At Paaspop, one of the Netherlands’ largest music festivals, Dronetag Scout provided real-time detection and tracking of drones and pilots, giving organizers unprecedented visibility and control over the airspace to ensure safety and regulatory compliance.
Paaspop attracted over 135,000 attendees, creating a dense and complex environment where monitoring drone activity posed a significant challenge. Unauthorized drones were difficult to detect and identifying their pilots was nearly impossible with traditional methods, putting attendee safety and regulatory compliance at risk. Drone Visual, in collaboration with CNTRL B.V., deployed the Dronetag Scout.
The system used Remote ID technology to identify and track drones and their operators in real time, and its intuitive interface allowed festival personnel to interpret data quickly, coordinate with command staff, and maintain full situational awareness of all drone activity in the festival’s airspace. The system’s ease of use and rich data stream showed clear benefits for both real-time awareness and after-action reporting.
Joris Binnema, Drone Visual Engineer/Pilot, stated “Until recently, detecting unauthorized drones was a major challenge: even when a drone was spotted, it was often impossible to find out where the pilot was. Installation went smoothly… operators could quickly and easily view and share information with the command post.”
The deployment of Dronetag Scout produced several key outcomes. Two unauthorized drone flights were identified and fully documented for follow-up, while all authorized flights were monitored in real time, improving communication and decision-making among security teams. For the first time, Paaspop organizers had a complete overview of the festival airspace, and the system’s data streams allowed detailed post-event analysis to support future planning.
“The Dronetag Scout gave the organisation full insight into the dynamics of the airspace above Paaspop for the first time. The interface provided quick access to essential information, allowing continuous monitoring of the situation on site”, commented Binnema.
By implementing the Dronetag Scout, Drone Visual and CNTRL B.V. introduced a new level of airspace control at Paaspop. The system’s reliability, real-time capabilities, and ease of use enabled safe and compliant drone operations, setting a precedent for large-scale event airspace management.
