Exploring the Low Altitude Airspace: From Natural Resource to Economic Engine

The low altitude airspace, generally defined as the region below 1000 meters above ground level, remains a frontier ripe for exploration and economic exploitation. With advancing technology, this domain is poised to become a crucible for diverse economic activities, transmuting a mere natural resource into a potent economic asset. This presentation offers a comprehensive overview of the burgeoning low altitude economy (LAE), bolstered by first-hand insights into the infrastructure developments enabling LAE's realization. Specifically, I will delve into the research and development towards constructing a smart integrated infrastructure for the LAE. At the core of this infrastructure lies the Smart Integrated Low Altitude System (SILAS), an operating system designed to address the multifaceted needs of operations, regulations, and end-users.

Similar to conventional operating systems such as Windows, SILAS orchestrates resource management, activity coordination, and user administration within the low altitude airspace. This comprehensive management spans from the registration and operation of drones to the establishment of landing posts and the seamless orchestration of communication channels, ensuring all airborne activities are scheduled efficiently in both space and time. SILAS is engineered to perform real-time spatiotemporal flow computing for numerous flying objects, a critical capability to ensure safety within the low altitude airspace. This advanced system must adeptly manage the intricate and high-frequency flying activities, from observation to proactive guidance, overcoming numerous technological hurdles. Designed to handle one million daily flights in a major city, with a peak online presence of one hundred thousand, SILAS sets a new benchmark for airspace management. In comparison, contemporary metropolitan airports currently manage only a few thousand commercial flights daily. The volume and complexity of future flights in the low altitude airspace surpass the capabilities of traditional airspace management systems employed in commercial airports, underscoring the necessity of SILAS.