NIST - National Institute of Standards and Technology

09/26/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/27/2024 03:01

Autonomous Aerial Drones Connecting Public Safety: Opportunities and Challenges for the Future

Published
September 26, 2024

Author(s)

Don Harriss, Raymond Sheh, Karen Geappen

Abstract

Reliable voice and data communications are critical in supporting public safety responders during incidents and disasters and will become more important as ground robots and Internet-of-Things (IoT) sensors for public safety applications proliferate. Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS), consisting of an Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and associated systems, are valuable tools for public safety personnel to reduce risk to the public and themselves. They improve the service provided to the community by delivering rapidly deployable "Eyes in the Sky." It is a natural progression for UAVs to be more closely integrated into the communications of public safety operations. For example, they can provide critical communication links in public safety operations and connect and provide information directly to nearby personnel, devices, and perhaps even the public. UAVs have the potential to fill a vital technology gap where existing infrastructure is damaged or non-existent and where structures or topography make traditional radios and satellite communications ineffective. In this paper, we discuss the unique capabilities that the closer integration of UAS into public safety communications brings to current and future public safety missions, the challenges users may face in a UAS deployment, and the regulatory and ethical considerations that come with the use of UAS. This discussion dovetails with work that the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Division's Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) portfolio is undertaking to drive the development of UAS for public safety, with an emphasis on reliable communications, responsible cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence (AI) risk management. This paper will reference related data points from the recently released NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Risk Management Framework (AI RMF) .
Proceedings Title
Autonomous Aerial Drones Connecting Public Safety: Opportunities and Challenges for the Future
Conference Dates
April 22-25, 2024
Conference Location
San Diego, CA, US
Conference Title
Exponential 2024
Pub Type
Conferences

Keywords

PublicSafety, FirstResponders, UAS, UAV, IoTforSafety, DisasterResponse, EmergencyCommunications, AIrisks, AIriskManagement, ReliableComms, FirstResponderTech, DroneTechnology, ResilientInfrastructure, PublicSafetyInnovation, EthicalTech

Citation

Harriss, D. , Sheh, R. and Geappen, K. (2024), Autonomous Aerial Drones Connecting Public Safety: Opportunities and Challenges for the Future, Autonomous Aerial Drones Connecting Public Safety: Opportunities and Challenges for the Future, San Diego, CA, US, [online], https://doi.org/10.52202/075106-0002, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=957822 (Accessed September 27, 2024)

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