Altitude Angel: The Guardian of the Skies
Image by Altitude Angel
Altitude Angel was founded in December 2014 by Richard Parker. Headquartered in Reading, UK, Altitude Angel is an aviation tech company that is working towards the safe integration and use of autonomous drones in global airspace. The company developed an Application Programming Interface (API) that enhances airspace safety by providing access to accurate, up-to-date, and relevant operation data by using cloud technology.
It obtains this data from government organizations, drone companies, mapping companies, air traffic companies, and drone pilots. By creating a cloud platform that supports both U-Space and Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM), the company hopes to ensure a decline in the collisions of drones and manned aircrafts while encouraging the growth of the drone industry.
Video by Altitude Angel
According to the company’s website, Altitude Angel currently offers four solutions “to make the skies safer for unmanned aerial vehicles”: Guardian UTM O/S, Guardian UTM, Drone Activity Maps, and Mobile Apps.
Guardian UTM O/S is an airspace management and integration platform for drones. Aimed at ANSPs and airports, the Guardian UTM O/S helps individuals and businesses define and manage their airspace. This operating system establishes rules for drones and provides gateways for operators to access a specific airspace. Guardian UTM O/S also permits interface with a customer’s ATM system, supplying them with a holistic view. Its registration feature tracks and manages the drone industry allowing Altitude Angel to measure its growth.
Image by Altitude Angel
Guardian UTM keeps businesses informed and in control of low altitude operations. It is a platform that allows drone manufacturers and software developers to connect into a dynamic source of relevant, accurate, and authoritative information in order to support the process of geofencing. Guardian UTM also enables drone pilots anywhere to gain 1-click access to a controlled airspace through its online functionality.
Altitude Angel’s Drone Activity Map extends over 40 countries and provides its users with real-time updates on both aerial and ground hazards. It grants pilots the ability to research an area and plan a drone flight ahead of time. The Activity Map reinforces the company’s primary concern of safety by allowing its consumers to view an airspace before taking flight.
Image by Altitude Angel
The Mobile Applications consist of interactive airspace maps that show operators areas to avoid or to take extreme caution in. The applications also demonstrate various ground hazards that may imply safety, security or privacy risks. Image by Altitude Angel
On July 23rd, Altitude Angel launched the initial phase of the world’s first UTM Conflict Resolution Service (CRS). CRS is an API that allows pilots and operators to securely check for conflicts in their flights quickly and easily. It addresses key risks that inhibit beyond visual line of sight (BVLS) operations, facilitating the notion of making automated drone flights an everyday event.
CRS provides automated drones with the ability to predict and resolve conflict mid-flight, and it helps them react in a coordinated and calculable manner. Richard Parker, CEO of Altitude, stated: “The launch of our Conflict Resolution Service cannot be underestimated. It is a massive step forward, a ‘game changer’, for not only Altitude Angel, but for the future of automated flight.”
A news post on their blog states that “Phase 2: Tactical CRS” will take place later this month. While Phase 1 (Strategic CRS) is focused on pre-flight, Phase 2 will concentrate on ensuring that a separation is maintained while the drone is in flight. In this phase, CRS allows drones to sustain an appropriate “separation standard” between other airspace users or authorizes them to fly around in order to continue a safe flight.
Blanca Tavera is a University of Georgia grad with a Bachelor of Arts in Advertising and Communication Studies. She’s an intern at Women Who Drone and is relatively new to the drone industry. Her main goal as an intern is to gain a holistic understanding of the industry and experience as a writer in order to provide beneficial and entertaining articles to the readers.
