According to DJI, “During the CNPI’s assessment they found AeroScope was very simple to set up, learn and use with an intuitive interface. It responded to multiple UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) operating concurrently and the detection, tracking and identification performance was consistent.”

by Malek Murrison

For Drone Life

10th December 2019

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DJI Demonstrates Direct Drone-To-Phone Remote Identification

Simple, Low-Cost Solution Meets Government Expectations To Identify Airborne Drones

DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology and ARPAS-UK member, today demonstrated a direct drone-to-phone, Wi-Fi based solution to remotely identify airborne drones, pioneering an easy way for anyone with a smartphone to monitor nearby drones for enhanced safety, security and peace of mind.

DJI’s remote identification solution, developed in collaboration with industry stakeholders and regulators, broadcasts information from drones directly to off-the-shelf mobile phones using existing Wi-Fi protocols. Using a simple app, anyone within radio range of the drone can receive that signal and learn the location, altitude, speed and direction of the drone, as well as an identification number for the drone and the location of the pilot.

“Remote ID functions as an electronic license plate for drones, allowing anyone who is curious about a drone in the sky to learn more about what it’s doing,” said Brendan Schulman, DJI Vice President of Policy & Legal Affairs. “Around the world, aviation authorities have said remote ID is the key to allowing more complex drone use, and to solving concerns about safety and security. DJI’s direct drone-to-phone remote ID shows we’re committed to providing a solution in a way that is instantly usable worldwide without any additional infrastructure.”

DJI demonstrated the direct drone-to-phone remote ID system at a park in Montreal, Canada, during the International Civil Aviation Organization’s third annual Drone Enable conference. Participants used standard phones from Samsung, Google and Xiaomi to receive Wi-Fi Aware signals from a DJI Mavic Air drone and a DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise drone.

“Our direct drone-to-phone solution is an easy and elegant solution for drone pilots. They will be able to comply with Remote ID expectations simply by updating the software on many drones already in widespread use, without any extra cost or equipment,” said Javier Caina, DJI Director of Technical Standards. “In contrast, remote ID solutions that require pilots to add telecommunications equipment, subscribe to an ID service provider, connect to a cell tower or buy a data plan for their drone will create new costs and barriers for beneficial drone operations. DJI’s direct drone-to-phone solution uses the latest technological advances to make remote ID compliance as easy and inexpensive as possible.”

Aviation regulators in many countries are moving to require remote ID systems for drones as a solution to concerns about drone safety and security. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said it will release a mandatory remote ID proposal by the end of this year. The rulemaking process will take more than a year to complete, but an FAA industry committee has urged manufacturers to develop voluntary remote ID systems in the interim. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) will impose remote ID requirements in July 2020. The app and the associated drone firmware updates used for DJI’s demonstration this week are not yet available for public use, pending further direction from aviation regulators and final publication of the ASTM International standard.

“As more drones take to the skies every day, remote ID addresses the public’s interest in understanding what’s happening in the airspace,” said Christian Struwe, DJI Policy Director, Europe. “DJI’s drone-to-phone implementation helps accomplish that by allowing drone pilots to broadcast a simple description of their flights, so anyone viewing the smartphone app can understand that they are inspecting a roof, surveying a construction site, or performing another beneficial task with a drone.”

DJI’s system was built to conform to the forthcoming ASTM International standard for broadcast drone remote ID, developed over a period of 18 months by a broad group of industry and government stakeholders. The solution uses the Wi-Fi Aware protocol for mobile phones, which allows the phones to receive and use the Wi-Fi signals directly from the drones without having to complete a two-way connection. Because it does not need to connect to a Wi-Fi base station, a cellular network or any other external system, it works in rural areas with no telecom service. In DJI’s preliminary testing, the Wi-Fi Aware signals can be received from more than one kilometer away.

“Wi-Fi is the premiere way to connect devices in the modern era, and we are pleased that Wi-Fi Aware from Wi-Fi Alliance® provides a reliable, virtually cost-free solution for drone Remote ID that can be implemented in many drones with just a software update,” said Wi-Fi Alliance, a worldwide network of more than 850 companies. “Wi-Fi Alliance will help facilitate broad industry collaboration on implementation of Wi-Fi Aware as this solution is adopted by manufacturers and policymakers.”

