Lone Star UAS Center of Excellence and Innovation (LSUASC) www.lsuasc.tamucc.edu
Lone Star UAS Center of Excellence and Innovation (LSUASC)
www.lsuasc.tamucc.edu
The FAA UAS Test Site Competition(Selected by FAA December 2013)
Test Sites
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LSUASC FAA UAS Test Site Purpose
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Stand Up And Operate A FAA UAS Test Site Designated To Safely Integrate Public And Civil UAS Operations Into The National Airspace
Provide FAA R&D And Operational Data To Facilitate The Development Of Procedures, Standards And Regulations For Safe UAS Operations
Serve As The Engine For Economic Development On Behalf Of The Governor And The State Of Texas
Partners – Texas Tech, UTARI, UTSA, SWRI, A&M College Station, multiple state agencies and key industry
The Solution• To provide a better understanding of UAS • To provide training and education to support
‘credentialing’ at all levels:• Students, executives, general public, UAS operators,
UAS maintainers and across state agencies• To conduct research operations on behalf of the FAA,
UAS industry and Texas state agencies• To develop a complete UAS research, development &
training capability in Texas!
Primary Goal• To safely and securely control UAS operations in the
national airspace over Texas
Challenge• Technology explosion. Technology is
ahead of the rules and regulation• Differences in UAS requirements• Alternative interpretations• Community education - Educate,
Energize and Enable• Deal with a society that doesn’t like the
idea of being regulated
LSUASC Proprietary
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LEGEND: NAS Elements
Enabling Capability
DAA Technologies
Air Traffic Services
CNPC Network
Legacy C2 Links
Air Traffic
Services
(Enroute)
Commercial UAS Operations
sUAS
Operational
Procedures
SATCOM
Uplink
Communications
Satellite
Air Traffic
Services
(Terminal)
Human Systems
Integration
Command
and Control
Research
Control
Station
T-34 UAS Surrogate
CNPC Test Aircraft
CNPC
Ground
Stations
Cooperative
Aircraft
Non-cooperative
Aircraft
UAS
Control
Station
Detect
and Avoid
Ikhana UAS
SAA Test AircraftUAS
Precision Agriculture
UAS Restricted
Use Certification
Oil and Gas 7
UAS Integration: The Big Complex Picture
UAS Impact on Texas
• Based on a 2014 Study by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI):
1,863 3,725
5,588
8,256 8,256
$181 $362 $543 $802
$6,500
$-
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
$5,000
$6,000
$7,000
-
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
9,000
2015 2016 2017 2025 10 yr.
UAS Impact on Texas
Total Jobs $M Impact
10 Year cumulative impact in Texas over 8,000 jobs and $6.5
Billion!!!
$MJobs
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UAS Vision for Texas
UAS Market National Level Ranking by State
Bridge Inspection 1 >50,000 bridges
Precision agriculture 2 >27M acres of Crop Land
Oil production monitoring1
~500 offshore oil platforms>350,000 miles of pipelines
Power line inspection 1 >3,500 miles of power lines
Railroad track inspection 1 >10,000 miles of railroads
Wind turbine inspection 1 >7,000 wind turbines
Border inspection 2 >1,200 miles of border
Port Security 2 4 of top 11 ports are in Texas
Coastline monitoring 7 >3,000 miles of coastline
Applications
Essential we get it right!
FLOOD SUPPORT
The Lone Star Center Supports Texas
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COASTAL MONITORING
AERIAL MAPPINGAGRICULTURE
BORDER SECURITY
The Lone Star Center Supports Texas
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As of 6/19/2015
The Lone Star Center Helps the Railway
4/22/2016
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LSUASC Proprietary
LSUASC Search and Recovery Operations
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The Lone Star UAS Center of Excellence
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Texas UAS Test Ranges(~68,000 Square Miles)
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Why Texas?
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First to fly under 200’ Blanket COA(Search & Rescue Operations)First to fly under 400’ Blanket COA
(Oil & Gas Operations)
Why Texas?
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First to daisy-chain visual observers during flight
Why Texas?
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• First to fly between multiple test ranges
Why Texas?
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First to utilize situational
awareness tool during flight (Symphony® RangeVue™)
First to use ground-based detect and avoid radar (SRC Inc LSTAR®)
First to fly a large, fixed-wing UAS (greater than 55 lbs.)
Why Texas?
