Google NASA FAA in UTM Update at Drone World Expo

Drone World Expo will open with an insightful and informative conversation from leaders from NASA, Google, and the Federal Aviation Administration who will provide an update on the vision for safety enabling low-altitude UAS operations for commercial markets.   The keynote will be held on Tuesday, November 17 at the San Jose Convention Center and will be moderated by Gretchen West, Senior Advisor on Technology and Innovation for Hogan Lovells and National Advisory Chairperson for UAVUS, who will also serve as Master of Ceremonies for Drone World Expo.

“The Unmanned Aircraft Traffic Management program (UTM) is a cutting edge program that will safely integrate drones into the airspace with other aircraft seamlessly.  The collaboration between government and industry is propelling this program forward, but it is not without challenges,” West said.  “I’m looking forward to the panel discussion at Drone World Expo to explore what more can be done by both industry and government to ensure the success of UTM and drone integration for all users.”

• Dr. Dave Vos, Project Wing Project Lead – Google X. Prior to joining Google X in 2014, Dave was CEO, CTO and Founder of Athena Technologies, a company that developed and produced navigation, guidance, flight and engine control systems for the unmanned aircraft market until it was acquired by Rockwell Collins in 2008. Vos was an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Winner in the Washington DC Region in 2007 and holds several patents in nonlinear control systems, failure detection systems, optimal power control systems and more. He recently served on the FAA UAS Aviation Rulemaking Committee for Integration of Unmanned Aircraft into the National Airspace System as well as on the NASA Unmanned Systems Advisory Committee.
• Parimal (PK) Kopardekar, Manager, NASA’s Safe Autonomous System Operations (SASO) Project.  The goal of the project is to develop autonomy related concepts, technologies, and architectures that will increase efficiency, safety, and capacity of airspace operations.  At NASA, PK has initiated many innovative research initiatives including reduced crew operations, net-enabled air traffic management, autonomy for airspace operations, Shadow-Mode Assessment using Realistic Technologies for the National Airspace System (SMART NAS), and low-altitude airspace management system focused on UAS operations.
• Marke “Hoot” Gibson, Senior Advisor on UAS Integration, Federal Aviation Administration. The position of Senior Advisor on UAS Integration was established to focus on external outreach and education, inter-agency initiatives and an enterprise-level approach to FAA management of UAS integration efforts.  Gibson previously served as Executive Director of the NextGen Institute, which provides professional services to the UAS Joint Program Development Office. He has also owned his own aviation consulting firm, and held numerous senior command and staff positions  during a 33-year U.S. Air Force career

“We are thrilled to be hosting this important keynote discussion at Drone World Expo, which will center around the challenges with implementation, timelines, industry involvement, and progress and successes from both industry and government,” said Joel Davis, President, JD Events, producers of the event. “We look forward to hearing what is possible now and what lies ahead.  This extraordinary panel will share the latest information on how drones can enhance our attendees’ businesses today and what traffic management for unmanned aircraft will look like in the future.”

Each day of Drone World Expo will kick off with a keynote presentation, followed by a full day of panels and case studies.   The exhibit hall will be open 10 am – 6 pm on Tuesday, November 17 and 10 am – 5 pm on Wednesday, November 18 with a networking reception on the show floor the last hour of the expo each day.

Source: Press Release