UAV digital platform for first-response operations, daily transports, and data acquisition

The use of unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs) for various tasks and services has increased significantly in recent years. One of the most important application areas is first-response missions, which UAVs can enhance by speeding up both resource transportation and data acquisition. To support these critical operations, this paper introduces a UAV digital platform architecture. The digital platform integrates autonomous air operations, U-space management, and aerial services to meet stakeholders’ requirements and support the development of a multitenant UAV infrastructure. The architecture of the platform is validated using real-world urgent scenarios, including the delivery of a defibrillator and a search operation. These scenarios prove the microservices-based platform effectively performs the required functions, such as mission optimization, resource allocation, fleet management, contextual information sharing, and security assurance. The architecture can also be expanded to other drone services than the first response. • Design of a digital platform for UAVs based on requirements identified in literature. • Validation and evaluation of the proposed architecture for first-response operations. • A digital platform must integrate U-space services for airspace regulation compliance. • A microservices-based architecture provides a foundation for flexible development. • Integration of a digital platform with multiple UAVs requires established interfaces.