NATS, DroneCloud and Network Rail have announced the completion of a major project that aims to explore how drones could be implemented at scale around critical national infrastructure – including for rail inspections and incident response.
Project SOCNI (‘Scaling BVLOS Operations for Critical National Infrastructure’) brought together numerous partners from aviation, drone technology, rail infrastructure and policing to evaluate the effectiveness of beyond visual lien of sight drone operations within complex environments.
The consortium was led by DroneCloud, included NATS, Network Rail, Transport for Wales, RUAS and British Transport Police.
Trials, which were focused on a real-world rail environment, saw the consortium test the feasibility of multiple operators coexisting safely in the same piece of airspace by ensuring they all had access to the same information, whilst following a clear prioritisation model.
The live demonstration utilised real aircraft and simulated real-world scenarios, and is hoped to result in the creation of a new concept of operations to support the transition from segregated to shared airspace.
Jan Domaradzki, Co-founder of DroneCloud, said:Project SOCNI has shown the value of bringing together the right partners to test how BVLOS operations can be delivered safely in complex environments.
Working with NATS and the wider consortium has allowed us to explore not only the technology required, but also the operational processes and safety considerations needed to support future deployment at scale.
All results from the SOCNI will now be used to support the continued development of OpenAir, NATS own concept that aims to to support the safe integration of new airspace users by enabling data sharing and digital coordination between operators.
The project as a whole was supported through the UK Research and Innovation Future Flight programme, which provides funding for projects that aim to advance the next generation of aviation systems and services in the UK.