The new direct drone-to-phone solution is an evolution of the broadcast methodology pioneered by DJI AeroScope, the professional remote ID system first introduced in 2017 for airports, prisons, stadiums and other critical locations protected by police departments and other government agencies. AeroScope broadcasts a drone’s location, altitude, speed, direction and identification number, as well as the location of the pilot, using different radio protocols that can be received from miles away by special receivers developed for safety and security authorities who most need it. More information about how AeroScope is currently used to protect the public is available at this link.

DJI Website

13th November 2019

BBC article on the subject: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-50414108

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Airprox Stakeholder Engagement Event

Thursday 19th September 2019

In conjuction with the Royal Aeronautical Society, ARPAS-UK has arranged a meeting to bring together the key stakeholders to learn more about the Airprox Incident Reporting of Drones and to discuss the way ahead.

Confirmed speakers are:

UK Airprox Board
Airprox Reality Checks
CAA
DJI

Representatives from GATCO (the Guild of Air Traffic Controllers) and the BMFA (British Model Flying Association) will be attending too. There will be presentations and a constructive Q&A session, plus networking opportunities.

The aim of the event is to inform and educate members/stakeholders on how Airprox reports are made and actioned, and to see if there are any improvements which can be made to the process. We’re keen that this is a constructive event for all drone related stakeholders, not a point scoring or political session.

Attendance is by invitation only if not an ARPAS-UK member.

The event will be filmed and made available to members afterwards.

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ARPAS-UK talks to DJI about data security

On June 11th 2019, the Science and Technology Committee were joined by the Defence Committee to continue their Inquiry into Commercial and Recreational Drone Use in the UK. DJI presented oral evidence, along with other key stakeholders in the drone industry, including ARPAS-UK. DJI’s representative, Brendan Schulman, Vice President for Policy & Legal Affairs, was repeatedly asked about DJI’s data security.

Afterwards ARPAS-UK spoke with DJI to reinforce the message that commercial drone operators are being asked by their clients about data security too. In the light of this, the following interview was arranged between Graham Brown, CEO of ARPAS-UK, and Christian Struwe, Head of European Public Policy at DJI, with the aim of establishing the facts.

Graham:

Hi Christian, thanks for speaking to us today. We’re hoping to get some further information after DJI’s Vice President for Policy and Legal Affairs, Brendan Schulman, appeared in front of a parliamentary committee last month to answer MPs’ questions about drones. He was asked repeatedly about the data security of DJI drones, and it would be really helpful for our members to also get some further clarification on this topic.

Christian:

Thanks for inviting me. The UK is one of DJI’s most important markets and we see a lot of fantastic drone applications. We recognise that in order for this to continue, users need to be reassured that they can have complete confidence in our products and the security of their data.

Graham:

So what actually happens to the data that our drones create? Where does it go and who controls it?

Christian:

DJI drone operators maintain absolute control over their data – at all times. DJI drones do not share flight logs, photos or videos whatsoever unless the drone pilot deliberately chooses to do so. In other words, your data will remain solely on the drone itself and on your mobile device unless you actively choose to share it with DJI, for instance in case of a repair service that a user requires. On top of this, all of our products are protected by embedded passwords and data encryption features.

Graham:

And what would you say to those who still remain yet to be convinced about data security of DJI drones, in spite of this?

Christian:

Well, we have independently verified that DJI drones don’t share data unless prompted to by the pilot, through a third party security review of our technology by a renowned US-based cyber forensic firm at the beginning of last year. Since 2017, users of DJI drones have also been able to use Local Data Mode. This feature allows for complete disconnection between the pilot’s app and any internet connection – meaning, for example, that the location of the user can’t be detected by the app at all, let alone shared anywhere.

Graham:

Given recent accusations about the technology produced by Chinese companies, like DJI, being used by foreign governments to spy on countries like the UK, do you think that these provisions are watertight enough even for those conducting the most sensitive operations, such as police forces?

