2D and 3D A* Algorithm Comparison for UAS Traffic Management Systems

In this work, we propose to implement a path planning algorithm for simulating an UAS Traffic Management system using ROS and Gazebo environment. From the 3D model generated for the simulation, both two-dimensional and threedimensional node grids were extracted in order to allow the application of the search algorithm in both scenarios. After selecting the A* algorithm for this application, a preliminary efficiency analysis was carried out, considering the distance to be covered by the drone and the execution time of the route planning method, aiming to support the choice of the algorithm based on the environment in which it will be applied. As a result of the tradeoff analysis between distance and execution time for small maps (200m x 200m x 120m), the routes generated by the 2D algorithm are about 6% longer compared to the 3D approach, but with the execution time nine times lower, on average.