Dedrone USA presidendivalimistel

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New Technology to Guard Against Drone Misuse During Final Presidential Debate

Las Vegas/San Francisco – October 20, 2016 – The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) used a sophisticated system of automated sensors and networked software to detect and identify potential drone threats during the final presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, held yesterday at the Thomas & Mack Center, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).

In the wrong hands, ‘off-the-shelve’ drones represent a serious security threat at public events. The White House is raising concerns about readily available drones that can carry weapons or explosives on pre-programmed flights paths, or be flown by concealed operators. Militant terrorist organizations have already used such drones in fatal attacks overseas.

“Having technology that will protect us from the air was a huge advantage to having a safe and uneventful evening”

For the Las Vegas presidential debate, the LVMPD integrated a complete drone detection and counter-drone solution from Dedrone with its own security measures. “Even though Las Vegas has hosted heads of state and presidents, the presidential debate coupled with the large crowd that it drew, posed a unique set of risks,” LVMPD Assistant Sheriff Tom Roberts said. “We were able to seamlessly integrate the tracker into our safety plan. Having technology that will protect us from the air and provide real-time information was a huge advantage to having a safe and uneventful evening.”

“All drone sightings were reported to the LVMPD in real time”

Automated monitoring of the airspace above the university was provided by Dedrone and its partner AirVu, a global leader in unmanned aerial security. Together they deployed a network of multi-sensor DroneTrackers to detect and identify drone incursions in a radius of several hundred meters from the debate location, extending beyond the campus perimeter.  The DroneTracker system recognized approaching drones using arrays of visual, acoustic and radio frequency sensors, and reported results to the LVMPD’s  operations  security center.

All drone sightings were reported to the LVMPD in real time, with critical incident information such a drone type, video footage, position and flight path available via command to other security agencies, including the FBI and the Secret Service.

“Airspace security is now as vital as security on the ground”

“Protecting the public from malicious drones is increasingly on the agenda of today’s security agencies,” said Dedrone CEO Jörg Lamprecht. “Millions of drones are sold each year. Cheaper drones are easily purchased by enthusiasts and photographers, but the technology has been used by militant groups as well. Airspace security is now as vital as security on the ground. We are very proud that our technology was selected to protect such a high-level national event, and that we were able to contribute to a successful outcome.”

Background information

•   Restriction bars drones from flying around UNLV during debate
•   Iraq attack shows deadly potential of ‘off-the-shelf’ drones
•   Drone Incidents

Videos

•   DroneTracker in action
•   What drones are capable of

About Dedrone

Dedrone is the international market and technology leader in drone detection. Its automated, software-based aerial intrusion detection platform DroneTracker provides early warning of illegal civilian UAVs and is used to protect data centers, government buildings, stadiums, prisons and other critical infrastructure installations against smugglers, spies and terrorist attacks. Depending on requirements, various countermeasures, such as jammers, can be integrated and be triggered automatically. DroneTracker is currently distributed by more than 150 partners in 50 countries. Dedrone, founded in 2014, is based in San Francisco, CA (USA) and is backed by US and international investors. Research and development are based in Kassel, Germany.

Original post:

http://www.dedrone.com/en/newsroom/press-detail/automated-drone-detection-system-helps-secure-final-presidential-debate

Amazon insists federal rules apply to U.S. deliveries by drone

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Amazon.com, seeking to bolster its efforts to deliver products via drone, said on Tuesday that states and local communities should not be allowed to regulate unmanned aerial systems (UAS) authorized by federal aviation regulators.

“Uniform federal rules must apply,” Paul Misener, the e-commerce retailer’s vice president for global public policy, said in written testimony released by a U.S. House of Representatives oversight committee ahead of a Wednesday hearing.

“Given the interstate nature of UAS operations, states and localities must not be allowed to regulate UAS that the FAA has authorized, including with respect to airspace, altitude, purpose of operations, performance and operator qualifications.”

Misener is scheduled to appear Wednesday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee as part of a witness panel that also includes a senior Federal Aviation Administration official and a privacy advocate.

Amazon.com and other companies including Google Inc (GOOGL.O) are working to develop sophisticated drone operations capable of delivering packages to consumers.

Drone advocates have pressed the FAA to accommodate advanced technology in commercial drone regulations expected by the end of 2016. The current proposed rules would limit flights to daylight hours at low altitudes and within an operator’s visual line of site.

But without comprehensive FAA rules in place now, states and local municipalities across the United States have been moving to regulate drone use on their own, using a variety of approaches.

In his testimony, Misener also called on FAA officials to make it their priority to harmonize forthcoming regulations on commercial drone operations with multilateral groups including the International Civil Aviation Organization. Drone advocates have said that overseas regulators have been moving more quickly than their U.S. counterparts to accommodate commercial drone use.

Amazon is also working with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on a possible air traffic control system for drones that would further pave the way for integration of UAS into U.S. air space.

(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Chris Reese and Grant McCool)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/16/us-usa-drones-amazon-com-idUSKBN0OW2RB20150616