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DHS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Unmanned Aerial SystemsConsiderations for First Responder Organizations
Stephen HancockDirector of Special Projects
First Responders Group
Science and Technology Directorate
February 28, 2017
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)
DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD 2
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
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Typical FR Missions
• SWAT and other LE support• A few localities are experimenting using
quadcopter for surveillance and responder location tracking
• Fire (structures and wildfires)• Structures: quadcopters for fire
surveillance and responder location
• Wildfire: fixed wing for surveillance, IR packages to detect fire under canopy
• Bomb Robot Support• Small quadcopters to aid operators
guiding robots to target
• SAR• Urban: quadcopters for surveillance of
buildings
• Other sensors: FRG piloting FINDER and cell phone signal detection
• Wilderness: IR cameras for detecting body heat; video for open areas
• Damage reports• High resolution cameras required
• Quadcopters may be preferred for close-up work
• Traffic Forensics• 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
4DHS 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
5DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD
sUAS vs Manned Video Package
• 9 ounces
• Power consumption 4W
• 2-axis stabilization
• IR, visible light, laser pointer
• Much less expensive
• 35 lbs
• Power consumption 120W
• Better stabilization, vibration reduction etc.
• IR, visible light, laser pointer, laser rangefinder
• $300K range
High end professional packages compared:
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Fixed versus Rotary Wing
Rotary wing Fixed wing
Tethered
Hover
Recreational
Grade
Military
Grade
Hand
Launchable
Experimental
Fuel Cell
Powered
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Fixed versus Rotary Wing
Fixed wing
• Endurance up to 8 hours +
• Distance (but limited by line of sight)
• Relatively silent
• Often larger payloads
• Suitable for higher altitude work
Video Implications:
• Rural SAR, wildfires, high level reconnaissance
Rotary wing
• Less range and endurance (typically < 45 minutes)
• Maneuverable in close urban quarters
• Can operate indoors
• Typically for low altitude work
Video Implications
• Close in tactical operations, urban SAR, any indoor need, person of interest identification/tracking
8
Both
• 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
DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD
Robotic Aircraft for Public Safety (RAPS)
The RAPS Program*
• Essentially “Consumer Reports” for sUAS –standardized testing of sUASpackages to carry out common public safety missions
• Reports are LE Sensitive, available to qualified users
• Interpret results based on your specific needs
RAPS Guidance on Needs
• “No company is ‘your sUASsolution’ until you really understand your needs.”
• Too vague:• “We need to have air support and
cannot afford manned aircraft.”
• Better:• “We serviced 37 high-risk search
warrants last year in unsafe tactical environments where pre-service aerial observation would have enhanced our officers’ safety.”
RAPS has a community of practice on
communities.firstresponder.gov. Apply for
membership there.
* RAPS tests primarily crafted to
test sUAS against CBP
scenarios
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System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER)
Purpose
• To conduct objective, relevant, operationally oriented assessments and validations of commercially available emergency responder technologies.
• Results available to FR communities.
Products
• Tech Notes
• Assessment Reports
• Focus Group Reports
• Handbooks
• Market Survey Reports
• Application Notes
• https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/saver
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SAVER sUAS Testing Status
Test Agent
• Developing FR specific scenarios
• Working with inputs from FR agencies
• Looking to the First Responder Resource Group (FRRG) for help in validation
• Need to develop measurable performance specifications/criteria
Test Requirements
• National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL)
• Participating with team of DHS offices to evaluate sites for potential sUAStesting
• FRG scenarios are extremely broad and challenging
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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
• 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 and see more than 400’ x 300’ area
• Implication: Resolution needs for use cases determine equipment, available flight plans, logistics
12
2 cm
Drops of bloodon the ground
15 feet
230 feet
Sees 425’ x 320’ area
Sees 24’ x 18’ area
1 ft
Fugitive
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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
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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
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