Reading's Altitude Angel starts deploying new sensor network to track low-altitude aircraft
The Reading-headquartered UTM (unified traffic management) software provider Altitude Angel said it has begun deploying its planned surveillance network to detect aircraft and drones flying at lower altitudes in the UK.
The sensor network has been extensively tested across four sites, but is being rolled out to a further 30 across the Midlands and the south east, the company said.
READ MORE: BT backs Altitude Angel to support UK drone superhighway
As previously reported, Altitude Angel is leading a consortium to develop, using its ARROW technology, 165 miles (265km) of ‘drone superhighways’ connecting airspace above Reading, Oxford, Milton Keynes, Cambridge, Coventry, and Rugby over the next two years.
The aim is to unlock the potential of unmanned aerial vehicles and enable growth in the urban air mobility industry.
This data received by this latest sensor network will be ‘fused’ with Altitude Angel’s already extensive air-surveillance picture to create a high-resolution, near real-time digital map of low-altitude airspace.
"In building this network we’re building the most comprehensive, real-time picture of whatever is moving through the country’s low-altitude airspace," said Richard Parker, Altitude Angel's CEO and founder.
"Coupled with our ARROW technology, the sensor network is a key component in the enablement of the digitisation of low-altitude airspace, leading toward greater visibility of air traffic, and enabling automated BVLOS drone operations anywhere in the UK at scale, while providing operators of uncrewed aircraft the security they need to operate safely in unsegregated airspace," he added.
Altitude Angel said it was also announcing a programme to enable authorities to soon extend coverage to give them access to the overall surveillance picture.
The company said that this new, dedicated sensor network was needed because broadcast signals from aircraft at lower altitudes are not always reliably received.
The new network has been specifically designed to work across the UK’s topography, guaranteeing better reception, it added.
Visit Hampshire Biz News for bright, upbeat and positive business news from the county
