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Description
The commercial use of drones is increasing in construction, agriculture, transportation, communication and surveillance, globally. This rise introduces the necessity to operate drones year-round and in an extended range of weather conditions. Heavy precipitation and strong winds are obvious limiting factors for both the operator and the aircraft / drones itself. However, during the winter season the risk assessment of icing conditions is a complex task, especially when the drone operates beyond the line of sight or autonomously. The operation of aircrafts in icing conditions introduces the risk of failure and can result in damage or loss of the aircraft, the freight or in the worst case, damage or injury to third parties’ health or property. The IceSafari project aims to reduce this risk. In order to do that, the project will: (i) develop a cluster of sensors called “IceWarn”, to contribute to the safe operation of commercial drones, by avoiding icing conditions, (ii) advance the understanding of mixed-phase clouds (MPCs) through extensive aircraft measurements, which are critical for addressing current shortcomings in the representation of supercooled liquid in numerical weather prediction and climate simulations and (iii) build a sustainable cooperation between Romanian and Norwegian institutions. The value added of the partnership resides from the work performed together in order to develop high quality technology and scientific results at the research frontier. Furthermore, the above activities will l enhance the Romanian participation on the European and international science and innovation arena, through knowledge transfer and future joint activities