AeroSpec: An Adaptive Spectrum Framework for Autonomous Aerial Systems

The overarching goal of this project is to develop an agile Dynamic Frequency Management System (DFMS) that enables adaptive, flexible, and efficient spectrum access for autonomous aerial systems while ensuring interference-protected and reliable communications for safety-critical operations in Beyond Visual Line-of-Sight (BVLOS) scenarios.

The project pursues four interrelated technical goals:

1. Goal 1: Develop coexistence optimization and dynamic spectrum management frameworks for aerial operations.
   We seek to design the architecture and operational principles of a DFMS that provides time- and location-based spectrum access for autonomous aerial users, enabling efficient spectrum sharing while protecting safety-critical command-and-control communications from harmful interference.
2. Goal 2: Develop accurate spatiotemporal interference and wireless channel models through real-world flight experiments.
   The project aims to build and operate a multi-vehicle flight testing platform to collect extensive measurements in aerial environments. These measurements are used to characterize air-to-air, air-to-ground, and ground-to-air wireless channels, develop realistic interference models, and validate theoretical developments under practical operating conditions.
3. Goal 3: Develop machine learning and cooperative sensing techniques for spectrum situational awareness and automated spectrum access.
   The project investigates collaborative spectrum sensing, machine learning-based spectrum monitoring, and intelligent scheduling mechanisms that enable autonomous aerial systems to adapt their spectrum usage in response to changing environments and network conditions.
4. Goal 4: Develop decentralized spectrum markets and advanced reservation mechanisms.
   The project explores market-based and game-theoretic approaches for dynamic spectrum allocation, including advanced reservation and decentralized market designs that allow multiple aerial users and service providers to share scarce spectrum resources efficiently and fairly.

Beyond these technical objectives, the project seeks to generate broader societal impacts by enabling safe and scalable integration of unmanned aerial systems and advanced air mobility technologies into the national airspace. The outcomes of this work are expected to contribute to improved public safety, package delivery, infrastructure inspection, and other emerging UAV applications that depend on reliable wireless connectivity. In addition, the project promotes open and reproducible research through the development of open-source measurement platforms and datasets, while providing interdisciplinary training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students in wireless communications, autonomous systems, and economics.