MPC Research Reports
Report Details

Title:	Strategic Deployment of Drone Centers and Fleet Size Planning for Drone Delivery in Utah
Authors:	David Sacharny and Xiaoyue "Cathy" Liu
University:	University of Utah
Publication Date:	Jan 2024
Report #:	MPC-24-512
Project #:	MPC-636
TRID #:	01915287
Keywords:	airspace utilization, delivery service, drones, energy consumption, simulation, trucks

Abstract

The research project produces a statewide airspace network, delivery schedule, and truck/drone fleet mix. Such an airspace network is optimized to ensure that drones are strategically deconflicted as required by NASA and the total energy over that day is minimized. Such an airspace network is realized in a web-based platform named the Utah Advanced Air Mobility Simulator (UAAMS). The UAAMS enables researchers, planners, and practitioners to record and update assumptions about the distribution of vertiports, traffic, population, and other requirements that may affect the operation of the transportation network. These parameters are important not only for considering the feasibility of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) package delivery within the state, but also for determining the impact and ultimately the efficient operation of drone delivery. The UAAMS allows UDOT to assess different assumptions of the model and run "what-if" scenarios by generating animation of the optimized airspace network. The platform provides the state with more clarity about the energy impacts of large-scale drone delivery as well as a viable airspace network. The tool can further inform the UDOT Division of Aeronautics to develop policies and negotiate with industry stakeholders.

How to Cite

Sacharny, David, and Xiaoyue "Cathy" Liu. Strategic Deployment of Drone Centers and Fleet Size Planning for Drone Delivery in Utah, MPC-24-512. North Dakota State University - Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute, Fargo: Mountain-Plains Consortium, 2024.