Christian:

We have full confidence in the security of our products, but to offer even further reassurance for the most security conscious of our customers, DJI has also made available a FlightHub Enterprise edition and a Government edition, allowing operators to feel totally confident with data backed up to their own personal servers. The Government edition even prevents users from transferring data off of the drone to other parties, whether intentional or accidental, and has restricted hardware pairing to prevent the use of any unsecure hardware or unauthorised third-party applications. The U.S. Department of the Interior has recently independently validated and approved this Government edition, confirming after 15 months of rigorous assessment with expert industry partners like the NASA Kennedy Space Center, that no data whatsoever would be transmitted outside of the system and that it was therefore safe for them to use.

Graham:

Finally, how do you keep pace with unprecedented and emerging cybersecurity risks to ensure that your drones don’t become susceptible to new threats?

Christian:

We operate a global Bug Bounty Programme which has internationally renowned security researchers continuously working to identify any potential gaps so that they can be swiftly resolved. DJI’s prioritisation of data security means that the company is constantly working towards further improvement.

For more information, DJI data security in the UK 090719

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DJI Challenges Accuracy & Balance of BBC Drone Report

As the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, we feel it is our duty – on behalf of the millions of responsible drone users around the globe – to express our deep disappointment at the BBC’s negative portrayal of drone technology and one-sided reporting based on hearsay. This now seems to be an established pattern of reporting by the BBC, with such bias appearing both during Panorama’s “The Gatwick Drone Attack” that aired April 15, 2019, and more recently during Horizon’s “Britain’s Next Air Disaster? Drones,” aired July 1, 2019.

The BBC is a public service broadcaster whose remit is to “inform, educate, and entertain.” We strongly believe that both these programs fall very short of informing and educating viewers in an impartial and accurate manner. It is the BBC’s duty to paint a more nuanced picture of the events at Gatwick, given that there is still no firm conclusion due to the lack of physical evidence or any photographic material to prove that a drone was even the actual cause of the disruptions, and therefore no information upon which to analyze the actual risk or threat to aviation. In relation to “Britain’s Next Air Disaster? Drones,” only about one minute of an hour-long program was given to the multitude of benefits that drone technology has to offer society.

DJI was approached by both the Panorama and Horizon production teams and provided plenty of input including an interview and in-depth background information. However, almost none of the material was included in either program. We have to assume this is because the BBC ultimately preferred to boost viewing figures by focusing on sensational, high-risk scenarios that are vanishingly rare or almost impossible, while ignoring evidence that drone technology is safe and that the drone industry itself has implemented various features to mitigate the risks described. This cannot be construed as balanced or impartial in anyone’s book.

Today, we want our readers to take part in the discussion by sharing with you an open letter we have sent to the Director-General of the BBC.

Please read the full letter here.

From: https://content.dji.com/dji-challenges-accuracy-balance-of-bbc-drone-report/

4th July 2019

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Science & Technology Committee Inquiry 11/6/2019

Anne-Lise Scaillierez, Director at ARPAS-UK, has been invited to provide expert witness to the Science & Technology Committee Inquiry into the Commercial and Recreational Use of Drones in the UK.

You can watch on Parliament TV

Witnesses:

At 9.45 am

Tim Johnson, Policy Director, Civil Aviation Authority
Richard Parker, Chief Executive Officer, Altitude Angel
Anne-Lise Scaillierez, Director, Association of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems UK

At 10.45 am

Professor James P. Scanlan, University of Southampton
Brendan Schulman, Vice President of Policy and Legal Affairs, DJI
Sir Brian Burridge, Chief Executive Officer, Royal Aeronautical Society

This is the first session of the Committee’s inquiry into commercial and recreational drone use in the UK, and will help the Committee to seek evidence on the risks and opportunities arising from the growing use of civilian drones. Themes for this session include:

current and forthcoming regulation including registration plans;
the effectiveness and prevalence of in-built safety features of drones.

Scope of the inquiry

This inquiry will look at the ethical and safety implications of the growing use of civilian drones, of all sizes, across the UK.

Drones have had a range of positive impacts across a variety of industries, from commercial photography and aerial surveying, through to crop spraying and parcel delivery. However, following increased recreational popularity, there have been several suspected drone incidents, including dozens of ‘near misses’ between drones and aircrafts.

