Method and apparatus to control one or more drones based on real-time or predictive position information

An apparatus for operating one or more drones in a building, the apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform:

• determining information comprising predictive information, wherein the predictive information is indicative of a predicted location of at least one individual in the building at a certain time in the future, and wherein the predictive information comprises at least one of:
• (i) information from at least one calendar or scheduling application indicative of the predicted location of the at least one individual, or (ii) information that defines a pattern established by the at least one individual that is indicative of a historical route taken by the at least one individual in the past on a particular day and/or at a particular time;
• and
• controlling the one or more drones in the building according to the predictive information to avoid the at least one individual while the drone is performing a task, wherein controlling the one or more drones comprises controlling a speed of the one or more drones according to the predictive information by limiting the speed of the one or more drones to a predetermined maximum speed in an instance in which the one or more drones are within a space where at least one individual is predicted to be present.

A system for operating one or more drones in a building, the system comprising:

• a monitoring apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the monitoring apparatus to determine information comprising predictive information, wherein the predictive information is indicative of a predicted location of at least one individual in the building at a certain time in the future, and wherein the predictive information comprises at least one of:
• (i) information from at least one calendar or scheduling application indicative of the predicted location of the at least one individual, or (ii) information that defines a pattern established by the at least one individual that is indicative of a historical route taken by the at least one individual in the past on a particular day and/or at a particular time;
• and
• one or more drones in the building, the one or more drones configured to operate under control of the monitoring apparatus and in accordance with the predictive information to avoid the at least one individual while the drone is performing a task, wherein the one or more drones are controlled by the monitoring apparatus in order to control a speed of the drone according to the predictive information by limiting the speed of the one or more drones to a predetermined maximum speed in an instance in which the one or more drones are within a space where at least one individual is predicted to be present.