Helsinki pilots new sensors to survey possible GNSS signal interference in the low airspace in the city area. The aim is to collect data from lower altitudes than before.
The innovation company of the City of Helsinki, Forum Virium Helsinki, has launched a half year long pilot to study interferences in the satellite-based GNSS positioning signals that drones rely on. The focus is on helping the city and the authorities to understand when and where interferences to positioning signals occur.
Knowing exactly where drones are at all times is vital for them to follow their intended routes. If the positioning signal gets lost, most smaller drones will return to their take-off spot and not land to the place where they were going. Some more advanced commercial drones have visual positioning systems to aid navigation, but this is a new technology and not yet common practice. Initial observations suggest that while drones flying at lower levels tend to experience less interference, those at higher altitudes are more affected.
To gather detailed information on the phenomenon, new kinds of sensors have been placed to monitor the lower airspace. The locations will allow effective monitoring of the satellite signals across the city.
Checking the security of the air space
The project is expected to produce a valuable dataset revealing when and where interference with positioning signals happens. As drones become increasingly common in urban environments for various purposes, Helsinki is working towards a safe lower airspace in a managed and coordinated way.
“We are currently in the early stages of learning about this issue in low urban airspace. We are now receiving data from the sensors and analysing it,” explains technical specialist Jukka Alander from Forum Virium Helsinki.
The technology for this project is provided by the Finnish company Sensoripaja. The five sensors are located in altitudes between 50–100 meters. The urban air mobility project CITYAM is funding the pilot. The project equips cities with tools to improve airspace management in dealing with emerging urban air mobility and scaling drone operations.
Once Forum Virium Helsinki and the city have a clear understanding of the pilot results, they will share this information and discuss potential solutions with key national authorities and institutes, including the National Land Survey of Finland and the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency.
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