Drone Roads: Surveillance and Taxation Opportunities?

November 23, 2020

I learned about a Canadian company called AirMatrix. The firm’s tagline is:

The drones are coming. With AirMatrix, we can see clear skies ahead.

The company seeks to define drone highways. Why? AirMatrix states:

Many drone operators create routes on GPS maps that are errored up to 6 meters. In tight urban spaces, a 6-meter error can be a collision or even injury. This means they can’t go beyond visual line of sight without compromising safety. It also makes it difficult to scale any autonomous flights in shared airspace. AirMatrix solves this problem by building our maps to millimeter-level precision, based on proprietary datasets of real time traffic, geospatial data, and weather.

The company points out that:

Our drone roads help pave the way for government, civil, commercial, and public service drones to share airspace safely and efficiently. Drone operators can pilot multiple autonomous drones simultaneously, confident that the airspace is under control – even as more and more drones take flight. With every use, local governments will benefit from toll collection, providing a new revenue stream for the city. Not only will you make back your investment, but your drone road system can generate income without adding long-term cost to your constituents. Cities will also gain the ability to govern this new transportation infrastructure, with full transparency and control of its users.

The company’s FAQ provides additional information.

Interesting concept. Fascinating use cases: Surveillance, use taxes, take off and destination data, and drones which “drop off” the system, among others.

Stephen E Arnold, November 23, 2020

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