ACCORD: A Formal Model for the Digitalization and Automation of Drone Coordination Processes
This paper introduces ACCORD, a support platform designed to digitalize and automate the coordination processes required by the current drone regulatory framework. Drone operators must complete several coordination actions with both aeronautical and non-aeronautical entities. Traditional aeronautica...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Aerospace |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/12/5/449 |
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| author | Enric Pastor Miquel Macias Yeray Martin Albert Sanchez Cristina Barrado |
| author_facet | Enric Pastor Miquel Macias Yeray Martin Albert Sanchez Cristina Barrado |
| author_sort | Enric Pastor |
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| description | This paper introduces ACCORD, a support platform designed to digitalize and automate the coordination processes required by the current drone regulatory framework. Drone operators must complete several coordination actions with both aeronautical and non-aeronautical entities. Traditional aeronautical coordination actions relate to the need to access protected airspace volumes around airports. Additional coordination should be established with smaller aeronautical infrastructures, like small aerodromes and heliports, which are not surrounded by any type of pre-defined airspace. Therefore, drone-specific protection volumes have been created. ACCORD enables a single entry point for all the necessary coordination processes for drone operators and infrastructure managers. The objective is to minimize the number of required actions, guarantee full traceability of the process, maximize access to the relevant information, automate the processes as much as possible, and maintain a high level of flexibility to support all coordination processes. After coordination is established, it moves from the strategic/planning phase to the actual execution phase. ACCORD also enables a communication mechanism between the drone operators and the aeronautical infrastructures to extend the coordination to the actual mission execution. ACCORD is currently being tested by some of the most relevant actors in the Catalan drone ecosystem. The current version of the system provides support for all types of aeronautical infrastructures (heliports, aerodromes, and airports) and management duality for situations in which the infrastructure manager and the aeronautical service provider coexist. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ff7cde5f15924b9c99cadcbd64cde5bb |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2226-4310 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| spelling | doaj-art-ff7cde5f15924b9c99cadcbd64cde5bb2025-08-20T03:47:52ZengMDPI AGAerospace2226-43102025-05-0112544910.3390/aerospace12050449ACCORD: A Formal Model for the Digitalization and Automation of Drone Coordination ProcessesEnric Pastor0Miquel Macias1Yeray Martin2Albert Sanchez3Cristina Barrado4ICARUS Research Group, Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), C/Esteve Terrades, 7 Ed C4, 08860 Castelldefels, SpainICARUS Research Group, Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), C/Esteve Terrades, 7 Ed C4, 08860 Castelldefels, SpainICARUS Research Group, Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), C/Esteve Terrades, 7 Ed C4, 08860 Castelldefels, SpainICARUS Research Group, Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), C/Esteve Terrades, 7 Ed C4, 08860 Castelldefels, SpainICARUS Research Group, Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), C/Esteve Terrades, 7 Ed C4, 08860 Castelldefels, SpainThis paper introduces ACCORD, a support platform designed to digitalize and automate the coordination processes required by the current drone regulatory framework. Drone operators must complete several coordination actions with both aeronautical and non-aeronautical entities. Traditional aeronautical coordination actions relate to the need to access protected airspace volumes around airports. Additional coordination should be established with smaller aeronautical infrastructures, like small aerodromes and heliports, which are not surrounded by any type of pre-defined airspace. Therefore, drone-specific protection volumes have been created. ACCORD enables a single entry point for all the necessary coordination processes for drone operators and infrastructure managers. The objective is to minimize the number of required actions, guarantee full traceability of the process, maximize access to the relevant information, automate the processes as much as possible, and maintain a high level of flexibility to support all coordination processes. After coordination is established, it moves from the strategic/planning phase to the actual execution phase. ACCORD also enables a communication mechanism between the drone operators and the aeronautical infrastructures to extend the coordination to the actual mission execution. ACCORD is currently being tested by some of the most relevant actors in the Catalan drone ecosystem. The current version of the system provides support for all types of aeronautical infrastructures (heliports, aerodromes, and airports) and management duality for situations in which the infrastructure manager and the aeronautical service provider coexist.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/12/5/449dronesdrone coordinationsaeronautical infrastructure coordinationU-space |
| spellingShingle | Enric Pastor Miquel Macias Yeray Martin Albert Sanchez Cristina Barrado ACCORD: A Formal Model for the Digitalization and Automation of Drone Coordination Processes Aerospace drones drone coordinations aeronautical infrastructure coordination U-space |
| title | ACCORD: A Formal Model for the Digitalization and Automation of Drone Coordination Processes |
| title_full | ACCORD: A Formal Model for the Digitalization and Automation of Drone Coordination Processes |
| title_fullStr | ACCORD: A Formal Model for the Digitalization and Automation of Drone Coordination Processes |
| title_full_unstemmed | ACCORD: A Formal Model for the Digitalization and Automation of Drone Coordination Processes |
| title_short | ACCORD: A Formal Model for the Digitalization and Automation of Drone Coordination Processes |
| title_sort | accord a formal model for the digitalization and automation of drone coordination processes |
| topic | drones drone coordinations aeronautical infrastructure coordination U-space |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/12/5/449 |
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