Remote ID still going to be visible to general public?

[offtheback]

Haven't seen anything about this lately but as it stands can anyone locate you and the drone outside of law enforcement?

 

[TwoSticks]

Haven't seen anything about this lately but as it stands can anyone locate you and the drone outside of law enforcement?

Yes, the info is open to the public. If over time things happen and get reported I suspect something will change but until that time it is public info. The data you see is not personal data but it does provide location of the RC at least at the time of takeoff.

 

[msinger]

it does provide location of the RC at least at the time of takeoff

It can also provide the current location of the pilot.

 

[TwoSticks]

It can also provide the current location of the pilot.

The RC is assumed to be with the pilot but yes.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

The RC is assumed to be with the pilot but yes.

Could anyone be "the pilot" if the controller wasn't with them?

 

[msinger]

Could anyone be "the pilot" if the controller wasn't with them?

Maybe @TwoSticks is thinking of a situation where the remote controller is placed on a tripod for flying a waypoint mission? Even then, the pilot is likely going to be near the remote controller.

 

[TwoSticks]

Maybe @TwoSticks is thinking of a situation where the remote controller is placed on a tripod for flying a waypoint mission? Even then, the pilot is likely going to be near the remote controller.

No. My first reply said "it does provide location of the RC" and you said "can also provide the current location of the pilot" so I said "The RC is assumed to be with the pilot". My first statement was meant to assume when I said position of the RC the pilot would be with it. Hope thats more clear. I didn't specify position of the pilot in my first reply because it does not report where a person is but its to be assumed where the RC is a person will be also.

 

[msinger]

I didn't specify position of the pilot in my first reply because it does not report where a person is but its to be assumed where the RC is a person will be also.

Ah, perhaps we're talking about different things then?

There are two locations at play here. The Remote ID data only contains the following locations:

• The current latitude and longitude of the aircraft
  
  
• The current latitude and longitude of the pilot (assuming the remote controller or mobile device contains a GPS receiver and is providing that data)

 

[TwoSticks]

Yes but if you allow the drone to set your home point prior to takeoff and stay in that spot it will report your location. I said "at least at the time of takeoff" and again should have added more detail. If you set your home point then after takeoff leave the area where you started you wont be where it says you were originally. If you get in the car and drive a quarter mile away then get out and complete the flight you can avoid some of the data being true but most wont do that and we should not have to do that. The remote ID data should include enough data to find the pilot assuming they are standing where they launched and have not moved. The Avata requires your phone to be attached at take off so it has your GPS location. Currently you can remove the phone after takeoff but I bet it does not stay that way. In the future I will try to add more detail in my reply.

 

[akdrone]

I updated my Mav3 before I knew it would include Remote ID. I am no longer updating anything.

 

[msinger]

I updated my Mav3 before I knew it would include Remote ID. I am no longer updating anything.

Even if you don't update, your DJI drones can still be detected by DJI Aeroscope.

 

[msinger]

The remote ID data should include enough data to find the pilot assuming they are standing where they launched and have not moved.

Yes, it should in many cases. However, a receiver can only pick up the Remote ID data while the drone is in range. If the takeoff location is out of range and the drone is detected at some point after flying away from the takeoff location, then the receiver likely wouldn't have enough information to locate the takeoff/landing location.

Most drone logs I review don't contain the pilot's location. I don't know if that means the location is not available or DJI is not including that information in the TXT flight logs.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

A question, what happens if the controller's location is unknown?
E.g. if not a smart controller and the phone's location services are switched off?

EDIT ah indirectly answered before asked I think. Might it be the launch-site/home-point and the drone's location that is broadcast?

Oh EDIT 2.... or maybe not lol

 

[msinger]

what happens if the controller's location is unknown?

Then the Remote ID data will only include the current location of the drone.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

lol I edited the post, we were typing over one another.

 

[mobilehomer]

Only the drone is transmitting RID data. The controller does not. The drone is in communication with the controller, that is how the controller location is updated. This is with standard RID(built-in). With the add-on modules there is no communication with the controller, only take-off location is reported. That is one reason standard RID will have more options in the future.

 

[GregS]

I would think that very few on the ground would have the equipment to monitor the drone via RID. I am not concerned about someone finding me while flying my drones.

 

[TwoSticks]

I would think that very few on the ground would have the equipment to monitor the drone via RID. I am not concerned about someone finding me while flying my drones.

The equipment is a smartphone with an app like Drone Scanner. They have the equipment.

 

[TwoSticks]

According to the FAA site, standard remote ID includes this:

• From takeoff to shutdown, drone broadcasts:
  • Drone ID
  • Drone location and altitude
  • Drone velocity
  • Control station location and elevation
  • Time mark
  • Emergency status

We’re going back and forth about the RC location. So far as I have read, the drone knows where its RC is located in distance and direction. If you pull up your compass or map view, you can see home and use that info to fly back to your takeoff point or home location. You get readings for distance that are updated in real time on your display. If someone detects the drone with an app like Drone Scanner it will tell them the things you see above in points. No personal info but should be enough to find you. That is the point of remote ID, to ID the drone and find the person flying it. It would have been fine if you had to be an authority of some kind to see the data but they made it open to everyone instead. The RC does not need GPS to make this happen. The drone knows you are 1000ft to the SW of its current position which can translate into a GPS marker based on its GPS readings for current point in space. If the drone GPS is known and the distance/direction to the RC is known you have a point to reference. The RC itself does not broadcast. Someone will not stand next to you and get data but if they are within bluetooth range of the drone they can read the data. In some cases this can go for miles, in some much less based on conditions.

 

[msinger]

I would think that very few on the ground would have the equipment to monitor the drone via RID

There are several apps/devices available today. I'm sure we'll see more released later this year.