Category Archives: Drones

Vanity Street Addresses

Drones, Mapping

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Map Merge will of course have a reference system, as all maps do. This is best left to the experts, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it is a combo:

  • street address
  • GPS reference
  • native grid system

I would expect them to be intertwined, where any of the three can be used to refer to the same location. Maps merged. Google and Apple Maps already combine the first two.

One problem with modern map apps and GPS devices is the entry of addresses. They tend to be quite long and take time to type in. The devices are often small and typos occur.

One solution is of course speaking to an AI like Siri or Cortana. I don’t think they are anywhere close to being easier than typing yet. And ultimately, it seems people just prefer typing – they have certainly chosen texting people over phoning them.

So there is an opening for a shorthand/shortcode entry for addresses. I foresee a system modelled on domain names. Just like they are the licence for a shortcode that maps onto (hard to remember) IP addresses, vanity (or custom) street addresses can replace any of the three references above with a short name.

@robskelton can be typed into Google Maps or TomTom, and the app will know where to go because I would have purchased @robskelton for that purpose, and mapped it to where I live. I don’t know how much people or businesses would pay for this, but it could be as big as the domain name system.

I figure there could be different types of @ddresses (pronounced at dresses), because unlike domain names, the location of the person entering the @ddress can be taken into account.

Global, singular – @robskelton works for everyone in the world. Enter it into a Kiev autonomous cab, and it will say the expected journey time is 3 weeks.

Local, singular – @robskelton but only purchased for a state within Australia. I think state level works best, just like personalised car license plates. The system will choose the @robskelton for the state I am enquiring from.

Global, multiple – @macdonalds@ – the trailing @ indicates that I know it has numerous locations, and I want to go to the nearest one.

I mentioned autonomous cabs for a good reason. They will be the second use of self-driving vehicles after delivery drones, both initially in CBDs. When people climb in they will need to articulate where they want to go. I know that I would prefer to type in @macdonalds@ into a console over conversing with an AI.

Utility, monetised. And it can be pseudo-compulsory like the domain name system. When  someone wants their address to be part of the system, they will be asked how they wish to refer to it. Do they want 32SnakeHeights.Daylesford.3460AU, or @BurgerShackAU?

AirMap – MapMerge in the Air

Drones

I’m curious about how they are building the maps – by flying drones about in grid patterns, and avoiding objects in their path?

Regardless, Airmap is one of the first mapping projects for enabling drone travel:

  • real time weather
  • airports
  • controlled airspace maps
  • dynamic information like wildfire temporary flight restrictions

Ultimately it is permission-based. You can go here, and can’t go here, so work out the best path. And it could dynamically change.

Amazon Proposes Drone Airspace

Drones

Reported at The Register
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This plan to separate planes from drones is a no-brainer, and a 10-year-old could have designed it. To avoid buildings and the like, Amazon proposes:

Geospatial data of all hazards to navigation over 200 feet.

That shouldn’t be too difficult to provide and will work fine for drones travelling from warehouse to warehouse. However, below 200 ft there are many more obstacles, including non-stationary objects. And to confound matters, a lot of private property.

There is a huge leap from flying around in drone space, and actually landing on someone’s front lawn to make a delivery.

If they have thought things through, Amazon might realise the need for a 3D mapping system.

 

Time To Legislate Against Drones?

Drones

As reported in the Washington Post this week:

In recent days, drones have smuggled drugs into an Ohio prison, smashed against a Cincinnati skyscraper, impeded efforts to fight wildfires in California and nearly collided with three airliners over New York City.

Earlier this summer, a runaway two-pound drone struck a woman at a gay pride parade in Seattle, knocking her unconscious. In Albuquerque, a drone buzzed into a crowd at an outdoor festival, injuring a bystander. In Tampa, a drone reportedly stalked a woman outside a downtown bar before crashing into her car.

Because drones do not need to be registered, the potential for harm is always going to be there. For a few hundred dollars you can remotely operate a vehicle anonymously. I foresee a time when all drones need to be registered, just like cars.