Aircraft node of a decentralized airspace management system
Systems, methods and non-transitory computer readable storage media for airspace management within an airspace region at a node of a peer to peer network having a plurality of nodes and maintaining a blockchain containing a current deconflicted flight schedule for the airspace region. One method includes receiving requests for airspace reservations, each including flight plan data, from other nodes over the peer to peer network, compiling the flight plan data to identify conflicts between the requests and the current deconflicted flight schedule, validating the flight plan data of the requests that do not conflict with the current deconflicted flight schedule to generate validated airspace reservations, creating a block containing the validated airspace reservations and interlinking the block with the blockchain such that the blockchain contains a new deconflicted flight schedule for the airspace region for broadcast to the other nodes over the peer to peer network.
1. An aircraft node of a decentralized airspace management system for an airspace region, the system configured to operate within a peer to peer network having a plurality of nodes including the aircraft node, the system including a blockchain containing a current deconflicted flight schedule for the airspace region, the aircraft node comprising:
a computer-useable non-transitory storage resource;
a processor communicably coupled to the storage resource, wherein the processor executes application code instructions stored in the storage resource, the aircraft node configured to:
receive one or more requests for airspace reservations from other nodes over the peer to peer network, each request for airspace reservations including flight plan data;
compile the flight plan data to identify conflicts between the requests for airspace reservations and the current deconflicted flight schedule;
validate the flight plan data of the requests for airspace reservations that do not conflict with the current deconflicted flight schedule to generate validated airspace reservations;
create a block containing the validated airspace reservations; and
interlink the block with the blockchain such that the blockchain contains a new deconflicted flight schedule for the airspace region for broadcast to the other nodes over the peer to peer network.
2. The aircraft node as recited in claim 1 further comprising a computing machine that includes the computer-useable non-transitory storage resource and the processor.
3. The aircraft node as recited in claim 2 wherein the computing machine further comprises a flight control computer.
4. The aircraft node as recited in claim 2 wherein the computing machine further comprises a mobile device.
5. The aircraft node as recited in claim 2 wherein the computing machine further comprises a tablet computer.
6. The aircraft node as recited in claim 2 wherein the computing machine further comprises a distributed computing system.
7. The aircraft node as recited in claim 1 wherein the processor further comprises an application specific integrated circuit.
8. The aircraft node as recited in claim 1 wherein the processor further comprises a special purpose processing core.
9. The aircraft node as recited in claim 1 further comprising a network interface communicably coupled to the processor.
10. The aircraft node as recited in claim 9 wherein the network interface is configured for communications within a mesh network.
11. The aircraft node as recited in claim 9 wherein the network interface is configured for communications within a secure intranet using a public key infrastructure.
12. The aircraft node as recited in claim 1 wherein the application code instructions further comprise an instance of a blockchain reservation application.
13. The aircraft node as recited in claim 1 further comprising an unmanned aircraft.
14. The aircraft node as recited in claim 1 further comprising a pilot operated aircraft.
15. The aircraft node as recited in claim 1 further comprising an air taxi.
16. The aircraft node as recited in claim 1 further comprising a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.
17. The aircraft node as recited in claim 1 further comprising a passenger aircraft.
18. The aircraft node as recited in claim 1 further comprising a cargo aircraft.
19. The aircraft node as recited in claim 1 further comprising an autonomous aircraft.
20. The aircraft node as recited in claim 1 further comprising a remote controlled aircraft.