2 Drone policies and regulations
As you have seen so far this week, with certain aspects of drone data architecture, such as data security, the regulatory environment of civil drone operations is varied and complex. The aim of this section is to provide you with an approach to assess how drone-related policies, laws and regulations apply to your business idea.
The civilian drone sector is still relatively new, and governments are still working toward harmonisation of regional and local policies. For example, within the European Union, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is working across EU states to provide maximum flexibility alongside a harmonised set of laws and regulations to govern the sector. Such policy considerations become even more complex when one considers international treaties and changes to political structures, such as the United Kingdom’s exit from the EU in 2016. Public policy not only needs to address advances in technology, but it also needs to account for changes in political affiliations, structures and organisations (Kyprianou, 2023). Because the regulatory environment is so complex, it is helpful to use frameworks to analyse potential impacts on your business idea.