Legislature(2023 - 2024)BARNES 124
02/09/2023 01:00 PM House TRANSPORTATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation(s): Unmanned Aircraft Systems Update | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE TRANSPORTATION STANDING COMMITTEE
February 9, 2023
1:01 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Kevin McCabe, Chair
Representative Sarah Vance, Vice Chair
Representative Tom McKay
Representative Craig Johnson
Representative Jesse Sumner
Representative Louise Stutes
Representative Genevieve Mina
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
OTHER LEGISLATORS PRESENT
Senator Shelley Hughes
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION(S): UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS UPDATE
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
RYAN MARLOW
UAS/Drone Program Coordinator
Division of Statewide Aviation
Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented a PowerPoint, titled "2023 State
of Alaska Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) & Advanced Air
Mobility (AAM)," during the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Update
presentation.
CATHY CAHILL, Director
Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI)
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented a PowerPoint, titled "Flying to
the Future: Building the Drone Industry in Alaska," during the
Unmanned Aircraft Systems Update presentation.
WITNESS REGISTER
SENATOR SHELLEY HUGHES
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Offered testimony in support of the work of
ACUASI.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:01:50 PM
CHAIR KEVIN MCCABE called the House Transportation Standing
Committee meeting to order at 1:01 p.m. Representatives
Johnson, McKay, Vance, Stutes, Mina, and McCabe were present at
the call to order. Representative Sumner arrived as the meeting
was in progress.
^PRESENTATION(S): Unmanned Aircraft Systems Update
PRESENTATION(S): Unmanned Aircraft Systems Update
1:03:32 PM
CHAIR MCCABE announced that the only order of business would be
the Unmanned Aircraft Systems [UAS] update presentation.
1:04:12 PM
RYAN MARLOW, UAS/Drone Program Coordinator, Division of
Statewide Aviation, Department of Transportation, explained that
via a PowerPoint presentation [hard copy included in the
committee packet], he would be discussing the UAS program, and
highlighting general overviews for the state of Alaska, and
where the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
[DOT&PF] is going with the technology. He pointed out a screen
shot on the first slide, with a picture of an operation that
took place in 2021 showing what the future of unmanned aviation
in Alaska looks like, utilizing runways, resources,
technologies, and assets to evaluate these technologies in
places like the Arctic, the Aleutians, and across the entire
state. Mr. Marlow continued on slide 2, titled "Alaska UAS
Regulations," which showed ten regulations that govern UAS use.
He summarized operational guidelines, and that all related
resources can be found on the DOT website which is shown on the
final slide.
1:06:28 PM
MR. MARLOW continued on slide 3, titled "Alaska UAS
Development." The slide shows funding sources and partnerships,
and he pointed out the UAS market is growing rapidly in the
state of Alaska, and that DOT is finding new applications every
day for eliminating risk factors when they can be done by a UAS
platform.
1:07:14 PM
MR. MARLOW moved to slide 4, titled "Alaska UAS Growth for 2022-
2023," where he began by pointing out that Alaska is the first
state in the nation to have more registered UAS than manned
aviation. The slide also shows other locations in the United
States where UAS have been deployed - with Alaska leading in
ratio of population to drone registrations.
1:08:24 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MINA inquired about training requirements for
pilots to become licensed.
MR. MARLOW replied that currently there are two ways the state
licenses operators, and the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) has posted "part 107" which is the primary commercial
licensure for the operation of these vehicles. The focus is to
first get certification on the aircraft and hands-on procedures,
and then students will jump into their specific area of
training. The trainings are done annually, and he noted DOT has
seen a growth of approximately 20 pilots per year.
1:10:48 PM
MR. MARLOW moved to slide 5, titled "Recreation UAS Safety Test
(TRUST)," that featured the latest from the FAA for those not
pursuing civil operations. He pointed out there are about 5,800
recreational fliers in Alaska, and approximately half have taken
the "TRUST test," which is a free test that is being pushed for
being a requirement for all new students.
MR. MARLOW proceeded to slide 6, titled "Alaska UAS Technical
Working Group." The slide highlighted 5 agencies under the
Alaska Geospatial Council and the number of platforms each has.
He explained the benefits include the sharing of manuals,
procedures, and integrating with communities.
