A deviation flow refueling location model for continuous space: A commercial drone delivery system for Urban Areas

Insu Hong, Michael Kuby, Alan Murray

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

49 Scopus citations

Abstract

Drones, which refer to a range of small-sized unmanned aerial vehicles propelled by multiple rotors, recently have been utilized for various purposes, such as military, surveillance, photography, and entertainment. Delivery service for small products is one of their potential applications, and optimal path planning is essential for operational efficiency of such a delivery service. Because a drone’s movement is not limited to existing transportation networks, path planning needs to be conducted in continuous space while taking into account obstacles for flight.However, due to the limited flight range of battery-powered drones, multiple recharging stations are required in large urban areas to complete delivery without running out of power. In this chapter, we present a new coverage model that can optimize the location of recharging stations for delivery drones as well as ensure construction of a feasible delivery network that connects the stations and covered demand based on continuous space shortest paths. A heuristic solution technique is utilized for the optimization of station locations. Application results show the effectiveness of our model for construction of a drone delivery network that covers a large urban area.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationAdvances in Geocomputation - Geocomputation 2015—The 13th International Conference
EditorsDaniel A. Griffith, Yongwan Chun, Denis J. Dean
PublisherSpringer Heidelberg
Pages125-132
Number of pages8
ISBN (Print)9783319227856
DOIs
StatePublished - 2017
Event13th International Conference on Advances in Geocomputation, Geocomputation 2015 - Dallas, United States
Duration: May 20 2015May 23 2015

Publication series

NameAdvances in Geographic Information Science
ISSN (Print)1867-2434
ISSN (Electronic)1867-2442

Other

Other13th International Conference on Advances in Geocomputation, Geocomputation 2015
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityDallas
Period5/20/155/23/15

Keywords

  • Coverage location model
  • Drone
  • Euclidean shortest path

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Information Systems
  • Civil and Structural Engineering
  • Geography, Planning and Development

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A deviation flow refueling location model for continuous space: A commercial drone delivery system for Urban Areas'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this