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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

[email protected]

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


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:


Fixed versus Rotary Wing

Rotary wing Fixed wing

Tethered

Hover

Recreational

Grade

Military

Grade

Hand

Launchable

Experimental

Fuel Cell

Powered


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


http://www.firstresponder.gov/

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


https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/saver

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


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

DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD

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


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


https://communities.firstresponder.gov/

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