1:14:05 PM
MR. MARLOW moved to slide 7, titled "DOT&PF UAS Program." The
slide highlighted DOT&PF's expansion into various groups
including avalanche [under Maintenance and Operation "M&O"],
geotechnical groups, airport inspections, hydrology,
environmental, bridge design - to name a few. He explained the
attrition rates, also shown on the slide, were being compensated
for with DOT&PF's training program, averaging a cost savings of
about $7,000 per day.
MR. MARLOW continued to slide 8, titled "Statewide UAS Support,"
and pointed out that all supports are facilitated through
DOT&PF's Remote Sensing Lab. There are three labs located in
Anchorage, Juneau, and Fairbanks. The supports aren't only for
DOT but for other local municipalities and, in addition, include
field support and hazmat shipping.
MR. MARLOW showed slide 9, titled "DoD Blue UAS Deployment,"
which features a heavily focused-on item called Blue UAS that
are available for government purchase and operations, and he
explains many of the grants DOT&PF is starting to see are now
requiring Blue UAS.
1:17:21 PM
MR. MARLOW moved on to slides 10-12, titled "Bridge Inspection
and Scanning." Slide 10 shows part of an "underbelly process"
in which inspections and imagery can be done by the perspective
of looking up. Slide 11 features thermal loading, where dead
concrete can be spotted in the imagery, providing a better look
at the infrastructure. Slide 12 highlights digitizing as high a
resolution as possible and the processing of three-dimensional
(3D) data that reveals flaws not otherwise visible.
1:20:12 PM
MR. MARLOW moved to slide 13, titled "Autonomous Bridge
Inspection and Scanning," showing a 3D model of a bridge that
had been scanned. The erosion in the timber is visible through
this high-resolution data. The data also evaluates if the
bridge is sound, needs updated maintenance, or needs to be
closed.
MR. MARLOW continued to slides 14 and 15, titled "Avalanche
Mapping and Monitoring." He summarized that the ability to fly
these systems in various areas can result in detecting how deep
the snow is and where mitigation may need to occur. He also
explained some of the avalanche chutes are remote, so this year
DOT&PF will be deploying remote systems for real-time feedback.
He mentioned geographic information systems (GIS) creating
digital models - and the importance of remote-sensing data.
1:23:04 PM
MR. MARLOW continued to slide 16, titled "Aviation
Infrastructure Monitoring and GIS," where he explained the slide
shows why DOT&PF is heavily focused on GIS. The slide featured
pictures of airport projects, relating to pavement conditions,
vegetation encroachments, and transparency of project funding.
MR. MARLOW moved on to slide 17, titled "AI Crack Detection &
Pavement Condition Index (PCI)." He pointed out that with drone
data and GIS is the ability to start using artificial
intelligence (AI). The imagery on the slide shows detection of
the current status of runways and asphalts.
1:25:06 PM
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE asked if Mr. Marlow is aware of the fiscal
impact with this amount of data storage and possible sharing
between departments and whether there is a current "ask" in the
budget.
MR. MARLOW confirmed that has been a big item on data governance
on the UAS side as to what data to keep, discard, or archive,
and DOT&PF is paying close attention to these data formats and
what is most valuable.
1:26:50 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MINA asked what the current limits on data
storage are.
MR. MARLOW replied the only limitations are bandwidth
capabilities. He explained DOT&PF has the storage in Cloud, but
Alaska does not have a dedicated Cloud storage service, so the
data has to head to Washington or Oregon to be stored. He
stated this as being part of the big push to GIS to manage all
the data.
1:28:25 PM
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE questioned the data showing various
vulnerabilities in infrastructures and asked if there are added
security measure to protect the data.
MR. MARLOW replied that DOT&PF has been spending significant
time with the State of Alaska Office of Information Technology
(OIT) regarding Cloud migration and supporting the security of
the data, with consideration of whether data needs to be secured
or put into different environments. He explained he can get
more information from OIT, and he reiterated that security is a
critical area.
MR. MARLOW returned to the PowerPoint, to slide 18, which shows
Sandpoint Airport [post-earthquake], and the ability to capture
environments such as runway damage not visible without the
technology. He pointed out the timeliness and cost-
effectiveness of using the imagery versus paying for a crew to
go out and inspect.