Following two previous consultations on drone safety and security and incursions at Gatwick and Heathrow airports the Government is planning to bring forward a ‘Drones Bill’ in 2019.

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iRed appointed as first UK authorised DJI educational partner

ARPAS-UK member, iRed has confirmed that it has been appointed as the first DJI educational partner in the UK.

The collaboration grants exclusive access to the new Tello EDU drone and accessories, specifically designed for schools and educational centres.

iRed said it was pleased to add DJI to a list which includes CITB, Lantra, BINDT and the CAA which recognises the Hampshire-based firm for educational and specialist training.

The firm already has partnerships with academic institutes such as the University of Portsmouth, Coleg Cambria and University of Plymouth and says its hopes it can bring its educational experience into the new venture.

As part of the announcement, iRed detailed how the DJI Tello EDU drone offers a fun way for students to learn programming in languages such as Python, Swift and Scratch.

By programming the DJI Tello EDU drone to perform operations solo, or even in swarms, the students can see the results of their efforts happening physically in front of them, rather than just a display on a monitor.

In April, CDP reported on how becoming a DJI retailer had helped iRed hit £1m in turnover.

iRed has released its results for the financial year 2018-2019, returning a record breaking turnover of £1m.

As part of its growth, the firm outlined how since becoming a DJI enterprise dealer in 2017, it saw revenues increase by 300% in 2018.

Based in Emsworth, Hampshire, the company now employs 18 members of staff and has been praised by its local MP Alan Mak for creating highly skilled local jobs.

Ray Faulkner, managing director of iRed, commented: “Our strengths have been in embracing new technologies and applying them to a wide range of commercial sectors. This has enabled us to consistently increase our turnover year-on-year.”

He continued: “We’ve invested heavily in research and development over the last few years, which is now helping us to achieve our financial targets. This is aided by our reliability and consistency in service across all divisions.”

ALEX DOUGLAS on JUNE 3, 2019

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Here are the 5 Winners of the 2019 AUVSI XCELLENCE Humanitarian Award

Drones for Good: The Winners

The five winners of the second annual XCELLENCE Humanitarian Award have been announced at AUVSI XPONENTIAL.

The award was once again sponsored by DJI.

The 2019 AUVSI XCELLENCE Humanitarian Award was dedicated to celebrating drone operations and technologies that have had a profound impact for good. The proper type of good, not just the financial type of good. The five winners included disaster relief and public safety operations, education and training, firefighting and wildlife conservation.

This year’s winners are:

North Carolina Department of Transportation – Using drones in an innovative response to Hurricane Florence (United Stats)
Swoop Aero – Vaccine and health supply delivery on the island nation of Vanuatu (Vanuatu)
NASA/MIT Search and Rescue Under the Canopy (SARUC) – Locating people and other important targets lost in challenging and cluttered forest areas (United States)
Project Lifesaver International – Search and rescue for ‘at risk’ individuals who are prone to the life-threatening behavior of wandering (United States)
Zipline International – Medical drone delivery operations in Africa

“The Humanitarian Awards demonstrate the profound ability of the recipients to positively impact lives through unmanned systems technology,” said Brian Wynne, president and CEO of AUVSI.

“We proudly recognize the five winners and hope their accomplishments will serve as an inspiration to utilize unmanned aircraft systems to accomplish remarkable achievements for our society.”

True proof of drone innovation

“We’ve seen an expanding implementation of drone technology in the past year, from locating humans lost under cluttered forest canopies, to dropping critical medications in Africa, Oceania and Latin America, to enabling students to program drones and fly autonomous missions,” said Mario Rebello, Country Manager for North America and Vice President of the Americas at DJI.

“These innovators are a true proof of drone innovation driven not just by the technology itself, but by its users. We are thrilled to see drones embraced widely across an expanding range of industries, and we hope the award will inspire more drone operators around the world to accomplish great feats in their own communities.”

All five organizations will receive a $5,000 donation for their ground-breaking humanitarian and philanthropic efforts.

By: Malek Murison on: May 03, 2019 for DroneLife