NEARC Fall 2016

AUTHORS: Susan Bickford, Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve

ABSTRACT: The use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) within the National Air Space is fraught with controversy including safety and privacy concerns and complex regulatory rulemaking. But the social and ecological benefits of their use are enormous, from disaster response and search and rescue missions to wildlife surveys and shoreline erosion studies. The twenty-eight Reserves that comprise the National Estuarine Research Reserve System have been struggling individually with the issue of UAS missions for several years.This year, a UAS Roadmap was published as a resource for all of the Reserves and their partners. This Roadmap explains this complex situation clearly and concisely and provides resources that enable each Reserve to progress at their own pace with developing UAS projects. Proof of concept projects that focus on precision and accuracy of the resulting products are scheduled to occur at five Reserves within the next year. This will also enable clear procedures and protocols to be established that will ensure safety and privacy considerations and adherence to current regulations are built into mission planning at all levels. This talk will give an overview of the current UAS situation and showcase its use in fulfilling Reserve missions across the United States.