In order to promote the controlled and safe use of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) in Latvian airspace, air navigation service provider VAS Latvijas gaisa satiksme (LGS) and domestic technology innovation company SIA Latvijas Mobilais Telefons (LMT) has signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in research and development projects. LGS and LMT will jointly develop various solutions for the development of safe and convenient unmanned aircraft traffic.
Dāvids Tauriņš, Chairman of the Board of LGS, says that unmanned aircraft are already a part of our everyday life and their use will become more and more widespread. That is why LGS wants to develop solutions in time to make the use of unmanned aircraft more convenient on the one hand, and safer on the other, by eliminating potential nuisances and threats to large aviation.
The Memorandum provides for the development of a pilot concept for the distribution/delivery of aeronautical binding data of unmanned aircraft in digital format between different systems. LGS has full information on the structure of Latvian airspace and its elements, including information on areas where unmanned aircraft flights are restricted or prohibited. Currently, the data available to LGS is managed in the LGS centralized data environment, but the widespread use of drones and the large increase in information users require more dynamic management and distribution of this data in a digital format beyond the LGS systems as well. As a result of the cooperation, the plan is to develop a concept to make it convenient and easy to access this data by applying M2M (machine-to-machine) technology, while ensuring data quality.
Therefore, LMT is not only investing in the construction of a new generation network infrastructure but also developing solutions for drone traffic management and the introduction of innovative drone products and services for citizens and businesses. The company has already trained more than 100 drone pilots, conducted remote and automated drone control flights, including cross-border flights beyond the pilot’s line of sight, and been involved in international European research projects. A letter of intent has recently been signed with airBaltic on cooperation in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles, wrote Labs of Latvia.
“With the development of 5G and IoT capabilities, unmanned aircraft will play an increasingly important role not only in the video filming and transport, logistics sector alone. This is the next step to strengthen Latvia as an excellent place for creating exportable drone innovations,” said Juris Binde, President of LMT.
(Image: LGS)
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