North Carolina UAS ProgramBasil Yap, UAS Program Manager

NCDOT Division of Aviation

UAS Program Office Goals

UAS Innovation – Creating knowledge and

integration of UAS technologies for public and

private use and benefit.

UAS Safety – Providing the nation’s safest

environment for drone operations.

UAS Government Integration – Maximizing state

and local agency use of UAS technology to improve

public services and operations.

UAS Economic Development – Developing a

world-leading UAS economy.

Division of Aviation UAS Program

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Lead the way in:

LEADING THE WAY

UAS Knowledge Test & Permitting

• First and only state to have a UAS

commercial and government permitting

program

• Required by law

• Must pass Knowledge Test to obtain

permit

• Entire process online

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LEADING THE WAY

NCDOT Integration

Vision

NCDOT maximizes the use of UAS or drones to improve project

delivery and operations while enhancing safety and saving tax dollars.

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NCDOT Integration Components

Three-year program:

• Policy

• Early adopters

• Use cases to promote and

expand use

• Training and certification

• Outreach to NCDOT units

• Fleet management system

• Working Group

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NCDOT UAS Integration

Awareness

• UAS Policy

• Department-wide Memo

• UAS Working Group

Opportunity

• UAS User Group

• Use Case Development

• Assessment Meetings

Integration

• Training and Certification

• Platform Selection

• Fleet Management

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NCDOT UAS Integration - Opportunity

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• Use cases developed so far

– Aerial Herbicide Spraying

– Bridge Inspections

– Environmental Features Mapping

– Erosion Control Monitoring

– Landscape Inspections and Wildflower

Photojournalism

– Landslide and Geotech Investigation

– Sign Inspections

– Threatened and Endangered Species

Surveys

– More to come

Training and Certification: Obtain certification that qualifies you for increasingly

complex operations and platforms

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NCDOT UAS Integration

• UAS Loaner Program

– Offers exposure to drone integration before purchasing

– DoA works with units during six-month loan period to identify platform that best meets their

needs

• New operator loaner package includes:

– DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2

– Controller

– Batteries

– Waterproof case

• Borrowers must have “qualified operator(s):”

– Current FAA Remote Pilot Certificate

– Current NC Government UAS Operator Permit

– No FAA violations within past three years

– NCDOT DoA UAS Program Office UAS Level 1 training

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NCDOT UAS Discipline Codes

• 550 – Unmanned Aircraft Systems

(UAS) Program Support

• 551 – Unmanned Aircraft Systems

(UAS) Operator

• 552 – Unmanned Aircraft Systems

(UAS) Operations Management

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Prequalify under

these codes.

Keep updated on

any RFLOI

regarding UAS

services from

NCDOT.

Current NCDOT Drone Operators

• Division of Aviation uses drones for training,

demonstrations, research and testing use

cases, disaster response, and special

missions, upon request, for state and federal

agencies

• Communications uses drones to capture

video and photographs of NCDOT events and

projects throughout the state to support public

outreach.

• Division 1 primarily uses drones for project

documentation and storm assessment.

• Division 8 primarily uses for project

documentation and inspection.

• Environmental Analysis Unit primarily uses

drones to apply herbicide to invasive species

growing along the coast.

• Geotechnical Unit uses drones to assess

the potential for and conditions after

landslides.

• Photogrammetry is currently testing drone

accuracy for surveying and mapping

transportation projects.

• Roadside Environmental uses drones to

photograph jobsite erosion control measures

and document the state wildflower program.

• Safety and Risk Management uses drones

to assess worksite safety.

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NCDOT Current Fleet

DJI Inspire 2

DJI Agras

DJI Phantom 4 Pro

Yuneec Q500

DJI Matrice 200

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Yuneec H520Sensefly eBee Plus

DJI Matrice 210

Environmental Analysis Unit

• Successful utilization of a drone to spray an

herbicide to treat Australis phragmites at Bodie

Island Lighthouse

• North State Engineering supported effort

• First approval by National Park Service

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NCDOT Division 1

• First Division to adopt UAS

– Project Documentation

– Post-Storm Assessment

– 2 drones, high operations

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NCDOT Geotech

• Geotechnical Unit

– Western NC

– Landslide response

– Inspection/Maintenance

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LEADING THE WAY

FAA UAS Integration Pilot Program

• FIRST: Medical package delivery

over people (1Q FY19)

• FIRST: Routine commercial

medical package delivery over

people (3Q FY19)

• FIRST: Routine food package

delivery (4Q FY19)

• FAA ADDED: Transportation

infrastructure inspection (2Q FY19)

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North Carolina Participation Goals

• IMPROVE the lives and economic well-being of

North Carolinians through innovative UAS

operational concepts throughout the state, with

primary focus on medical package delivery

• UNDERSTAND the role of state and local

government in localized UAS airspace

management and new regulations

• INFORM development of federal guidelines

and regulatory decisions on UAS operations

nationwide

• ENABLE gateway to routine UAS operations

for the public good

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NCDOT IPP

Planned NC OperationsUrban Example Rural Example

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NCDOT IPP

* Example routes. Actual routes and locations TBD

LEADING THE WAY

Hurricane Florence Response

• NCDOT drone hurricane response:

– 15 drone teams

– 260+ missions

– 8,000+ videos and images

– Live streaming of real-time data to emergency

responders

– 7 supported agencies (NCDOT, NCDPS,

NCDEQ, N.C. National Guard, U.S. Coast

Guard, FEMA, and FAA)

• National/international recognition through major

media and guest presentations at major

government and industry convenings

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Post Hurricane Drone Video

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NCDOT UAS Role in Hurricane Florence Response

UAS Mission Workflow/Process

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Form

Reports, Mapping

Dashboard, Content Retrieval

Stakeholders

NCDOT Divisions /

Business Units

LEADING THE WAY

Unmanned Traffic Management

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LEADING THE WAY

Urban Air Mobility/NASA Grand Challenge

Urban Air Mobility (UAM)

• Infrastructure Inspection

• Routine Medical Package

Delivery

• Routine Food/Parcel Package

Delivery

• Autonomous Ambulatory Services

• Single Pilot Cargo Aircraft

• Unmanned Cargo Aircraft

• Unmanned Traffic Management

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LEADING THE WAY

NC Drone Summit

• Inaugural Summit in 2018

– 400+ attendees

– Industry and government leaders

presented

– Flight demos and exhibitors

• 2019 Summit: Aug. 11-13

– Defense industry focus

– Grandover Resort and Conference Center,

Greensboro, N.C.

www.ncdronesummit.com

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LEADING THE WAY

Economic Development

Goal: Position North Carolina

as a leader and home for UAS

innovation

• Economic development

missions

• Presentations and booths at

trade shows and conferences

• Articles and publications

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NCDOT UAS Resource Page

Publicly available online:

• List of NC General Statutes

• Best Practices

• UAS Research Reports

• UAS Related Links

• FAA Resources

• Law Enforcement Resources

• Emergency Management Resources

• Airport Operator Resources

• https://connect.ncdot.gov/resources/Pages/Aviatio

n-Division-Resources.aspx

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Questions?

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NCDOT UAS Contact

Basil Yap

UAS Program Manager

bkyap@ncdot.gov

NCDOT Division of AviationUAS@ncdot.gov | 919-814-0550

www.ncdot.gov/aviation/uas