The Draft International Standards for Drone Operations developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) were formally released Wednesday for public consultation, with drone professionals, academics, businesses and the general public being invited to submit comments by January 21, 2019.
A final adoption of the standards is expected to be in place worldwide in 2019, said Robert Garbett, who led the ISO working group responsible for the global drone standards, in a statement.
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“These standards will undoubtedly lead to a new confidence in safety, security and compliance within this dynamic industry, resulting in a massive expansion in the availability and use of drone technology in the years to come,” Garbett said.
Airobotics’ drone platform (Courtesy)
The ISO’s announcement is a first step in the standardization of the global drone industry, encompassing applications for all environments — ground, underwater, air and space.
The standards address operational requirements of the prevalent aerial drones, including protocols on safety, security and an overall “etiquette” of using drones, such as promoting no fly zones, the need for flight log protocols, maintenance, training and flight documentation. These standards will shape regulation and legislation in global nations, going forward, the statement said.
The standards also set out social responsibility standards for aerial drones, “strengthening the responsible use of a technology that aims to improve and not obstruct everyday life,” the statement said.
The standards, when enforced, will also address public concerns surrounding privacy and data protection, demanding that operators must have appropriate systems to handle data alongside communications and control planning when flying. The hardware and software of all related operating equipment must also be kept up to date. Significantly, human intervention is required for all drone flights, including autonomous operations, ensuring that drone operators are held accountable.
From taking pictures, to delivering food and monitoring facilities and agricultural produce, drones are becoming an increasingly important feature of daily lives, helping transform businesses and industries. The global market for commercial applications of drone technology is estimated to be around $127 billion, according to a PwC report.
Since 2013, drone companies globally have raised some $1.5 billion across 302 deals, according to a report by New York-based data company CB Insights. The industry is, however, still maturing, and seed and series A rounds represented some 60% of all deals in 2017, the report said.
Israel is rapidly becoming a world center for drone exports and research and development, with more than 75 active startups in the field, including Airobotics, Percepto and Flytrex, according to data compiled by Start-Up Nation Central, a non-profit organization that tracks the Israeli high-tech industry.
“As a mostly outward facing economy, Israeli drone makers will benefit from these standards, as their drones are sold to a wide variety of countries and jurisdictions,” Prof. Dov Greenbaum, director of the Zvi Meiter Institute for Legal Implications of Emerging Technologies at IDC Herzliya in Israel, said by phone to The Times of Israel. “When you develop drones to operate in other jurisdictions, it is important to know there are universal standards to abide by.”
Greenbaum added that Israeli manufacturers should make sure they take part in submitting their comments to the ISO.
The proposed regulation will inject regulatory certainty in the industry, and promote growth he said.
“Uncertainty in regulation is often an inhibiting factor,” Greenbaum said. “The ability to develop drones knowing what people are expecting, will promote innovation and might lead to others — outside the drone industry — to become involved in the industry with their technologies.”
