Beavercreek, OH – CAL Analytics, based near Dayton, Ohio,is introducing a newly developed Contingency Management Platform (CMP) designed to provide a much-needed safety layer to drone operations for the Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) ecosystems. The CMP will allow airspace supervision of drone operations, monitoring the health and integrity of the entire UTM and AAM ecosystem and enabling responses to emergent contingency conditions. The collaborative effort includes private companies ResilienX TrueWeather Solutions and Kongsberg Geospatial with higher education partners Kent State University and The Ohio State University.
CAL Analytics has been working in the unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) area since its formation ten years ago. Now, as the commercial unmanned aircraft or drone marketplace takes off, the company continues its work to provide technical solutions to ensure these systems are robust and safe. Most recently, CAL Analytics has been working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and several industry partners to bring technologies to Ohio to enable safe and routine drone operations for commercial use.
“We’re excited to work directly with the Ohio Federal Research Network, FAA, academia and our great industry partners to bring together some of the most innovative companies in the industry to tackle operational safety in UTM,” said Dr. Sean Calhoun, managing director of CAL Analytics. “Validating a contingency management approach is a critical, but often overlooked step to achieve routine commercial drone operations.”
“Additionally, our Detect and Avoid (DAA) service, powered by the FAA’s Airborne Collision Avoidance System sXu software, enables the drone/UAS to ‘see and avoid’ by using sensor and guidance technology. Having a DAA solution that does not have to be mounted on the aircraft provides much needed relief to airborne equipage requirements and allows for a more extensible and less tightly coupled DAA solution,” Calhoun said. “Until airborne DAA sensors can be matured to the point they provide affordable and reliable surveillance services, this scalable DAA service will provide much needed protections against airborne hazards for UAS to safely operate beyond visual line-of-sight without ground observers.”
Two key advancements of CAL Analytics’ DAA approach are the integration with a UAS Service Supplier (USS) to receive real-time telemetry from the UAS and provide guidance commands, along with the ability to execute fully automated maneuvers to avoid the collision risk. CAL Analytics’ partnered with AiRXOS (part of GE Aviation, a subsidiary of General Electric) and the Ohio State University to achieve this full representative integration. By working with the USS directly as the gateway to the UAS, the DAA system can scale as needed real-time based on demand.
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About Cal Analytics
CAL Analytics is a small business focusing on the development of aviation and autonomous systems. Located in the Dayton, OH region and founded in 2010, CAL Analytics has expertise in navigation systems, remote sensing, signal analysis, and information fusion. Our mission is to provide agile and rigorous R&D to bring new technologies to the world.
About the Ohio Federal Research Network (OFRN)
OFRN has the mission to stimulate Ohio’s innovation economy by building vibrant, statewide university/industry research collaborations that meet the requirements of Ohio’s federal laboratories, resulting in the creation of leading-edge technologies that drive job growth for our state. OFRN is a program of Parallax Advanced Research and The Ohio State University.
About Parallax Advanced Research
Parallax Advanced Research is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 2011 that was originally affiliated with Wright State University. Parallax provides efficient and effective contracting, security and research support for academic institutions across the State of Ohio and the Nation. Together with academia, industry and the government, Parallax Advance Research accelerates innovation that leads to new breakthroughs; tackles critical global challenges; delivers new solutions; and develops groundbreaking ideas and speeds them to market.
