The project is based on our company's limited-area forecasting model and post-processed meteorological information derived from the meteorological fields it generates. The post-processing includes both traditional and innovative machine learning algorithms.

The information generated is provided to our partner using a dedicated dispatch GUI. The update frequency, spatial and temporal resolution of the information has been designed according to the users' requests. During the development project, this service will be improved step by step, continuously involving the users. At the end of the development phase, we will be able to offer a road meteorological service that provides a customised framework in all its details and makes the planning, preparation and management of road maintenance and operation tasks more efficient.

The meteorological data used by the system is based on meteorological measurement and observation data available under the open data policy, on the basis of our own measurement data provided by the Hungarian Public Roads Nonprofit Zrt. and on meteorological measurements carried out by our company using special unmanned aerial vehicles. These measurement data are used to upgrade and verify our system and provide the reference data for machine learning processes.

Maps and diagrams showing the distribution of weather parameters (cloud cover, precipitation, wind, temperature, etc.) for the Carpathian Basin, Central Europe and Europe, generated from the WRF model forecasts run in HD resolution with a specially fine-tuned parameter set, can be displayed on the meteorological support interface together with the infrared or visible satellite image in 10-minute time resolution, and recent Hungarian radar images in up to 5-minute resolution. Based on the focus and scale of the map surface, the system automatically selects the model range and the duration of the charts.

The vertical range of the vertical sections can be selected using the height selector. Forecast temperature, dew point, and wind profile can be retrieved using pseudo-TEMP profiles, so low cloud base, icing and turbulence risk zones can be identified using time-altitude transects for the selected location and time.

Companies with meteorology drone

https://community.wmo.int/uas-demonstration

The spread of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) is rapidly expanding around the world and there is almost no area of life without their application. At the same time, the increase in the number of UAS devices has been accompanied by a spectacular increase in the flight performance (and complexity) and application safety of these unmanned systems, which is extending their use to virtually all areas of life.

As a result of the work started years ago in the field of drone flight regulation, several EU laws and regulations have been drafted and are currently being interpreted by Member States. These - and further additions, amendments and other regulations that will follow in the future - will allow for an environment to be created for the use of UAS devices that are considered to be aircraft, in which they can be operated safely. A UTM (Unmanned Traffic Management) system is emerging which, once established, will be able to perform this task safely and efficiently. Several concepts for the development of UTM systems already exist, but concrete implementations are still at the experimental stage. In the EU, the U-Space system is being developed as a possible response to the challenges mentioned above (COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) 2021/664).

U-Space airspace is "the geographical areas designated by Member States for UAS operations, where UAS operations can only be conducted in support of U-space services". And U-Space services are "a service based on digital services and automation of functions designed to provide large numbers of UAS with safe, uninterrupted and efficient access to U-space airspace."

Scope of applicable U-Space services:

• Network identification service
• Geo-location service
• UAS clearance service
• Traffic information service
• Meteorological services
• Compiance service

The following meteorological UTM/U-Space services are designed to meet the specific needs of drone flights, the development of which requires a number of new and innovative approaches and we intend to participate in this in the near future:

• Monitoring of weather limits;
• in-flight weather-based risk analysis;
• before flight
• planning and optimising flight routes based on meteorological information;

EU regulation:https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/HU/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32021R0664&rid=3

A platform designed to strategically plan and support UAV operations. By processing real-time measurements from global station databases (NOAA ISD) and ECMWF ERA5 grid point data, and by collecting weather constraints provided by manufacturers, our development team has produced spatially and temporally resolved data sets for decision making, which can be used to estimate the availability of deployed assets or the feasibility rate of planned operations. These aggregated data tables and map contents also help to answer business strategy questions concerning the planning of the operations to be carried out or the procurement of the means of transport to be used: for example, the meteorological characteristics of the area concerned, extending the studies up to an altitude of 3 000 metres, can be used to simply query the required limits after determining the minimum availability to be achieved in the planned year and/or day. Once the limits are known, the appropriate instrument can be easily selected from the constantly expanding drone database.

