Dubai has implemented an advanced digital system to monitor drones and other low-altitude aerial activities, enhancing aviation safety in the emirate. The Dubai Civil Aviation Monitoring System (DMS), developed by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), operates continuously using artificial intelligence to track a variety of airborne objects and activities in real time. This initiative aims to prevent potential risks to Dubai’s civil aviation sector by alerting authorities before drones or other aerial devices interfere with commercial flights.
The system covers a broad range of low-altitude operations, including drones, hot-air balloons, sky trackers, laser activities, fireworks, aircraft warning lights, and skydiving. It also monitors planned air-taxi operations alongside ground-based structures such as construction cranes, high-voltage power-line towers, and telecommunications installations, all within a unified digital platform. The DMS is designed to oversee airspace from the ground level up to the onset of commercial flight altitudes, which vary depending on the location within Dubai.
The project recently received recognition for its innovation, winning first place in the Best AI Innovation in Transport category at the 14th Dubai Award for Sustainable Transport, an event organized by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
According to Saeed Belhoul, Director of the DCAA’s Information Technology Department, the rapid expansion of the drone industry over the past five years has driven the need for such monitoring. Various government agencies, public institutions, private companies, and individual users employ drones for diverse applications, including photography and videography. The DMS helps ensure that commercial airline operators, such as Emirates and flydubai, can conduct their flights safely without sharing airspace unpredictably with unregulated drone activities.
While the system provides robust monitoring of low-altitude airspace within the country’s borders, Belhoul noted that its capabilities to detect drones originating from outside the UAE are limited. He emphasized that defense-related threats, including those posed in recent regional conflicts, remain under the jurisdiction of national military defense systems, which operate independently from the DMS.
The introduction of the DMS reflects Dubai’s increasing focus on integrating emerging technologies into its transportation infrastructure, aiming to maintain the safety and efficiency of its busy airspace amid the rise of unmanned aerial vehicles and other new aerial technologies.