Interkalair
Interkalair is an international cooperative framework dedicated to coordinating research, development, and deployment of high-altitude aerial platforms and related data networks for atmospheric science, disaster response, and remote sensing. It aims to standardize technical interfaces and data formats to enable interoperable operations across multiple platform types, including persistent balloons, hybrid airships, and autonomous drones, as well as ground and satellite links.
History: The Interkalair concept originated from joint environmental monitoring projects in the late 2010s. In 2020–2021
Technology and operations: Interkalair uses a tiered network of aerial platforms and a middleware layer that
Applications: Core use cases include long-term climate and weather observation, environmental monitoring, disaster response and damage
Criticism and challenges: Proponents emphasize international collaboration and capacity building; critics point to regulatory complexity, airspace