In practice, a simple map interface is used to display the annual and daily ranges of the nearest grid points by clicking on the desired area in a tabular form, where the European changes to the map content can be interactively followed by moving the cursor.

For example, by clicking on the area around Zalaegerszeg on the map and selecting the activity of aerial spraying of pesticide category LV, you can get the average availability indicators corresponding to the weather limits prescribed by law (Hungarian regulation: 44/2005 FVM-GKM-KvVM Együttes rendelet). It can be clearly seen that usually only a narrow morning period is suitable for the task. On the basis of this information, the operation can be planned efficiently and economically and unpleasant business surprises can be avoid

In addition to temporal analyses, there is also the possibility to spatially analyse availability indicators according to the constraints defined by the manufacturer. For this type of analysis, the information required can even be compared on a European scale after identifying the period of the year and the day.

Availability of the Hercules H20 drone on average mornings in January (colours from red to green show values from 0-100%)

The figure above clearly shows that, mainly due to the crossing of temperature limits, the Hercules drone under investigation is much more widely used in the western half of Europe than in the eastern half. As the winter progresses, the difference in availability gradually disappears, becoming more pronounced only in the higher mountain ranges, and by summer the availability of the parameters under investigation is uniform throughout Europe, almost unlimited.

In addition to the analyses described above, almost any climatological study can be carried out on request: for any meteorological variables and for all altitudes up to 3000 m. A good example is MouldTech Systems' own developed profiling drone (right), for which the availability test was performed by aggregating the limiting values for wind, temperature, icing and precipitation at 16 altitude levels. The resulting compact statements, stored in 1 GB binary files, required the processing of more than 1.2 TB of raw data for the European map projection.

The average availability of MouldTech Systems' own developed profiling drone at the end of October (map) and its yearly time course (table)

Development of a drone network for routine atmospheric vertical profile measurements

The planetary boundary layer (hereafter PBL) is defined as the layer of the atmosphere near the surface, up to a few kilometres thick (Figure 1), where the interaction between the surface and the atmosphere can be directly detected. The role of the PBL in shaping the weather is crucial (and largely known), as it is in this region that the processes that fundamentally determine the state of the atmosphere through the atmosphere-surface interaction take place. In particular, knowledge of the current state of the PBL is essential for understanding and predicting the evolution of micro- and mesoscale processes, since the dynamics of larger scales are already determined by processes in the free atmosphere (Bottyán et al. 2016).

The planetary boundary layer and its structure.

At the same time, it is precisely the micro- and mesoscale weather phenomena, such as turbulence or thunderstorms, whose prediction is of paramount importance in many areas of life. However, as a study by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) (Pinto et al. (2021)) has found: it is precisely in the planetary boundary layer that there is a serious spatial and temporal data gap in measurements describing the vertical characteristics of the atmosphere (Figure 2), since this region of the atmosphere has a much more inhomogeneous distribution and faster time variability of characteristics than higher layers. Inadequate determination of the current atmospheric state also has obvious implications for the accuracy of meteorological forecasts. In other words, it is precisely the short-term forecast accuracy of the small- and medium-scale atmospheric processes of greatest interest mentioned above that is hampered by inadequate knowledge of initial conditions (Bottyán et al., (2022)).

Atmospheric measurements, Source: based on Pinto et al. (2021)

Considering Hungarian conditions, in situ measurements can be obtained from this region of the atmosphere using balloon radio probes (twice daily in Budapest and Szeged) and aircraft-mounted sensors (at irregular intervals around major airports). However, the possibility to significantly increase the number of these measurements in space and time is not realistic for several reasons. For radiosonde measurements, cost-effectiveness and environmental considerations are limiting factors, while for airborne measurements, the spatial resolution of the measurements must be adapted to the location of airports and the temporal resolution to the flight schedules. It can therefore be concluded that the existing data gap cannot be filled within reasonable limits with the conventional instrumentation, and a novel, cost-effective solution must be found that can guarantee an adequate measurement resolution in time and space. According to WMO guidelines, drone vertical profiling measurements could be the solution. The seriousness of their vision is also underlined by the fact that a global measurement campaign with a duration of six months is planned for 2020, for which MouldTech Systems Ltd. is the only domestic participant with its own developed drone measurement system.

