Tag Archives: Federal Aviation Administration

EXPANSION OF LIVE DEMO OPPORTUNITES AT UAS MAPPING 2014 RENO

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Reno, NV – The American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) has added an indoor rotary-wing UAV live demonstration to the UAS Technical Demonstration and Symposium being held in Reno Nevada on October 21 and 22. This indoor demonstration will be held in the evening of the first day of the symposium (Tuesday 10/21) following a fixed-wing live demonstration at the Nevada Test Site Stead Airport and following a networking social on the exhibition floor at the Reno Ballroom. It will be a jam-packed day of sessions and demonstrations culminating in an opportunity for hands-on and up-close flying of rotary-wing or copter unmanned vehicles.

The indoor UAV demonstration will be held at the spacious Reno Event Center located across the street from the symposium venue (Reno Ballroom) and the symposium hotel (The Eldorado). The arena floor at the Event Center is 256’ x 212’ with a 43’-high ceiling, easily accommodating the needs of the flight of small rotary-wing unmanned aircraft.

A full line-up of events is provided on the symposium website at http://uasreno.org. See you in Reno!

To find out more about the symposium, UAS MAPPING 2014 RENO, visit http://uasreno.org. To learn more about ASPRS, visit http://www.asprs.org.

ASPRS

The American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) is “The Imaging and Geospatial Information Society”, a scientific non-profit association with a mission 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.

APSRS thanks the generous sponsors for their contributions and support. Visit the links for more information about each of these companies:

DIAMOND LEVEL
Towill Inc: Surveying, Mapping and GIS Needs
GeoCue: Sensor Workflow Solutions, Small UAS Mapping, Point Cloud Information Extraction
xyHt: Positioning and Measurement, Elevated

PLATINUM LEVEL
Altavian: Precisely Different
Riegl USA: Building Systems, Delivering Performance

GOLD LEVEL
Velodyne: High Definition LiDAR
Airware: Hardware, Software, and Cloud Services for Drones
ESRI: A Comprehensive Platform for all Your Imagery Needs

SILVER LEVEL
Aeryon Labs: Defining the Standards of sUAS Flight Performance, Reliability and Ease-of-Use

MEDIA
GISCafe: The Leading GIS Portal
sUAS News: The Voice of the Unmanned Systems Community
Directions Magazine: All Things Location
Sensors and Systems: Making Sense of Global Change
Apogeo Spatial: Elevating Global Awareness
AUVSI: Up-to-Date on the Latest Trends in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
GITA: Facilitate the Delivery of High Quality and Ongoing Education and Engagement Opportunities for Professionals in the Geospatial Industry

ATTENTION STUDENTS – Call for Posters

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ASPRS has released a call for posters for the fast-approaching UAS MAPPING 2014 RENO symposium which will be held at the Reno Ballroom in downtown Reno on October 21 and 22. The symposium is focused on education and collaboration on UAS technology and its application to the survey, mapping and remote sensing field. Industry experts from the private sector, academia and the government will present practical information on flight planning, mission control, acquisition and data processing for data analysis and production of mapping products.

A poster session is currently being organized which will provide another means of information exchange in addition to the general sessions, exhibitions, networking sessions and live demonstrations already organized. Poster sessions will be held concurrently with blocks of time allocated for networking and exhibition. A committee will review the applications and select poster session presenters from the pool of applicants. (Only symposium registrants will be considered!)

Click here for POSTER SESSION APPLICATION FORM

Please email poster applications to asprs.norcal@gmail.com. This is an excellent opportunity to highlight your UAS technologies, applications, research and development, and real-life project experiences! See you in Reno!

Early Registration Deadline Extended for UAS MAPPING 2014 RENO

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Reno, NV – The first technical UAS symposium sponsored by the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) is approaching (October 21-22)! The deadline for early registration has been extended to allow attendees just learning about this exciting event to take advantage of low registration and exhibition fees. The current fee for ASPRS members to attend the event is only $250. The current fee for non-ASPRS members to attend the event is only $300. Exhibitors are provided an exhibit booth and benefits which include two complimentary registrations for only $600. All rates will go up in price on September 12, 2014, so register now!

