There will be an urban test environment for drone applications in the center of Amsterdam. Alderman Traffic and Transport Sharon Dijksma said that during the opening of the Amsterdam Drone Week 2020, which will be held completely virtual this year. The goal is to be able to gain more experience in flying drones above the urban environment.

Amsterdam Drone Lab

The new test center will be called Amsterdam Drone Lab and will be located at the Marineterrein Amsterdam. The goal is to experiment with drone flights inside and out of sight of the pilot. Think of carrying out inspections or transporting emergency medical goods. Such future uses of drones are also referred to by the term Urban Air Mobility.

According to Thijs Meijer, director Marineterrein Amsterdam, the area is ideal for testing urban drone applications. “Quays, buildings, meadows and trees, harbor, workers, recreational facilities and logistics: it’s all there here.”

The Amsterdam Drone Lab offers participants, among other things, a starting and landing platform, workshops and living rooms. Because the terrain is not accessible to the public, according to the initiators, test flights can be carried out in a safe but realistic way.

Meijer: “Due to the unique properties of Marineterrein Amsterdam, drone operations such as construction and terrain inspections and medical transports can take place under credible conditions. Step by step, we work with the community to run VLOS and BVLOS flights here and solve urban challenges. We welcome all interested parties to participate in our future field lab for Urban Air Mobility fieldlab.”

Partners

Partners of the Amsterdam Drone Lab include the Municipality of Amsterdam, AirHub and KPN. Because the terrain is light within the controlled airspace of Schiphol, all test flights will have to be coordinated with Air Traffic Control Netherlands.