PHOTOGRAMMETRIC ENGINEERING & REMOTE SENSING
July 2014
615
ASPRS
NEWS
Fall ASPRS UAS Symposium
AN UPDATE ON THE FALL ASPRS UAS SYMPOSIUM
“C
hange is in the Air!”
This is the tagline
of our fall UAS symposium
in Reno NV, which denotes
the excitement and also the
angst that goes along with change. We are all reminded daily, from news
and conversation, of the advent of the age of the drones and we each react
with our own individual excitement, loathing, fear, curiosity, or blend
thereof. The topic is definitely popular right now and ASPRS members are
smack dab in the middle of the issue, as one of the largest applications of
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) technology will be mapping. One of the
key topics of our symposium will be, “What is at stake?” When disruptive
technology such as UAS comes along, we all have a need for education and
collaboration.
The symposium will bring industry experts to speak to the
issues relevant to our mapping and remote sensing community.
The program will be tailored to cover topics of aircraft design,
sensor payload options, flight planning, flying the mission, data
processing and product development. Speakers and panels will
be selected to provide first-hand information on these issues.
No UAS symposium would be complete without a group
of exhibitors offering hands-on opportunities to see the
equipment, talk to the experts, and gather contacts for teaming
and collaboration. We have extended preliminary invitations
to manufacturers of UAS technology and it appears we will
have a large group of vendors who make UAS equipment,
provide software solutions, provide UAS components, and
provide services.
Last, but certainly not least, this symposium is designed
in coordination with the Nevada UAS Test Site. The State
of Nevada was selected as one of the six national UAS test
sites to serve as an arm of the FAA and provide for the safe
transition of civilian applications of UAS into the national air
space. This unique collaboration of ASPRS and the Nevada
Institute of Autonomous Systems will provide the ability for
ASPRS to host live flight demonstrations of UAS as part of the
symposium and allow ASPRS to establish the course for on-
going test flights of UAS.
The symposium will be held October 21-22, 2014. The events
will take place at the Reno Ballroom, a beautiful first-class
facility in downtown Reno. The El Dorado, our symposium
hotel, is located just across the street. Buses will be arranged
to take attendees to the Reno Stead Airport for the live UAS
demonstrations. All attempts are being made to keep costs at
a minimum in order to encourage broad attendance. It is our
goal to reach beyond our ASPRS membership to encourage
UAS start-ups, entrepreneurs, GIS professionals, government
agencies, surveyors, students, potential UAS users, and
general enthusiasts to attend.
The symposium planning committee is making great
progress and will be releasing a Preliminary Program and
Call for Registration soon. For now, please sign up at our pre-
registration link on our website to ensure receipt of ongoing
information.
Change is in the air!
Please join us in Reno to explore what is at stake and how to
prepare for change!
Becky Morton
ASPRS UAS Symposium Chair
