Research papers

Cognitive and Human-Automation Challenges in UAS-AAM Integration: A Thematic Review

This paper identifies key cognitive and human-automation challenges in the integration of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) through a thematic review of existing academic and industrial litera…

The State of UAS Operations at Airports, A Perspective from Airport Managers

As the number of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) operating in our National Airspace System (NAS) increases, so do UAS operations near or at an airport.

Creating an Urban Airspace Design: The Future Regulatory Landscape

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) are transformative technologies that will revolutionize the manner that cargo and passengers are transported in the local environment.

Utilizing Drones to Streamline Wildlife Hazard Management Efforts by Airport Operators

Airports operating under the Code of Federal Regulations Part 139 should conduct a wildlife hazard assessment (WHA) when some wildlife-strike events have occurred at or near the airport.

Using Unmanned Aircraft Systems to Investigate the Detectability of Burmese Pythons in South Florida

Burmese pythons are an invasive, non-native species of snake to southern Florida and attempts at eradicating the snakes had yielded mixed results. The current rate of detection had been reported as 0.05%.

Accuracy Assessment of the eBee Using RTK and PPK Corrections Methods as a Function of Distance to a GNSS Base Station

The use of unmanned aircraft systems to collect data for photogrammetry models has grown significantly in recent years. The accuracy of a photogrammetric model can depend on image georeferencing.

Identification of Wind-Induced Hazard Zones Impacting UAS Bridge Inspection

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) continue to grow in both popularity and utility within the national airspace system. The use of commercial UAS for civil inspection, specifically that of bridge structures, is becoming commo…

Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Acoustic Analysis for Noninvasive Marine Mammal Response: An Exploratory Field Study

As in countless other fields of human endeavor, small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) have the potential to benefit pinniped (Pinnipedia; e.g., Phocidae [seals], Otariidae [sea lions], and Odobenidae [walruses]) respons…

Evaluating LAANC Compliance and Air Traffic Collision Hazards Posed by Small Unmanned Aircraft Operations in Controlled Airspace

On July 23, 2019, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) expanded the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC)—the system that processes airspace approvals for sUAS operators in controlled airspa…

Pilot Qualifications and Training in UAS Air Carrier Operations

Integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the national airspace system (NAS) is a high priority for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Integrating Aviation Technology, Emergency Services, and Human Resilience: Considerations from Social Scientists

Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have a range of applications within the field of disaster response. This presentation offers a novel framework of psychosocial considerations designed to advance UAS and disaster management …

Challenges and Implications of UAS Integration into Bridge and Rail Inspections: Recent State DOT Experiences

The presentation will review the results of the UAS research initiative conducted by Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) in collaboration with the UMass Transportation Center.

Drones: Where does the National Airspace System Start?

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), Unmanned Aeronautical Vehicles (UAV), drones and Personal Aerial Vehicles (PAV) constitute the greatest technological advancement since the jet age.

Examining UAS Employment Expectations and Requirements

Unmanned aircraft system (UAS) technology is radically changing how organizations, such as government agencies, non-profit corporations, and companies, apply aviation resources.

UAS for Public Safety Operations: A Comparison of UAS Point Clouds to Terrestrial LIDAR Point Cloud Data using a FARO Scanner

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) can be useful tools for public safety agencies during crime or vehicle accident scene investigations if it can provide value to the resource-constrained agency.

Evaluating The Merit Of Implementing A Safety Management System Into An Unmanned Aerial Systems Company

Safety Management System (SMS) implementation into small Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) organizations is only now beginning to happen. Because of the lack of research into this area and its cutting edge application in unma…

Urban flow and small unmanned aerial system operations in the built environment

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has put forth a set of regulations (Part 107) that govern small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) operations.

Comparison of Fixed-Wing Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for Agriculture Monitoring

Florida citrus growers need inexpensive methods to observe citrus plants to detect disease and stress consistently. Health vegetation indices, such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) collected from Unma…

sUAS: Cybersecurity Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Exploits

The FAA predicts that purchases of hobbyist small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) will grow from 1.9 million in 2016 to 4.3 million by 2020, and commercial sUAS to increase from 600,000 in 2016 to 2.7 million by 2020.

The Use of Simulation to Train Complex Unmanned Aircraft Systems Command and Control Tasks

The National Airspace System (NAS) is undergoing a significant process of evolutionary change to maintain stride with new aircraft technologies and the increased traffic demands projected to occur by the year 2025.

Advanced UAS Training; Integration of Remote Live Aircraft Crash Investigation with UAS

Current Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) flight training generally operates at the ab-initio level. As UAS flight and academic programs evolve, so also must UAS training advance, specifically regarding new and evolving use…

Scenario Development for Unmanned Aircraft System Simulation-Based Immersive Experiential Learning

Application of scenario-based training can serve as practical means of educating remote pilots and sensor operators as they seek professional levels of knowledge.

