Data Analytics

DroneResponse is equipped with an onboard computer which allows it to collect and analyze data in real-time. Our current analytics project, funded by NASA, focuses on collecting data about the drone itself, and detecting, mitigating, and explaining anomalies.

NASA Project: In-time safety assurance of sUAS

A recent National Academies Report has outlined a vision of an In-time Safety Assurance Management System (IASMS) that ``continuously monitors the national airspace system, assesses the data that it has collected, and then either recommends or initiates safety assurance actions as necessary.'' The report highlights the need for on-board, close to real-time assessment, augmented by off-board trend analysis.

Our NASA funded project supports this vision through in-time safety assurance of Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS). Both the number of sUAS deployed in the national air space (NAS), and the number of accidents and/or unauthorized infringements into controlled airspace have risen dramatically in recent years, increasing the risk of serious accidents.

We are using DroneResponse to support this research project by integrating onboard predictive analytics into our flight control software. We collect heterogeneous data from onboard sensors and cloud-based Data Service providers to perform in-time on-board and off-board analytics, and send safety notifications, alerts, and annotated flight data back to a centralized server.

Funding

• $749,856, NASA: Safe Deployment of Small Unmanned Aerial Systems through On-Board Monitoring and Assessment, (Jane Cleland-Huang, Myra Cohen, Nitesh Chawla)