UN Calls for International Drone Registration Database

As of September 2017, there isn’t a database where drones or unmanned aircraft are required to be registered, though there undoubtedly is a need. When you think of the sophistication of these drones, the cameras attached to them, and the distance that many of them are able to fly, the amount of trouble they could cause with the wrong person as their pilot should also be considered. Broken privacy laws as well as crashes are only a couple of the reasons why the pilot’s information should be recorded in a global database.

The main concern with a global database is that the creators of drones are worried that different countries would want to create different rules and wouldn’t come together as one to create one large database. This would be mean that officers and those trying to control the registration would end up with various dispatch areas versus one single area to pull pilot information from. The ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) is trying to harmonize this since they will likely be the ones that will be in charge of the database.

There is also a great amount of concern that the civilians will even accept the idea of non-commercialized drones being registered. In 2015, the U.S. had decided that all non-commercialized drones would need to be registered, but the decision was overturned by Federal courts in May 2017. The FAA had to issue refunds to citizens that were compliant with the new registry.

Near the end of September, large companies such as Google and Amazon are expected to be at a meeting in Montreal to discuss this new registry. It likely that in addition to the pilots being registered, there will also be some geofencing in use to keep the unmanned vehicles out of airspace that they should not be flying in. This should lessen the chance of interference with jets and other smaller aircraft.

Once the registration database is complete, it will be easier for pilots to be identified when something like a crash happens. Drones typically crash into taller objects such as ferris wheels and large buildings and have the ability to cause a lot of damage. By having the pilot register, someone is able to be held accountable. As it currently is, it would be hard to find the person that is piloting the drone without them stepping forward in a case where an accident has occurred that caused property damage.

Kennedy Martinez

kennedy@dronethusiast.com

Kennedy Martinez is a resident writer who joined Dronethusiast at the beginning of 2019. She has years of experience reviewing drones and other tech products. When it comes to flying drones, Kennedy loves the ability to create artistic videos from a unique point of view. Kennedy enjoys researching new drones and other exciting products that are available to consumers which is why she is committed to creating the best buyer's guides for our readers.