Between 2021 and 2023, the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) has participated in the research project AiRMOUR, which is designed to support cities in the efficient and safe use of drones for emergency medical transportation.
The three main deliverables from AiRMOUR are a guidebook for cities, drone operators, and other stakeholders; a GIS* tool for urban planners; and a training program including, among other things, Master classes. With the help of these tools, European local clusters of aviation and urban actors should be able to establish airborne transportation in their cities.
The results of AiRMOUR will also strengthen decision-making at the EU level and facilitate the implementation of U-space. U-space is a concept of new digital services intended to enable drone traffic in the lower airspace in Europe.
Guidebook for Efficient and Safe Utilization of Drones
The guidebook is designed to support city administration decision-makers in developing strategies for urban air mobility in cities (Urban Air Mobility – UAM) in anticipation of the use of drones in emergency medical transportation. The information in the guidebook is based on the results of the project and the validation flights carried out in Germany, Norway, and Finland.
In addition to a Swedish version, the guidebook has been published in English, Finnish, French, Dutch, Norwegian, and German.
The knowledge and deliverables from the project will be useful for the Swedish Transport Administration both for identifying and prioritizing research needs and as a basis for planning processes and forecasting work.
‘By participating in the project, we have broadened and increased our knowledge in the field. This applies to both aviation-specific issues and aspects of urban and community planning. At the same time, we have also been able to learn from how other European regions and cities have worked with, for example, conditions for public acceptance,’ says Max Ohlsson, Swedish Transport Administration and board member for the aviation portfolio.
Further Research Needs
The Swedish Transport Administration’s research and innovation plan already includes priorities derived from, among other things, AiRMOUR, and the plan is continuously updated.
‘An important issue from a sustainability perspective is to study to what extent today’s infrastructure solutions, such as helicopter landing sites and airports, can be used for both manned traffic and new air mobility. We also see a need to research and develop physical planning related to air mobility in cities,’ says Max.
Research on noise emissions and needs related to future take-off and landing sites for the new air mobility, so-called vertiports, is also of interest. Read more in the Swedish Transport Administration’s Research and Innovation Plan 2024–2029 under links.
*) GIS stands for Geographic Information System and is a computer-based system for collecting, storing, analyzing, and presenting geographic data.”
