The Vertical Challenge of Low-Altitude Economy: Why We Need a Unified Height System?
Fuente:
arXiv
Gespeichert in:
| Hauptverfasser: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Veröffentlicht: |
2026
|
| Schlagworte: | |
| Online-Zugang: | |
| Tags: |
Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
|
| _version_ | 1866917315372646400 |
|---|---|
| author | Yan, Shuaichen Hu, Xiao Sun, Jiayang Yang, Zeyuan Li, Shipeng Shum, Heung-Yeung Yin, Shijun Tang, Yuqing |
| author_facet | Yan, Shuaichen Hu, Xiao Sun, Jiayang Yang, Zeyuan Li, Shipeng Shum, Heung-Yeung Yin, Shijun Tang, Yuqing |
| contents | The explosive growth of the low-altitude economy, driven by eVTOLs and UAVs, demands a unified digital infrastructure to ensure safety and scalability. However, the current aviation vertical references are dangerously fragmented: manned aviation relies on barometric pressure, cartography uses Mean Sea Level (MSL), and obstacle avoidance depends on Above Ground Level (AGL). This fragmentation creates significant ambiguity for autonomous systems and hinders cross-stakeholder interoperability. In this article, we propose Height Above Ellipsoid (HAE) as the standardized vertical reference for lower airspace. Unlike legacy systems prone to environmental drift and inconsistent datums, HAE provides a globally consistent, GNSS-native, and mathematically stable reference. We present a pragmatic bidirectional transformation framework to bridge HAE with legacy systems and demonstrate its efficacy through (1) real-world implementation in Shenzhen's partitioned airspace management, and (2) a probabilistic risk assessment driven by empirical flight logs from the PX4 ecosystem. Results show that transitioning to HAE reduces the required vertical separation minimum, effectively increasing dynamic airspace capacity while maintaining a target safety level. This work offers a roadmap for transitioning from analog height keeping to a digital-native vertical standard. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_04866 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | The Vertical Challenge of Low-Altitude Economy: Why We Need a Unified Height System? Yan, Shuaichen Hu, Xiao Sun, Jiayang Yang, Zeyuan Li, Shipeng Shum, Heung-Yeung Yin, Shijun Tang, Yuqing Systems and Control The explosive growth of the low-altitude economy, driven by eVTOLs and UAVs, demands a unified digital infrastructure to ensure safety and scalability. However, the current aviation vertical references are dangerously fragmented: manned aviation relies on barometric pressure, cartography uses Mean Sea Level (MSL), and obstacle avoidance depends on Above Ground Level (AGL). This fragmentation creates significant ambiguity for autonomous systems and hinders cross-stakeholder interoperability. In this article, we propose Height Above Ellipsoid (HAE) as the standardized vertical reference for lower airspace. Unlike legacy systems prone to environmental drift and inconsistent datums, HAE provides a globally consistent, GNSS-native, and mathematically stable reference. We present a pragmatic bidirectional transformation framework to bridge HAE with legacy systems and demonstrate its efficacy through (1) real-world implementation in Shenzhen's partitioned airspace management, and (2) a probabilistic risk assessment driven by empirical flight logs from the PX4 ecosystem. Results show that transitioning to HAE reduces the required vertical separation minimum, effectively increasing dynamic airspace capacity while maintaining a target safety level. This work offers a roadmap for transitioning from analog height keeping to a digital-native vertical standard. |
| title | The Vertical Challenge of Low-Altitude Economy: Why We Need a Unified Height System? |
| topic | Systems and Control |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.04866 |