The aim of this article is to give an overview of this drone profiling measurement system and to present the obstacles that have been overcome in its development, as well as future challenges and expected results.

Applied tools

The most important elements of the measurement system are the drone itself, the sensors measuring the meteorological parameters, and the associated data collection, transmission and processing infrastructure. Considering that there is no established standardised practice for the installation of meteorological measuring instruments on drones, nor for the organisation of such instruments into a measuring network, and that a regular meteorological drone measuring network is operational only in Switzerland (Leuenberger et al. (2020)), we decided to produce what is possible for the planned system by our own development and production. Therefore, in the following, we also aim to emphasize the properties of our in-house developed and manufactured components in the presentation of the individual components (Bottyán et al. 2021).

Meteorological measurement drone

The most important element of the measurement network is a drone (Figure 3) that can vertically probe the PLB every few hours. High efficiency and reliable operation are essential for such a task. Accordingly, the selected motors were designed as low mass, high efficiency units with the largest propeller and the highest voltage battery that can be paired with them. For the selected quadrotor design, this means KDE2315-885 motors, 12x4 carbon air screws, and a 4-cell 6750 mAh LiPo chemistry battery with a carbon brushless motor controller operating at the appropriate voltage.

Meteorological measurement drone

An important step in the structural design of the drone was to ensure proper on-board mounting of the sensors and a stable data link to the data logger. When determining the location of the sensors, the primary consideration was to ensure that the instrument placed was sufficiently representative of the environment to be surveyed and not adversely affected by any thermal or dynamic processes associated with the operation of the drone. After careful consideration, the sensors were finally mounted on the legs of the drone (Figure 4). The sensor mounting structure and the data processing component were designed to allow up to 8 integrated sensors to measure the environment simultaneously.

The sensor recording solution for the meteorological measurement drone

Reliable operation and high on-board computing capacity were the primary criteria for the selection of the drone control system. Accordingly, the Pixhawk Cube Orange flight controller and its associated carrier boards were chosen. As an open software system, this allows a great deal of freedom in both flight control and further development. In-flight positioning is achieved using RTK GPS, and to avoid objects flying at the same time, we decided to use an ADS-B receiver unit integrated with the PixHawk Cube Orange flight controller. This feature allows the detection of other aircraft equipped with ADSB transmitters at the appropriate time and distance and, if necessary, the modification of the meteorological drone's trajectory. To facilitate visual identification in poor visibility conditions and/or at night, the drone is equipped with a green flashing light.

Of the entirely in-house designed components of the drone (except for the electronic units, sensors and propellers), the frame system was produced using continuous filament 3D printing of a composite material with a known high tensile strength-to-weight ratio. The flow surfaces were manufactured using SLS printing technology from PA12 material.

Meteorological sensor system

The sensor system design was guided by the requirements of conventional radiosonde profiling measurements. This not only determined the choice of the sensors to be tested, i.e. the sensors themselves, but also the accuracy of the measurements. Accordingly, a sensor system suitable for the measurement of air temperature, humidity and pressure was assembled. Considering that even the physical fitting of a sonic anemometer on a drone is not a simple task, not to mention the need to take into account the drone motion and the flow caused by the propellers, we decided to solve the calculation of the air motion characteristics (wind speed, wind direction, wind gust) without a measuring instrument, as in the case of the radiosonde measurements. The difference with balloon profiling is that we do not process the drift vector, but real-time telemetry data from the drone's robotic pilot's compensating commands against the wind. This task is simpler compared to the general computation of wind information from telemetry data in that in our case the flight characteristics of the profiling contain only vertical displacement, with no planned horizontal component. That is, any displacement in the horizontal plane can be considered as compensation against the wind.

As for the sensors, low weight and reliability were a key aspect of the development to maximise flight uptime. Low thermal capacity, the need for small hysteresis due to the fast response required by the high vertical displacement speed of the drones was also essential.

