2. UAS COE origins
ASSURE team members
Economic significance
Recent initial ASSURE research FAA meeting
◦ FAA requested research pre-proposals
ASSURE next steps
3. Concept created as a result of the FAA
Modernization and Reform Act of 2012
◦ Research, education, and training in areas critical to
safe and successful integration of UAS into the
nation's airspace
Kansas State led the initial development of
what would become the ASSURE team
◦ An initial meeting at KSU Salinas in June 2012
◦ Mississippi State assumes leadership
◦ Multiple team meetings and proposal writing
sessions before RFP appears in Sep. 2014
4. Mississippi State University
Drexel University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Kansas State University
Montana State University
New Mexico State University
North Carolina State University
Oregon State University
University of Alabama-Huntsville
University of Alaska-Fairbanks
University of California Davis
University of Kansas
University of North Dakota
The Ohio State University
Wichita State University
5. Associate university members
◦ Auburn University
◦ Concordia
◦ Indiana State University
◦ Louisiana Tech University
◦ Tuskegee University
◦ University of Southampton
Over 100 industry and government partners
◦ NOAA, NASA, USGS
◦ Amazon Prime Air, Ratheon, Disney, VDOS
6. Five year initial period
◦ Year 1: $5 million
◦ Year 2: $5 million initial appropriation
◦ Future years unknown but > $5 million expected
◦ 100% match is required for research
Four required meetings for full members in
year 1, two for subsequent years
◦ Bi-weekly telecom for all university teams
◦ Focus research areas will have additional meetings
and contacts
7. Expecting additional funding from industry
and agencies during COE lifetime
Project Ghana
Industry sponsored ASSURE centers
◦ Precision agriculture
◦ Wildfire
◦ Oil / gas infrastructure surveys and support
8. FAA, NOAA, and NASA representatives
Seven research pre-proposals requested by FAA
◦ Validate sUAS ASTM standards
◦ Develop detect and avoid (DAA) to enable sUAS beyond
visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations under specific
operational limitations
◦ Air to air collision
◦ Air to ground collision
◦ UAS maintenance standards/certification
◦ Surveillance criticality for DAA
◦ Human factors
Contracts expected to be finalized on Sep. 1
9. White papers due on July 29 (25 are planned)
Low altitude safety in wildfire response
Low altitude safety in beyond visual line of
sight (BVLOS) flights for precision agriculture
Develop standards for flight schools
sUAS night operations safety
UAS ops tasks, conditions, standards for ATC
Pilot interface and control stations
Situational awareness for airport ops
Automated scheduling for UAS at airports
