Use of scientific UAV, AUV and USV

For information regarding the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs – commonly referred to as drones) on Svalbard, please refer to the guidelines provided by the Governor of Svalbard:

Drones on Svalbard – The Governor of Svalbard

It is also critical that you familiarise yourself with the information linked to on the Governor’s webpage from The Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), The Norwegian National Security Authority (NSM), and other relevant agencies.

Insurance Requirements

All UAVs (drones), except for those classified as CE-marked toys, are required to be insured in compliance with (EC) No 785/2004, according to regulations from the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). For more information about the insurance requirements, please visit the CAA’s website here.

Other resourses

SIOS has established a database of scientific literature that utilizes unmanned vehicles in Svalbard, read more here.

Local coordination in Ny-Ålesund Research Station

1. Coordinate with the Norwegian Mapping Authority. If your drone operations require the use of radio frequencies (RF), please coordinate usage with the Norwegian Mapping Authority (NMA) in accordance with the “Procedures for RF Use in Ny-Ålesund” linked above. This link also includes a calendar showing when NMA is operating, along with guidance on how to interpret their schedule correctly. Please send an email to “vlbi@kartverket.no” to inform them about your plans and to receive assistance in identifying available time slots for using WiFi or Bluetooth.
2. Coordinate with the Kings Bay airport. Traffic Information Zones (TIZ) are established around the Kings Bay airport in Ny-Ålesund. If your drone operations are planned within these zones, coordination with airport personnel is mandatory. You can find a map of the zones and further descriptions provided by Kings Bay here. Send an e-mail to: “airport@kingsbay.no” according to the descriptions provided in the link.
3. Coordinate with other drone project groups if nescesarry. When multiple UAVs are scheduled to operate within the same area, coordination is essential to avoid conflicts between projects. To support this coordination, we have created a shared overview of scheduled operations related to upcoming UAV projects. Click on the “Calendar for Scheduled Operations” below to view upcoming projects. To add your project to the calendar, or to request contact information for other teams (if needed), please send an email to “research.nya@npolar.no”.

This overview will serve as a platform for researchers to:

• Check Scheduled Operations: View upcoming UAV projects in the table below and their respective time slots in designated areas.
• Coordinate Efforts to minimize overlap: Contact other teams whose projects may overlap and discuss possible adjustments to schedules. Plan to avoid conducting UAV operations in the same area at the same time.

By promoting transparency and collaboration, we aim to ensure efficient UAV operations that benefit all research efforts at Ny-Ålesund. We encourage all teams to check the calendar regularly and to communicate proactively about their flight plans.

Note that flight time will be significantly less restricted if your UAV’s communication system utilizes frequencies outside of 2-32 GHz.

Any AUVs or USVs utilising Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or other radio frequencies in the 2-32 GHz band must adhere to the procedures for RF use at Ny-Ålesund Research Station. Please refer to the link at the top of this page for further details. We remind all researchers to be aware of the Norwegian Mapping Authority’s (NMA) schedule, which limits the number of days and hours per week that frequencies within this band can be utilised.