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First to develop an operationalMission Control Center (MCC) have outfitted hangars, large airports, multi-class airports and networks across ranges using fiber, boosted cellular and satellite communications.
Why Texas?
First to fly and send data from the MCC to NASA’s UAS Traffic Management System (UTM)
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First to demonstrate UTM in Texas with multiple aircraft in the air simultaneously.The LSUASC has been awarded multiple research grants from NASA!
First to demonstrate UTM @ NASA Ames Research Center on August 28, 2015
LSUASC Provides Valuable Data to FAA for Safe UAS Integration into the NAS
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Flight Data Submitted to FAA
Unmanned aircraft system/registration # (13 Types and a large (on order) 34 foot
wing span, class 3 AC)
Type of operation (civil or public)
Test range
Airspace categorization and altitudes
Flight take-off/landing times
Weather data
Launch/recovery locations
Flight crew qualifications
UAS Sensors
23 Bringing UAS to America’s Skies23
Orthomosaic
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)And Video
Five or Six Channel Multispectral
IR Sensor
LiDAR
High Resolution Still Camera
Zoom
Ongoing UAS Research
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FAA Research Goals Research Projects
Safe UAS operations in authorized airspace; data gathering and reporting for safe integration into NAS
TEEX Flight Operations Disaster Safety Research (2014-15)
LSUASC Prototype LVC Connection for Wildfire UAS Operations (2015) & NASA LVC Development (2015-17)
LSUASC UTM Client Development and Evaluation (2015-16)
Establish and report airworthiness of UAS
TAMUCC Wind Tunnel Instrumentation Research (2014-15)
TEES Intelligent Motion Video Algorithms Autonomous Soaring for UAS (2014-16)
TEES Novel System Identification Techniques Flight Testing of Prototype UAS (2014-16)
TEES Autonomous Soaring for UAS (2014-15)
Address command and Control link issues for safe operations
Autonomous Neurocognitive Research (2014-17)
TAMUCC GPS/INS Integration Precision Ag Platform (2014-16)
TAMUCC Command and Control in Urban Areas (2015-18)
TEES Autonomous Take-Off and Landing (2014-15)
LSUASC / TAMUCC Flocking & SWARM (2016-17)
LSUASC Command and Control Spectrum Deconfliction (2015)
Ongoing UAS Research
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Conduct safe UAS ground and airborne sense & avoid research
TEES ADS-B Universal Access Transceiver on a UAS (2014)
TAMUCC/LSUASC Integrated Gas Monitoring and Source ID (2015-19)
LSUASC GBSAA and ADS-B Characterization (2015) / CRI (2016-17)
Investigate environmental impacts of
launch and recovery operations and airspace
TAMUCC High-resolution LiDAR Observations of Rookery Islands (2014-15)TAMUCC Precision Ag NDVI from Near-IR and Red Channel Imagery (2014-16)
TAMUCC Usage of a Terrestrial Laser Scan for Precision Ag (2014-16)
TAMUCC Gulf of Mexico Gas and Fluid Advection Sites (2014-17)
TAMUCC Aerial Survey Techniques for Eco-system Dynamics ( 2014-15)
Develop human factors solutions for UAS control station layout and certification
LSUASC Crew Procedures, Staffing Plan and Training Procedures for Disaster Recovery (2015)
LSUASC Human Factors at an FAA UAS Test Site (2014-17)
TAMUCC Development of Advanced Remote Sensing Tools (2015-20)
LSUASC / TAMUCC Sense and Avoid Research (2014-18)
FAA Research Goals Research Projects
Imagine: Herd Health and Welfare
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Somewhere Ranch –Texas
Scouts
Herd CountHerd LocationHealth AssessmentMeds Delivery
Meds
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Oil &Gas Commercial InspectionsOnshore Commercial
Operations
Medium Altitude Long Endurance UAS
Fixed wing UAS
Rotary wing UAS
Cargo helicopter
UAS
Asset security
Cargo transport
Offshore Commercial Operations
Early detection
Oil slick
Flare stack
Infrastructure integrity
Under deck integrity
Health, Safety, Security & Envt(HSSE)
Assetsecurity
Flare stack
Pipeline patrol
Wildlife assessment
Tank inspections
Infrastructureintegrity
Site survey & basin assmt
Environmental monitoring
UAS Operator Regulations(2016)
FAA www.faa.gov/uas/what_can_you_do_with_your_uas/• FAA owns the airspace from the ground up• Hobbyist, Public (governmental) or Civil (Commercial, Industry, and non public)• Aircraft Registration – All UAS must be registered (>0.5lbs)• Hobbyist Rules – Follow model aircraft operations (AMA)• Public or Civil
