I’m a big fan of drone footage, which often comes in handy.

Most recently, there was the drone that warned a surfer about a shark nearby, and let’s not forget the Gansbaai seal hunt captured back in August.

Unfortunately, there are those drone users who don’t quite understand the notion of privacy, and at some point, you’ve probably heard a drone buzzing overhead that you wished would bugger off.

Good news via Reuters:

DJI, the world’s largest commercial drone maker, said on Wednesday it is developing technology that would allow the public to track the registrations of drones in flight using just a smartphone, amid a broader industry push to make such data available.

SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd aims to roll out a free app in 2020, pending regulatory approval, that would allow its users for the first time to identify any modern drone with a phone, company executives told Reuters.

The push for remote identification technology comes amid regulatory calls for greater oversight of drone flight, on fears that untraceable, unmanned aircraft could be used for spying or accidentally disrupt commercial flights.

The app was recently demonstrated at the United Nations aviation agency’s Drone Enable conference in Montreal, and should work on drones that are within a one-kilometre range using WiFi Aware-enabled smartphones.

While remote identification technology is already available on the market, the services are for purchase, involve equipment, and are often aimed at groups like companies, airports and law enforcement, industry executives said…

By improving the ability to track drones, companies like DJI aim to avert a crackdown on the usage of unmanned aircraft at a time of growing demand.

We know that South Africans can be clumsy with our drones, but abroad, they’ve been used to shut down airports, costing the aviation industry millions of dollars.

It would be great if you could ID the drone buzzing overhead, message the owner, and tell them to bugger off. Is that too much to ask?

[source:reuters]