US: Commercial drone operations software developer Kittyhawk, today announced a comprehensive set of new features for its best-in-class platform. Kittyhawk is introducing secure multi-party, multi-channel video and audio streaming, native UAS Facility Maps, new notification and telemetry sharing options with a focus on enhanced security and visibility.
The new UAS Facility Maps show the maximum altitudes around airports where the FAA may authorize Part 107 UAS operations without additional safety analysis. The maps should be used to inform requests for part 107 airspace authorizations and waivers in controlled airspace.
There are nearly 500 airports with published FAA Facility Maps that will come online at the completion of the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) pilot program. These maps remove ambiguity on whether or not a flight could be approved, whether with LAANC or manual authorizations. Each of the facility squares are color coded according to the maximum altitude allowed, or flight ceiling.
On the other hand, the multi-party, multi-channel audio and video supports unlimited concurrent streams with up to 50 simultaneous participants per stream. Multiple operators can collaborate in real time from any location in the world utilizing a smartphone or tablet. Pilots can select stream quality preferences (480p, 720p, 1080p) or just set to “Auto” to optimize for the device and local data speed.
In addition, broadcast display options can stream either a “heads-up display” to view flight information or simply stream the camera view with no additional layers.
Law enforcement can now have access to multiple vantage points of a situation and inspectors can have uninterrupted views on critical pieces of equipment. The ability to change a vantage point in milliseconds from thousands of miles away, all while being in communication with the pilots makes for a potent combination.
