The Chinese drone manufacturer has already been using this “geofencing” technology for almost two years to restrict drones from flying near airports and Tiananmen Square. The company said it would introduce the new software in North America and Europe next month and expand it globally next year.
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The drone company now uses geofencing, a software feature that acts as a virtual barrier, to completely prevent its drones from flying over “no-fly-zones”, which are mostly airports and Washington, D.C.
The system is called Geospatial Environment Online, or “GEO” for short, and “will provide DJI drone users with up-to-date guidance on locations where flight may be restricted by regulation or raise safety concerns”, DJI says.
Now all DJI drones will have the software installed by default.
“For the first time, drone operators will have, at the time of flight, access to live information on temporary flight restrictions due to forest fires, major stadium events, VIP travel, and other changing circumstances”, DJI said in a press release.
Even with override enabled, it won’t work in certain areas, like Washington, D.C. or other government-restricted areas. According to DJI, this system should allow for the most flexibility, particularly when the same drone rig could be used by different pilots at different times, and in different locations. The verified account, required only if and when a user chooses to fly in a location that might raise an aviation safety or security concern, provides a measure of accountability in the event that the flight is later investigated by authorities.
Unlocking will require a DJI user account verified with a credit card, debit card or mobile phone number.
Except in areas of national security concerns, this won’t be “strict” geofencing – users will have the chance to authorize themselves.
DJI’s geofencing technology uses satellite data and real-time local airspace information to determine if a drone is in a restricted area.
“Drones are a powerful, important and increasingly popular technology, and we want to make it easy for people to fly them safely”, said Ben Marcus, co-founder and CEO of AirMap.
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Other regions will get updated data too, but not GEO until the precise information it relies upon is available in their geography.
