DRONES ON CAMPUS A Guide to Innovation and Accountability For University Administrators & Risk Managers
Introduction Drones aren’t just coming soon to college and university campuses - they have already arrived. Today, students are packing their drones next to their skateboards or their GoPro cameras. Educational institutions across the country are using drones as part of robotics, journalism, and marketing courses, and some universities award bachelor’s and master’s degrees in unmanned aviation to budding drone pilots and engineers. UCLA, Oregon State, University of Tennessee, and others capture footage of football games and team practices via overhead drones. MIT has even tested “SkyCall” drones that can lead lost visitors to their destinations, while pointing out campus landmarks along the way.
Drones will soon be a vital part of campus life. Film and arts students will use drones to record performances and capture images from new angles with more flexibility than ever before. Computer programmers, roboticists, and aviation students will build and fly drones in class, while faculty and students will use drones to conduct critical research in agriculture, wildlife preservation, archaeology, and more. In common areas, students will fly drones of their own for fun – and one day receive drone deliveries of textbooks, pizza, and other campus essentials.
Students and faculty aren’t the only campus stakeholders expecting to use and benefit from drones. Behind the scenes, drones will help colleges and universities save money in their marketing budgets and reduce risks for maintenance and building staff. Drones will capture sweeping campus views for marketing materials at lower costs than traditional photography. And instead of endangering personal safety, maintenance and building staff will use drones to conduct building inspections and view high or hard-to-reach places on campus.
“School and universities are incubators for tomorrow’s great ideas, and we think this is going to be a significant shot in the arm for innovation.” -FAA Administrator Michael Huerta on welcoming drones to campus.
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In short, colleges and universities will soon be home to growing communities of drone pilots. Institutions that welcome drones will have a competitive advantage in attracting students and faculty to science programs, winning research grants, and enticing innovationminded donors to fundraising campaigns – but those that ban drones will miss out on advances in robotics and engineering, new research techniques, and the opportunity to encourage student and faculty entrepreneurs interested in drone technology.
Educational institutions cannot afford to ignore the incredible innovations drones will bring to campus life and the world at large. Yet the drone opportunity poses risks to safety and privacy that campus administrators and risk managers must prepare for. Colleges and universities will need reasonable systems of accountability to ensure that their campuses remain safe places to live, work, study, and fly.
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Universities cannot ignore the drone opportunity.
Campus Challenges
100,000
U.S. Jobs in the Next Ten Tears
While the vast majority of drone pilots fly responsibly, welcoming drones on campus brings safety, privacy, nuisance and trespass concerns. Neither recreational nor professional operators are immune to drone crashes, whether they are due to malfunctions, accidents, or malfeasance. Drone accidents are rare, but not unheard of: to date, drones have crashed into residences and in public places, caused power outages and road closures, and interfered with firefighting efforts. Students, faculty, and staff also have reasonable expectations of privacy in dorm rooms, offices, and other places on campus, and may object to drones taking
$9B
Net Benefit from Drones Over the Next Five Years
photos or recording videos or audio without permission. Assigning accountability to drone operators can be extremely challenging, because they often pilot drones from locations where the drone may be visible, but the operator may not. In the rare case that an incident or privacy violation occurs, it can be extremely difficult to identify who was responsible. This poses an important question for university administrators and risk managers: How can we
2.8M
Drones will be Purchased in 2016
keep their campus safe without hindering innovation or placing an undue burden on drone operators who fly safely and follow the rules?
2X
More Drones are Registered with the FAA than Manned Aircraft
7M
Drones in the U.S. by 2020
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Accountability Meets Innovation Fortunately, banning drones is not the most effective way to ensure campus safety. When drone operators are integrated into reasonable systems of accountability, universities know who is flying on campus, when, and why – and responsible drone pilots can verify that they are operating within campus rules. The result: campus skies are open to innovative uses of drones, without endangering students, faculty, staff, visitors, or property. Campus drone rules don’t need to be burdensome on operators or complicated to implement, but a traditional approach (like paper based permits or email requests) would be overwhelming for campus administrators and overly restrictive for operators. Today’s drone operators are accustomed to using digital tools and apps in all aspects of their lives, and thus technology is the most effective means to communicate campus rules and approve electronic permits and flight plans. Websites or apps can ask drone pilots to review and accept the university’s official drone policy; manage the permit and flight plan submission process from beginning to end; and help administrators monitor activity in their airspace at all times. Applying for or approving a permit can be as simple as one click. Permits and flight plans can be automatically approved based on conditions set by universities so that zero manual oversight is required.
