How can you explain the importance of GPS integration to non-technical stakeholders in drone projects?

GPS is operated by US since 1978 and was made available for global use in 1994. Along side with the GPS, GLONASS is the Russia's version of GPS which operates for very long time now in its 5th version. Since then three more Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) have been put into global use for compatible civilian applications, i.e. QZSS by Japan, Beidou by China and Galileo by Europe that many GNSS receivers nowadays available in the market for drone use could now receive signals from more than two satellite constellations (depends on location) in multimodal environment for obvious reasons not being dominant or made obsolete by a single country-owned satellite system. It will be important to note that GPS may mean GNSS in general.

GPS is a system of 30+ navigation satellites circling Earth. We know where they are because they constantly send out signals. A GPS receiver in your phone listens for these signals. Once the receiver calculates its distance from four or more GPS satellites, it can figure out where you are.

To enable automation of flight mission of drone in open geographical locations, GPS integration to the flight management unit is crucial to bring along benefits such as repeatibility and accuracy within metres resolution laterally without human intervention. Return-to-home, geofencing and path tracing are enabled using integrated GPS in drones. The GPS integration with geographical information (latitude, longitude and altitude) escalates the capabilities of drones in autonomous open ground and aerial operations, especially when correlated with other payload sensors information to form "point cloud" in three-dimensional space, the most popular one are LiDAR and photogrammetry with accurate georeference enabled by GPS integration.

In the world of drones, having GPS on board is like giving them a superpower. Why? Well, imagine drones flying all by themselves, no human needed! GPS makes this autonomous flight possible, which can be a big time and money saver. But that's not all. GPS also steps up the game by making sure the data collected by drones is super accurate.

When considering adding geolocation capability of drones, it is also important to note that GPS integration can only help in outdoor open-sky applications. When the same capability is needed for indoor or locations where obstruction by trees or buildings in the vicinity, imparing the GPS positioning function, augmentation by inertial sensors such as accelerometers, magnetometers, barometers and electronics gyros could help to keep track of the direction, distance and height of the drones while the GPS reception is being blocked, similar to the situation when the SATNAV will be loss when crossing a tunnel, but the inertial sensors on the navigation will help to maintain the direction and speed of travel of the vehicle.

Explaining GPS integration to folks who aren't tech experts is all about highlighting the perks without diving into the nitty-gritty details. Imagine it as a super-smart guide for drones, helping them fly on their own, avoiding obstacles and sticking to the rules. No need for constant human control! It's like giving the drones a reliable GPS friend that never gets lost.

A very simple demonstration is when the GPS receiver of the drone is being blocked by a piece of metal or the number of satellite in-view are limited under the bridge without open view to sky, the drone simply could not arm or report the home location cannot be determined. Under such situation, the return-to-home failover function will not be functional and the user need to move the drone out of obstacles in order to acquire sufficient satellite signals (minimum 4 locked signals) for fixing the home position. Some drones can operate without GPS integration in indoor environment, e.g. FPV drones, that require human intervention or more advanced location sensors for autonomous mission, such as simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM).

Getting non-tech folks on board with GPS integration is all about making them part of the process. Start by chatting with them to understand what they need and like.