Cyber security company ANGOKA says that airspace regulators around the world face difficulties in keeping up with the rapidly changing pace of the drone industry.
Chief Technology Officer for ANGOKA and drone industry expert Shadi Razak says the development of safe air corridors and drone ports for use by emergency services and delivery firms has been accelerated by the latest developments in artificial intelligence, video and communications technologies.
“But regulators must work closer with drone technology providers to ensure frameworks are in place for the safe delivery of drone projects,” he says.
“We are currently in a Catch-22 situation. Such is the speed at which the sector is evolving, it is difficult to establish sound and future-proof regulations,” commented Mr Razak. “Yet without proper and effective regulation, our industry risks missing out on the tremendous benefits promised by drones.”
“We need policymakers to better understand the emerging risks for drone operation and their preventative solutions to those risks like cybersecurity to better understand the needs for safe and secure drone operations. Some of these solutions, like ANGOKA are leading the field and guaranteeing the safe and accurate passage of drones to the last few centimetres of their journey by safeguarding the drone’s communication and identification throughout it journey”,
says Mr Razak.
This was a key theme of the second UK & Ireland Drone Summit organised and sponsored by ANGOKA and supported by the UK Royal Air Force, Invest Northern Ireland and KPMG.
Whilst the summit highlighted that the industry is everchanging at a rapid pace, the speakers agreed on the need of the regulators to keep up with the pace in providing up-to-date guidance and policies to ensure the safety and cyber resilience of drone operations.
The conference heard from Julie Garland, CEO of Avtrain, an IAA Recognised Entity providing EASA Open & Specific Category Drone Pilot Training and Consultancy for Specific Category Operator Manuals and Risk Management Documentation for STS Declarations, PDRAs and SORA.
“We’re constantly working to keep the skies safe through the highest standards of training and certification and we need the support from regulators. We’re seeing wider adoption of varied drone use across different industries, particularly with the on-demand nature of our society now which plays into the desirability and acceptance of drones. But with societal acceptance comes regulator acceptance, and regulators need to work with drone operators and providers to ensure that relevant approvals in place so that we can serve societies in a timely and economic way.”
Photo: Shadi Razak
Source: Press Release