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City hears public concerns over MobileGR drone survey for downtown parking data
Summary
MobileGR presented a limited, three-week drone-based parking data collection plan for downtown; presenters emphasized anonymized, static imagery and consultant-held raw files, while residents and museum staff raised FAA, privacy and surveillance concerns.
City staff and MobileGR presented a public hearing on Aug. 12 seeking permission to use unmanned aerial devices to collect static aerial imagery of downtown parking for a ‘parking investment strategy.’ The project’s data collection would run over a three-week window and capture high-resolution static photos (no continuous video) to measure on-street occupancy, turnover and dwell time.
"These are just static images, with a very high resolution camera," Max Dillivan, a project manager, told the commission, adding the imagery would not include license-plate numbers or personally identifiable vehicle information. MobileGR Director Jessica Smith said consultants would retain raw imagery on secure servers and that the city would receive derived heat maps, charts and anonymized outputs rather than raw photos.
Still, public commenters raised immediate concerns about privacy, jurisdictional approvals and the program’s benefits. Brooke Clement, director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum, noted that many downtown lots adjacent to federal property require FAA coordination and said, "we would need prior FAA approval before any drones fly over those spaces." Other speakers expressed a broader distrust of drones and asked how long data would be retained, who would have access and what operational changes would follow from the study’s results.
City staff explained the study is part of a larger parking investment strategy and said the on-street data would help determine whether surface lots are underused and could be repurposed (for housing or other investments) after assessing occupancy now and after major projects are completed. The data-collection portion for on-street images is roughly $30,000 of a broader $180,000 study funded from the parking fund.
Commissioners and staff described a review process tied to the city’s surveillance policy: the public-safety committee reviews Fourth Amendment and privacy implications, a public hearing is required before the full commission (this item), and fiscal committee review of funding and scope follows before any final approval. The commission referred the item to the Fiscal Committee for a funding decision and further procedural review.
What’s next: MobileGR will present a funding request and final operational safeguards at Fiscal; FAA clearances and the surveillance-policy checklist are expected before any flights.
