The Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement (KAIA) has been selected to develop a traffic management system for low-altitude drones, as growing demand for unmanned aerial vehicles in South Korea calls for appropriate measures to secure safety.
The organization that operates under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport will invest some 19 billion won by 2021 to create its own unmanned aerial systems traffic management (UTM) system for drones that fly below an altitude of 150 meters.
With the help of the likes of IT giant KT and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), the new UTM system is expected to ensure a safer and more effective way of operating privately-owned drones.
KT will work with other participants in the project to develop online infrastructure and a cloud-based traffic management platform, and will run a compatibility test for each generation of the mobile telecommunications technology ranging from 3G to 5G.
Air traffic management for low-altitude drones is said to prevent crashes between drones and with buildings, while curbing the illegal use of drones and illicit practices such as invasion of privacy and terrorism.
“In line with the government’s policy, KT will help spark interest in and create momentum for a new market. If possible, we will commercialize a 5G-based UTM platform and branch out into the global market to focus on exports,” a KT official said.
Source: The Korea Bizwire