This unique event will showcase UAS in operation including flights of the first UAS Mapping Calibration Test Course designed to be a permanent facility for the validation and accuracy assessment of UAS sensor payloads. General sessions will focus on the mapping and remote sensing aspects of unmanned acquisitions with the goal to provide practical information on UAS flight planning, acquisition, data processing and map production. National and international speakers will address current-day and developing UAS applications. Academia and research institutions will inform on existing educational and training opportunities. Survey, mapping, and engineering firms will be on-hand to share their experience and further their UAS implementation strategies. Government agencies will share information on the development of national and international mapping programs. UAS firms will benefit from meeting the managers of the Nevada UAS program and obtaining first-hand information on utilization of the Nevada UAS Test Site.

To find out more about the symposium, UAS MAPPING 2014 RENO, visit http://uasreno.org. To learn more about ASPRS, visit http://www.asprs.org.

ASPRSThe American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) is “The Imaging and Geospatial Information Society”, a scientific non-profit association with a mission 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.

GeoCue to host sUAS Workshop following ASPRS UAS Conference

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GeoCue_180x180From GeoCue Group News:

GeoCue Group will host a one day workshop on small Unmanned Aerial Systems production in conjunction with the ASPRS Reno UAS conference. The workshop will be on Thursday, October 23rd (the day following the conference) beginning at 9 AM and ending at 3:30 PM. A working lunch will be provided. Topics to be covered include:

  • Planning an sUAS mission
  • Ground control and check points
  • Uploading the mission plan to the autopilot
  • Flying the mission (simulation only)
  • Quick look analysis using PhotoScan Pro
  • Preprocessing to a point cloud and ortho mosaic using PhotoScan Pro and Pix4D Mapper
  • Quality assurance in LP360 for sUAS
  • Creating analysis and output products using LP360 for sUAS

The workshop will consist of both theoretical considerations as well as numerous workflow demonstrations. We will be showing an overview of how to construct your own sUAS system aimed at small area metric mapping, covering details from telemetry radio selection to vehicle launching and recovery. We will be using data from actual collected projects and will cover the wide range of conditions and errors that affect project outcomes. This workshop will provide attendees with a detailed overview, based on actual experience, of what is and is not possible with this new and exciting technology.

The price of the workshop is $75 and includes lunch. Space is limited and will fill up very quickly so please indicate your intention to attend by sending your contact information to alove@geocue.com.

Content for this post courtesy of GeoCue Corporation

Reno’s Economy Boosted by Drone Entrepreneurs

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rowStartup Row, Reno’s newest strip of high-tech companies, fosters entrepreneurs whom develop software and manufacture drones. Tour one of the offices and you’ll think you’ve walked into somewhere in Cupertino rather than Northern Nevada. The FAA sanctioned UAS test site, along with location, low taxes, and sparse regulations, have transformed Reno into a hub for modern drone entrepreneurs.

Workers with a solid education background and talented skillset will be required to power Reno’s emerging drone industry. That’s why the University of Nevada, Reno partnered with an Australian drone company, and opened a research facility in downtown Reno. “The university is starting to work with Mr. Mike Kazmierski, president of the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada, to make sure students are trained in specific skills or even the languages needed by companies looking to settle in Reno.” – Dionne Searcey, NY Times

Eliminating the stigma of being the “second-tier Vegas” is something city officials are working on diligently. Drones are playing a major role in making that vision a reality.

Content from this post came courtesy of the NY Times article Reno Rolls the Dice on High-Tech.

A Brief Note from the Symposium Chair

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logo_planeGood news – the Program Management Office in Nevada indicates strong optimism that the COAs for the live flight demos will be approved. The live flights will utilize the new test course to be established at the test site in conjunction with this symposium. The surveyed test course will remain to be utilized for ongoing UAS testing and quality control.

See you in Reno!

Becky Morton
Symposium Chair

SenseFly’s New eBee Mapping Drone has Built-in RTK

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ebeeSensefly’s eBee RTK could be a game-changer. Jean-Christophe Zufferey, C.E.O. of senseFly claims “The eBee RTK offers surveying and engineering professionals the very highest positional accuracy, without the need for ground control points.” From flight planning to post processing (including GNSS corrections), the system is designed to be a complete out-of-the-box solution.

