DHS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Unmanned Aerial Systems Considerations for First Responder Organizations February 28, 2017 Stephen Hancock Director of Special Projects First Responders Group Science and Technology Directorate Stephen.Hancock@hq.dhs.gov
Small UAS vs Manned for First Responders • Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (sUAS) are rising in popularity as supplement to or replacement for conventional manned aerial photography/reconnaissance for a variety of purposes • Benefits • Less expensive • Better (in some cases) • Faster (to operationally deploy at an incident, not in actual speed) • DIFFERENT: can do things manned aircraft cannot • Fly really close to buildings, persons of interest, etc. • Potential to fly inside structures to assist First Responders (FR) 2 DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD
Section 107 • Went into effect August 29, 2016 • First step to bringing UAS into the National Airspace System • Greatly eases administrative and operational burdens • RESULT: EXPECT THE DRONE BOOM TO REALLY EXPLODE! • More and more FR agencies will be looking to use UASs • Hobby use will grow geometrically • FR agencies will have to contend with: • Privately used UASs “getting in the way” • Nefarious use of UASs by “bad actors” • Public distrust of “government use of UAS 3 DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD
Typical FR Missions • SWAT and other LE support • SAR • • A few localities are experimenting using Urban: quadcopters for surveillance of quadcopter for surveillance and buildings responder location tracking • Other sensors: FRG piloting FINDER and cell phone signal detection • Fire (structures and wildfires) • Wilderness: IR cameras for detecting • Structures: quadcopters for fire body heat; video for open areas surveillance and responder location • Damage reports • Wildfire: fixed wing for surveillance, IR • packages to detect fire under canopy High resolution cameras required • Quadcopters may be preferred for • Bomb Robot Support close-up work • Small quadcopters to aid operators • Traffic Forensics guiding robots to target • A potential high-payoff use: aerial cameras can clear a scene in 20-30min, versus typical 2-3 hours with conventional methods • Camera resolution is a major stumbling block 4 DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD
Legal Issues • Warrants for use: • Some states require a warrant for UAS law enforcement operations • Overflights: • Some states prohibit flying over private property that is not connected to the mission • PII and privacy • Some jurisdictions allow only live viewing -- no storage of any video/still files • Others have varying restrictions on length of retention, access, chain of custody • Ground station versus drone capture • Requirements may vary on whether images may be captured on the drone or on the ground 5 DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD
sUAS vs Manned Video Package High end professional packages compared: • 9 ounces • 35 lbs • Power consumption 4W • Power consumption 120W • 2-axis stabilization • Better stabilization, • IR, visible light, laser vibration reduction etc. pointer • IR, visible light, laser • Much less expensive pointer, laser rangefinder • $300K range 6 DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD
Fixed versus Rotary Wing Rotary wing Fixed wing Hand Launchable Tethered Hover Military Recreational Grade Grade Fuel Cell Powered Experimental 7 DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD
Fixed versus Rotary Wing Fixed wing Rotary wing • • Endurance up to 8 hours + Less range and endurance (typically < 45 minutes) • Distance (but limited by line of • sight) Maneuverable in close urban quarters • Relatively silent • Can operate indoors • Often larger payloads • Typically for low altitude work • Suitable for higher altitude work Video Implications Video Implications: • Close in tactical operations, urban • Rural SAR, wildfires, high level SAR, any indoor need, person of reconnaissance Both interest identification/tracking • Typically proprietary with limited interchangeability of payloads • Thus difficult to customize systems to use case Video Implications • Available equipment may not be useable for some applications 8 DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD
Robotic Aircraft for Public Safety (RAPS) The RAPS Program * RAPS Guidance on Needs • Essentially “Consumer • “No company is ‘your sUAS Reports” for sUAS – solution’ until you really understand your needs.” standardized testing of sUAS packages to carry out common • Too vague: public safety missions • “We need to have air support and • Reports are LE Sensitive, cannot afford manned aircraft.” available to qualified users • Better: • Interpret results based on your • “We serviced 37 high-risk search warrants last year in unsafe tactical specific needs environments where pre-service aerial observation would have enhanced our officers’ safety.” RAPS has a community of practice on * RAPS tests primarily crafted to communities.firstresponder.gov. Apply for test sUAS against CBP membership there. scenarios 9 DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD
System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) Purpose Products • To conduct objective, relevant, • Tech Notes operationally oriented • Assessment Reports assessments and validations of • Focus Group Reports commercially available emergency responder • Handbooks technologies. • Market Survey Reports • Results available to FR • Application Notes communities. • https://www.dhs.gov/science-and- technology/saver 10 DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD
SAVER sUAS Testing Status Test Agent Test Requirements • Developing FR specific • National Urban Security scenarios Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) • Working with inputs from FR agencies • Participating with team of • Looking to the First DHS offices to evaluate Responder Resource sites for potential sUAS Group (FRRG) for help in validation testing • Need to develop • FRG scenarios are measurable performance extremely broad and specifications/criteria challenging 11 DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD
Use Case vs Resolution Needed • Homicide case • Needed to identify 2 cm drops of blood on a driveway • Phantom 3 would have to be 15’ off ground with limited area of view 230 feet Sees 425’ x 320’ ar ea • Even this degree of resolution may not be good enough for evidence in court • SWAT and LE operations • May need less than one foot resolution • Same aircraft could be at 230’ altitude 15 feet and see more than 400’ x 300’ area Sees 24’ x 18’ ar ea • Implication: Resolution needs for 1 ft use cases determine equipment, 2 cm available flight plans, logistics Drops of blood Fugitive on the ground 12 DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD
Video Mission Tradeoffs • Endurance • Rotary wing vehicles severely limited compared with fixed wing • Altitude (tradeoff with resolution) • Doubling the altitude increases the coverage by factor of 4, but resolution is cut in half • Speed • Sometimes high speed is a mission priority (wildfires, wilderness SAR) • Sometimes completely stationary tethered surveillance is necessary • Line of sight requirements • Relaxation of line-of-sight requirements will take some time • For immediate future, count on continued line-of-sight restrictions 13 DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD
Final Thoughts • UAV today is growing fast, with incredible competition • If you can clearly define your requirements, you can often work with manufacturers to customize products to suit your needs • CAUTION: Be sure you are complying with fairness requirements in acquisition requirements • Collaborate: share lessons learned • Experienced videographers find that perspective from air makes them change some approaches – use wider angles, different perspectives • This is only learned from experience • FRG established a sUAS community of practice for first responders using UAVs to share tips, experiences, approaches • Join and share your thoughts on how to make it more useful! https://communities.firstresponder.gov 14 DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD
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