Prairie Skies Foster Drone Startups
Silicon Valley is the nation’s leading hub for high-tech innovations and development, accounting for one-third of the nation’s venture capital investment dollars.
With the rising popularity of drones, Silicon Valley is sure to play a role in new drone technology. However, the Red River Valley is poised to give Silicon Valley great competition in the development and testing of UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) technology.
Our region has developed into a UAS technology center for a number of reasons. First, North Dakota is home to one of six UAS test sites in the nation, hosted by the Federal Aviation Administration. The Northern Plains UAS Test Site, located west of Grand Forks, ND, offers services including support for preparing Section 333 exemptions, UAS research as a public entity, Special Airworthiness Certification, and more. The test site accesses the entire state, and features uncongested airspace optimal for UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) testing.
Since North Dakota has large uncongested airspace, NDSU has partnered with a company called Elbit Systems to plan a large scale UAV research project for the summer of 2016. They will be flying a large internal combustion engine UAV over a corridor west of Hillsboro, ND. The project goal is to determine the economic feasibility of flying large scale UAVs over large areas of land rather than small UAVs over individual fields.
Several local entrepreneurs have also been integral in bringing the drone industry to North Dakota. Botlink, a drone startup based in downtown Fargo, has developed a UAV cellular mapping solution with features that include mission planning, real-time image stitching, aircraft avoidance, and weather overlays.
Additionally, collaborative get-togethers have been organized to facilitate sharing information about what is changing in this fast-paced industry. Adam Spelhaug and I participate in Drone Focus, a monthly meetup about “all things drone”. Sponsored by Emerging Prairie and Botlink, these sessions are attended by engineers, entrepreneurs, and UAV enthusiasts from around the region. Drone Focus will also host an annual conference in June at the Fargo Jet Center to showcase the latest drone technology.
With the hard work of many associations in the region and our wide open airspace, North Dakota has potential to become the Silicon Valley of drones. This opportunity could create development in agriculture-specific UAV technology that will benefit all growers in our region.
