Hold the Drones Fostering the Development of Big Data Paradigms through Regulatory Frameworks

摘要

We are at a critical phase in the proliferation of unmanned aircraft systems as a transformative technology, and the shape of regulatory policy for the broad civil use of these systems will be a determining factor in our ability to leverage pervasive remote sensing as a strategic national capability. In this paper, we explore the state of policy for civil unmanned aircraft systems and employ historical hindcasting of trends for comparably transformative technologies to gain insights into the role of public policy and regulation in the development of strategic capabilities. While the absence of a regulatory framework for unmanned aircraft operations has been a blind spot negatively impacting the growth of non-military unmanned aircraft capabilities to date, a prospective framework must strike a difficult balance between freedom and security. On the one hand, the American unmanned aircraft industry requires the freedom to experiment with innovative designs and applications. On the other hand, the American citizenry demands security against the potential threats posed by the misuse and malicious use of these systems. As we demonstrate with the example of space exploration, a clear vision of the goals to be achieved with a strategic capability is needed to drive the development and sustainment of that national capability, lest resources be wasted and control over it be ceded to competing nations. Similarly, the history of car making illustrates the danger of establishing policy that facilitates technological stagnation and systemic brittleness by absolving private industry of the imperative to innovate competitively and in the public interest. In light of these lessons, we find that a resilient regulatory framework must capitalize on the potential benefits of this promising technology while respecting the danger it poses.