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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
Stephen.Hancock@hq.dhs.gov
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)
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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
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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
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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
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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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