Dublin Drone Innovation Partnership Will Shape the Future of Urban Air Mobility

A two-year in-depth study to help prepare Dublin and other European cities for the widespread use of drones in commercial and civic life has been launched at the offices of Dublin City Council by the Minister of State at the Department of Transport and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, James Lawless T.D.

The project is led by a research team from Lero, the Research Ireland Centre for Software and Maynooth University in collaboration with Dublin City Council (DCC), and the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA).

Speaking at the launch, Minister Lawless said:

“Ireland has an established record of leadership in regulation of emerging technologies. As drones begin to be used more and more across the globe, at home, we have seen them supplying emergency medicines, delivering fast food, used for search and rescue purposes and to enhance public safety, among a range of important applications. Earlier this year, the Government held a public consultation on the development of a policy framework for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones.

The research partnership being launched today between Lero, Maynooth University, Dublin City Council and the Irish Aviation Authority, with stakeholder engagement at its heart, is very much aligned with the Government’s efforts to foster the industry’s growth while mitigating safety, security, environmental, privacy, and other concerns.”

Welcoming the announcement, Dr Ciarán Seoighe, Deputy CEO of Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland, the newly established research and innovation funding agency, said: “Research Ireland supports partnerships such as this to bring key stakeholders together to drive progress and capitalise on the advantages offered by innovative and disruptive technologies.

While exploring emerging technologies and systems to capture data and support responses to critical events, this collaborative approach helps us to better understand its potential benefits and impact on wider society. Investing in basic research is of strategic importance to Research Ireland, as it allows us to support a pipeline of transformative solutions to bring about real-world benefits.”

Project Coordinator Professor Tim McCarthy of Maynooth University and LERO believes the project is particularly timely as unmanned drone ecosystems are beginning to emerge globally and involve a wide variety of stakeholders and end-users.

A vital aspect of the research project, according to Prof. McCarthy, will be the creation of a digital twin for Dublin City to explore and simulate urban drone flight ecosystems, allowing researchers to address issues that emerge in a safe and controlled environment.

“This digital twin will capture inputs from all stakeholders, enable simulation of drone activities and provide prototype digital optimisation services in addressing various business, market, safety, privacy, nuisance and environmental concerns,” he added.

The partnership will also deliver a number of ‘state of the art’ drone applications to show the benefits of autonomous and remote piloting of drones to support life-saving and emergency response applications in a Dublin City setting.

“This unique drone innovation partnership will contribute to Dublin City Council’s Drone and Urban Air Mobility Strategy 2024-2029, an ambitious roadmap to support the integration of drones into city services and position Dublin and Ireland as a European leader in Drones and Urban Air Mobility,” said Jamie Cudden, Smart City Lead Dublin City Council.

Enda Walsh, manager of the IAA’s UAS division, believes the partnership will deliver crucial insights for safely integrating UAS into urban environments while maximising benefits to society and laying the foundation for developing UAS Traffic Management (UTM) for the State.

“The Drone Innovation Partnership project will look at stakeholder concerns and provide crucial information and analysis of the key aspects around security, environment, and privacy for UAS integration into urban environments. It will also support the future establishment of a comprehensive and effective UTM infrastructure for the State, which provides a safe environment for all air traffic while facilitating a growing UAS industry.”