1:30:46 PM
MR. MARLOW moved on to slide 19, titled "Statewide UAS
Livestream and Cloud Processing." He stressed the search and
rescue side and evaluating the use of lower-orbit technologies
and the ability to livestream using the Cloud process. He
explained that when disasters occur, the data is processed in
real time via the Cloud.
MR. MARLOW proceeded to slide 20, titled "Traffic Safety
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)," where he explained
"reality captures" being the primary theme and DOT&PF's
partnerships with other agencies to deploy the UAS to increase
scanning speeds for larger scenes such as traffic accidents.
MR. MARLOW moved to slide 21, titled "Alaska Rural Remote
Operations Workplan (ARROW)." He explained the State of Alaska
is pursuing a DOT&PF Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing
Transportation (SMART) grant for deploying the systems to rural
communities.
MR. MARLOW continued to slide 22, titled "Advanced Air
Mobility," which he noted would lead into the next presenter's
segment. He described advanced air mobility as the impact of
"next-gen" services - taking everything that is currently known
about airspace and tackling it with technology. He continued
his explanation on advanced air mobility on slide 23, titled
"FAA Alaska Aviation Safety Initiative (FAASI)," and noted the
technology could also enhance many aeronautical-based programs.
MR. MARLOW brought attention to slide 24, titled "AAM
Development and Planning," where he explained that DOT&PF had
started planning with advance air mobility, many aspects of
aviation and airspace, and, most notably, wireless
infrastructure connectivity. The goal is to bring these many
aspects into one safe environment.
MR. MARLOW proceeded to slide 25, titled "AAM GAP Analysis and
Transportation System," which shows many areas in Alaska that
are all dependent on aviation. He quoted the FAA describing
Alaska as having "its own airspace," and on resource
development, he noted airspace may become Alaska's next large
resource.
1:36:38 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MINA requested to return to slide 23, titled "FAA
Alaska Aviation Safety Initiative (FAASI)," and asked for more
information about the top safety concerns and how the safety
outreach is going.
MR. MARLOW replied that the FAA started the process in 2020 and
has conducted meetings via Teams and reached out to industry
stakeholders focusing on the primary slides in the presentation.
The FAASI team has "set the footprint" for DOT to recognize
known problems - and what is done to correct them. He noted
this gathered information is available as a published document
as well, and he offered to send it to the committee for further
review.
1:3755 PM
MR. MARLOW continued the presentation on slide 26, titled "AAM
Rural Broadband Connectivity," and he explained the testing
being done throughout the state of Alaska. He stated that the
systems, while working, are "not quite there yet," but the
potential they offer for surveillance and real-time
communications, he opined, is outstanding.
1:39:09 PM
MR. MARLOW moved to slide 27, titled "Alaska Continuously
Operating Reference Network (ACORN)," which featured another
project where DOT is partnering with the Department of Natural
Resources (DNR) to help push a state wide reference network. He
continued to slide 28, titled "AAM Technology Deployment," and
highlighted two areas DOT&PF would like to evaluate some of the
"next-gen" technologies: Deadhorse, Alaska, and Bethel, Alaska.
He then concluded with slide 29, titled "Alaska UAS & AAM
Resources." He briefly summarized the intention of the
PowerPoint and pointed out contact information on the slide.
1:41:06 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MINA questioned if there has been any impact on
the land surveying workforce due to progress with drone
technology.
MR. MARLOW replied absolutely; the land survey paved the way for
many of these technologies.
REPRESENTATIVE MINA addressed the data being collected and
questioned how any privacy concerns are being addressed by
DOT&PF.
MR. MARLOW responded that all the data is being collected, and
as for privacy, the prime focus is on individual projects,
primarily infrastructure projects.
REPRESENTATIVE MINA asked how DOT&PF would address a drone
flying away.
1:44:30 PM
MR. MARLOW replied his position was created around managing that
situation. He explained DOT&PF is working with systems deemed
not "air-worthy," and a significant amount of time is spent
testing and creating failure environments to ensure the safety
and reliability of the systems.
1:46:25 PM
CATHY CAHILL, Director, Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft
Systems Integration (ACUASI), University of Alaska Fairbanks,
said she would update the committee on the works of ACUASI. She
began by showing an approximate 3-minute overview video which is
part of the "Empower Alaska" campaign for the University of
Alaska. She proceeded with a PowerPoint presentation, titled
"Flying to the Future: Building the Drone Industry in Alaska."
