LGS and LMT jointly developing solutions for unmanned aerial vehicle traffic

In order to promote controlled and safe use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or drones within Latvian airspace, air navigation service provider state joint stock company “Latvijas gaisa satiksme” (LGS) and local technological innovator SIA “Latvijas Mobilais Telefons” (LMT) have signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation on research and development projects. In the framework of this agreement, LGS and LMT will be jointly developing solutions for facilitating safe and convenient traffic of unmanned aerial vehicles.
“We are aware of the fact that unmanned aerial vehicles have already become a part of daily life, and they are being used more and more. Therefore LGS would like to be a step ahead in developing solutions that will make using UAVs much more convenient, whilst also ensuring safety by preventing possible disruptions and risks to regular aviation. I am pleased that we share a similar vision with LMT on this issue, and we have now agreed on the joint development of innovative solutions that will promote the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in future,” says Dāvids Tauriņš, Chairman of the Board of LGS.
The memorandum provides for the development of an experimental concept for distributing/delivering UAV-related air navigation data in digital format among various systems. LGS possesses comprehensive information on the structure of the Latvian airspace and its elements, including information about areas where UAV flights are restricted or prohibited. At the moment, the data available to LGS are managed in the LGS centralised data environment, however, due to the widespread use of drones and significant increase of the number of information users, a solution is needed for more dynamic management and digital distribution of this data beyond the LGS systems. It is planned that, as a result of the collaboration, a concept will be developed to provide convenient and easy access to this data, using M2M (machine-to-machine) technology, whilst also ensuring data quality.
In turn, Juris Binde, President of LMT, notes: “With the development of 5G and the Internet of Things, unmanned aerial vehicles will play an increasingly important role going beyond just filming videos, and the transport and logistics sector. Therefore, LMT is investing in more than just the construction of the latest generation network infrastructure. As an IT company, LMT is also developing solutions for drone traffic management and provision of innovative drone products and services for consumers and businesses. At LMT, we have already trained more than 100 drone pilots, performed remote and automated drone flights, including cross-border flights outside the range of vision of the pilot, and participated in international European research projects. We recently signed a memorandum of understanding with “Air Baltic” on cooperation in the area of unmanned aerial vehicles, and this is the next step for Latvia to further secure its position as an excellent place for creating exportable drone innovations.”
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