asprs conference | UAS MAPPING (OLD SITE)

”Change is in the Air”. This is the tagline of our fall symposium, which denotes the excitement and also the angst that goes along with change. We are all reminded daily, from news and conversation, of the advent of the age of the drones and we each react with our own individual excitement, loathing, fear, curiosity, or blend thereof. The topic is definitely popular right now and ASPRS members are smack dab in the middle of the issue, as one of the largest applications of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) technology will be mapping. One of the key topics of our symposium will be, ”What is at stake?” When disruptive technology such as UAS comes along, we all have a need for education and collaboration.

The symposium will bring industry experts to speak to the issues relevant to our mapping and remote sensing community. The program will be tailored to cover topics of aircraft design, sensor payload options, flight planning, flying the mission, data processing and product development. Speakers and panels will be selected to provide first-hand information on these issues.

No UAS symposium would be complete without a group of exhibitors offering hands-on opportunities to see the equipment, talk to the experts, and gather contacts for teaming and collaboration. We have extended preliminary invitations to manufacturers of UAS technology and it appears we will have a large group of vendors who make UAS equipment, provide software solutions, provide UAS components, and provide services.

Last, but certainly not least, this symposium is designed in coordination with the Nevada UAS Test Site. The State of Nevada was selected as one of the six national UAS test sites to serve as an arm of the FAA and provide for the safe transition of civilian applications of UAS into the national air space. This unique collaboration of ASPRS and the Nevada Institute of Autonomous Systems will provide the ability for ASPRS to host live flight demonstrations of UAS as part of the symposium and allow ASPRS to establish the course for on-going test flights of UAS.

The symposium will be held October 21-22, 2014. The events will take place at the Reno Ballroom, a beautiful first-class facility in downtown Reno. The El Dorado, our symposium hotel, is located just across the street. Buses will be arranged to take attendees to the Reno Stead Airport for the live UAS demonstrations. All attempts are being made to keep costs at a minimum in order to encourage broad attendance. It is our goal to reach beyond our ASPRS membership to encourage UAS start]ups, entrepreneurs, GIS professionals, government agencies, surveyors, students, potential UAS users, and general enthusiasts to attend.

The symposium planning committee is making great progress and will be releasing a Preliminary Program and Call for Registration soon. For now, please sign up at our pre-registration link.

Change is in the air! Please join us in Reno to explore what is at stake and how to prepare for change!

Becky Morton
ASPRS UAS Symposium Chair

ASPRS UAS Technical Demonstration and Symposium – October 21-22, Reno, Nevada

The ASPRS Northern California Region is hosting a 2-day symposium on unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in Reno, NV on October 21-22, 2014. The purpose of the event is to assemble academia, UAS developers, survey and mapping companies, government agencies, and UAS enthusiasts, to share information, showcase new technologies and demonstrate UAS systems in action (in flight). The event will be held at the Reno Stead Airport, an FAA-designated UAS test site, as well as at a symposium hotel in downtown Reno. The mission of the event is to advance knowledge and improve the understanding of UAS technologies and their safe and efficient introduction into our national airspace, government programs and business.

Highlights of the symposium:

Demonstrations (in-flight) of UAS technologies
Collaboration opportunities between government, private sector and academia
Exhibit floor
Speakers and presentations on relevant UAS topics

Suggested attendees:

Aerial mapping, survey, and professional services firms interested in new business areas
Companies with UAS interests and business plans
Government agencies interested and involved in UAS technologies
Government agencies driving the implementation of UAS policy
UAS companies- software, hardware, system developers
Academia and research institutions
The geospatial community that is likely to be working with these technologies in the future
UAS enthusiasts

Call for participation and registration

We encourage your participation in this event, which will draw a national audience and demonstrate regional leadership and collaboration.

About ASPRS

Founded in 1934, the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) is a scientific association serving over 5,000 professional members around the world. Our mission is to advance knowledge and improve understanding of mapping sciences to promote the responsible applications of photogrammetry, remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and supporting technologies.

The role of ASPRS in UAS technologies:

Educate the public, the media and our elected representatives about the scientific, societal and commercial benefits to be realized
Educate these same groups on the differences between military, law enforcement and commercial uses of these technologies, to move the discussion beyond privacy concerns
Cooperate with other stakeholder communities, societies and organizations in the development of an enabling environment supportive of UAS in geographic information science
Explore the need for new certifications or changes to certification criteria, to address UAS specific topics as applied to mapping and remote sensing
Explore the needs for new guidelines and standards, or changes to existing guidelines and standards, to address UAS-specific topics as applied to mapping and remote sensing
Inform our membership on regulatory landscape for UAS as it evolves