Drone Based IOT Systems

As the Internet of Things proliferate and startups and existing industries see potential, where do we stand as far as Drone based or unmanned aerial IOT systems are concerned?  Connecting sensors and actuators to gather, process and work on acquired data takes on a whole set of new dimensions when the end node is airborne.

Internet came out after years of work and use in the defense sector and now is an integral part of the civilian world for the industry, government and the normal public. The usage of unmanned aerial systems or drones started with sci-fi movies and saw practical use in the cold war between US and the erstwhile Soviet Union. In recent times, news frequently pops up of UAVS being used in Afghanistan, Iraq and other hot spots in the Middle East to target enemy positions and do reconnaissance without the risk of military personnel being captured.

The drone now comes out from the exclusive defense usage to the civilian world where it sees increasing potential when the aerial flying object is married with the internet. The IOT object as a sensor and actuator can now have wings and get the data flowing in and out of the node to the internet to carry out things which were difficult or expensive to do so. For instance, to do a surveillance of poaching activity of rhinos in a wild life sanctuary, one needed to have armed guards keeping close watch over a huge tract of land in difficult conditions. Flying a drone would allow the guards to have another pair of eyes and pass locations to a central data center for location mapping and taking effective preventive actions.  Other application areas range from security to crowd control and from agriculture to hazardous industries. It extends to commercial usage like dropping of packages by courier companies and doing maintenance activities on tower tops for telecom and power transmission companies. When a drone carrying sensors and actuators combine with the internet, the possibilities are multifold.

To use a drone based IOT or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) would require quite a few aspects to be taken care of.  What could be the technological requirements?  For one, the necessary software and sensors will need to be on board. This can range from a simple processor to a high end one to capture for instance video images. The systems on board need to understand and respond to communication from ground-based control centers or other aerial systems.

Airborne IOT systems can communicate with other airborne systems or ground-based systems. Two communications would be in play. The first is the communication link to control the drone itself and determine its flight path. The second is the actual payload for the IOT part of the drone to send and receive data. This can be the data link to send images or other monitoring information.

The drone operator can use the communication technologies offered by service providers like LTE and 3G to communicate with the IOT node. It can have an embedded SIM card for the controller to send and receive messages. In this case, the IOT node will become in a way a user of the operator network. Standard organizations like the 3^rd Generation Partnership Project- 3GPP are rushing ahead to incorporate IOT requirements coming out with specifications like NB-IOT and CAT-M1 for mobile systems.  One of the important use cases of 5G is directed to the IOT area where millions of physical devices are expected to be hooked to the net.  Current spectrum bands in the 700, 800, 900, 1800, 2100, 2500 MHz or even the higher frequency ranges can be at play to cater to the requirements.

The other alternative is to bypass the technological systems and spectrum used by the service providers and opt for systems that will work in the Industrial, Scientific and Medical Band (ISM) band of frequencies, the popular ones being the 2.4 or 5 GHz bands normally used for Wi-Fi services.

If the unlicensed band is opted for use by IOT enthusiasts, commercial establishments and other civilian users, they will have to contend with interference by other users using the same free airwaves. As the scale of usage grows, the problems can get compounded jostling for the same commons. It may fit the bill for IOT testing by geeks but to run commercial services like delivery of ordered packages by Amazon would require more robust telecom systems to control, direct and take necessary action based on the location of the airborne IOT unit. The jury is out there which communication system is more suited for IOT drones and the market will probably be large enough for different technologies to co-exist in both widespread deployments as well as in niche areas.

Using an existing commercial mobile system for IOT would probably call for more infrastructure investment by the service providers. For instance, having a IOT drone with an embedded SIM collecting data over a vast forest area or a river basin or having a IOT based drone over a farm land for agricultural study would require service providers to set up additional ground-based towers to give coverage as well as provide the required bandwidth and quality of service needed for that specific application.

Technology is one of the major components on which an aerial IOT will hinge upon. But there are other aspects that are crucial for an aerial non-manned IOT node to function effectively. What would be the requirements and needs for a IOT based drone or UAV for non-military usage whether for commercial or other civilian usage?

Simplified policy and regulation: A typical commercial aircraft is bound by the regulations in place set up by a country’s aviation ministry and regulator. Likewise, a telecom service provider has to work under the guidelines of the telecom ministry and the sector regulator. An IOT drone intended for aerial operations using communication equipment and IT systems will now come under the purview of multiple government agencies. This can extend from the two mentioned above to other agencies like the local administration and clearances from the security agencies. In the absence of clear regulations, the operator will be left to the whims of the multiple government agencies. The government will need to plan and work out simplified procedures and policies, ensure that overlap between agencies is minimized or at best nil so that a drone user knows the rules and guidelines clearly to comply with them.

Freedom to choose the type of technology: To spur innovation and sustain a viable operation, a drone operator will need to have the flexibility to choose the drone IOT systems in terms of the type of telecom and IT systems, whether it fixed wing or variable rotors that it feels will be suitable for its operation. Being an evolving segment, the flexibility of choice need to remain with the operator within the broad framework set out by the government.

Business case: When flying a IOT drone for amateur purposes, one spends money as a part of a recreational activity or hobby. However, to operate a drone for actual usage, the business case need to be robust enough to justify using one drone or multiple drones. Consider a drone-based supply delivery system. It would mean setting up a command center, recruit qualified staff to control the drone, maintain a fleet of drones and take appropriate licenses vis a vis hiring staff and deliver stuff through a fleet of vehicles or bikes, maintain the vehicles and achieve desired SLAs. In recent sports events, drones were used to take visual shots or video graph events. The use of these drones helped to get spectacular photos not available through cameras placed on the ground.  The alternative would be to bear the cost of hiring helicopters to take the aerial photography.

A drone based IOT system will also need to fulfill certain requirements. This becomes important in a scenario where the citizens are increasingly becoming conscious of their rights in a connected world.

 

Privacy: The IOT drone has to be operated in a manner that the privacy rights of citizens are not violated. This can be for instance taking aerial photography or video surveillance of an individual without his or her knowledge whether for fun, nefarious purposes or business gain. This can extend beyond individuals to organizations. The drone operator needs to be clear and aware of privacy rights and take adequate measures not to violate them. Otherwise, we can well prepare for a host of litigations along the way or anarchy down the line.

Security has important considerations. Being internet based, the IOT based drone node is immune to threats faced by similar ground based IOT systems. The IOT drone will typically have more advanced IT power on board as it has to sense, detect, collect information and ensure it delivers its payload and completes its task safely and correctly. It may even require some processing on board the node itself leaving majority of the processing to the servers connected on the net. The operator will have to ensure that the drone is free from hacking and all other threats a normal system connected to the net faces. Again, the communication link from the ground control center can itself be subject to interference and eavesdropping. Safety needs to be ensured on multiple fronts- from the communication, IT and software aspects as well as physical safety of the device. Tampering can occur, or someone can steal the IOT drone and use for purposes other than the intended usage.

Safety of operation: The drone during its operation can become a hazard for other aerial objects, humans, buildings or other constructions. It should not impede any other legal activity human or otherwise. Collision avoidance measures need to be in place. If the IOT drone malfunctions on the way or loses contact with the operations center, what should and could the drone do in a autonomous manner so as not to endanger other objects and living beings in the sky, in land and water bodies? These aspects need to be part of the overall design and standard operating procedures.