BYU Researchers Develop Low-Cost Radar Network to Manage Drone Airspace

Researchers from Brigham Young University (BYU) have developed an air traffic control system for drones that can efficiently track anything in designated low-altitude airspace using a network of tiny, inexpensive radars.

As drone activity continues to rise, managing low-altitude airspace safely has become increasingly challenging—especially in densely populated areas. Just last month, an unauthorized drone collided with a 'Super Scooper' aircraft fighting wildfires in Los Angeles, grounding the plane for days and disrupting critical firefighting efforts.

Traditional radar systems, while powerful, struggle to detect low-flying aircraft below 400 feet. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has regulations in place for small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), but tracking drones remains difficult, particularly in crowded or restricted airspace. Researchers at BYU may have found a solution.

Engineering professor Cammy Peterson and her team have developed an air traffic control system for drones, using a network of small, low-cost radar units that can effectively monitor activity in designated low-altitude airspace.

Radar has been around for a long time. Instead of having a $10 million spinning dish like you would see at an airport, we have a simple thing that could be built for a few hundred dollars. The small radars do not have all the capabilities of a higher-end radar, but a network of small radars can work together effectively.

 Karl Warnick, Study Co-Author and Professor, Brigham Young University

Peterson explained that the drone air traffic control system operates as follows:

• Multiple ground station computers connect to radar units positioned throughout an area.
• These radars scan the sky for moving objects.
• When an object is detected, the radar records its position along with the unit’s own location.
• The data is then converted into a global coordinate frame, integrating inputs from all ground stations to create a real-time, comprehensive map of air traffic.
• Each radar must be properly calibrated to ensure all units interpret an aircraft’s position accurately.

This conversion allows all ground stations to accurately interpret the object's position in real space, Peterson said. To achieve a dynamic air traffic picture, each radar unit must be calibrated or provided with the necessary data to convert from the local frame to the global frame.

Each radar has a field of view as it is pointed up at the sky. You want the radars to be calibrated so they all see an individual aircraft at the same place in the sky.

Tim McLain, Fellow Researcher and Professor, Brigham Young University

The researchers suggest that small radars could potentially be installed on existing structures such as light posts or cell towers.

Peterson recently published a paper detailing the tracking system, explaining that their research—funded by the National Science Foundation—provides greater certainty about real-time drone locations, which is essential for preventing drone collisions.

While the BYU team initially worked with three radars—each capable of tracking a circular airspace about 500 feet across—the technology could be scaled to a broader network with additional radars.

One company (like Amazon or Walmart) cannot take the whole airspace for an hour, right? To be cost-effective you need to allow multiple vehicles from different companies to travel through the same area during the same time window. If you want to be safe, you will want to know where the other drones are at.

Cammy Peterson, Professor, Brigham Young University

Weather conditions or physical disturbances—such as an object bumping into a radar unit—could impact the system’s accuracy. However, online calibration allows radar units to adjust for inadvertent changes in position as they collect data, ensuring continuous accuracy.

“An exciting aspect of this air traffic control system is that in the course of 10 seconds, our radars can correct for a unit’s new position,” said graduate student and Co-Author Brady Anderson.

Anderson refined a mathematical equation that enables real-time calibration, demonstrating that this dynamic approach offers significant improvements over traditional batch data methods.

Peterson emphasized that the system’s algorithms allow for flexibility—radar units can be swapped out or expanded based on specific needs. With its adaptability and affordability, this air traffic control system could be a game-changer for safely managing low-altitude airspace.

Journal Reference:

Graff, D., et al. (2024) Online Calibration for Networked Radar Tracking of UAS. Journal of Intelligent & Robotic Systems. doi.org/10.1007/s10846-024-02186-0.