Aerodome: Drone as First Responder Solution Built for the Future of Air Support

Aerodome: Transforming Drone as First Responder Systems

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Announced today, Drone as First Responder (DFR) solution Aerodome stands out as an innovative solution designed to make air support available to law enforcement teams of all sizes, through a combination of technology choices and business model.  Co-founded by California law enforcement veteran Rahul Sidhu and Chief Architect Kenaniah Cerny, Aerodome is designed to align and integrate with the response workflows, from 911 call to community transparency.

Drone industry expert Brett Kanda is Aerodome’s Senior Vice President of Business Development.  DRONELIFE interviewed Kanda to learn more about how Aerodome hopes to reshape the landscape of public safety and emergency response.

Built By Law Enforcement, for Law Enforcement

Aerodome founder Rahul Sidhu is a veteran law enforcement officer – and an experienced technologist.  He and co-founder Kenaniah Cerny are the team behind SpidrTech, now a Versaterm company: an innovative automated platform that keeps 911 callers and stakeholders updated by text message, allowing law enforcement teams to save money and time while offering better customer service to their community.

With Aerodome, Sidhu and Cerny are again honing in on a gap in the marketplace. “Rahul has been in public safety for a very long time,” said Kanda.  “He has been an EMS responder and worked in both fire safety and police.  He helped to spin up the DFR program at Redondo Beach, deploying current DFR models.  He’s spent a long time thinking about what a software platform needs to do and achieve: he’s been an end user, he understands the gaps, understands the flaws.  He has flown over 1000 missions himself.”

Aerodome is built for the DFR environment of today and tomorrow: enabling fully automated remote operations and flight beyond visual line of sight of the pilot, without visual observers.  Aerodome is also built for the realities of public entities and public budgets: it’s a hardware agnostic, all-inclusive DFR system offered as a subscription service, scalable for every budget.

The Future of Drone Response

The Aerodome DFR system is based on a distributed system of multiple drones and stations, as appropriate for individual communities.  The workflow starts with a call for service.  The software determines if the call warrants a drone response: then automatically launches an aircraft from the closest drone dock, or “box.” This automation leads to a stunning response time of about 3 minutes: providing officers en route with situational information before they arrive at the incident.  With advanced tools including optical zoom, thermal imaging, night vision and augmented reality, responders get a live feed that enables a more prepared response and safer outcomes for all parties.

“Traditionally, when a call comes into 911, information must be relayed to drone pilot and then the drone pilot needs to launch the drone,” explains Kanda.  “Aerodome’s automation eliminates that step: Aerodome jumps the call and deploys the drone as the call is coming in.  This is a low risk way to respond very quickly to an incident.”

Kanda says that Aerodome is built for the future of DFR: multiple drone stations staffed by a single remote operator.  That’s an operational scenario already in use overseas: but fully remote operations with a single operator for multiple aircraft currently require regulatory waivers in the US.

The level of automation that the system offers, however, removes a significant barrier for many law enforcement agencies right now. Drones can launch, fly, replace themselves, land, and charge with minimal staff intervention.  “We can come in and train a single person to operate the system,” Kanda says.  “You don’t need to hire more people.”

BVLOS Flight

Remote operations require BVLOS flight.  With groundbreaking waivers for BVLOS flight without visual observers already granted and a rulemaking on the horizon, Aerodome is designed to meet regulator’s requirements.  By incorporating advanced detect and avoid technologies, ground-based radar, radio frequency sensors, ADS-B, and remote ID data, Aerodome enables drone pilots to operate safely BVLOS – and demonstrate their safety case to regulators.

Democratizing Access to Technology 

Aerodome’s mission to democratize air support is a cornerstone of its strategy. By allowing customers to choose the drone that best suits their needs and budgets, Aerodome ensures that its technology is accessible to a wide array of law enforcement agencies. The availability of various configurations, including a Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) fixed-wing option, underscores Aerodome’s commitment to integrating with the hardware that offers the best tool for the job, regardless of manufacturer.

“We think our customers should be able to choose the drone that works best for them,” said Kanda.  “We help with the hardware vetting, and we will be going to market with the right product for every environment and budget.”

Aerodome’s subscription pricing model makes the technology affordable and accessible to all departments, scaling based upon the number of units required and the needs of the individual agency.  It includes hardware, software and service under one contract – making it easier for departments to incorporate into their budgets and to future proof their programs against potential developments in hardware, software, and regulations.

“Law enforcement has been traditionally underserved by technology,” said Kanda.  “Not all budgets are created equal.  We want to democratize air support: we want it to be available to the small rural department and the large cities.  We had to really think about the economics to make sure that we could do that.”

Aerodome is designed and built for the rapidly developing future of DFR programs and drone technology: remote operations, BVLOS flight, and single pilot operating multiple aircraft. As the technology continues to evolve and be embraced by a diverse range of law enforcement agencies, the promise of enhancing public safety and emergency response capabilities is rapidly becoming a reality. Fortunately for law enforcement agencies, Aerodome is also designed for the practicalities of implementing new solutions in the public sector, providing easier access to critical technology for departments of all sizes and budgets.