Live Streaming and Remote Control –The next stage in Emergency Services Drone

Response

Enhancing Incident Response: DroneControl First Responder Revolutionizes Drone Operations with Secure Live Streaming and Remote Control

"Live streaming is the hottest topic amongst my colleagues responsible for drone operations in the UK fire service" This was Lee Newman, RPAS Manager at the London Fire Brigade when asked about how to improve drone operations across the emergency services. "Everyone is sharing their own solutions they have come up with - impressively ingenious using Microsoft teams and other such platforms - but with significant limitations to what we actually need".

This is the common feedback from Drone Solution providers and first responders across Europe. As drone usage increases and the value of this technology is more widely appreciated, further demands are being placed on how to integrate the technology into current incident response systems.

Ben Shirley, Training Development Manager,

at heliguy™ commented "UAS Operators are now requiring a rapid, secure, robust and reliable video livestream from the drone without the need for external hardware".

One of the key benefits of DJI's M30 and M3E ranges launched last year was significantly improving launch time of drones at the incident site. Any extra hardware and increased set up time in highly stressful situations is not something that appeals to many first responders.

Lee echoes this statement "My aim is to find a solution that offers a simple, quick and secure live streaming capability without the need to carry additional kit in your bag"

Why is a simple, secure live streaming capability critical?

The first and most obvious benefit is how a live stream connected to a command centre on site or at HQ can improve situational awareness. It enables data-driven decision-making for enhanced incident response and crew safety. Having the remote camera feed to concurrently monitor other systems such as live meteorological reports, online flight tracking services and NOTAM is of significant benefit. Particularly useful in rapid deployments where remote oversight can prove beneficial to operational safety.

Sharing the feed with individual team members in the field also allows immediate decision making on the ground, particularly when sharing the thermal camera feed in missing person operations or when highlighting fire hotspots when tackling blazes.

How does adding remote control capability improve incident response?

Including the capability of remote control for both the drone and camera - the incident response becomes incredibly efficient as the command centre can position the drone and select the correct camera mode without requesting this from the pilot on site. This can also benefit organisatons that require a two-person operation when deploying their drone - the pilot and spotter. Using a geographically dislocated Camera Operator enables the Pilot to focus purely on aircraft control and therefore only needs to have one operator on site. This also results in strong logistical and cost benefits.

Data driven findings.

A soon to be published white paper, coauthored by industry experts also explores the benefits of remote camera control without any of the stress factors that a pilot would experience at the incident site. Reviewing the incident's video feed remotely, in a calm and more efficient environment drives stronger results. Objective decisions can be made, helping the teams on the ground respond and deal with the incident more effectively.

Future development of the industry

We know that with the evolution of BVLOS regulations, a need for full fleet management solutions as fleet sizes increase and adoption of drone-in-a-box, secure live streaming and remote-control capability will be critical. As drone response operations develop alongside technology and regulation advances, there will be other opportunities. One meaningful improvement to incident response is once the drone is in the air and control is taken from a command centre, the pilot can then assist on site, ultimately helping to protect more lives.

Data security concerns

Whilst the benefits are obvious to see, data security remains a key barrier to many solutions. There is much concern within the IT departments of the various emergency services about the security and reliability of cloud servers. The widespread use of Chinese manufactured DJI drones is constantly debated by politicians and the media. "Our view is that hardware cannot transfer any data without software, so the more important discussion should be who is developing and tracking the drone software" remarked Jernej Jerin, CTO of Swiss based drone software company DroneControl. "That is why we are proud of our European developed software, where we have complete control of all channels and can track where every single data parcel is being sent and received from"

DroneControl FirstResponderSwiss Engineered Remote Drone Management

DroneControl FirstResponder has recently been launched in the UK exclusively with heliguy™. This remote drone management platform is designed to benefit specifically public safety operations. The fully selfcontained app provides secure peer-topeer, real-time live streaming and remote drone control which is designed to replace the standard DJI Pilot 2 software.

This new software allows first responders to stream HD video and feed two-way audio from the scene of an incident to other team members or command centres anywhere in the world. Remotely located personnel can also independently monitor a developing situation by using virtual joysticks to take control of the drone/gimbal on-scene. Designed with data security in mind, DroneControl

FirstResponder utilises Google's WebRTC for a highly-secure and encrypted Peerto-Peer platform, without the need for plug-ins or external software. DroneControl

FirstResponder is compatible with the latest DJI Enterprise drones, such as the DJI M30 Series, M300 RTK, and Mavic 3 Enterprise Series. This enables operators to benefit from a range of insights, such as visual, zoom, thermal, and laser rangefinder - depending on the aircraft.

The app layout mirrors DJI Pilot 2, preventing the need for additional retraining and familiarisation and the software has been designed in conjunction with emergency services across Europe to meet the specific needs of public safety drone programmes. It also includes what3words locations within the app to effortlessly identify and communicate critical information as part of incident responses.

Ben at heliguy™, said: "We are delighted to partner with DroneControl to offer the FirstResponder application to our clients, especially those in public safety and search and rescue".

"DroneControl FirstResponder enables live streaming without requiring additional hardware and facilitates a powerful remote monitoring and decision-making workflow for the emergency services."

"heliguy™ has been involved in the development of the app from its inception and the platform received positive feedback from public safety organisations following a period of Beta testing. The platform has tangible benefits for emergency response scenarios, and it will continue to evolve to make an even more dedicated and specialist application for public safety operators."

Thomas Ingold, CEO and Founder of DroneControl, said: "DroneControl FirstResponder sets a new standard in remote drone management, improving incident response and protecting more lives by equipping public safety drone teams with live streaming and remote control.

"We are proud to say that our solution works even in low data areas and at 4G upload speeds, FirstResponder delivers almost 30fps and full HD resolution to provide a clear and accurate video feed for better situational awareness.

"We are delighted that heliguy™ has become our UK partner. Their experience with supplying, supporting and training the emergency services has benefited the development of the app, and they are the perfect partner to help public safety personnel integrate DroneControl FirstResponder into their drone programmes."

Ben went on to comment "An additional key factor is the incredible user experience. All too often I've found SDK apps feel clunky, unfamiliar or worse still, absent of key functions and menus, but DCFR boasts a near-perfect replication of DJI Pilot 2, meaning that Remote Pilots are immediately familiar with the interface and can conduct all functional checks as normal"

While DroneControl FirstResponder has been developed with the emergency services in mind, it can be useful for any applications which require live streaming, remote monitoring, or remote control. This includes AEC/mining, security, and inspection.

DroneControl FirstResponder is also available in Germany and Austria through Globe Flight and Switzerland with Alltron. To active your free two week trial please contact one of DroneControl partners in your market or directly at DroneControl.c