{"468081":{"#nid":"468081","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Collaboration with CNN Investigates Use of UAVs for Newsgathering","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn June 2014, the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) and CNN launched a joint research initiative to study the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for newsgathering. In January 2015, CNN signed an agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to share the results of the research. The project is now gaining momentum as researchers shift their focus from evaluating UAV equipment to developing potential protocols for safe operations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe issue: Hobbyists can fly drones without FAA oversight as long as the aircraft weighs 55 pounds or less, flies in unpopulated areas, and remains within line of sight of the operator. Yet flying drones for commercial purposes requires review and approval by the FAA. The only way to get a thumbs-up from the FAA is to pursue airworthiness certification (an expensive and complicated process that can take up to a year), or secure a \u201cSection 333 exemption.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA Section 333 exemption allows the FAA to waive the airworthiness requirement as long as the commercial UAV flights are conducted under a number of restrictions. Among these restrictions: Drone operators must notify local aviation authorities two or three days prior to flight \u2014 and operations over people or near airports are off-limits.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cSecuring a 333 exemption is doable for the movie industry since obtaining aerial footage can be planned far in advance,\u201d observed Mike Heiges, a \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gtri.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGTRI\u003C\/a\u003E principal research engineer who leads the CNN project. \u201cYet journalists can\u2019t operate under these rules for breaking news and chaotic situations where there may be emergency responders, police helicopters, or the National Guard.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGranted, drones aren\u2019t needed for every news story, but they provide a unique perspective in many situations, said Greg Agvent, senior director of news operations for CNN\/US.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBeing able to fly over an area after an earthquake or tornado hits would provide a deeper understanding of how widespread the devastation is,\u201d Agvent explained and pointed to the May 12 Amtrak train derailment in Philadelphia. \u201cPart of the issue with the accident was the speed going into the curve. The ability to get footage from 200 feet in the air would have presented a better sense of the curve \u2014 context that you simply couldn\u2019t get from the ground.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESafety of news personnel is another benefit of drone journalism, Agvent added. \u201cIn many cases, such as a flood, safety would trump context. We could capture footage of an event without putting our people in harm\u2019s way.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESome of the research that comes out of the project will be helpful beyond newsgathering, observed Dave Price, a GTRI senior research technologist working on the project. \u201cCommercial drones are of interest for crop monitoring and inspection of bridges and railroad tracks,\u201d he explained. \u201cRailroads and agriculture agencies will be able see the results of CNN\u2019s camera selection and stabilization systems and take advantage of this for their own applications.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Right Stuff\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDuring the past year, the researchers, including GTRI and CNN staff, have been investigating different UAVs that could carry the type of camera systems journalists need to shoot and transmit aerial footage.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat\u2019s easier said than done. For one thing, the commercial drone industry is in its infancy. Manufacturers come and go, and there aren\u2019t a great number with a long track record. Another challenge is finding the right equipment \u2014 airframes and payloads that match up. \u201cIt\u2019s a trade-off,\u201d Heiges explained. \u201cYou have to factor in size, weight, and power of what you want to put on the aircraft with what the aircraft can carry.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFlight times for many commercial drones aren\u2019t long enough for CNN\u2019s purposes, nor is video quality high enough. \u201cTo install a better camera, you need a bigger vehicle for endurance,\u201d Heiges said. \u201cAnd that means stepping up to UAVs that were developed for the military, which dramatically increases price.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGTRI has been testing drones since 2006 through the FAA\u2019s certificate of authorization process, which enables public institutions to operate drones in national airspace for research purposes. Currently, GTRI holds 28 certificates of authorization for specific locations in five states. For the project with CNN, GTRI provides pilots to fly the drones in approved areas, plans the flight tests with CNN\u2019s participation, collects data, and prepares reports with recommendations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of CNN\u2019s takeaways from the flight tests: Drone journalism is no one-person show. \u201cIn most cases, especially for live video, you need three people,\u201d Agvent said. This includes a pilot to guide the actions of the UAV and an operator for the camera, which is usually suspended under the drone and sits on gimbals for stabilization.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe third person, a spotter, is particularly important in urban areas,\u201d Agvent continued. \u201cThe spotter focuses solely on situational awareness and communicates to the pilot about people and other aircraft that may be in the area. In some cases, you could get by with a two- person team \u2014 a pilot\/cameraman and a spotter \u2014 but a trio is best to ensure both high quality and safety.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAdvancing to Operational Protocols\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe\u2019ve hit a lot of milestones in the past year,\u201d Agvent said. \u201cNow, we begin to work on the finer points of flight operations and coordinating with air traffic control.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the FAA\u2019s chief concerns with drones is getting the word out to manned aircraft about a UAV\u2019s presence in the area. The current practice is to file a \u201cnotice to airmen\u201d two or three days in advance.