Determination of Strategic Location of UAV Stations

Abstract

The strategic importance of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) has attracted the attention of many researchers. Nowadays, there are numerous serious projects and researches that have gained momentum in recent years, particularly in order to improve the technical performance of the system and to increase the search and practice skills of the model. UAVs, which are the latest technological inventions, are very advantageous in terms of practicality, flexibility, cost advantage and multitude of usage areas. UAV technology effectively demonstrates its benefits in both civilian applications (disaster management, agricultural applications, health services, etc.) and military platforms (counter terrorism, reconnaissance activities, smuggling etc.). Their unique features vary according to implementation purposes, and so decision makers can determine the size of automation system, altitude time, speed, and capacity of the vehicles’ according to the application area and specific requirements. In this study, the most suitable mini-UAV ground control stations in the area of responsibility were selected according to the maximum coverage model regarding different characteristics for civil and military applications. Thus, in order to reach the optimal solution, UAV stations and service areas to be established within the coverage distance will be defined in the specified zones by using different scenario analysis. The study is expected to help researchers and strategic decision makers working on this hot topic.