This is a transcript of the Lightning Talk by Bill Coon of RoadNarrows at last week’s ROSCon 2017. Please let us know if you have any questions or if you’d like to be posted on our release progress. I’d love to hear from anyone else doing drone or geofencing applications. - Thanks! -
kim.wheeler@roadnarrows.com
Framework, Tools, and ROS Package for Supporting GeoFencing Applications
The GeoFrenzy ROS package under development by RoadNarrows Robotics allows UAV developers to easily integrate functionality of the Fence Delivery Network developed by GeoNetwork™.
The Fence Delivery Network is a set of virtual fences that are associated with various permissions and entitlements for UAVs, maintained and stored in the cloud and served up dynamically to clients that can autonomously react appropriately in accordance with any geospatial regulations.
Through the GeoFrenzy Portal web interface, users are able to create virtual fences and apply sets of rules that UAVs are required or encouraged to abide by. For example, a residential property owner may set up a virtual fence around their yard, and restrict a drone from operating any downward facing cameras within the fence perimeter.
The GeoFrenzy ROS package we are developing makes interfacing with the Fence Delivery Network and implementing behaviors that adhere to fence entitlements an easy task. The GeoFrenzy Server node subscribes to a NavSatFix message and queries the FDN via the Fencing Agent library and publishes topics relevant to any fences that are nearby. Our GeoFrenzy Virtual Cloud node subscribes to fencing topics and publishes a PointCloud message that represents a 3D scan of any nearby fences, so it is easy to incorporate the virtual fences into a navigation stack as if they were physical barriers. This is useful in the event that a fence has a No-Entry or No-Exit rule. Our Map Server node publishes an occupancy grid version of the fences that provides the same convenience for 2-dimensional navigation stacks. The GeoFrenzy sensor relay node and associated sentinels can be configured to watch specific entitlements such as “Camera Permitted” and automatically emit information for corresponding subsystems to respond to.
The Alpha version of this package is publicly available on GitHub. It is still under development and a Beta version will be released in the near future.
We hope to contribute to the progression of employing UAVs for convenience, entertainment, research and more in a safe and sane manner.
More Info
https://github.com/roadnarrows-robotics/geofrenzy
http://geo.network
GeoNetwork The Geofence Company
GeoNetwork provides vital solutions to a world where drones, robots and autonomous devices are increasingly immersed in the fabric of everyday life. We enable all society (governments, businesses, individuals) to express rules of behavior expected from these smart devices as they transit our spaces—and a means for these devices to comply.
Using GeoNetwork’s unique SmartFence™ solution, geofences are created for any 3D geometry—air, sea, and land—along with associated rules, and published to edge caches around the world ready for smart device consumption. Our ID & Monitoring solution is suitable for even small autonomous air and ground vehicles.
RoadNarrows LLC
RoadNarrows Robotics™ has been developing and providing robotics solutions to the academic and research communities since 2002. We are a strong believer of open software and common interfaces. Our Hekateros robotic manipulator, Laelaps wheeled robot, and other ROS-enabled platforms have been architected and integrated by our team. RoadNarrows has been working with GeoNetwork on the ROS implementation of the GeoFrenzy project.