Standardization and Interoperability of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) for Disaster Management

DeVito Marco J. (), Wood Erik () and Frazier Tim ()
Additional contact information
DeVito Marco J.: Emergency and Disaster Management, School of Continuing Studies (SCS), Georgetown University, 640 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001, USA
Wood Erik: Emergency and Disaster Management, School of Continuing Studies (SCS), Georgetown University, 640 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001, USA
Frazier Tim: Emergency and Disaster Management, School of Continuing Studies (SCS), Georgetown University, 640 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001, USA

Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, 2022, vol. 19, issue 2, 175-203

Abstract: There are many recognized use cases for small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) in emergency and disaster management, but there are obstacles to the full realization of this technology’s potential. More stringent training and certification requirements for public safety use of sUAS is a crucial step in achieving standardization of operations, a common operational picture, interoperability, increased airspace safety, and public acceptance. The purpose of this study is to move toward standards for public safety sUAS pilot training requirements. This research employs a mixed methods approach to investigate the current state of training requirements and trends in public safety sUAS programs. This included a review of the relevant literature, an analysis of survey data, and a combination of structured and semi-structured interviews. While the literature clearly shows many sUAS emergency management applications, it also identifies dangers that must be mitigated. Synthesizing the literature findings with the survey and interview data resulted in four categories of possible sUAS training standard recommendations: progressive levels of certification, flight time minimums, task-focused practical training, and proficiency demonstrations. These recommendations have both national and international applicability.

Keywords: emergency management; GIS; sUAS; drones; risk analysis; remote sensing; crisis imaging (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1515/jhsem-2021-0028 (text/html)
For access to full text, subscription to the journal or payment for the individual article is required.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bpj:johsem:v:19:y:2022:i:2:p:175-203:n:1004

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.degruyter.com/journal/key/jhsem/html

DOI: 10.1515/jhsem-2021-0028

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is currently edited by Irmak Renda-Tanali

More articles in Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management from De Gruyter
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Peter Golla ().