The commercial UAV sector is tipped to become a billion dollar industry within the next decade. However there is one enormous hurdle to overcome if the industry is to achieve its predicted success: public opinion.
When words such as “drones” are mentioned the overwhelming connotation is one of negativity. People’s imaginations instantly turn toward the military and the use of drones for fighting terrorism. The commercial UAV industry has done well to navigate this territory, firmly establishing itself as an industry with much more positive connotations, and one that in the large part manages to separate itself from its military counterpart. However despite navigating this initial hurdle, the commercial UAV industry is faced with an even greater challenge, this time in the form of public backlash against possible infringements of public safety, privacy and data protection. This time the hurdle may be substantially more difficult to overcome.
Whilst there are currently 359 operators authorized by the Civil Aviation Authority to use UAVs under 20kg for work purposes, there are believed to be 1000s of users who do not have permission for UAV flights, and it is this majority of un-regulated users who have sparked concern amongst the public.
The potentially devastating impact that public opinion could hold for the progress of the commercial UAV industry became even more apparent this year when a House of Lords Committee was established to determine whether, and in what form, widespread usage of UAVs will be possible in the UK.
The Lords Select Committee, entitled ‘Civil Use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) in the EU’, will hold public evidence sessions throughout October and November 2014, with the aim of producing a final report on the matter by March 2015. The Committee, chaired by Baroness O’Cathain, will carefully weigh up the advantages of the commercial UAV industry, such as economic growth, in relation to the disadvantages associated with the industry, with particular emphasis placed upon safety concerns. The overall objective will be to determine whether existing laws, which are based largely on CCTV cameras and manned aircraft, are adequate enough for regulating the use of UAVs or whether said laws need updating.
On Monday 27th October the Committee heard from UAV manufacturers and operators on topics such as the relationship between lack of regulation and lack of investment, the role of the commercial UAV industry to job creation, and do large and small UAVs require the same sort of regulations. Areas of discussion set to emerge throughout the course of the Committee’s investigation include whether safety considerations for UAVs should be made standard across Europe, applying data protection laws to UAVs, should there be mandated insurance for UAV users, matching safety levels to that of manned aircraft and whether UAVs should be regulated at a national, EU or international level.
There are also calls from the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) for stricter regulation for UAVs, particularly before larger UAVs are allowed into civilian airspace. BALPA has called for a “safe drone zone” within the UK that would bring the laws for UAVs further in-line with those for manned aircraft. This approach would still enable businesses to utilize UAVs, but enforce tighter regulation to protect pilots and residents. Other commentators have drawn attention to the fact that even smaller UAVs under the current 20kg permission limit could cause serious injury if the pilot loses control and should therefore be placed under far greater usage restrictions.
Calls for tighter regulation have sparked concerns among many within the commercial UAV industry who, whilst certainly understanding the need to ensure public safety, are concerned that strict regulation would halt the progress of this promising industry. There is a distinct need to strike a careful balance between protecting public safety and allowing the commercial UAV sector to continue to develop: we will have to wait until March 2015 to determine the true impact that public opinion will hold for the future of this promising industry.
To learn more about future possibilities for UAV technology in the Commercial Industry have a look at Sky Tech Event 2015, an exhibition and conference in the Business Design Centre, London.
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