– COA (60 days) – Certificate of Authorization or Waiver– Civil- Section 333 Exemption (90 days) – Grant of FAR exemptions
State of Texas • Texas Privacy Act – Video/Imagery protection for citizens• Department of Public Safety - Limitation of UAS use around Capital Complex • Critical Infrastructure Facilities – flying less than 400’ above ground over facilities not allowed
Important Info• Knowbeforeyoufly.org• www.lsuasc.tamucc.edu
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UAS Landscape
• ~3,500 approved Section 333 Exemptions holders nation-wide (350 in Texas)– Day Time Operations – Only for registered aircraft <55lbs– Line of Sight (about a mile)– Private Pilot’s License and Class II Medical – No operator’s competency test required– Self-certify for insurance, procedures and training
• ~3,000,000 sold at Christmas 2015• UAS Traffic Management, Swarming and Beyond Visual Line of
Sight R&D Underway• Rapidly bridging from “Hobby to Commercial”• Many “Drones” operating in the NAS outside of FAA regulations
and rules• LSUASC working with large numbers of industry who desire to use
UAS supporting their business (over 250)
Bringing UAS to America and The World 29
Operational Cost
• Overall Mission Cost is Dependent on Many Factors, Not “One Size Fits All.”
• Location/Logistics requirements• Type, size, complexity of aircraft• Operator credential requirements• Type and complexity of payloads• Amount of data processing required• Security requirements• Airworthiness evaluation required?
• Type and amount of training required• Maturity of safety and operational procedures• Experience and qualifications of client team and aircraft• Nature of the mission (Duration, frequency)• Visual Line of Sight? (Need for visual observers or chase
plane)
$
Increasing Complexity
Less Expensive:• Simple demonstration in VLOS• Smaller, simpler aircraft• Pilot license not required• Little or no data processing• No training required• Existing COA• Client already has mature safety &
operational procedures
More Expensive• Complex research BVLOS• Larger, heavier, more capable aircraft• Pilot license required• Extensive data processing• Substantial training required• New or modified COA required• Client already has mature safety &
operational procedures
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Doing Business with the LSUASC
• Process is straightforward, designed to accommodate clients to assess and test UAS in their business case
• Each SOW is unique, developed through dialogue, patterned to specific requirements of client
• TRUST meeting designed to minimize potential misunderstandings
• Checklist approach to needs assessment ensures thorough discussion of potential requirements
*TRUST: Test Site Resource Utilization Strategy Team*NDA: Non Disclosure Agreement for Information Protection
Develop SOW and Investment Profile
Both Parties3
Process NDA, Schedule TRUST*
Meeting
LSUASC
2
Initial Contact with LSUASC
Client
1
Finalize Range Users
Agreement/ Schedule Mission
4Conduct
Mission(s)/ Analyze &
Report Data
5
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LSUASC Advisory Group Members
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Nancy Archuleta
Business Executive
(High Technology Area)
Mike Gallagher
Former FAA Airworthiness & FAA
Senior Executive
Keith Graf
State of Texas,
Office of the Governor
The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison
Former US Senator from State of Texas
Dr. Jon Mogford
Vice Chancellor for Research
Texas A&M University System
Dr. Ellen Ochoa
Former Astronaut and current Director
of Johnson Space Center
Emilio Pena
President and CEO
Houston Clean Energy Park
Takeaways!
• 100% Safe Operations
• Clear airspace for testing/operations
• National reach with operational credibility
• Texas wide proven support
• Robust research capacity supporting industry and state agencies
• Beyond Visual Line of Sight and Swarming research underway
• Trusted agent that is making an impact!
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LSUASC Points of Contact
Jerry Hendrix
LSUASC Executive Director361-825-4103
Dr. Melanie Neely Willis
LSUASC Research Director361-825-4120
Lori Blades
LSUASC Business Manger361-825-2896
Dr. Luis CifuentesVP Research Commercialization and
Out Outreach @ TAMUCC361-825-3881
Joe HenryLSUASC Commercialization and Outreach Director512-962-9711
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Tom FriersonLSUASC Aviation Safety Officer361-825-4113
www.lsuasc.tamucc.edu
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