predicts will happen in the sky before we ever see self-driving cars on the road. During a recent interview, Marcus said we’ll likely see unpiloted drones proliferate in the coming years, more so than in any other industry. Marcus, who serves as co-chair of the FAA’s Industry Unmanned Aircraft Safety Team, estimates that on any given day there are about 10,000 flights happening in the U.S. Comparatively, there are about 100,000 drone flights in the air each day. As the technology becomes more autonomous, AirMap is counting on even more clients using its solutions. In fact, the company recently received $26 million in venture funding fromMicrosoft Ventures to build out its airspace and air traffic management platforms. “From package delivery to flying cars,” Jones said, “we’re moving quickly towards a future where drone-enabled services are part of our daily lives. The AirMap platform enables this future by providing the necessary infrastructure to support safe, efficient, orderly, reliable and sustainable high-frequency drone operations in low-altitude airspace.” So far, AirMap is used by more than 130 U.S. airports to accept digital flight notices and to communicate with flight operators and hundreds of developers. “AirMap’s solution has been officially approved by the FAA and is enabling drone flight operations for even more stakeholders,” Jones added. “With faster access to controlled airspace, more drone operations can occur, which will help drive the drone economy overall,” a drone market that PwC values at well over $127 billion. “Very soon, millions of drones will fly billions of flights,” Marcus said. “This is a future that depends on safe, autonomous drone operations at scale.” He added, “Now drone operators can use AirMap to get immediate airspace access for flights that grow their businesses and accelerate the drone economy.”
The Future of Autonomous Vehicles When AirMap was founded in 2015 in Santa Monica, California, Ben Marcus and Greg McNeal wanted to find a fresh new way to tap into aviation technology. Their interesting, if not somewhat unexpected, collaboration was built on the idea that drones represent the next wave of aviation industry growth and innovation. As such, AirMap, a CompTIA Policy Member active in our State Government Affairs programs, is working to make the technology a big part of everyday life by building a service platform that lets the innovation take off – literally. According to Sezen Jones, who handles public policy for AirMap, the company is essentially helping to ensure safe and compliant drone flights. “Our popular app for drone operators delivers real-time, mission-critical airspace intelligence, including temporary flight restrictions, nearby manned and unmanned traffic, changes in weather and automated waivers for entering controlled airspace,” Jones said. “In addition, our airspace management platform is used by universities, airports and other drone industry stakeholders.” What makes this young company’s work really stand out is how it’s leveraging data and services by working with some of the top drone manufacturers like DJI, Intel, senseFly and Aeryon Labs. “This is expanding the reach of our technology and solutions throughout the entire drone ecosystem,” said Jones, who anticipates that the practical use of the technology across industries will gather even more momentum in the next few years. These days, AirMap serves a range of stakeholders, including drone manufacturers and developers, big names like Drone Deploy, KittyHawk, DroneLogbook and Hover. It’s also working closely with airports and air navigation service providers. AirMap is taking a big step into autonomy, something the company CEO
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SPRING 2018 | CompTIAWorld
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