Using 3 Dimension Health Vegetation Index Point Clouds to Determine HLB Infected Citrus Trees

Three-dimensional NDVI point clouds can be an innovative method for detecting Huanglongbing (HLB) disease in citrus trees. In February 2018, an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) captured narrow-band multispectral images to …

How Law Enforcement Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Could Improve Tactical Response to Active Shooter Situations: The Case of the 2017 Las Vegas Shooting

Using a case study methodology, this paper assesses the unique tactical challenges faced by law enforcement officers responding to the October 1, 2017, Las Vegas active shooter incident.

Evolution of UAS policy in the wake of Taylor v. Huerta

The U.S. Court of Appeals recently ruled that the Federal Aviation Administration exceeded their statutory authority in requiring model aircraft and hobbyist UAS operators to register their aircraft in a national databas…

Integration of Military Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) into the US National Airspace System: The Relationship Between UAS Accidents and Safety Concerns

The purpose of this study was to discover if a relationship existed between the most common safety concerns and the most common UAS accidents with regards to the integration of military unmanned aerial systems (UAS) into…

Seeing the Threat: Pilot Visual Detection of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems in Visual Meteorological Conditions

One key challenge of integrating Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) platforms into the National Airspace System (NAS) is the potential for midair collisions between manned aircraft and the unmanned system.

A Model of Human Harm from a Falling Unmanned Aircraft: Implications for UAS Regulation

This paper quantifies the human harm, in the form of fatalities and skull fractures, which could occur as a result of an unmanned aircraft falling from a height.

System Safety Modeling of Alternative Geofencing Configurations for small UAS

As is well known, the integration of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) or “drones” into the National Airspace System (NAS) has captured significant industry, academic, regulatory and media attention.

Not-So-Risky Business? Assessing the Risk of Integrating Large RPVs into the Current Air Traffic System

In spite of considerable efforts to commercialize large remotely piloted vehicles (RPV), an integration of these RPVs into the existing Air Transportation System (ATS) and Airspace Structure is pending.

Mid Afternoon Session: WINGS Seminar: Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) in the National Airspace System (NAS) - Overview of Regulations

Early Afternoon Concurrent Sessions: Critical Issues: Presentation: Wireless, Inductive, Self-Charging Electric Unmanned Aerial Systems

In addition to the well-known military uses of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs), numerous civil aviation uses have been developed, including agricultural, search and rescue operations, infrastructure inspection (e.g.

Early Morning Concurrent Session: Unmanned Aerial Systems Certification: Presentation: A Survey of sUAS Operator's FAA Regulation Knowledge

The popularity of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) in the U.S. has expanded rapidly over the past several years. Operators in this fast growing field range from seasoned professionals with years of manned and unmanne…

Early Morning Concurrent Session: Unmanned Aerial Systems Certification: Panelists

Late Afternoon Concurrent Sessions: GSIS Symposium: UAS Collaboration & Research Opportunities: Presentation: Human-Computer-Interface for Geo-Fencing in Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems

The use of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) has increased significantly in the past year. Geographic fencing (geo-fence) is software built into most medium-cost consumer sUAS.

Late Afternoon Concurrent Sessions: GSIS Symposium: UAS Collaboration & Research Opportunities: Panelist

Early Afternoon Concurrent Panel Sessions: Virtual Poster Presentations

Early Afternoon Concurrent Panel Sessions: GSIS Symposium: UAS Tomorrow

02. Complacency: The Rise of Demise of Drones

04. Integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS)

07. Autonomous Satellite Recovery Vehicle (Rocket-Deployed Quad-Rotor)

03. SHARP UAS - Supersonic High Atmosphere Remotely Piloted Unmanned Aerial System

A3iR Con 2016 Lead-off Concurrent Session: GSIS Symposium: UAS Today

Examining Unmanned Aerial System Threats & Defenses: A Conceptual Analysis

The integration of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) into the already complex global aviation system presents new and unique hazards. While many studies have addressed the potential safety concerns of UAS integration, little…

Thinking Rather than Panicking about the Current Drone Threat

Originally titled "UAS Threats in Sport Venues," the authors opted to expand their focus to better to all threats from UASs, and to encourage better preparation for and responses to such threats.

Privacy, Restriction, and Regulation Involving Federal, State and Local Legislation: More Hurdles for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Integration?

With the Congressional mandate for the integration of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in the National Airspace System (NAS) to begin by 2015, significant interest in UAS investment, operations, and research has taken place…