NPNT Regulations – Part 5: Permission Application on Digital Sky App

Previous posts in this series:
NPNT Regulations – Part 1: UIN, UAOP, Operational Restrictions
NPNT Regulations – Part 2: Flight Module Provider and Registered Flight Module
NPNT Regulations – Part 3: Digital Sky App, RPAS Acquisition Application, UAOP License Application
NPNT Regulations – Part 4: Drone Registration on Digital Sky App, Management Server and UIN Application

After obtaining a UIN, the drone operator can submit a permission application on Digital Sky.

Submitting Flight Permission Application

On clicking the ‘Apply for Flight Permission’ button, the user will see a list of all the flight permission applications previously filed by her.

Clicking on the ‘Apply for Flight Permission’ link on this page will open the Flight Permission application form.

Step 1 of permission application form requires the user to enter information about the pilot id, start time, end time, maximum altitude and recurring pattern, if any. There are a few constraints to take care of:

• Start time should be at least 24 hours later than current time
• The time period between start time and end time should not contain any period of nighttime darkness, i.e., between 5:30 AM and 7:30 PM
• End time should be less than 120 hours later from current time
• Pilot Training Certificate and UAOP might be required depending on the maximum altitude and the drone type selected

Once all the constraints are satisfied, the user can proceed to the next step to select the flying area.

On this screen, the user will be able to select a geo-fenced area.

Selecting Geo-fence

The geo-fence can be in the shape of any polygon but its area should be less than 3.14 km². The selected area should lie completely within the green zone or the yellow zone.

After selecting the area, the user has to confirm all the details in Step 3.

Downloading Permission Artifact

Once the permission application is submitted:

• If the selected area falls completely within the green zone, then a permission artifact is generated instantly for download.
• If the selected area falls completely within the yellow zone, then the permission application is sent to DGCA for approval. The permission artifact is available for download after approval by DGCA.

