After typhoon Haiyan devastated Tacloban and areas around it, a lot of UAV's have been utilized to do damage assessments. And some pilots complained that they saw UAV's flying in the area during the relief operations. 

As a POC, we have fitted an ADS-B receiver on the DJI M100. The ADS-B messages are passed from our own custom on-board computer and onboard application via Transparent Data communication to the mobile device.

The said on-board computer also computes trajectories of the aircraft around it and can make the DJI M100 (and can support APM) descend or increase altitude to avoid incoming aircraft. Our goal is to have improve situational awareness for pilots (and autopilots) of remotely piloted vehicles.

The ADS-B feature was part of our entry "Project Kwago", to the recently concluded Drones for Good in Dubai (2016). Project Kwago made it to the semi-finals.

From UASA's website: http://bit.ly/uavrulesupdatemc35. Clearskies, Inc. is a member of UASA. 

Unmanned Aerial Systems Association of the Philippines, Inc. (UASA) recently saw a copy of the amended MC21-14 of Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) from an online source (Google drive of "Tjader Regis" and who is currently not affiliated with UASA). It basically confirmed the changes made by CAAP together with some of our own suggestions last Sept. 14, 2014. We do believe that the new UAV/UAS/RPAS rules satisfies Safety to the General Public, safe airspace integration and at the same time encourages the growth of the UAV Industry. At that time, UASA was not able to obtain a copy of the amended UAV laws because it was not yet signed. In summary, the new UAV Controller Certificate (Pilot)  requires the following:

• Airmen Radio License
• Passed Theories of Flight
• Has completed a training course conducted by the UAV Manufacturer - UASA communicated this with CAAP last Sept. 14, 2014 and expressed that it is hard to obtain this from most (if not all) of the Small UAV Manufacturers.
• Have at least 5 hours experience
• Passed Philippine Civil Aviation Regulations

Also, the new UAV Operator Certificate (Company) for Large UAV requires the following:

• Operations Manual or Flight Manual
• Command Clearance from the Military (J2 AFP)
• UAV Insurance
• Special Certificated of Airworthiness and
• Certificate of Registration

Although the insurance is only required for Large UAV Operators, UASA has worked with various insurance companies in the Philippines and was able to get policies drafted exclusively for UASA's official members (Small UAV Operators). Also, UASA has drafted a template of Operations Manual for it's members while waiting for the release of the updated UAV rules. UASA and its members fully supports and will continue to work with CAAP towards the safe integration of UAV's to Philippine skies.

From our blog: http://bit.ly/leyte360-1yrafterhaiyan

Leyte (Nov 8, 2014) - Exactly one year after Yolanda (Haiayan), the people of Leyte had started re-building their houses, their lives, and slowly starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. The aerial 360° panoramic below is probably the only 360 panoramic views done as of press time, one year after typhoon Yolanda and shows the current state of the following locations in Leyte:

• Anibong, Tacloban - a shoreline community badly hit by Yolanda
• Palo (Baras and Tzu Chi Foundation housing project in Palo)
• Tanauan (Bislig and near Pepsi Cola Plant)
• Ormoc (Eastern Visayan State University, Tzu Chi housing project in Linao, Ormoc, and other schools around Ormoc which was helped by Tzu Chi Foundation)
• Kananga

When we (Clearskies, Inc. & RedAnts Media, Inc.) visited this site last January (3 months after Yolanda), all we saw was devastation. Thanks to the efforts of Tzu Chi Foundation, this is one of the many sites they helped cleaned-up thru their cash-for-work programs. The said program not only provided financial help for the survivors, it helped them restore their community and their hope.

The aerial 360° panoramic below was brought to you by RedAnts Media, Inc., Clearskies, Inc. and Exsight 360. Shot using Panasonic GH4, DJI Z15 for GH4, and ImmersionRC 5.8GHz video transmitter and receiver.

From our blog: http://bit.ly/anibong360

Anibong, Tacloban (Nov 8, 2014) - Exactly one year after Yolanda (Haiayan), the people of Tacloban had started re-building their houses, their lives, and slowly starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. The aerial 360° panoramic below shows the current state of Anibong in Tacloban, a shoreline community badly hit by Yolanda. When we (Clearskies, Inc. & RedAnts Media, Inc.) visited this site last January (3 months after Yolanda), all we saw was devastation. Thanks to the efforts of Tzu Chi Foundation, this is one of the many sites they helped cleaned-up thru their cash-for-work programs. The said program not only provided financial help for the survivors, it helped them restore their community and their hope.

The aerial 360° panoramic below is one of a kind aerial photography which could help in disaster response and urban planning. Brought to you by RedAnts Media, Inc., Clearskies, Inc. and Exsight 360. Shot using Panasonic GH4, DJI Z15 for GH4, and ImmersionRC 5.8GHz video transmitter and receiver.

Stand-by for more Aerial 360 Panoramic views around Tacloban, Palo, Tanauan and Ormoc in the next coming days.

The aerial 360° above is a web safe version and contains logos of our technology partners/sponsors. We will be providing a logo free 360° to Tzu Chi Foundation or to any Non-Government Organization(s)/Local Government Unit(s) who wish to use them for their planning purposes.