DJI Drones Will No Longer Be Able To Fly In Restricted Airspace

The new mapping system will become available in December via an update of the DJI Go app and drone firmware.

DJI drones will soon be equipped with up-to-the-minute guidance systems that can inform the user of temporary flight restrictions such as major stadium events, forest fires, or other variables.

The drone company now uses geofencing, a software feature that acts as a virtual barrier, to completely prevent its drones from flying over “no-fly-zones”, which are mostly airports and Washington, D.C.

In addition, the changes will mean that for the first time, “drone operators will have, at the time of flight, access to live information on temporary flight restrictions”, DJI said in a release.

DJI’s new software expands the no-fly zones to include power plants and prisons.

SZ DJI Technology Co., of Shenzhen, China, which makes the best-selling $1,000 Phantom drones, has used so-called geofencing technology for more than two years to restrict its drones from flying near airports and other sensitive areas, including Tiananmen Square in Beijing, the prime minister’s office in Japan, and much of Washington D.C.

The drone will, by default, not fly into or take off in locations that raise safety or security concerns, however as many authorised flight applications are approved, users who have verified DJI will be able to temporarily unlock or self-authorise flights* in a few of those locations. The company said users who verify their accounts with a credit card or phone number would be able to still fly in a few restricted areas after acknowledging that they are near sensitive or congested airspace.

Users can bypass the system – but only if they’re a “verified user” and provide DJI with payment and contact details.

“Our years of actual user experience have shown that in most instances, strict geofencing is the wrong approach for this technology, and instead we are helping operators make informed, accountable decisions”, said Brendan Schulman, DJI’s Vice President of Policy and Legal Affairs. If Solo users open their Solo app in a restricted area, they’ll see a warning. The service provides information to commercial and hobbyist drone pilots.

The GEO is powered by geospatial data from California-based AirMap.