The Future of UAVs in Urban Air Mobility: Public Perception and Concerns

Year 2023, Volume: 5 Issue: 2, 50 - 58, 31.12.2023

Ertan Çınar , Arif Tuncal

https://doi.org/10.51534/tiha.1381175

Abstract

This study aims to examine the public perception of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in the context of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and evaluate the widespread acceptance and applicability of this new technology. In this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 82 participants residing in the provinces of Istanbul and Ankara. The data obtained were analyzed using the thematic analysis method to categorize participants' views about UAVs in a specific structure. As a result of this analysis, participant views were categorized into three main themes: positive views, negative views, and neutral perspectives. Among the positive views, participants' expectations regarding the emergency use of UAVs stand out. In the negative views, concerns about the security and potential risks of UAVs took the lead, while mixed thoughts about the impact of UAVs on society, legal regulations, and technological development formed the neutral category.

Keywords

Unmanned aerial vehicles, urban air mobility, transportation, public acceptance, autonomous vehicles

Kentsel Hava Hareketliliğinde İHA'ların Geleceği: Toplumsal Algı ve Endişeler

Abstract

Bu çalışma, İnsansız hava araçlarının (İHA/UAV-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) kentsel hava hareketliliği (KHH/UAM-Urban Air Mobility) bağlamındaki toplumsal algısını incelemek ve bu yeni teknolojinin yaygın kabulünü ve uygulanabilirliğini değerlendirmek amacıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışmada, İstanbul ve Ankara illerinde yaşayan 82 katılımcıyla yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme yapılmıştır. Elde edilen veriler, katılımcıların İHA'lar hakkındaki görüşlerini belirli bir yapıda sınıflandırmak amacıyla tematik analiz yöntemi kullanılarak incelenmiştir. Bu analiz sonucunda katılımcı görüşleri üç ana kategori altında toplanmıştır. Olumlu görüşler arasında katılımcıların İHA'ların acil durum kullanımıyla ilgili beklentileri ön plana çıkmaktadır. Olumsuz görüşlerde ise, İHA'ların güvenlik ve potansiyel riskleri konusundaki endişeler başı çekerken, İHA’ların topluma etkisi, yasal düzenlemeleri ve teknolojik gelişimi hakkındaki karışık düşünceleri nötr kategoriyi oluşturmuştur.

Keywords

İnsansız hava araçları, kentsel hava hareketliliği, ulaşım, toplum kabulü, otonom araçlar