This is how a sample permission artifact looks like:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?><UAPermission>
    <Permission>
    <Owner operatorID="4e23ed47448c4f009797143805170117">
        <Pilot id="5ce276f8a6be4d86b661de9fa70c62b0" validTo="NA"/>
    </Owner>
    <FlightDetails>
        <UADetails uinNo="5d765baca320590004e2d11f"/>
        <FlightPurpose shortDesc="Survey"/>
        <PayloadDetails payLoadWeightInKg="0.2" payloadDetails="RGB Camera"/>
        <FlightParameters flightEndTime="2019-09-18T19:15:00" flightStartTime="2019-09-18T16:15:00" maxAltitude="40" recurrenceTimeExpression="" recurrenceTimeExpressionType="CRON_QUARTZ" recurringTimeDurationInMinutes="">
            <Coordinates>
                <Coordinate latitude="28.486481108804796" longitude="77.22935914993286"/><Coordinate latitude="28.486351447705033" longitude="77.22932428121567"/><Coordinate latitude="28.48641745701208" longitude="77.22967565059662"/><Coordinate latitude="28.486662634076964" longitude="77.22959518432619"/><Coordinate latitude="28.486481108804796" longitude="77.22935914993286"/>
            </Coordinates>
        </FlightParameters>
    </FlightDetails>
    </Permission>
<Signature xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#"><SignedInfo><CanonicalizationMethod Algorithm="http://www.w3.org/TR/2001/REC-xml-c14n-20010315"/><SignatureMethod Algorithm="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#rsa-sha1"/><Reference URI=""><Transforms><Transform Algorithm="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#enveloped-signature"/></Transforms><DigestMethod Algorithm="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#sha1"/><DigestValue>CIplJzWWigQ050yF4Os1aLsNOYM=</DigestValue></Reference></SignedInfo><SignatureValue>XGV03uBKZzSWGBXMpPC7QZfXmF3245ntAjaV4kgDaIL5/LfKMIcAcVuwKEexFoozvvK61rjg/29q
RE4VOum26qiGz/i+DD44IWri4YBjmHl9ZUmDTbR316NaXJXWg8vDemFs26/i9y0AFkwrzz9ggZvb
5BGMXl+mMUe8y8/i2LEW0B48BYQ6/spGj8BYndjuB9aVe730ByDNSJIhPRPcmBDruHe/s2JyjMJV
8Eo+pb6YnFlp+br1e1kcsnqPFhSbvx0Mw01BsLlPaPzB+l7f/GlvvE/3ypW/PW8skMrGR3BANzT3
0kaOkZXZyodHpDfb/0C2TQSk1ONiD5YFxdFLuQ==</SignatureValue><KeyInfo><X509Data><X509SubjectName>1.2.840.113549.1.9.1=#1616636f6e7461637440616c676f706978656c2e74656368,CN=algopixel-idroneport-ds-replica,OU=iDronePort DS Replica,O=Algopixel Technologies Pvt. Ltd.,L=Bengaluru,ST=KA,C=IN</X509SubjectName><X509Certificate>MIIEdzCCA1+gAwIBAgIUNRGVDfGhq8Oxr1JyC1QuDaPMJmswDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEFBQAwgcoxCzAJ
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NFowgcoxCzAJBgNVBAYTAklOMQswCQYDVQQIDAJLQTESMBAGA1UEBwwJQmVuZ2FsdXJ1MSkwJwYD
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IwYJKoZIhvcNAQkBFhZjb250YWN0QGFsZ29waXhlbC50ZWNoMIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAAOC
AQ8AMIIBCgKCAQEAt0aHtTg/NPvWwksUY4kYbkatfmliGrUe30C3eDy0GFLpTqHQV+g4wkWovqfu
3tvd0FMjlRdbPOI6gGBcG9yIA5tTXUcVEDwCi50TuiIAN4QINWzS6I+cvCqIwEZk3Yih64MRjPHo
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T4RbeYNE9JjHIePMmH7hSi67rQLingQ8+ccK7P7bc+Yfj34FBxZIh0m0NPZO/nsgL1ZqqheV+WtY
9eZs71CZK8hSJXTMEw5EaXaZMF7i5LjJnU09PHVXwoBHZ1FpqQyUZQIDAQABo1MwUTAdBgNVHQ4E
FgQUAT2SZyZlEFy53FeRG4+vhFa1bsEwHwYDVR0jBBgwFoAUAT2SZyZlEFy53FeRG4+vhFa1bsEw
DwYDVR0TAQH/BAUwAwEB/zANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQUFAAOCAQEAKRMAJH5Gyo1N2+ZDKuk3RIH+nKdS
ndD6nJRlAp2F3cW+RrAHPzpQVIgBHWXY95vY4rXG50JqJ+Vq485i/7MNOSCduFEwJK7K5fRTaSm8
tPUwfowdcr5t4SEwZyYwmq3TZl8LZ+E0AJVHhfjio7Mmg1ruMDiOOy1d9EG9+/9WB3rKHjYL/wXr
7WXhANz6w7tkxESkMPXjPY8Pxwj9H9wZonn+yOW+jgf1/+WGHqpH7VBsUfD1TEc8ygWX9iQUOD7p
WtZ/VF1ETY9QzQhZb+1lHQyOLhWg55utmjGrFpbUM24SaiN88deMxd0lOp50tpYR8EbLuPH4LuHW
vlgMKbepFw==</X509Certificate></X509Data></KeyInfo></Signature></UAPermission>

As per v1.1 of the RPAS Guidance Manual, the permission artifact should be generated in JSON but as of now it is being generated in XML. The permission artifact contains the following information:

• Operator Id
• Pilot Id
• Device UIN No
• Flight Purpose
• Payload Details
• Flight Start Date and Time
• Flight End Date and Time
• Allowed Maximum Altitude
• Recurrence Parameters
• Geo-fence Coordinates
• XMLDSig Signature
• Signing Certificate

NPNT Test Tool

The iDronePort NPNT Test Permission Artifact Generator Tool can be used to download sample permission artifacts for use in testing and development.

Loading Permission Artifact

The permission artifact document needs to be uploaded to the drone. The RFM module within the drone should verify the following parameters while arming:

• The drone is within the approved geo-fence
• Current time is within the approved time-bounds
• UIN Number is same as device UIN
• Operator Id is same as the linked operator id
• Pilot Id is same as the linked remote pilot id
• The signature is valid against the signing certificate
• The signing certificate chain is valid against the DGCA Certificate

Once all the above conditions are successfully validated, only then the drone should be allowed to arm.

Next Post: NPNT Regulations – Part 6: Flight Log Generation, Bundling and Submission to Digital Sky