Detroit-based provider of drone safety infrastructure, Airspace Link believes in the power and importance of infrastructure and works towards enabling the safe integration of drones into the national airspace, communities at scale through digital infrastructure, strategic partnerships.
The company’s main offering includes providing online services that helps anyone working with UAVs to get FAA permission to fly by showing the necessary safety protocols are in place.
Recently Michigan’s Transportation Department joined hands with Airspace Link to analyze the air traffic and ground infrastructure.
“Understanding air and ground risk is critical to legally and safely integrating UAS operations of any type into the national airspace and into communities,” said Michael Healander, CEO of AirSpace Link, in an exclusive interview with Geospatial World.
How can air mobility corridors contribute to sustainability goals?
We think of air mobility corridors as areas where the infrastructure required to support full scale UAS operations of various uses cases exists.
Just as there a local and county roads complemented with state highways, interstates and toll roads for efficiency, air mobility corridors can help advance transportation options for couriers along these routes, enabling a safe and efficient method of transporting goods.
These will not be the only option UAS operators will have to fly in, but can provide areas with advanced infrastructure and safety features that lower the barriers to entry for commercial drone operators to fly safely and compliantly within.
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Beyond benefiting consumers by providing faster deliveries and serving underserved communities, establishing UAS corridors contribute measurably to sustainability goals, which can be measured through the reduction of Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT). Reducing VMT has wide ranging benefits, including:
Reduced Emissions: Small UAS (sUAS) are typically fully electric, battery-powered platforms. Reducing emissions helps to mitigate climate change- related risks in communities. Early analysis finds an estimated emissions reduction of about 1-2K tons of CO2 annually from the typical pilot project depending on the area and level of adoption.
Improved Mobility: Reduced congestion improves mobility access for road users. This benefits the economy and quality of life through reduced commute times and increased productivity. Longer term, use cases may also expand to an air transportation system that moves people between places previously not served or underserved by aviation, especially impactful for groups or communities that are mobility challenged.
Decreased Traffic Accidents: In 2020, there were 1,084 traffic fatalities in the state of Michigan, equating to a rate of 1.25 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles travelled. It is important to recognize the directional impact from finding safer alternatives to vehicle transport.
What are the major challenges you are facing because of the current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules and regulations? How can they be overcome?
Airspace Link entered into a public-private relationship with the FAA to help the industry further integrate and scale through their USS program as a Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) provider.
This was an initial step in integrating drones into the national airspace, allowing operators to apply for authorization in controlled airspace in just a few clicks, a process that previously took up to 90 days. We’re working with the FAA, state, and local governments to support the implementation and industry compliance of regulations to unlock the benefits that drones can provide sooner.
The FAA is currently rolling out Remote Identification (Remote ID), which over-simplified means a digital license plate for drones, enabling a higher level of accountability for pilots and greater transparency for Law Enforcement and the general public. This is a crucial step toward integrating drones into the National Airspace (NAS). Airspace Link is busy preparing for how Remote ID will impact the use of drones.
What technology do you use to map the skies, for the airspace safety and how do you manage air traffic?
The AirHub Platform is built on top of Esri base maps, integrating authoritative hyper-local ground data to inform ground risk. That information is layered on with FAA airspace rules and regulations in the U.S., as well as 60+ proprietary data sets to provide comprehensive airspace solutions.
Low altitude traffic management is often referred to as UAS Traffic Management, or UTM. The purpose of UTM is to support integrating drones into the regulatory, operational, and technical environment that comprises the National Airspace System (NAS).
Due to the expected volume of drones flying in the NAS over the next 10+ years, the standard Air Traffic Control (ATC) system in the US (and globally) will not be able to accommodate this volume.
A key component of crewed aviation is the ability for onboard pilots to conduct Detect and Avoid (DAA). DAA is the pilot’s ability to see and avoid other aircraft flying around them. While technology exists to make this task easier, the ultimate responsibility lies on the literal eyes and ears of the pilot flying the aircraft.
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The core concept of UTM is that automated services are essential to the scaling of the UAS industry, and that private industry itself would play a role in providing key air traffic services. These industry partners are known as UAS Service Suppliers, or USS.
As a USS, Airspace Link supports UTM through our LAANC service – Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability. Operators are able to conduct flight planning and receive near-real time FAA approval for their operations via our free application, AirHub Launch.
Looking to the future of UTM, Airspace Link is actively participating in state and federal projects to implement, test, and validate more advanced traffic management concepts to support scalable operations that could be conducted beyond visual line of sight of the pilot (BVLOS).
These projects include demonstrating state-wide deployments of UAS aviation infrastructure, testing the integration of multiple USS according to industry standards, ingesting crewed traffic surveillance information for UAS operator situational awareness, and more. These projects will directly impact the planning and coordination of uncrewed air traffic in varying environments, and assist in scaling meaningful UAS operations in our communities.
How do you plan to utilize the recent $23 million investment that you got?
With this funding, Airspace Link will continue to invest in and expand on initiatives to support the safe scaling of drone usage through:
- Delivering safe, performant, and neutral Supplemental Data Service Provider (SDSP) and UAS Service Supplier (USS) capabilities to enable the acceleration of UAS Traffic Management (UTM) ecosystems.
- Partnering with and supporting drone manufacturers, operators, software, and service providers to jointly execute on our shared vision.
- Strategically expand services globally, with partners like Thales Group and Esri, to support our current customers’ expansion and new market development.
- Expanding Airspace Link’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) public-private partnership, through programs such as LAANC USS, BEYOND, Remote ID, and more initiatives in the United States.
- Continuing to partner with State & Local Government to drive investment supporting drone infrastructure, enabling them to unlock economic, environmental, and social equity objectives delivered through advanced aerial mobility.
“A great validator of go-to-market strategy has been the excitement and the same we’ve seen from investors and partners on our financial business model and partner-centric approach. The confidence of investors, as shown by this capital raise, will enable us to meet the rapidly growing demand we’re seeing in the market, both in the U.S. and globally.” said Bill Johnson, CFO of Airspace Link.
Tell us about your partners and the kind of service that you provide. And what are your future targets from the partnership side of things?
The AirHub Platform is a centralized hub that empowers all members of the drone ecosystem with the ability to support safer, scalable drone operations.
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On the government side, the FlySafe Program enables state and local governments to better understand their local airspace and support the industry with hyper-local, authoritative data and advisories to utilize when planning operations. On the industry side, AirHub Launch and Insights support drone operators with superior risk analysis, planning, authorization, and insights tools required to fly safely and compliantly at scale.
We’re rapidly expanding with new partnerships and geographies, working with the industry and public sector to meet the rising demand for our products and services.