The diversity of applications and flight conditions also require the sensor system to be designed to operate in high and low temperature and high humidity environments. Corrosion resistance and a robust mechanical design to withstand the intense air motion generated by the rotor blades were also important aspects in the development of the sensor system. Based on an analysis of the requirements, Bosch680 (T, Rh, p) and Sensirion SHT35 (T, Rh) sensors (sensor chips) meeting the above criteria were selected. The printed circuit board receiving the sensors was designed to accommodate both sensors at the same time, but also to allow for a sensor system with the sensor BME680 or SHT35 .

BME680 sensor and SHT35 sensor integrated on the foil base

The sensor system has been installed on board the quadrocopter pilot drone and the first tests have been carried out at low altitude.

Data communication

In-flight meteorological data and telemetric information needed to determine wind parameters are recorded on-board on a memory card, but are also transmitted in real time via a managed WiFi or peer-to-peer LoRa network. During the implementation of the data communication system, we had to take care to maintain a stable data link and to comply with EU standards, so the SX1262 LoRa HAT data transmission module with spread spectrum in the 868MHz range was chosen. These modules are capable of providing a long (up to 80km) range data link during flight (Károly (2019)), which is safely suitable for the planned flight task. For the latter, Antenna Hungária's network can be used for testing purposes at the planned measurement site at Zalaegerszeg-Andráshida airport.

Difficulties in the development of the monitoring network

In addition to the development of appropriate technical and meteorological solutions, the development of the monitoring network required the allocation of considerable resources to overcome obstacles and difficulties outside the above categories. A number of areas, only indirectly related to technical and meteorological issues, imposed legitimate conditions on the operational framework and the proper implementation of operational measurements. These problems and their solutions are discussed in detail in the following subsections.

The framework and limitations of legitimate flights

One of the barriers to the dynamic, on-demand, even simultaneous use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for atmospheric measurements from multiple locations is the regulatory background for the implementation of legitimate UAS flights. This includes, on the one hand, the certification and classification procedure required for the registration of UAS by the authorities and, on the other hand, the conditions currently available for the use of airspace. In order to describe the specificities of the above-mentioned procedures, it is necessary to first review the flight characteristics of a drone carrying out meteorological measurements.

The measurement drone is a VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) unmanned aircraft (UA - Unmanned Aircraft) with a maximum take off mass (MTOM - Maximum Take Off Mass) of 3000 g and an unladen mass of about 2600 g. The aircraft is equipped with the meteorological sensors as payload, as already described. The take-off is controlled from the ground by a remote pilot, as the UA performs automated Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights. It climbs at a constant speed of 5-8 m/s on a vertical profile track. The altitude to be reached may vary depending on the winter and summer seasons, in line with the PHR altitude, but would not exceed 2500 metres AMSL (Above Mean Sea Level), which would ensure the collection of the data needed to make forecasts more accurate at any time of the year. To reach this altitude would take approximately 4-8 minutes. Once the maximum altitude is reached, the instrument descends continuously at a slower rate of about 4 m/s, compared to the 5-8 m/s mentioned above. Based on the calculation carried out, it can be stated that the measuring drone has a kinetic energy below 34kJ, which is important to note for operational classification and subsequent risk analysis (Vas et. al (2021a, 2021b)).

As the UA is an experimental prototype, capable of flying in more extreme weather conditions than currently available on the market, it will have to undergo an official certification procedure. This certification, which will be carried out by the competent civil aviation authority, will involve an examination of the UA as an aircraft (type certification), its design and production conditions and its maintenance and continuing airworthiness systems, in line with the standards required for conventional aircraft. The Authority shall certify compliance with the requirements. Once the procedure has been completed, a type-certificate will be issued for the type of UA and organisational approvals will be issued for the design, manufacture and maintenance, which will allow the equipment to be declared safe and airworthy.

The measuring drone, as demonstrated by the planned flight profile, cannot be operated under open risk category rules, as the flight altitude during measurements exceeds 120 metres above ground level (AGL-Above Ground Level). It is therefore necessary to examine the limits of the EU Framework Regulation to which operational category the equipment can be assigned.