References

• Ajibade, O., Ibietan, J., & Ayelabola, O. (2017). E-governance implementation and public service delivery in Nigeria: The technology acceptance model (TAM) application. Journal of Public Administration and Governance, 7(4), 165-174. DOI:10.5296/JPAG.V7I4.11475
• Al Haddad, C., Chaniotakis, E., Straubinger, A., Plötner, K., & Antoniou, C. (2020). Factors affecting the adoption and use of urban air mobility. Transportation research part A: policy and practice, 132, 696-712.
• Al-Dosari, K., & Fetais, N. (2023). A new shift in implementing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the safety and security of smart cities: a systematic literature review. Safety, 9(3), 64. Doi: 10.3390/safety9030064
• Ansari, S., Taha, A., Dashtipour, K., Sambo, Y., Abbasi, Q. H., & Imran, M. A. (2021). Urban air mobility—A 6G use case?. Frontiers in Communications and Networks, 2, 729767. Doi: 10.3389/frcmn.2021.729767
• Aydin, B. (2019). Public acceptance of drones: Knowledge, attitudes, and practice. Technology in society, 59, 101180. Doi: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2019.101180
• Bertrand, S., & Shin, H. S. (2023). Special Issue on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Applied Sciences, 13(7), 4134. Doi: 10.3390/app13074134
• Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative research in sport, exercise and health, 11(4), 589-597. Doi: 10.1080/2159676X.2019.1628806
• Bulusu, V., Onat, E. B., Sengupta, R., Yedavalli, P., & Macfarlane, J. (2021). A traffic demand analysis method for urban air mobility. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, 22(9), 6039-6047. Doi: 10.1109/TITS.2021.3052229
• Çetin, E., Cano, A., Deransy, R., Tres, S., & Barrado, C. (2022). Implementing mitigations for improving societal acceptance of urban air mobility. Drones, 6(2), 28. Doi: 10.3390/drones6020028
• Chancey, E. T., & Politowicz, M. S. (2020). Public trust and acceptance for concepts of remotely operated Urban Air Mobility transportation. In Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 64(1), 1044-1048). Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications. Doi: 10.1177/1071181320641251
• Çınar, E. & Tuncal, A. (2023). A Comprehensive Analysis of Society's Perspective on Urban Air Mobility. Journal of Aviation, 7 (3), 353-364. Doi: 10.30518/jav.1324997
• Clothier, R. A., Greer, D. A., Greer, D. G., & Mehta, A. M. (2015). Risk perception and the public acceptance of drones. Risk analysis, 35(6), 1167-1183. Doi: 10.1111/risa.12330
• Cohen, A. P., Shaheen, S. A., & Farrar, E. M. (2021). Urban air mobility: History, ecosystem, market potential, and challenges. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, 22(9), 6074-6087. Doi: 10.1109/TITS.2021.3082767
• Eibfeldt, H., & Biella, M. (2022). The public acceptance of drones–Challenges for advanced aerial mobility (AAM). Transportation Research Procedia, 66, 80-88. Doi: 10.1016/j.trpro.2022.12.009
• European Parliament. (2023). Unmanned Aircraft Systems integration into European airspace and operation over populated areas. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2023/733124/IPOL_STU(2023)733124_EN.pdf
• Gupta, A., Afrin, T., Scully, E., & Yodo, N. (2021). Advances of UAVs toward future transportation: The state-of-the-art, challenges, and opportunities. Future transportation, 1(2), 326-350. Doi: 10.3390/futuretransp1020019
• Hogreve, J., & Janotta, F. (2021). What Drives the Acceptance of Urban Air Mobility–A Qualitative Analysis. In Künstliche Intelligenz im Dienstleistungsmanagement: Band 2: Einsatzfelder–Akzeptanz–Kundeninteraktionen (pp. 385-408). Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. Doi: 10.1007/978-3-658-34326-2_15
• Hossain, N., Yokota, F., Sultana, N., & Ahmed, A. (2019). Factors influencing rural end-users' acceptance of e-health in developing countries: a study on portable health clinic in Bangladesh. Telemedicine and e-Health, 25(3), 221-229. Doi: 10.1089/tmj.2018.0039
• Janotta, F., Peine, L., & Hogreve, J. (2021). Public opinions on Urban Air Mobility–The significance of contributing to the common good. Doi: 10.31219/osf.io/5m924
• Johnson, R. A., Miller, E. E., & Conrad, S. (2022). Technology Adoption and Acceptance of Urban Air Mobility Systems: Identifying Public Perceptions and Integration Factors. The International Journal of Aerospace Psychology, 32(4), 240-253. Doi: 10.1080/24721840.2022.2100394
• Kai, W., Jacquillat, A., & Vaze, V. (2022). Vertiport planning for urban aerial mobility: an adaptive discretization approach. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, 24(6), 3215-3235. Doi: 10.1287/msom.2022.1148
• Kim, Y. W., Lim, C., & Ji, Y. G. (2023). Exploring the user acceptance of urban air mobility: extending the technology acceptance model with trust and service quality factors. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 39(14), 2893-2904. Doi: 10.1080/10447318.2022.2087662
• Krull, L. F., & Muhammad, B. (2022). Urban Air Mobility: Insights into Potentials and Challenges. In 2022 25th International Symposium on Wireless Personal Multimedia Communications (WPMC), 267-272. IEEE. Doi: 10.1109/WPMC55625.2022.10014836
• Lee, D., Hess, D. J., & Heldeweg, M. A. (2022). Safety and privacy regulations for unmanned aerial vehicles: A multiple comparative analysis. Technology in Society, 71, 102079. Doi: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2022.102079