IN ORDER TO IMPLEMENT THIS KIND OF FRAMEWORK ON CAMPUS, COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES SHOULD CREATE DRONE POLICIES THAT ACCOMPLISH THE FOLLOWING: 1 / Make campus drone rules accessible by posting them on websites and apps available to students, faculty, staff, and visitors. 2 / Empower responsible drone operators by issuing digital permits for flying on campus. 3 / Require that drone pilots provide electronic notice before flying on certain areas on campus or during specific events (such as near residence halls or above stadiums during sporting events).
This digital notice system is the foundation of a campus culture of good drone citizenship. It authorizes drone pilots to fly freely, as long as they share details about their flights and follow the rules. And it gives campus administrators and risk managers the information they need to focus their attention on violations of campus rules, rather than on responsible operators. The following guiding principles, which can be published to the university website and integrated into student and faculty handbooks, are designed to encourage this culture of accountability and promote drone innovation and learning on campus. For further information or to request a more detailed model administrative policy, please visit airmap.com/edu.
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Drones on Campus: Guiding Principles The University welcomes drones on campus, as long as they are flown safely, responsibly, and in compliance with the University’s administrative drone policy. We believe it is the University’s responsibility to ensure that students, faculty, and staff have access to cutting-edge curriculum and technology on campus and in the classroom. Our policy ensures that the campus community can take full advantage of drones for research, learning, recreation, campus maintenance, photography, journalism, and other purposes–and promotes safety and accountability for anyone who lives, works, visits, or flies on campus. Because of the legitimate safety, privacy, nuisance, and trespass concerns raised by drones, the University requires that drone operators apply for and receive permits to fly on campus and submit flight plans (also known as flight notices) for each flight. All drones must be operated in compliance with the University’s administrative drone policy. If it chooses, the University may auto-approve certain permits or flight plans/notices, or designate certain areas on campus where permits are not required (such as a drone flight facility or flying field). An effective and efficient drone policy must be accessible to all; be easy for the university to implement; and provide clear and simple ways for drone operators to apply for permits and submit flight plans. With that in mind, the University will publish its drone policy digitally and accept permit and flight plan submissions via a designated website or app.
Students, faculty, staff, and visitors can apply for the following permits to fly a drone on campus: Recreational / Use for pleasure or personal interest only. Taking photos or video is allowed for your own personal use, but not for compensation or sale to another person.
Academic / Use related to a class or course of study, including academic research, by an enrolled student and/or faculty or staff member.
Institutional / Use that has a direct use and benefit to the University or a University department for current, future or ongoing operations. Use by contractors or assisting/coordinating agencies that are working on a University project is permitted, as long as the sponsoring University department applies for a permit. Commercial / Use for compensation or as part of a commercial enterprise, including but not limited to: taking photos or video for sale, service, or fee.
Specialized / Any other use not defined as academic, recreational, institutional, or commercial, including but not limited to journalism or breaking news.
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What information is required in a permit application and flight plan?
All drone operators must submit the following information as part of a flight plan:
All permit applicants must provide: 1 / Name, first and last
WHO / will be pilot in command (POC) and who will be acting as spotter or ground command (if required)
2 / Email 3 / Phone number
HOW / to contact the POC on the day of the flight (including cell phone if the University needs to send the POC alerts)
4 / University affiliation
• University student (Undergraduate / Graduate)
• University faculty or staff
• Not a University student or faculty/staff
WHICH / aircraft will be flying (select from approved craft in permit) WHERE / the flight will take place WHEN / the flight will take place (date and time window); the University reserves the right to limit the maximum number of drones flying at one time
5 / Drone(s) that you fly: (make, model, stock photo, serial number)
WHY / the aircraft will be flying:
6 / Confirm: Indemnification 7 / Confirm: I have read and understand the University policy (or have attended any training required by the University)
• For recreational permits only: Confirm that “I will not sell or use photos or video footage for advertisement purposes” (Required).
• For institutional permits only: Enter details/purpose of flight (Required).
Which permit do I need to fly my drone on campus?
I am affiliated with the University (current student, faculty, or staff).
My flight relates directly to University research or a course of study.
I am not affiliated with the University
Academic
My flight is not affiliated with the University, but is for educational research or a non-profit purpose. Recreational
My flight directly related to my employment at the University.
Institutional
My flight is for fun or pleasure.
My flight will generate revenue for me or a company I am affiliated with.
Commercial
My flight is for journalism or breaking news.
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Want to Learn More? Visit airmap.com/edu for expert guidance and additional resources.