Operation can be in a special category of operation, as the UA has a flight altitude of more than 120 metres and the typical size of the drone does not exceed 3 metres. The drone can also be operated in this category of operation in BVLOS, which is a prerequisite due to the possible cloud cover and high vertical altitude. A prerequisite for operation in this special category is the Operation Manual (OM), which must be approved by the civil aviation authority before flight operations can be carried out.

The OM shall include a description of the applicant organisation, its relationship to aviation safety, a detailed description of the operation (ConOps-Concept of Operation) and a detailed risk analysis to be carried out in accordance with Article 11 of the Implementing Regulation, with a SORA (Specific Operational Risk Assessment) risk analysis. Other important elements are the normal and contingency procedures, the Emergency Response Plan (ERP-Emergency Response Plan), the protection of people not involved in the operation and the logging rules. The risk analysis is an iterative process, taking into account the ConOps descriptions, the characteristics of the area affected by the flight, the airspace structure over the current area, nearby airports, restricted or hazardous airspace. In addition to the above, the physical characteristics of the drone used are also important factors. Taking all these factors into account, the final outcome of the risk analysis is the achievement of a Specific Assurance and Integrity Level (SAIL-Specific Assurance and Integrity Level), which, taking into account the above factors, indicates a collective risk value for the flight operation as a whole (EASA (2022)). The process of risk analysis under SORA for a specific category is schematically illustrated in Figure 5.

Risk analysis under SORA , source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327645136_The_New_Specific_Operations_Risk_Assessment_Approach_for_UAS_Regulation_Compared_to_Common_Civil_Aviation_Risk_Assessment (2022.10.01)

In case the risk values exceed a certain level, the overall risk can be reduced by applying appropriate Operational Safety Objectives (OSO-Operational Safety Objective), which may relate to, for example, flight conditions, weather conditions, operational limitations to the execution of the flight, increasing the competence level of the remote pilots.

However, there may be a case when the GRC (Ground Risk Class) in the SORA-based risk analysis is higher than 7, or the risk mitigation procedures offered by OSOs can be considered but are not met with the appropriate robustness, then the flight can no longer be performed within the special category of operation.

As the current legislation establishes a baseline for the open and special risk categories, it is advisable to choose the location of the flight so that it is away from densely populated areas and critical infrastructure. This would guarantee that operations remain in the special category, as it is a category subject to certification, which would subject UA registration and operations to a certification procedure on an equal footing with conventional aircraft.

To fly in the special category, a remote pilot must have the statutory licence and sufficient skill to reduce the risks involved. In this case, proficiency or competence means that the remote pilot is not only capable of performing normal flight operations, but also of acting in unexpected situations according to a scenario describing the emergency procedure. In addition, the remote pilot must be familiar not only with the technical characteristics of the UA type but also with the characteristics of the tasks performed by the operating organisation, in particular the types of operations subject to risk assessment. He/she must also be able to work in a team, coordinate flight data and cooperate with the services involved in airspace management and air traffic.

It is important to note that, when introducing the special risk category, the Union will, in the first instance, only give its consent to flights under the STS-1 and STS-2 scenarios, which are defined exclusively for flights below 120 m. However, the risk assessment and management procedures allow for the application of another method, based on the EASA publication (2022) already mentioned, namely the PDRA (Pre-defined Risk Assessment) procedure.

While the STSs describe in more detail the operational risks and methods to mitigate them using SORA, the provisions of the PDRAs are described in fairly general terms in order to provide flexibility for UAS flights. Operators and competent authorities may establish restrictions and provisions adapted to the specificities and activities envisaged. It is advisable to choose this option for UAS operators who do not yet have the CE rating required for operations in STS or who fly with self-built equipme

Summary table of PDRA G02

Source: EASA (2022) page 39.

