Between commercial aircraft, private aircraft, and helicopters it is estimated that there can be close to 150,000 manned vehicles flying through the air each day. Keeping all of these flights organized and safe falls to the responsibility of Air Traffic Controllers (ATC). Every single airport in the world has an ATC team that coordinates planes on the ground, through takeoff and landing, and once they are airborne to ensure that each aircraft has the right amount of space needed to fly. Now as unmanned aircraft are becoming a greater presence in controlled airspace, it has become even more important to find a way to coordinate and manage airspace. But, unlike a manned aircraft, there is no pilot on board for an ATC member to communicate with a drone if the need should arise.

Richard Parker had always been a fan of robotics and drones. When he wasn’t busy with his work as a senior technical consultant for Microsoft, he would buy kits to build his own drones to fly. It wasn’t long before he realized that while there had been a lot of development in drone hardware, there was yet to have been developed technology to see that they can be safely flown in shared airspace. Richard decided to build an Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) prototype that quickly grabbed the attention of some investors. In 2014, Richard founded Altitude Angel, a company dedicated to ensuring safe traffic management for drones.

With their headquarters in Reading, England, Altitude Angel now has around 50 employees and clients all over the world. As described on the website, “We don’t make drones, we make them safe. Our technologies help unlock the potential of drones to revolutionize businesses, and transform lives, by providing the digital infrastructure required to deliver UTM services, globally.” The foundation of how Altitude Angel functions is that drone operators should always use a plan to avoid flight principles while integrating sense and avoid technology for optimal safety. At the same time, as Richard explained, it is crucial for drone flights to be “supported with centralized navigation guidance so movements through the airspace are at all times pre-planned and sequenced for minimum disruption, even if the ‘pre-planning’ happens just seconds prior to a disruptive event.” That is why Altitude Angel provides both strategic and tactical deconfliction for unmanned aircraft.

Essentially, what Altitude Angel does is to supply software to drone manufacturers and pilots that enable geofencing and emergency flight commands. This software is also used by airports, emergency response teams, and anyone who has to manage restrictive airspace. The software is made available through a satellite which means it provides instant accurate access regardless of the situation on the ground. For example, in the event of a wildfire or natural disaster, cell transmission could be disrupted. With Altitude Angel’s satellite connection any drones, ATC, or UTM system will have uninterrupted connectivity.

Richard sees this being a huge bonus to anyone who uses drones in emergency situations. Often in the event of an emergency, there are many agencies trying to work together to address the situation and it can be confusing. There have been times when drones have been spotted in such a situation and it means the emergency workers have to put their efforts on hold while the rouge drone is dealt with. There have been times however, that the drone in question was a tool being used by someone authorized, only the communication between the conjoining teams did not properly relay. With Altitude Angel this communication can be instantly shared between all parties and a drone can safely be used to perhaps spot for areas where a wildfire may spread, while another searches for victims, all while a helicopter is still able to maintain a mission to help put out a fire. The shared airspace is effectively managed to allow all parties to work together in a safe manner.

This system is already being used by airports as well to prevent an incident like the one that happened at Gatwick Airport when a rogue drone caused the airport to shut down interrupting the travel plans of thousands of people and costing billions of dollars. “Heathrow and five other airports operated by NATS are now using Altitude Angel’s GuardianUTM platform to give authorized users access to airspace in and around airports, which will aid the authorities by quickly identifying a drone on or near the airfield as friend or foe,” Richard stated. Drones are not allowed near airports unless they have specific permission. Altitude Angle’s program allows that permission to be shared without delay.

This platform is not only beneficial for emergency workers or airports. As drone deliveries are slowly becoming more common, Altitude Angle can help to manage a fleet of drones. If say, a company has 20 drone deliveries to make in 1 hour, Altitude Angel’s software can ensure that all of the drones can maneuver through any given airspace simultaneously. It has implications in the fields of agriculture and inspections as well. Through the use of a UTM, farmers or pipeline inspectors can manage multiple drones to cover more ground in less time. The bottom line is that we are entering a new age of aviation where drones are becoming as commonplace as seeing a jetliner streak across the sky. To ensure that everyone remains safe, having a drone management system is just as important as have a standard air traffic management system.