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA new technology known as automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) could provide a just-in-time alternative to the notice to airmen. Developed by the FAA, this technology enables aircraft to broadcast their GPS coordinates to anyone in the local air space that has ADS-B, and vice-versa, so the drone operator would be able to see other aircraft.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s like having an air traffic radar map inside your cockpit,\u201d Heiges said. \u201cEven better, unlike conventional radar, ADS-B works all the way to the ground.\u201d That\u2019s important, because, in some situations, journalists may need to cooperate with police helicopters or medical aircraft flying at low altitudes to pick up patients.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeo-fencing technologies, which prevent UAVs from entering airport and other restricted areas, could add another layer of safety, Heiges added.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBecause FAA rules prohibit drones from flying over people, crowd-control issues must also be resolved. For example, are journalists responsible for blocking off the area where they wish to fly drones \u2014 or do they communicate with on-scene commanders to find out where they can operate?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOver the next few months, GTRI and CNN will meet with regional emergency responders and other stakeholders to address these questions and develop an operational framework. Then GTRI will work with law enforcement agencies to test the procedures at remote locations. \u201cWe\u2019ll hold mock trials and simulate circumstances that would happen in a breaking news situation,\u201d Heiges explained.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECreating appropriate regulations for various types of UAV flights is important, as the flight landscape has changed dramatically in recent years.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen people built radio-controlled airplanes out of balsa wood, they learned the rules for flying and flew aircraft at sanctioned sites,\u201d Heiges said. \u201cYet in the past few years, we now have multi-rotors and quad-rotors with automatic stabilization that don\u2019t require the same skills. People are flying them out of the box without knowing the rules. That can be dangerous if flown beyond visual range. Any significant accident will set back the industry, punishing those who do follow the rules.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEven small drones could cause a helicopter or aircraft to go down if it gets caught in a propeller or pulled into an engine. Indeed, drones have been in the news this past summer for interfering with firefighting efforts in California, including a San Bernadino wildfire where drones operated by curious hobbyists caused fire pilots to pull out of the fray for 30 minutes, allowing the fire to spread.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe one thing that doesn\u2019t get talked about enough is the differentiation between hobbyists and commercial drone users \u2014 and that most of the problems are caused by laymen,\u201d said Agvent. \u201cOur goal is to create a framework that allows for safe integration of commercial drones for newsgathering. It\u2019s about having trusted vendors, trusted aircraft, and trusted procedures in place to act in a safe manner.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E177 North Avenue\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAtlanta, Georgia 30332-0181 USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986) (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: T.J. Becker\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn June 2014, the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) and CNN launched a joint research initiative to study the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for newsgathering. In January 2015, CNN signed an agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to share the results of the research. The project is now gaining momentum as researchers shift their focus from evaluating UAV equipment to developing potential protocols for safe operations.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers from the Georgia Tech Research Institute have been working with CNN to investigate the use of UAVs in newsgathering."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2015-11-10 10:15:19","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:19:58","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-11-10T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2015-11-10T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"468031":{"id":"468031","type":"image","title":"UAV in CNN World Headquarters","body":null,"created":"1449257147","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 19:25:47","changed":"1475895216","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:53:36","alt":"UAV in CNN World Headquarters","file":{"fid":"203811","name":"cnn-gtri-003.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cnn-gtri-003_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cnn-gtri-003_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1937943,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/cnn-gtri-003_0.jpg?itok=PwG6LWuv"}},"468041":{"id":"468041","type":"image","title":"UAV in CNN World Headquarters","body":null,"created":"1449257147","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 19:25:47","changed":"1475895216","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:53:36","alt":"UAV in CNN World Headquarters","file":{"fid":"203812","name":"cnn-gtri-002.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cnn-gtri-002_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cnn-gtri-002_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1919563,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/cnn-gtri-002_0.jpg?itok=p_GI70ZN"}}},"media_ids":["468031","468041"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"136","name":"Aerospace"},{"id":"139","name":"Business"},{"id":"143","name":"Digital Media and Entertainment"},{"id":"147","name":"Military Technology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"152","name":"Robotics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"496","name":"CNN"},{"id":"4341","name":"FAA"},{"id":"416","name":"GTRI"},{"id":"3245","name":"News"},{"id":"147341","name":"newsgathering"},{"id":"1500","name":"UAV"},{"id":"3249","name":"unmanned aerial vehicle"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39481","name":"National Security"},{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"},{"id":"39521","name":"Robotics"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71901","name":"Society and Culture"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}