As shown in the summary table above, and the flight altitude itself above 120 metres AGL, confirms the fact that, although the necessary risk assessment has been carried out and the official permission to conduct the flight is available, the operation can only be conducted in the airspace designated for this purpose. As the take-off area, in our case the airport of Zalaegerszeg-Andráshida, does not have its own airspace which could be used for UAS flights if it is indicated in the airport order approved by the authority, the only solution is to designate ad hoc airspace. At present, ad hoc airspace, which can be designated for flights other than aviation activities, is the only solution for the conduct of activities dangerous to aviation that are intended to be carried out anywhere over the territory of the country outside the location and time of use of the airspace designated for dangerous activities in the Regulation.

For the reasons set out in this subsection, we have requested the Civil Aviation Authority to issue an operating licence for the operations concerned. The regulatory process is currently in the completion phase and is expected to be concluded in November 2022. Thereafter, the planned measurement tasks in the ad hoc airspace required for the execution of the flights will be executable up to the altitude specified in the operating licence.

Selection of measurement sites

The most important criteria for the selection of the measurement sites were the availability of a sufficiently large, accessible open area for the measurement protocol, while at the same time having the necessary infrastructure available for the operation. As people in constant contact with aviation, it was immediately obvious that the measurement sites should be located at airports. At the same time, the nature of the measurement and flight task made it advisable to choose lower category airports where traffic is not significant and therefore operations do not pose an excessive safety risk. Accordingly, the stations of the measurement system are planned to be located at category IV airports. The initial 3 airports selected are LHZA (Zalaegerszeg-Andráshida), LHST (Szatymaz) and LHAK (Atkar), the location of which is shown in Figure 6.

Sites of the planned measurement network

Flyability of our measurement drone

When designing the drone measurement network, we had to take into account that the system should be able to fly and measure in a very wide weather range, as we need to approach the parameters of the radio sounding systems in terms of availability during operational operation. On the other side of the balance was the safe execution of the measurement task, which, together with cost-efficiency considerations, could not allow the risk of loss or damage to the measuring drone. Therefore, the flight weather range was set so as to ensure that availability was as consistently high as possible throughout the year (above 90% on average over the year) and, in addition, that the drone was not exposed to environmental conditions that could pose the risks mentioned above.

For this reason, we have already defined the operational limits for the operation during the planning process, which we did not consider to be permissible. The limits were set for temperature, humidity, intense precipitation and icing conditions. For all of these, using the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) ERA5 published re-analysis databases, we performed a check of compliance with the limits for the Carpathian Basin region for the period 2006-2022 with a time step of one hour. In addition, in line with the flight characteristics, these were not only determined for the surface or its immediate surroundings, but up to 3000 m a.s.l., taking into account 16 altitude levels. The resulting compact statements required the processing of hundreds of GB of raw meteorological data in special formats.

The availability of the metering drone in the Carpathian Basin (left) in early December mornings and the annual table for Zalaegerszeg-Andráshida airport

The results (Figure 7) show average availability of between 90-95% at all three planned locations and even the lowest decadal values exceed 85% daily average. This latter information means that on average about every 8th measurement has to be cancelled or postponed due to weather conditi

While these results are slightly below the level of availability of radiosondes, the additional information they provide far outweighs the difference.

Expected results

The initial conditions required for the meteorological forecasts of limited-area forecast models can be derived by interpolating the fields from global forecasts onto the model grid. The quality of short-range forecasts influenced by small- and medium-scale processes can be greatly enhanced by assimilating profile measurements from the planetary boundary layer at a time after the global model initialization time into the initial conditions. In this way, integrated global model outputs can be provided every 6 hours as an alternative to the bounded-range model forecast run for initial and boundary conditions with a +3 hour lead time, which provides a systematic quality improvement over previous forecasts even when only the operational radiosonde and surface synoptic measurement data are taken into account. Observations from the drone platform promise further significant quality improvements in forecasts, with a time advantage that no other global provider has. The solution outlined in this article is aimed at this segment.

The effectiveness of the solution is almost guaranteed, but its technical implementation raises a number of questions. The technical implementation of these is part of the project described in this article.