She showed slide, titled "ACUASI," which highlighted the mission
of ACUASI to: assist the FAA with the safe integration of
drones into national airspaces; support Alaska drone users and
the industry; and conduct scientific research. She noted that
the scientific research is part of the University of Alaska
system.
1:52:59 PM
MS. CAHILL moved on to a slide that explained ACUASI's overall
goal, titled "Goal - Complete Integration of Drones Systems with
Traditional Aircraft in the National Airspace System." She then
proceeded to the next slide, titled "Who Are We?" She explained
the combination and diversity of individuals including
academics, military veterans, pilots, and more means ACUASI is
bringing the "best and brightest" together from all different
directions for a common purpose.
1:55:40 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCKAY referred back to slide 4, which shows a
cargo plane and a drone on the same airfield in Inuvik, Canada.
He asked what Canada can do, that the U.S. cannot do.
1:56:02 PM
MS. CAHILL explained that in the U.S., the FAA is concerned
about losing "link" with aircraft. In Canada there are not such
restrictions, and drones can be flown further. She said ACUASI
is working on detection technology.
1:58:50 PM
CHAIR MCCABE asked if Ms. Cahill just received an FAA letter or
waiver regarding line of sight.
1:59:06 PM
MS. CAHILL responded ACUASI just received a waiver to some rules
and regulations for larger aircraft. She explained there is an
established level of trust with the FAA, resulting in the FAA
giving additional permissions.
2:01:11 PM
CHAIR MCCABE commented on working close with big box delivery
companies and delivering packages via drones.
MS. CAHILL confirmed ACUASI is tied in with several of the
delivery companies but the "last mile delivery" is not the
focus; delivery the last hundreds of miles to rural communities
is.
2:02:35 PM
MS. CAHILL continued to the next slide, titled "ACUASI's
Military Experience," and explained the importance of having an
operational team that understands aviation safety but also
understands "completing the missions."
MS. CAHILL moved on to the next slide, titled "FAA Recognition
of ACUASI's Expertise." She quickly proceeded to the next slide
with the same title and explained the expansion of areas of
recognition by the FAA.
MS. CAHILL continued to the next slide, titled "BVLOS Aviation
Rulemaking Committee." The focus being how the rules and
regulations will allow for advanced air mobility. She noted
ACUASI is not just a drone program, it comprises aviators, who
want to defend the Alaska way of life.
2:05:22 PM
MS. CAHILL moved to the next slide, titled "Partners Beyond,"
that featured the many partners of ACUASI. She moved on to the
next slide, titled "ACUASI Strategic Planning," and explained
there were a series of strategic planning efforts, and in
addition, 16 stakeholders from across Alaska were brought
together to discuss the creation of a drone economy in Alaska.
Continuing to the next slide, titled "What Really Makes Us
Different," she explained that ACUASI is looking to pick
something that works for Alaska, and will "test anything for
anyone." She said the Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS)
challenge must be broken. The goal is for the long distance
missions to be able to get accomplished.
2:08:05 PM
MS. CAHILL moved to the next slide, titled "Advanced Air
Mobility." She began by pointing out ACUASI was told it is the
leader for advanced air mobility in the United States, and she
proceeded to name projects not only in Alaska but also in
California. She proceeded to the next slide, titled "Cargo
Delivery," where she made a point of the goal being to fly where
traditional aircraft cannot and to help alleviate the effects of
pilot shortage.
2:11:07 PM
MS. CAHILL moved to the next slide, titled "Fairbanks
International Airport." She noted ACUASI has a hangar at the
airport in preparation for future operations. She continued to
the next slide, titled "Large Drone (DRS Sentry) at Fairbanks
International Airport." The slide shows a date of May 22, 2022,
as being the date of the first operations at the Fairbanks
International Airport. She explained the drone was described by
a standard flight instructor as "acting like any other
aircraft." She moved to the next slide, titled "Next Step:
Fairbanks to Nenana," regarding the next step for ACUASI's
larger aircraft.