• Li, Y., Liu, M., & Jiang, D. (2022). Application of unmanned aerial vehicles in logistics: a literature review. Sustainability, 14(21), 14473. Doi: 10.3390/su142114473
• Marzouk, O. A. (2022). Urban air mobility and flying cars: Overview, examples, prospects, drawbacks, and solutions. Open Engineering, 12(1), 662-679. Doi: 10.1515/eng-2022-0379
• Melo, S., Silva, F., Abbasi, M., Ahani, P., & Macedo, J. (2023). Public Acceptance of the Use of Drones in City Logistics: A Citizen-Centric Perspective. Sustainability, 15(3), 2621. Doi: 10.3390/su15032621
• Miethe, T. D., Lieberman, J. D., Sakiyama, M., & Troshynski, E. I. (2014). Public attitudes about aerial drone activities: Results of a national survey. Center For Crime and Justice Policy Ccjp 2014-02. https://www.unlv.edu/sites/default/files/page_files/27/Research-PublicAttitudesaboutAerialDroneActivities.pdf
• Miron, M., Whetham, D., Auzanneau, M., & Hill, A. (2023). Public Drone Perception. Technology in Society, 73, 102246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2023.102246
• Mohamed, M. J., & Hassan, S. A. (2023). Studying the Factors that Influence the Adoption of Educational Technology in Mogadishu Secondary Schools Using UTAUT Model. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 13(7). DOI:10.18178/ijiet.2023.13.7.1906
• Nelson, J. R., Grubesic, T. H., Wallace, D., & Chamberlain, A. W. (2019). The view from above: A survey of the public’s perception of unmanned aerial vehicles and privacy. Journal of urban technology, 26(1), 83-105. DOI:10.1080/10630732.2018.1551106
• Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International journal of qualitative methods, 16(1). DOI:10.1177/1609406917733847
• Othman, K. (2021). Public acceptance and perception of autonomous vehicles: a comprehensive review. AI and Ethics, 1(3), 355-387. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43681-021-00041-8
• Papa, U. (2023). Unmanned Aircraft Systems with Autonomous Navigation. Electronics, 12(7), 1591. DOI:10.3390/electronics12071591
• Park, G., Park, H., Park, H., Chun, N., Kim, S. H., & Lee, K. (2022). Public Perception of UAM: Are we ready for the new mobility that we have dreamed of?. In Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting (Vol. 66, No. 1, pp. 40-44). Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.1177/1071181322661187
• Reiche, C., Goyal, R., Cohen, A., Serrao, J., Kimmel, S., Fernando, C., & Shaheen, S. (2018). Urban air mobility market study. Economics. DOI:10.7922/G2ZS2TRG
• Riggs, W., Larco, N., Tierney, G., Ruhl, M., Karlin-Resnick, J., & Rodier, C. (2019). Autonomous vehicles and the built environment: exploring the impacts on different urban contexts. In Road Vehicle Automation 5 (pp. 221-232). Springer International Publishing.
• Saraçyakupoğlu, T., Delibaş, H. D., & Özçelik, A. (2021). Bir İnsansız Hava Aracının İtki ve Manevra Hareketlerinde Gövde İçi Basınçlı Hava Kullanımı. Avrupa Bilim Ve Teknoloji Dergisi(24), 81-86. https://doi.org/10.31590/ejosat.898449
• Schuchardt, B. I., Geister, D., Lüken, T., Knabe, F., Metz, I. C., Peinecke, N., & Schweiger, K. (2023). Air Traffic Management as a Vital Part of Urban Air Mobility—A Review of DLR’s Research Work from 1995 to 2022. Aerospace, 10(1), 81. https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10010081
• Silva, A. T., Duarte, S. P., Melo, S., Witkowska-Konieczny, A., Giannuzzi, M., & Lobo, A. (2023). Attitudes towards Urban Air Mobility for E-Commerce Deliveries: An Exploratory Survey Comparing European Regions. Aerospace, 10(6), 536. Doi: 10.3390/aerospace10060536
• Smith, A., Dickinson, J. E., Marsden, G., Cherrett, T., Oakey, A., & Grote, M. (2022). Public acceptance of the use of drones for logistics: The state of play and moving towards more informed debate. Technology in Society, 68, 101883. Doi: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2022.101883
• Stolz, M., & Laudien, T. (2022). Assessing Social Acceptance of Urban Air Mobility using Virtual Reality. In 2022 IEEE/AIAA 41st Digital Avionics Systems Conference (DASC), 1-9. IEEE. Doi: 10.1109/DASC55683.2022.9925775
• Taherdoost, H. (2019). Importance of technology acceptance assessment for successful implementation and development of new technologies. Global Journal of Engineering Sciences, 1(3). Doi: 10.33552/GJES.2019.01.000511
• Tan, L. K. L., Lim, B. C., Park, G., Low, K. H., & Yeo, V. C. S. (2021). Public acceptance of drone applications in a highly urbanized environment. Technology in Society, 64, 101462. Doi: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101462
• Tang, A. C. (2021). A review on cybersecurity vulnerabilities for urban air mobility. In AIAA Scitech 2021 Forum, 0773. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20205011115/downloads/A%20Review%20of%20Cybersecurity%20Vulnerabilities%20for%20UAM%20Final%20Draft.pdf
• Tuncal, A., & Uslu, S. (2021). Two Important Factors in the Development of the Urban Air Mobility Concept: ATM and Society. KMU Journal of Social and Economic Research, 23(41), 564-577.
• Wang, N., Mutzner, N., & Blanchet, K. (2023). Societal Acceptance of Urban Use of Drones: A Scoping Literature Review. Available at SSRN 4509569. Doi: 10.2139/ssrn.4509569
• Yedavalli, P., & Mooberry, J. (2019). An assessment of public perception of urban air mobility (UAM). Airbus UTM: Defining Future Skies, 2046738072-1580045281. https://www.airbus.com/sites/g/files/jlcbta136/files/2022-07/Airbus-UTM-public-perception-study%20-urban-air-mobility.pdf