Aviation and Unmanned Aerial Systems

Alaska has one of the highest ownership rates for private aviation, which forms the backbone for movement of goods and services across the State. Alaska has strong tradition in Aviation and UAS research and innovation. UAA has received the Robert J. Collier Award “for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly demonstrated by actual use during the preceding year.”  Alaska is also one of the six FAA-designated test ranges and a partner in the FAA’s Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (COE UAS). The Summit will address how IoT can contribute to improved safety, situational awareness, maintenance, and operations of Aviation in the wide range of conditions encountered across the State. This includes the role of Aviation in search and rescue, and other emergency response situations. The rapid growth in the adoption of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles promises myriads of uses, and for Alaska it may have extraordinary impact. The track will address potential use cases for UAV operations and how UAV’s can contribute to the improvement of life in the Arctic, the Charting of the State, gathering of Scientific Information, support for industry, and improved stewardship of natural resources. At the same time the track will address the infrastructure and ancillary systems that will be needed to support increased uses of UAV’s and the design and implementation of UAV and supporting Systems that can fit the requirements of the most promising use cases.