[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/pl\/article\/modal\/6639\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n        \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ESwarms of smart drones to revolutionise how we watch sports\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnyone who has watched coverage of a festival or sports event in the last few years will probably have witnessed commercial drone use \u2014 in the form of breathtaking aerial footage.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut a collaboration of universities, research institutes and broadcasters is looking to take this to the next level by using a small swarm of intelligent drones.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe EU-funded MULTIDRONE project seeks to create teams of three to five semi-automated drones that can react to and capture unfolding action at large-scale sports events.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProject coordinator Professor Ioannis Pitas, of the University of Bristol, UK, says the collaboration aims to have prototypes ready for testing by its media partners Deutsche Welle and Rai - Radiotelevisione Italiana within 18 months.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Deutsche Welle has two potential uses lined up \u003Cspan\u003E\u2013\u003C\/span\u003E\u0026nbsp;filming the Rund um Wannsee boat race in Berlin, Germany, and also filming football matches with drones instead of normal cameras \u003Cspan\u003E\u2013\u003C\/span\u003E\u0026nbsp;while Rai is interested in covering cycling races,\u2019 said Prof. Pitas.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We think we have the potential to offer a much better film experience at a reduced cost compared to helicopters or single drones, producing a new genre in drone cinematography.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003E\u2018We have the potential to offer a much better film experience at a reduced cost compared to helicopters or single drones, producing a new genre in drone cinematography.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003EProfessor Ioannis Pitas, University of Bristol, UK\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut before they can chase the leader of the Tour de France, \u003Cspan\u003EMULTIDRONE\u003C\/span\u003E\u0026nbsp;faces the hefty challenge of creating AI that allows its drones to safely carry out a mission as a team.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProf. Pitas says safety is the utmost priority, so the drones will include advanced crowd avoidance mechanisms and the ability to make emergency landings.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd it\u2019s not just safety in the case of bad weather, a flat battery or a rogue football.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Security of communications is important as a drone could otherwise be hijacked, not just undermining privacy but also raising the possibility that it could be used as a weapon,\u2019 said Prof. Pitas.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe early project phase will have a strong focus on ethics to prevent any issues around privacy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018People are sensitive about drones and about being filmed and we\u2019re approaching this in three ways \u003Cspan\u003E\u2014\u003C\/span\u003E\u0026nbsp;trying to avoid shooting over private spaces, getting consent from the athletes being followed, and creating mechanisms that decide which persons to follow and blur other faces.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf they can pull it off, he predicts a huge boost for the European entertainment industry and believes it could lead to much larger drone swarms capable of covering city-wide events.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDrones-on-demand\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gartner.com\/newsroom\/id\/3602317\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EGartner research\u003C\/a\u003E, sales of commercial-use drones are set to jump from 110\u0026nbsp;000 units in 2016 to 174\u0026nbsp;000 this year. Although 2 million toy drones were snapped up last year for USD 1.7 billion, the commercial market dwarfed this at USD 2.8 billion.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAside from pure footage, drones have also proven their worth in research, disaster response, construction and even in monitoring industrial assets.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne company trying to open up the market to those needing a sky-high helping hand is Integra Aerial Services, a young drones-as-a-service company.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAn offshoot of Danish aeronautics firm Integra Holding Group, INAS, was launched in 2014 thanks to an EU-backed feasibility study.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionshareable\u0022\u003EINAS has more than 25 years of experience in aviation and used its knowledge of the sector\u2019s legislation to shape a business model targeting heavier, more versatile drones weighing up to 25 kilogrammes. And they have already been granted a commercial drone operating license by the Danish Civil Aviation Authority.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionshareable\u0022\u003EThese bigger drones have far more endurance than typical toy drones,\u0026nbsp;which can weigh anywhere from 250 grams to several kilos. INAS CEO Gilles Fartek says their bigger size means\u0026nbsp;they can carry multiple sensors, thus collecting all the needed data in one fell swoop, instead of across multiple flights.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionshareable\u0022\u003EFor example, one of their drones flies LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) radar over Greenland to measure ice thickness as a measure of climate change, but could also carry a 100 megapixel, high-definition camera.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile INAS spends most of the Arctic summer running experiments from the remote host Station Nord in Greenland, Fartek says they\u2019re free to use the drones for different projects in other seasons, mostly in areas of environmental research, mapping and agricultural monitoring.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/bit.ly\/newsalertsignup\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/news-alert-final.jpg\u0022 width=\u0022983\u0022 height=\u0022222\u0022 \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018You can\u2019t match the quality of data for the price, but drone-use regulations in Europe are still quite complicated and make between-country operations almost impossible,\u2019 said Fartek.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The paradox is that you have an increasing demand for such civil applications across Europe and even in institutional areas like civil protection and maritime safety where they cannot use military drones.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA single European sky\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese issues, and more, should soon be addressed by SESAR, the project which coordinates all EU research and development activities in air traffic management.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px;\u0022\u003ESESAR plans to deploy a harmonised approach to European airspace management by 2030 in order to meet a predicted leap in air traffic.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/europa.eu\/rapid\/press-release_IP-17-1605_en.htm\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px;\u0022\u003ERecently\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px;\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;SESAR unveiled its blueprint outlining how it plans to make drone use in low-level airspace safe, secure and environmentally friendly.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px;\u0022\u003EThey hope this plan will be ready by 2019, paving the way for an EU drone services market by safely integrating highly automated or autonomous drones into low-level airspace of up to 150 metres.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EModelled after manned aviation traffic management, the plan will include registration of drones and operators, provide information for autonomous drone flights and introduce geo-fencing to limit areas where drones can fly.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EIf you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022moreinfoblock\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Ch3\u003EThe Issue\u003C\/h3\u003E\n  \u003Cp\u003EEmerging drone sectors range from delivery services, collecting industry data, infrastructure inspections, precision agriculture, transportation and logistics.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe market for drone services is expected to grow substantially in the coming years with an estimated worth of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/europa.eu\/rapid\/press-release_IP-17-1605_en.htm\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EEUR 10 billion by 2035\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan lang=\u0022EN-US\u0022\u003ETo support high-potential small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the European Commission has allocated\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/programmes\/horizon2020\/en\/h2020-section\/sme-instrument\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan lang=\u0022EN-US\u0022\u003EEUR 3 billion\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan lang=\u0022EN-US\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;over the period 2014-2020. A further\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan\u003EEUR 17 billion\u003C\/span\u003E\u0026nbsp;was set aside under the\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/programmes\/horizon2020\/en\/h2020-section\/industrial-leadership\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan lang=\u0022EN-US\u0022\u003EIndustrial Leadership\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan lang=\u0022EN-US\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;pillar of the EU\u0027s current research funding programme Horizon 2020.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n            \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n      Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-1hyiegfvbpdttlhwuvoutbjdy8b6hn-mk6afq-zmng8\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-1HYiegFvbPdTtLHWUVOuTbJDy8b6hN-MK6aFQ_zmng8\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]