2:13:10 PM
MS. CAHILL continued to the next slide, titled "Emerging
Technology Test Ranges." The slide highlights ACUASI's three
emerging technology test ranges: the Nenana Municipal Airport,
the Palmer Municipal Airport, and the Valdez Airport. She noted
the ability to test under Arctic conditions as crucial. She
moved on to the next slide, titled "Nenana Municipal Airport,"
where ACUASI is in the process of building a hangar. She
pointed out that Nenana and Fairbanks are both on the road
system and are good stepping stones to other communities.
2:15:03 PM
MS. CAHILL moved to the next slide, titled "Hot off the Press!"
She explained in February, ACUASI received the first ever waiver
granted by the FAA that expanded the ability to help drone
manufacturers get their aircraft approved for use in the
National Airspace System.
2:17:41 PM
MS. CAHILL moved on to the next slide, titled "DAA System: User
Interface." The focus of AQUASI is "detect and avoid testing."
The slide shows an aerial visual of where testing is done.
MS. CAHILL continued to the next slide, titled "Pipeline
Monitoring," where she explained ACUASI will be doing many
operations.
2:19:29 PM
MS. CAHILL moved on to the next slide, titled "Experience Flying
Large Drones BVLOS - Transport Canada Operations," highlighting
ACUASI's work with Transport Canada.
2:19:49 PM
MS. CAHILL continued to the next slide that shows an image of
open water, and she explained the drone is spotting an
underwater whale that cannot be spotted by the human eye. On
the following slide, Ms. Cahill pointed out the enhanced image
of the whale taken by the drone, and that the type of whale and
gender can also be determined from the image.
2:21:05 PM
MS. CAHILL proceeded to the next slide, titled "Disaster
Response." The focus being how to communicate during a disaster
and how to deal with disasters with maximum effect with the
limited resources available.
MS. CAHILL moved on to the next slide, titled "Counter-drone
(FAA, DOG, DHS,...)." She explained the function of counter-
drone is to be able to spot, detect, track, identify, and/or
mitigate drones that have clueless, criminal, or careless
intent.
2:25:32 PM
MS. CAHILL continued to the next slide, titled "Education," and
being part of the University of Alaska, she explained, education
is key. All the universities are working on developing
curriculum that will also include distance learning
opportunities.
2:28:14 PM
MS. CAHILL moved to the next slide, titled "What's Next?" She
summarized some of the projects and missions that ACUASI will be
part of in the following six months. She proceeded to the next
slide with the same title, and explained ACUASI will also be
conducting many counter-drone campaigns outside of Alaska under
different conditions.
2:30:31 PM
MS. CAHILL continued to the next slide, titled "Update on FY 23
Funding," where she began by stating her appreciation for the
influx of funding for fiscal year 2023 (FY 23) to lay the
foundation for the drone economy, which also encompassed the
hiring of faculty and instructors. She continued to the next
slide with the same title, and she noted the special permission
under the FAA's BEYOND program to push the boundaries on the
visual line of sight and reiterated the assistance with the
longer distance cargo deliveries.
2:33:21 PM
MS. CAHILL continued on the next slide, titled "FY 24 Funding
Request," where she stressed the importance of programs being
developed for high school students and the hope for their
retention in Alaska. She continued on the next slide with the
same title, now focusing on the three previously highlighted
technology test ranges for anticipated testing.
2:35:06 PM
MS. CAHILL moved on to the next slide, titled "ACUASI's Future
Impact on Alaska's Drone Economy," reiterating the goals to lead
the way in the safe integration of drones in Alaska and what
that will encompass. She then offered to answer questions.
2:37:12 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MINA asked if there are more companies that are
gravitating and investing in drone technologies in Alaska.
MS. CAHILL responded that many companies have expressed interest
in moving branches up to Alaska.
2:39:39 PM
SENATOR HUGHES added commentary in support of ACUASI's work.
2:41:43 PM
CHAIR MCCABE, in closing, urged Ms. Cahill to open a dialogue
with Wasilla High School to engage the students in this emerging
technology.
2:43:20 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Transportation Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 2:43
p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| (H)TRA UAS presentation 02.09.23.pdf |
HTRA 2/9/2023 1:00:00 PM |
DOT&PF UAS Presentation 2.9.23 |
| (H)TRA ACUASI Presentation 02.09.23.pdf |
HTRA 2/9/2023 1:00:00 PM |
(H)TRA ACUASI Presentation 02.09.23 |