DroneResponders, a non-profit program that supports public safety UAS, has unveiled a new report called the 2019 Mid-Year Public Safety UAS Report, which offers insight into how new public safety UAS programs are developing, and takes a look at the challenges that first responders who are using this technology more and more are facing.

DroneResponders’ data included survey responses from 288 public safety professionals, along with expert insight from DroneResponders analysts who work with various stakeholders within the public safety UAS sector on a regular basis. 

In its 2019 Mid-Year Public Safety UAS Report, DroneResponders found that three out of four public safety agencies claim they either are already operating UAS or working on implementing a UAS program, and that more than 80 percent of public safety UAS operators have either obtained, or are pursuing, their FAA Part 107 certification.

Additionally, the report found that 82 percent of public safety agencies with a UAS program are operating multi-rotor systems, while 11 percent are using fixed or delta-wing UAS. The report also says that more than 35 percent of public safety UAS programs are using the FAA’s LAANC system for airspace requests.

“The data represents a clear snapshot illustrating how public safety agencies are adopting drones,” says Gregory Crustinger, Ph.D., a DroneResponders analyst and principal at Scholar Farms in Berkeley, California.

“Our survey sample size provided statistically valid insights that served to benchmark the current state of the sector.”

During its research, DroneResponders identified some of the challenges that UAS public safety operations face. According to the report, these challenges include “a lack of standardized training and procedures for public safety remote pilots, a need to continue to adopt professional aviation decision making and risk management standards, improved understanding of operations within the National Airspace System, and greater proficiency at managing UAS data and producing actionable intelligence for incident commanders.”

“Effective data management remains a bottleneck for the majority of public safety UAS programs,” Crustinger says.

“Everyone is focused on flying the drone, but they need to understand how to capture accurate data and then convert that imagery into useful tools for on-scene decision making and post-event analysis.”

DroneResponders says that the 2019 Mid-Year Public Safety UAS Report is the first in a continuing series of research reports that it plans on conducting surrounding UAS and related technology in a public safety sector that is continuously evolving.