The Kansas Department of Transportation has partnered with unmanned traffic management (UTM) software provider AirMap to provide safer skies over Kansas and stimulate growth within the states burgeoning UAV industry.
The partnership will provide a central repository for state and local agencies to deliver safety critical information to drone operators and bring a new level of awareness to the public. Also, Kansas airprots will gain the abilitity to automate airspace safety notifications and autorizations once the new system is in place. AirMap and the Kansas DOT believe the system will form the bedrock for safe beyond visual line of sight operations in the future.
“Drones are already contributing to the Kansas economy as they start to be employed by farmers, ranchers, realtors, first responders and our public agencies,” said Bob Brock, Director of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Deputy Director of Aviation at the Kansas Department of Transportation. “By partnering with AirMap, we ensure that the state of Kansasis a perfect place to fly drones and build strong UAS companies. Kansas is open for business.”
The UTM initiative will not only contribute to local business, but will aid the Kansas government during natural disasters as well as search and rescue and fire operations. State colleges and universities will also get access to AirMap’s APIs and SDKs, allowing them to develop software with the state supporting research into new drone applications.
