Partnership to provide FAA-trusted airspace data to LATAS to improve safety specifically for drone operators, airports and drone manufacturers, particularly during flights beyond visual line of sight.
RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 8, 2016 — (PRNewswire) — PrecisionHawk Inc. – a leading provider of aerial data and safety platforms for drones – today announced the launch of its low altitude traffic and airspace safety platform (LATAS). LATAS is the only platform to link drones, 3d ground data and live manned aircraft data from the FAA into a single system that tells a drone operator when and where it's safe to fly.
The launch comes shortly after PrecisionHawk signed a five-year deal with Harris Corporation (NYSE: HRS), a systems integrator for the FAA. By integrating Harris' manned aircraft data, LATAS can provide traffic alerts to drone operators without any delay and build tools for drones and manned aircraft to see each other's real-time location for the first time. PrecisionHawk first proved this concept under the FAA Pathfinder program and then with the Department of Homeland Security, and last week became the first company approved for beyond line of sight commercial flight under a Part 107 waiver.
"We have done significant testing to measure how LATAS, equipped with Harris' real-time air traffic data, can enhance the safety of a drone pilot when flying beyond visual line of site (BVLOS)", said Tyler Collins, VP Airspace at PrecisionHawk. "As thousands of new operators join the drone space under Part 107, our goal is to provide an easy to use and reliable safety tool that gives a drone operators a complete picture of their surroundings and how those surroundings are changing in real-time."
Harris' airspace data is available through the LATAS API to drone manufacturers and app developers, and drone operators can sign up to use the LATAS dashboard for free today. The free LATAS web dashboard acts as a digital observer for the drone operator. Equipped with airspace data maps that are rigorously analyzed by airspace and geospatial experts at Skyward, LATAS makes the operator as knowledgeable as possible about the environment around them during flight. A user submits a flight plan to see no fly zones and receive real-time notifications of hazards on the ground or in the air.
"This partnership combines PrecisionHawk's UAS industry innovation with Harris' FAA critical networks expertise," said Ed Sayadian, president, Harris Mission Networks. "Harris developed the first UAS surveillance capabilities covering the entire National Airspace System, which are now being integrated into LATAS."
About PrecisionHawk Inc.: PrecisionHawk is a terrestrial data acquisition and analysis company founded in 2010. The company provides an end-to-end solution using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for data collection and analysis software tools to deliver better business intelligence to clients across a wide range of civilian industries. PrecisionHawk also owns terrestrial data software, DataMapper, satellite imagery provider, Terraserver, and the Low Altitude Traffic and Airspace Safety platform for drones, LATAS. A privately held company based in Raleigh, NC and Toronto, Canada, PrecisionHawk's investors include Intel Capital, Millennium Technology Value Partners, Verizon Ventures, a subsidiary of USAA, NTT Docomo Ventures, Yamaha Motor and Indiana University's Innovate Indiana Fund. More information about PrecisionHawk can be found at www.precisionhawk.com or on Twitter @PrecisionHawk.
About Harris Corporation: Harris Corporation is a leading technology innovator, solving customers' toughest mission-critical challenges by providing solutions that connect, inform and protect. Harris supports customers in more than 100 countries and has approximately $7.5 billion in annual revenue and 21,000 employees worldwide. The company is organized into four business segments: Communication Systems, Space and Intelligence Systems, Electronic Systems and Critical Networks. Learn more at harris.com.
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SOURCE PrecisionHawk