The profile measurement data can be generated with a very high temporal and spatial resolution: at a resolution of 2 Hz for a vertical velocity of 8 m/s ascent and 4 m/s descent, this means a vertical resolution of 4 and 2 metres, respectively, but like all measurement data, these data are subject to measurement errors that can be considered random. This type of error needs to be filtered out and the over-representation resulting from the frequency reduced to the level of measurement reliability by appropriate sampling. In addition, the data should be converted into a format that is suitable as input data for the predictive meteorological model. To ensure the above, the measured profile data are interpolated to levels corresponding to the vertical integration grid points of the weather forecasting model by second order polynomial fitting. By assimilating the vertical profile measurement data measured in the planetary boundary layer and fitted as described above, a significant quality improvement in the forecast data is expected

Given that regular planetary boundary layer measurements from a drone platform cannot yet be produced due to the lack of an operational licence, verification of the model predictions is not yet available. However, it can already be said that the system for receiving the data is technically available and the meteorological measurements that will be available in the near future, once the official licence is obtained, will allow immediate verification of the added value of the system (Sziroczák et al., 2022).

Future challenges, plans

It is perhaps clear from the content of the article that the development of the drone measurement network and the elimination of operational difficulties is well underway, but there are still many challenges to be overcome before the target status is reached. Without wishing to be exhaustive, some of the challenges we face and our plans to respond to these challenges are outlined below.

As mentioned in the introduction, WMO is planning a six-month global drone measurement campaign starting in March 2024. In this measurement campaign, we would like to participate as a data provider with our measurement network already operational in at least three locations.

After the initial three sites, based on the results of the data assimilation tests, we would like to determine the optimal number of sites for the measurement network in the future and make a proposal for their location.

Although the ad hoc airspaces will initially allow for continuous pilot operation, in the long term we are considering a more efficient solution. The ad hoc airspace is an inflexible solution, which cannot be planned in advance by the airspace management units, but is the only solution available to reduce the risks to aviation in our current situation. As the procedure for requesting and designating ad hoc airspace is a lengthy procedure and the time available for UAS flights is limited, it would be advisable in the future to designate an airport-activated airspace above the airport concerned. The characteristics of the airspace must be such that it can be used for UAS flights, and its operating rules must be laid down in legislation as a strategic level of airspace management and be public and known to airspace users. This new type of airspace design can also serve as an efficient long-term solution for experimental and research flights of UAS systems over specific locations. In addition, as a next step in the licensing of vertical profile flights for meteorological purposes, it may be appropriate to launch the licensing of multiple drone operations by a single remote pilot. This is because special category flights have been added to this use, as well as the implementation of drone swarm flights.

We also plan to place the drone that takes atmospheric measurements in a special ground unit (Figure 8) when it is not flying.

Layout of the measuring drone and service/reception ground station

This would provide an enclosed and insulated space for the safe storage of the drone and also guarantee the power supply and internet connection needed to charge and replace batteries and maintain data connectivity. This ground unit would also house sensors to monitor the drone system and allow remote post-landing checks and monitoring.

This description is based on article of KTI

The WMO-coordinated UAS demonstration campaign, which started on 1 April, finished on 30 September. A total of 63 organisations from around the world had previously indicated their intent to participate in the programme, from which 26 had finally sent measurements.

MouldTech Systems Ltd. was the only company from Hungary to join the measurement campaign and performed a total of 170 measurements during the specified period. This meant a total of 386.1 km of ascent for our measuring drones, which represents an average height of 2271m per profile measurement. A total of 5 locations were measured: in Zalaegerszeg, Balatonszepezd, Hajmáskér, Szolnok and Szeged. Several of these measurements were also related to the provision of some kind of event: Lake Balaton swimming (Balatonszepezd), the Military Parachute World Championships (Szolnok) and the FAI Balloon World Championships (Szeged).

The evaluation of the more than 11,500 measurements collected worldwide during the campaign is still ongoing, and it is expected that many technical, engineering and meteorological conclusions can be gained, which will contribute to the worldwide expansion of drone meteorological measurements and their role in meteorological data collection.

The MyDroneMet team provided on-site assistance in both areas: providing drone measurements of the current wind conditions prior to the launch and at the designated start position, 15 times in total, with top altitudes between 1000 and 2500m, and precision forecasts for the entire duration of the event.

