An Exploration of Issues Facing Vertiport Integration in the Wasatch Front

Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) are expected to fill our skies to provide services such as package delivery, supporting emergency services, and even as a new mode of transit. While the private sector has been developing UAS for many years, the planning realm has not considered this new technology’s potential impacts on our communities in any depth. A primary aspect of UAS integration is the development of vertiports, which facilitate ground-based interaction with UAS. These centers, unlike traditional aerial infrastructure, must be dispersed throughout communities to support UAS integration. This thesis aims to involve planning professions in UAS integration by identifying how the integration of vertiports may impact our communities, and how our communities may impact them. This is accomplished through two primary objectives: a perception study towards UAS and vertiports, followed by a suitability analysis for potential vertiport sites based on neighboring community elements. When combined, these analyses provide clear insight into the best potential developable areas and give planners a tool to begin UAS integration decisions within their communities

Uav last-mile delivery in the humanitarian aid context: a qualitative analysis of the implementations in the health supply chain

Drones as innovative transportation mode for medical supplies have the potential to contribute significantlyto humanitarian aid. Building on three key case studies and fivein-depthinterviews, this work projectdeveloped a conceptual frameworkillustrating the success drivers and factors of UAV delivery in the health supply chain. Thefour identified main categories of the project environment, namely project operators, UAV environment, regulatory environment and public,are influenced by local conditions and specifications of thecargo. Thefocus on and understanding of all interdependent dimensionsis crucial for a project’s success. However, to allow for scalable operations,technological featuresandregulatory environments require further development

Delivery Drones - Just a Hype? Towards Autonomous Air Mobility Services at Scale

While hype often arises around emerging technologies, delivery drones have received a significant share of attention in recent years. A variety of applications for drone networks formed, from delivering medical goods to drone-delivered pizza. Nevertheless, high expectations did not yet result in a widespread deployment of drones to improve logistic networks. We conducted semi-structured interviews with drone and aviation experts to derive a taxonomy of challenges for autonomous drone operations and gain practical insight into promising solution approaches that could transform the current hype into sound business models. Our findings comprise a multitude of operational, technical, social and legal issues that have not been identified in literature. Societal adaption and the development and interaction with AI-based systems pose a major challenge to provide autonomous air mobility services in the near future

Envisioning the Future Role of 3D Wireless Networks in Preventing and Managing Disasters and Emergency Situations

In an era marked by unprecedented climatic upheavals and evolving urban landscapes, the role of advanced communication networks in disaster prevention and management is becoming increasingly critical. This paper explores the transformative potential of 3D wireless networks, an innovative amalgamation of terrestrial, aerial, and satellite technologies, in enhancing disaster response mechanisms. We delve into a myriad of use cases, ranging from large facility evacuations to wildfire management, underscoring the versatility of these networks in ensuring timely communication, real-time situational awareness, and efficient resource allocation during crises. We also present an overview of cutting-edge prototypes, highlighting the practical feasibility and operational efficacy of 3D wireless networks in real-world scenarios. Simultaneously, we acknowledge the challenges posed by aspects such as cybersecurity, cross-border coordination, and physical layer technological hurdles, and propose future directions for research and development in this domain

La configuració U-space impacta en la seguretat, capacitat i flexibilitat

El present treball de final de grau està enfocat a l'estudi del concepte U-space, els seus actuals i futurs serveis i procediments per a permetre l'accés de UAVs a l'espai aeri de manera segura, eficient i flexible, i l'anàlisi dels resultats de simulacions estudiant com a diferents configuracions de l'espai aeri impacten en la flexibilitat i capacitat del sistemaEl presente trabajo de final de grado está enfocado al estudio del concepto U-space, sus actuales y futuros servicios y procedimientos para permitir el acceso de UAVs al espacio aéreo de forma segura, eficiente y flexible, y el análisis de los resultados de simulaciones estudiando como diferentes configuraciones del espacio aéreo impactan en la flexibilidad y capacidad del sistemaThe present final degree study is focused on the exploration of the U-space concept, its current and future services and procedures to allow the access of UAVs to the airspace in a safe, efficient and flexible way, and the analysis of the results of simulations studying how different airspace configurations impact on the flexibility and capacity of the syste

The Digitalisation of African Agriculture Report 2018-2019

An inclusive, digitally-enabled agricultural transformation could help achieve meaningful livelihood improvements for Africa’s smallholder farmers and pastoralists. It could drive greater engagement in agriculture from women and youth and create employment opportunities along the value chain. At CTA we staked a claim on this power of digitalisation to more systematically transform agriculture early on. Digitalisation, focusing on not individual ICTs but the application of these technologies to entire value chains, is a theme that cuts across all of our work. In youth entrepreneurship, we are fostering a new breed of young ICT ‘agripreneurs’. In climate-smart agriculture multiple projects provide information that can help towards building resilience for smallholder farmers. And in women empowerment we are supporting digital platforms to drive greater inclusion for women entrepreneurs in agricultural value chains