A live U-Space trial for Dublin City
Phase 2 of the Drone Innovation Partnership takes Phase 1’s stakeholder engagement, prototype digital twin and early drone demonstrators, and moves them into live, governed operation in a dense urban environment.
To design, deploy and evaluate a live operational U-Space trial framework in a dense urban environment, integrating Dockstation infrastructure, multi-operator drone services and real-time governance systems to support DCC public services and advance national drone policy.
Eight objectives, one trial
Deploy and operate a live U-Space trial over Dublin City, managed through a certified U-Space Service Provider (USSP).
Integrate Drone Dockstation infrastructure for persistent, on-demand operations supporting DCC public services.
Enable multi-operator drone services (delivery, sensing, inspection) with real-time airspace deconfliction.
Implement a Digital Twin and Common Information Services (CIS) architecture for monitoring, governance and decision support.
Develop urban U-Space governance frameworks addressing safety, privacy, noise and regulatory compliance.
Build and expand the multi-stakeholder engagement programme from Phase 1: government, enterprise, NGO and civil society.
Design a sustainable operational and commercial model for city-scale U-Space beyond the project period.
Deliver structured outputs that inform national U-Space policy and contribute to EU regulatory frameworks.
Five work packages over 15 months
Outputs by work package
Live U-Space Digital Twin
Months 1–6 · Lead: MUUpgraded real-time operational Digital Twin
Live data pipelines: traffic, weather, airspace, Remote ID
Regulatory dashboards for IAA and DCC
Table design for the U-Space Common Information Services
Building the U-Space Platform
Months 3–6 · Lead: MU / IAAUSSP procured and configured for Dublin airspace
U-Space Geographic Zone designated by AirNav Ireland / IAA
Drone operators (GeoAerospace, Manna, Wing) onboarded to the USSP
API integration with the Digital Twin
Live U-Space Operations, Testing and Assessment
Months 4–15 · Lead: MU / DCC / IAAAll flights authorised and tracked through the USSP
Multi-operator deconfliction in live Dublin airspace
Dockstation operations in central Dublin for DCC public services
Live data captured into the Digital Twin
Urban U-Space Governance and Standards Manual
Two peer-reviewed publications
Stakeholder Engagement and Dissemination
Months 1–15 · Lead: DCC / MUDCC-led programme: government, regulators, industry, civil society
Quarterly public forums and community engagement
Public perception, awareness and acceptance survey
Policy and regulatory engagement submissions
Governance, Policy and Oversight
Months 1–15 · Lead: MU / DCC / IAAU-Space Oversight Board established, meeting quarterly
Policy briefings to the Department of Transport and EASA
Inputs to the National U-Space Steering Group
Draft sustainable operational and commercial model
Five deliverables, from digital twin to rollout plan
U-Space Digital Twin
Prototype 2.5D Digital Twin and cloud data catalogue over urban Dublin, with map-layer control. A live web app for IAA and DCC.
U-Space Operational Release
Live U-Space over Dublin for up to 3 operators, Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00, with mission playback and an architecture report.
Dockstation Performance, Stage 1
Initial testing and assessment supporting DCC public services, including cost/benefit.
Dockstation Performance, Stage 2
Advanced testing with multi-operator activity, including DFB, An Garda Síochána, Civil Defence, Coast Guard and Dublin Port where relevant.
Dublin City U-Space Rollout Plan
Rollout plan for operational U-Space across Dublin, including a business model and EU replication blueprint.
A U-Space Oversight Board for the trial
A formal Oversight Board, new to Phase 2, meets quarterly to provide strategic oversight of trial operations, regulatory alignment and risk management; approval of operational frameworks and standards; monitoring of performance, safety and public impact; and guidance on national rollout and policy alignment.