Safer Skies – Intel Showcases Open Drone ID

Intel has been surging in the field of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and their disparate use cases; the most recent endeavour being the new Open Standard for Secure Remote Drone Identification- the Open Drone ID which aims at providing air traffic controllers and aviation authorities with key information for safe drone traffic management.

According to a press release Intel’s open standard in remote drone identification called Open Drone ID birthed in collaboration with NASA and the FAA.

The FAA is officially designated by the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Identification and Tracking Aviation Rulemaking Committee to suggest cohesive and secure methods of identifying, classifying and tracking drones and Intel is keen on making Open Drone ID the de facto standard.

At a media event hosted by the FAA and the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma, Intel flew night missions to showcase its thermal sensor-fitted Falcon 8+ drones and the newly revealed Open Drone ID. Intel’s beacon-based (wireless drone identification) solution enables identification of drones within range of a receiver like a Smartphone. The current draft specification is based on Bluetooth 4.2 broadcast packets and Bluetooth 5 (long-range) advertising extensions. With this technology, each aircraft can broadcast its unique ID, location, direction, altitude, speed, make/model, base location and other related data.

Falcon 8+

The Open Drone ID project is managed through a workgroup within ASTM, an international standards body. Intel is leading the ASTM F38 Remote ID Standard and Tracking Workgroup. It is important that Open Drone ID is a global standard, like Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, to provide broad scalability to many end users and use cases.

The activities at the FA hosted event kicked off Intel’s initiative to make beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) and above-crowd drone missions increasingly safe in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Additional long-term goals include Intel’s plans to develop portable ground-based radars and advanced weather modules to help operators detect and avoid existing UAV traffic overhead.

“I’m honoured that Intel’s Drone Group is participating in such critical programs to pave the way for new and expanded commercial UAS operations,” said Anil Nanduri, vice president and general manager of the Intel drone team. “By working with the U.S. government, as well as various other industry partners, we can demonstrate the magnitude of a drone’s potential when integrated into our nation’s airspace in a responsible way.”

The primary objective of Intel’s involvement in four of the 10 officially designated UAS test sites across the U.S. (Oklahoma State, San Diego city, Herndon in Virginia, and the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority in Tennessee) is to test a variety of advanced drone operations and to establish the requisite technological framework for maintaining safety levels in drone flying.

Intel has a history of participating in standards bodies and industry groups worldwide and has played a significant industry leadership role in bringing about globally adopted standards such as Ethernet, USB and Wi-Fi and is very enthusiastic being at the forefront of the modern drone era.