This morning, at NASA's UTM Convention, Amazon announced details of a plan designed to solve these kinds of problems. The company laid out its vision for a multi-tiered superhighway in the sky, one in which all drones flying above 200 feet would have the ability to communicate with — and ideally sense and avoid — other aircraft. It’s an attempt to put an end to the Wild West atmosphere that has been the norm for uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) over the last five years, replacing it with a next-generation air traffic control system. It hopes to establish a basic regulatory framework and set of technical standards that manufacturers can work toward. All this would prepare the airspace for a time when thousands, even tens of thousands of drones fly over the average city delivering parcels, monitoring air quality, and handing out parking tickets.
Amazon’s proposal, which is in line with similar ideas floated by NASA and Google, would create a slow lane for local traffic below 200 feet and a fast lane for long-distance transport between 200 and 400 feet. Altitudes between 400 and 500 feet would become a no-fly zone, and anything above that is already against FAA regulations for hobbyists.
The FAA seems to be giving NASA leeway to take the lead. NASA in turn seems eager to work with the private sector. It’s partnered with Verizon on a new program, with support from Google and Amazon, that would allow cell towers to serve as nodes in this system, helping to track drones and exchange critical information between aircraft and fleets.
More in the article.
http://www.theverge.com/2015/7/28/9058211/amazon-new-details-plan-delivery-drone
Interesting stuff, so will sky in the future look like Blade Runner / Fifth Element.