Navigate / EASA

GM4 Article 7(2) U-space service providers

ED Decision 2022/022/R

ALERTING MEANS

Safety relies on the timely reaction of UAS operators to situational changes that may dynamically occur in the U-space airspace throughout the UAS flight. Inappropriate UAS operator reaction due to a lack of sufficient awareness may ultimately compromise safety. Moreover, UAS operations require UAS operators to additionally manage operational information than just strict UAS flight data. In some conditions, especially where high workload is involved, UAS operators may have limited capability to focus their attention on monitoring U-space services in order to detect new relevant information.

Regardless of being served by the USSP through a separate user interface/application or through direct application programming interface (API), UAS operators need to be clearly alerted to new, safety-critical information during all phases of flight (flight preparation, preflight, in flight and postflight).

To effectively attract the attention of UAS operators, the USSP may either implement or provide the supporting means of various techniques such as:

(a)     visual annunciations (e.g. flashing red),

(b)     aural annunciations (e.g. sounds or voice),

(c)      telephony voice messages,

(d)     telephony text messages, coupled with haptic sense.

To maximise the effectiveness of the attention-getter, it is recommended that the USSP rely on more than one means for raising awareness on safety-critical information that requires immediate attention.

The implementation of the necessary alerting means should ensure the use of appropriate designs that effectively raise the attention of UAS operators while preventing undue nuisance and distraction that could impair the safe conduct of UAS operations.