ANSI Seeks Participants for Drone Panels
Subject-matter experts interested in participating in one or more of the four UASSC working groups are invited to review the working group architecture and return the sign-up sheet before Dec. 31, 2017.
The American National Standards Institute issued a call for participants for its Unmanned Aircraft Systems Standardization Collaborative (UASSC) on Dec. 4. The panel's kickoff meeting took place Sept. 28 in Washington, D.C., and it has a mission to coordinate and accelerate the development of the standards and conformity assessment programs needed to facilitate the safe integration of drones into the U.S. national airspace system.
The panel also will focus on international coordination and adaptability, with the goal of fostering the growth of the drone market. "The group will work to develop a standardization roadmap over the course of a year to identify existing standards and standards in development, as well as related conformance programs, define where gaps exist, and recommend additional work that is needed including a timeline for its completion and organizations that potentially can perform the work. The UASSC will not develop standards," ANSI's announcement said.
Subject-matter experts interested in participating in one or more of the four UASSC working groups -- the four are Critical Infrastructure/Environment, Emergency/Medical Response, Disaster Relief/News Reporting, and Transportation/Hazardous Materials -- are invited to review the working group architecture and return the sign-up sheet before Dec. 31, 2017. The working groups will hold online meetings twice a month, with first meetings taking place in January 2018. ANSI said participation in the collaborative is open to drone stakeholders that have operations in the United States, and the September meeting drew 83 attendees from 58 organizations including industry, trade associations, standards developing organizations, and government.
"ANSI has a track record of developing standardization roadmaps in diverse areas such as additive manufacturing, energy efficiency in the built environment, and electric vehicles," said ANSI President and CEO Joe Bhatia. "We offer a neutral forum where experts can come together to discuss the issues, particularly in emerging areas of technology when there is a need for coordinated standards activity. We look forward to fostering this dialogue on the role of standardization in addressing the challenges associated with integrating UAS into the airspace and realizing the full potential that this exciting technology offers.”
For more information and to access the sign-up sheet, visit www.ansi.org/uassc.