The measurements, with their high accuracy and rapid availability of data, were a great success with the participants. On Friday, a special demonstration was organised for the participants, where they were able to follow the drone measurement operation in person. The 137 participants will promote the good reputation of this Hungarian meteorological innovation all over the world.

The event also offered an excellent opportunity for a comparative analysis of the drone and the balloon sounding measurements from the nearby high-altitude research station, for which HungaroMet Zrt, in cooperation with MouldTech Systems Kft., provided 4 additional sounding measurements in addition to the usual 2 measurements per day.

As a result of more than two years of preliminary work, the MyDroneMet team has also started measurements at the Zalaegerszeg (LHZA) airport in the drone-based atmospheric measurement campaign, which started on 1 April 2024.

The locations of the flight operations carried out so far by the organisations and companies participating in the global campaign are shown in the global chart below, with our own measurement position highlighted below.

MyDroneMet's meteorological measuring drone provides the ability to perform atmospheric vertical profile measurements up to 2500 m above sea level, even in challenging weather conditions. The measuring drone can be seen in the picture below.

The drone collects temperature, dew point and barometric pressure values during flight and transmits them in real time. Wind direction and wind speed data are also generated by processing the telemetry data. The sampling results are also displayed in real time on our own flight management system interface. The left figure shows the vertical profile of wind speed and wind direction, and the right figure shows the vertical profile of temperature and dew point based on the take-off at 9:49 am on 19.04.2024.

The measurement campaign will continue until 30 September 2024, during which time the data will be tested in real time for their applicability in weather models and analyses, and a summary report will be published to report on the experience, which will serve as the basis for the development of global standards for drone measurements.

The Közlekedéstudományi Egyesület (KTE) held its 2023 VI. Hungarian Transportation Conference in Eger from October 17 to 19. In the event's "Digital Zone" section, attendees had the opportunity to listen to presentations related to digital solutions, spanning from aviation to road management.

Our colleagues presented "Efficient Use of Meteorological Information in Road Management," showcasing the development philosophy and iterative steps of the MouldTech Systems and Magyar Közút pilot project. During the presentation, our colleague outlined the development principles and discussed the user benefits of the developed meteorological support system, the potential reduction of resource demands through application optimization, and its objectively confirmed efficiency.

You can read the abstract of the presentation here: https://ktenet.hu/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/009_Dr.Tuba-Zoltan.pptx.pdf

https://ktenet.hu/esemenyek/vi-magyar-kozlekedesi-konferencia-47-utugyi-napok

At the event, which was held for the second time, MouldTech Systems was represented by Dr. Bottyán Zsolt, Gyöngyösi András Zénó, and Dr. Vránics Dávid. As an invited speaker, Dr. Bottyán Zsolt, the leading research and development expert, presented special drone-based developments in his presentation titled “Innovative Drone Solutions at MouldTech Systems”, which offer solutions for various areas to address specific problems.

Following the presentations, our colleague participated in an exciting roundtable discussion in which the invitees exchanged ideas about various current questions related to the possibilities of innovation and the domestic situation.

Our company also participated as an exhibitor in the two-day event, where we showcased the drone systems we have developed to the interested attendees.

https://www.uni-nke.hu/hirek/2023/10/17/fokuszban-az-ipar-es-a-felsooktatas-egyuttmukodese

The lecture series organized by the Neumann Technological Platform, the Drone Coalition, and HungaroControl was dedicated to the development of the domestic UTM platform. At the annual national event, the MyDroneMet team was represented by Dr. Zsolt Bottyán, the lead researcher and developer, as an invited speaker.

In his presentation titled "Innovative Solutions for Comprehensive Meteorological Support of UTM Ecosystems", he showcased special developments that can significantly contribute to ensuring that the forthcoming domestic UTM system meets high-level flight safety requirements from a weather perspective.

Following the presentations, our colleague also took part in an exciting table discussion, addressing numerous current questions related to drone usage and providing an overview of domestic and international drone technology developments.