From now on, both Android and iPhone users can do this – the free “Drone Radar by Mainline” app is already available in the App Store and Google Play app stores.
Lithuanian residents are invited to contribute to the citizen drone detection network “Drone Radar” created by Audrius Zujus and the mainline.inc team. The idea of the initiative is to use residents’ available, including unused, smartphones as acoustic sensors. The devices analyze environmental sounds and look for signals characteristic of drone engines, and the growing sensor network helps create an increasingly accurate picture of the situation in the air.
“In Lithuania, as air threat situations become more frequent, drone detection is no longer something distant. Drones are already in our airspace, but every person can contribute to knowing more about their movement. Last night’s situation was a good test for our initiative – one of our sensors, installed on the Baltic Towers communication tower near Semeliškės, detected a drone signal.
The more sensors operating in different locations, the more accurately we can see the drone’s movement direction in real time. We do not aim to replace state warning systems; we want to provide an additional layer of national security and provide information about what is happening in the air. For this, the sensor network in Lithuania needs to be as wide as possible,” says Audrius Zujus, creator of “Drone Radar.”
Since June 18, when “Drone Radar” launched in Lithuania, more than 1,000 people have already joined the initiative. In recent days, “Drone Radar” activity has noticeably increased – about 300 new users have joined the network. The initiative’s creators plan to continue expanding the network and collaborate with various companies and organizations, and also plan to expand sensor support to other devices such as computers or home surveillance cameras.
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The new iOS app allows iPhones to become part of the drone detection network – sound analysis is performed on the device itself, and when a possible drone signal is detected, a short audio fragment and location information are sent for further analysis.
The developers emphasize that not only the total number of users is important but also the widest possible geographical coverage of the network. Therefore, people from all over Lithuania are invited to join “Drone Radar” – not only from large cities but also from smaller towns and villages.
The goal of the initiative’s creators is to gather at least 10,000 active users and gradually expand the network in Lithuania and other countries in the region.
The free “Drone Radar by Mainline” app can be found in both the App Store and Google Play app stores.