SenseFly’s 3 reasons to choose the eBee RTK:

  1. Survey-grade accuracy – Accuracy of 3 cm without the need for GCPs
  2. Fully integrated workflow – eBee’s flight planning and control software eliminate the need of third-party software
  3. Compatible with existing base stations – The eBee RTK is compatible with most leading brands of base station, working seamlessly alongside a surveyor’s existing portfolio of instruments.

Availability and pre-order information can be found at senseFLy’s website.

Story and Photo Courtesy of sUAS News 

First Civil Aviation Drone Test Flight this Summer in Nevada

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nevadadronetestBeginning this summer, the skies in rural Nevada will be filled with identifiable flying objects. Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles will take flight in Nevada as part of the FAA’s effort of testing the new technology.

“Nevada’s FAA test sites are officially open for business,” said Steve Hill, director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, which has spearheaded the state’s efforts to become a test site, the first step in gradually opening U.S. airspace to unmanned aerial vehicles.

The ASPRS UAS Technical Symposium and Demonstration  is a UAS conference that will integrate an FAA designated test site into its program.

Story and Photo Courtesy of sUAS NEWS

Nevada Gets a Head Start on Drone Technology

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nevadaheadstartThe state of Nevada has a head start over most areas in the country. The expected $900 billion dollar UAS industry could create thousands of jobs.

“David Strohm is the director of operations for Sensurion. The company makes unmanned-aerial vehicles or UAV’s, commonly referred to as drones. The unmanned-aerial system is the natural evolution, and we have to embrace it,” Strohm said, “Detect and avoid is something the FAA wants.”

Dozens of companies have already lined up to participate in testing for the FAA and hundreds more are interested. “The goal is to make Nevada the cornerstone of the UAV industry, and we are well on our way to doing that,” said James Fleitz from Bowhead.

The ASPRS UAS Technical Symposium and Demonstration  is a UAS conference that will integrate an FAA designated test site into its program.

Story and Photo Courtesy of  sUAS News

Nevada Test Site

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FAAFact Sheet – FAA UAS Test Site Program

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is moving steadily ahead to safely integrate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the largest, most complex air traffic systems in the world. The agency’s activities must address the needs of a diverse aviation community while ensuring current users both in the air and on the ground remain safe.

The FAA has selected six UAS test site operators that will allow the agency to develop research findings and operational experiences to help ensure the safe integration of UAS into the nation’s airspace as we transition to a system featuring NextGen technologies and procedures.

While the selection of these test sites will not allow immediate access to the national airspace system for commercial and civil purposes, data and other information related to the operation of UAS that is generated by the six test site operators will help the FAA answer key research questions such as solutions for “sense and avoid,” command and control, ground control station standards and human factors, airworthiness, lost link procedures and the interface with the air traffic control system. This data will help the FAA to develop regulations and operational procedures for future commercial and civil use of the NAS.

Background

In the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, Congress directed the FAA to establish a test site program to integrate UAS into the National Airspace System. In selecting the test sites, the legislation mandated that the FAA, in consultation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department of Defense, consider geographic diversity, climatic diversity, location of ground infrastructure and research needs in choosing the sites.

The FAA solicited public input on how to select the sites. In March 2012, the FAA published a Request for Comments in the Federal Register, and in April, the FAA hosted two webinars to solicit additional public input. This outreach effort helped to develop the process.

On February 14, 2013, the agency solicited proposals from public entities, including state and local governments and eligible universities interested in operating the test sites. The FAA received complete submissions from 25 entities in 24 states.

State of Nevada Test Site

Nevada’s project objectives concentrate on UAS standards and operations as well as operator standards and certification requirements. The applicant’s research will also include a concentrated look at how air traffic control procedures will evolve with the introduction of UAS into the civil environment and how these aircraft will be integrated with NextGen.  Nevada’s selection contributes to geographic and climatic diversity.

More info available through the FAA Website