Operational intelligence technology firm Simulyze has announced the commercial release of a new unmanned aircraft system (UAS) situational awareness system—Mission Insight. Based off the company’s Flight Control logistical software, used to plan and visually track movements for military and commercial operations in ground, air and maritime environments for the past 15 years, Mission Insight hones its situational awareness capabilities specifically for UAS operators.
“Ensuring the safety of unmanned operations requires vast amounts of disparate data be displayed in a standardized, graphical format that is easy to follow in real time,” said Simulyze president and CEO Kevin Gallagher. “Mission Insight coordinates with multiple data sources to bring all the information to one screen for pre-flight planning, real-time visual tracking, and data analysis after the operation.”
The new software integrates with external resources including ADS-B, mobile weather stations, terrain maps and NOAA winds aloft forecasts, while also tracking the aircraft’s altitude, airspeed, ground speed and heading.
“Having access to interpreted weather data is vital to operators,” Gallagher said. “Integrating winds aloft forecast information, for example, will assure your flight plan is a success. If you only have 30 minutes of battery time, accommodating for a head or tail wind can determine the success of [the] mission.”
All collected data is interpreted in the software and displayed on the customer’s computer in real time. Data is also collected from the flight and is available for analysis and reports.
“As new commercial UAS operators enter the market, there is a lot of focus on the right aircraft, controllers, sensors and other hardware, but it’s important to consider how they’ll track data,” Gallagher said. “The FAA’s [Federal Aviation Administration’s] current regulations require data and proof of data, and you can be sure updated UAS regulations will continue to require it. Having a software application that compiles data from operations and planned missions saves time and improves chances of approvals from the FAA for new UAS missions.”
Mission Insight is designed for the broad commercial UAS market, including aerial photography and surveying, agriculture, contraction, infrastructure and utilities inspection, emergency management, search-and-rescue, disaster recovery, and oil-and-gas exploration, Gallagher said. It is also capable of supporting a fleet of aircraft or a single UAS, whether used on an enterprise server system or a low bandwidth single laptop.
The software also allows for customized alert functions including geo-fences, relative movement, and position reports.
