Risk-Aware UAV Trajectory Optimization Using Open Urban GIS Data and Target Level of Safety Constraints

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Abstract

Integrating Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) into urban airspace requires a risk-aware approach to strategic flight planning and trajectory optimization, particularly for beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations. Existing regulatory frameworks impose strict restrictions and lack dynamic, trajectory-based risk assessments. This study presents a methodology to compute efficient UAV flight paths that comply with a predefined Target Level of Safety (TLS) for ground risk. An A* algorithm with an adaptive, risk-weighted cost function optimizes trajectories by balancing flight efficiency and ground risk exposure. The risk
model incorporates key urban factors, including population exposure, road-traffic density and flow, sheltering effects, UAV-specific parameters, and wind conditions. The approach is validated through a large-scale simulation study using synthetic urban environments, systematically analyzing TLS compliance and the impact of UAV parameters on optimal trajectories. In a real-world case study using open urban GIS data, the method achieved a 72.2% reduction in induced ground risk compared to the direct path, while increasing the detour factor only to 1.06 and maintaining full TLS compliance, demonstrating its practical relevance for strategic, risk-aware UAV flight planning

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number666
Number of pages32
JournalDrones
Volume9
Issue number10
Early online date23 Sept 2025
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2025
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0009-0008-9640-3248/work/193177529
ORCID /0000-0002-1118-3047/work/193178259
Scopus 105020012748

Keywords

Research priority areas of TU Dresden

Keywords

  • Target Level of Safety (TLS), ground risk assessment, safety, A* algorithm, urban airspace, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), trajectory optimization, Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS)