On 24 June, AUVSI participated in the first of several planned Google UAS Airspace seminars. The seminar brought together industry leaders, key regulators and third-party end users for a discussion on low-altitude airspace management for UAS. The seminar featured Dave Vos, project lead for Google’s Project Wing, who stated “that to drop the barriers and stimulate innovation and assure the safety of UAS, collaboration from industry is desperately needed. It’s a brand new world and this requires new aviation thinking.”

 

The purpose of the event was about collaborating and sharing ideas on how to enable cooperative use of airspace for UAS. The one-day seminar focused on UAS airspace, communications and coordination, implementation, and identity and safety.

 

UAS Airspace:

Focused on low-altitude airspace for unmanned vehicles, the panelists discussed the implications of existing traffic, safety and regulatory concerns, as well as

automated operation and coordination to efficiently handle the expected increase in unmanned traffic.



Communications and Coordination:


The seminar discussed how industry can take advantage of the dramatic increase in low cost electronics and reliable communications infrastructure, identify the deficiencies and regulatory hurdles, and apply these solutions to unmanned vehicles.

 

Implementation:

Focused on architecting an airspace system that works for everyone, panelists touched on back-end systems, weather and terrain databases, route planning, and the level of integration to existing Air Traffic Control.

 

Identity and Safety:

Looked at considerations around making the ecosystem reliable and robust, including attributes such as identity and certification, helping to ensure the airspace system and the vehicles within are compatible, compliant, and safe.



AUVSI will continue working with all UAS stakeholders — military, academic and commercial — to create the best solution for all users of UAS in the national airspace system. For more information about how AUVSI is working for you, contact advocacy@auvsi.org.