Los Angeles, CA—DJI, a leading maker of unmanned aerial vehicles, introduced an improved version of its geofencing system in the latest update to the DJI GO app. The free app controls DJI’s Phantom and Inspire drone platforms.
Geofencing is a technology that provides an enhanced level of safety for airspace users. While safe flight is ultimately the responsibility of each pilot, geofencing aims to make compliance easier and more effective.
The company’s Geospatial Environment Online (GEO) software is designed to help pilots avoid flying drones near airports and other sensitive locations. It also automatically updates with temporary flight restrictions around wildfires to help protect authorized firefighting aircraft and help ensure fire crews can operate without disruption.
“Safety is DJI’s top priority, which is why we first introduced geofencing technology three years ago and have been steadily refining the industry’s best technology to enhance aviation safety,” said Brendan Schulman, DJI’s vice president of Policy and Legal Affairs, who led the development of the new system.
“Drone pilots want to fly safely, and our GEO system helps DJI customers fly responsibly while also enabling the full capabilities of remotely piloted aircraft,” Schulman added.
GEO improves upon DJI’s earlier No-Fly Zone technology by including permanent restrictions around prisons, nuclear power plants and other sensitive locations. It also provides temporary restrictions for large stadium gatherings and national security events.
Additionally, it introduces flexibility for drone pilots by giving them the ability to unlock some restricted areas where they have permission to operate. The GEO system prevents flights from entering or launching in some zones, such as airports, unless a pilot with a verified DJI account temporarily unlocks it for a permissible use.
The system prevents inadvertent flights in some areas while allowing them for beneficial uses such as sanctioned inspections, model aircraft activities and indoor flight. Certain areas that raise national security concerns, such as Washington, DC, cannot be unlocked.
Update Go App for Improved Geofencing
The GEO system is available for iOS systems and Android in the latest update of the DJI GO app. It operates on all Inspire drone models as well as the Phantom 4, Phantom 3 Professional and Phantom 3 Advanced models.
Pilots should update their app as well as the firmware for their controller and aircraft in order to take advantage of the system. It covers 17 countries with a population of 860 million people, including almost all of North America and Western Europe. GEO will continue to expand to other regions around the globe. dji.com/flysafe/geo-system
