Developing 3D risk-informed no-fly zones for urban UAS operations

Unmanned aerial systems (UAS), an integral part of the advanced air mobility (AAM) vision, are capable of performing a wide spectrum of tasks in urban environments. The societal integration of UAS is a pivotal challenge, as these systems must operate harmoniously within the constraints imposed by regulations and societal concerns. In complex urban space, safety has been a perennial obstacle to the large-scale deployment of UAS. To facilitate risk-aware UAS operations planning, we convert public risk constraints in an urban environment into 3D no-fly zones that UAS operations should avoid to adequately reduce risk to entities of value. We utilize a conditional probability framework that comprehensively integrates most existing basic models for UAS ground risk. To demonstrate the concept, we build prototype no-fly zones for a Chicago downtown model and investigate their characteristics under different conditions. We believe that the 3D no-fly zone has the potential to become a new routine tool for UAS operations planning, urban airspace management, and policy making. This idea can also be extended to address other societal impacts, such as noise and privacy, thereby paving the way for a unified, society-aware urban airspace management scheme.