DJI, the world's leading civilian drone manufacturer, has begun to gradually update its GEO system with UAS geographical zone data from national aviation authorities.
The move is in alignment with existing drone regulation by the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) and the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and will provide drone pilots with more freedom to fly[1].
The update will initially be introduced in countries that have implemented geographical maps that are compliant with existing technical standards[2]: Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, France, Lithuania, Switzerland and the UK. Other countries under EASA jurisdiction will follow in due course.
DJI will include most consumer, enterprise and agricultural models, and customers will simply need to refresh their flight app to initiate the change.
DJI was the first civilian drone manufacturer to adopt GEO system voluntarily to protect airports and highly-sensitive national security sites in 2013. At the time, mass produced small consumer drones were new and aviation authorities needed time to put appropriate safeguards in place. GEO system helped prevent DJI drone operators from inadvertently flying inside controlled airspace.
Global regulations have advanced significantly since then. As of January 2024, in adherence to European drone regulations, all drone manufacturers are required to enable users to download and display UAS geographical zone data from the national aviation authorities of EASA member states. According to the regulations, it is the responsibility of drone operators to ensure they have the latest version of the UAS geographical data provided by member states before conducting any operation.
To support this regulatory evolution, DJI will also gradually update other details of its GEO system for DJI drones in EASA members states.
For more information about EU drone regulations, please see: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32019R0945
For more information about the responsibilities of drone operators and remote pilots in the ‘open’ category, please see: https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/the-agency/faqs/responsibilities-drone-operators-and-remote-pilots-open-category
For more information about EASA’s UAS (drone) geographical zones, please see：https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/light/topics/geo-zones-know-where-fly-your-drone
