DronePort And Wingbits Launch AI Airspace Platform For Airports And Cities
Photo credit: meerir
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DronePort Network and Wingbits announced today a partnership to launch meerir, an AI-powered airspace intelligence platform designed to give smaller airports, city planners, and insurers access to real-time flight data previously available only to major aviation institutions. The conversational AI system integrates Wingbits’ extensive live flight tracking network with DronePort’s analytics platform.
As drone operations expand toward a projected $95 billion market, airspace complexity is overwhelming smaller stakeholders who lack the resources of major airports. The new platform aims to democratize access to airspace intelligence through natural language queries and automated analytics.
How the Platform Works
Wingbits will integrate its comprehensive ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) data into DronePort Network’s meerir platform. The system tracks 150,000 flights daily with 80% global coverage through a community network of 4,500+ contributors.
Users can interact with meerir through conversational queries, requesting custom visualizations and insights tailored to their operational needs. The platform generates aircraft activity heat maps, historic aviation traffic data, and airspace risk assessments within seconds.
The Swedish startup Wingbits raised $9 million in funding last year and launched a satellite via SpaceX’s Transporter-13 mission in February. The blockchain-based network rewards contributors with web3 tokens for sharing aviation data.
Real-World Testing Underway
The University of Montana is currently beta testing the integrated platform. Jonathan Cordova from the university’s Autonomous Aerial Systems Office said:
“meerir is a very exciting tool, and we look forward to working with it. The ability to talk with aircraft traffic ADSB data in real time and soon see drone activity as well opens up tremendous opportunities for our projects here at the University of Montana.”
The platform will support both public and private datasets for applications ranging from urban air mobility planning to insurance risk assessment. meerir also serves as dual-use technology, applying its AI analytics to both civilian airports and defense airspace management.
Industry Implications
Craig Mahaney, CEO of DronePort Network, said:
“This partnership with Wingbits represents a significant leap forward in our mission to build comprehensive infrastructure for the drone economy. By integrating their secure, community-driven flight tracking data into our meerir platform, we’re creating unprecedented visibility into airspace activity.”
Robin Wingårdh, CEO and Co-Founder of Wingbits, added:
“Our partnership with DronePort Network demonstrates the real-world applications of our community-driven approach to flight tracking. By providing our secure, ADS-B data to power the meerir platform, we’re helping create the intelligent infrastructure needed for the future of aviation.”
The integration positions both companies to support the FAA‘s Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) initiatives and advanced air mobility readiness.
DroneXL’s Take
This partnership addresses a genuine gap in the aviation ecosystem. While major airports have access to sophisticated airspace management tools, smaller regional airports, university programs, and municipal planners often operate with limited situational awareness. Democratizing access to real-time flight data through an AI interface could accelerate safe drone integration in communities that lack dedicated aviation staff.
The conversational AI approach is particularly smart for this use case. Instead of requiring users to learn complex aviation software, they can simply ask questions in plain English. That lowers the barrier to entry significantly.
The dual-use angle is worth watching. DronePort has applied for SBIR funding to explore defense applications, which could provide additional revenue streams while serving both civilian and military airspace needs. As drone operations scale up nationwide, tools like meerir may become essential infrastructure for managing increasingly complex low-altitude airspace.
What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below.