In collaboration with Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research (NUAIR) and Griffiss International Airport in Rome, New York, OneSky, a business unit of Analytical Graphics Inc. (AGI), recently began live flight testing with the AGI OneSky UAS Traffic Management (UTM) platform.

The tests are being conducted as part of NASA’s ongoing UTM initiative, which is designed to enable civilian low-altitude airspace and UAS operations, and validating requirements for UAS Service Suppliers (USS).

According to the involved entities, the tests were the first live flights at an FAA designated UAS Test Site validating NASA Technical Capability Level 4 and the USS to USS integration protocol. Once finished, the tests will confirm OneSky’s ability to “enhance the safety and efficiency” of unmanned flights conducted beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS).

“The ability for Multiple UAS Services Suppliers to communicate with each other is another key element in implementing a UAS traffic management system that can facilitate beyond visual line of sight commercial operations,” explains Tony Basile, chief operations officer at NUAIR.

“OneSky has differentiated themselves by demonstrating their ability to deliver robust UTM capability to support BVLOS and urban operations. We especially appreciate the analytical depth of their software as well as their exceptional support. Their experience in delivering enterprise-ready software led to a successful and timely implementation.”

Other participants in the tests are drone-as-a-service company Measure and NUAIR Partner AX Enterprize. Measure successfully integrated its ground control tools and operation workflows with the OneSky platform to demonstrate a fully automated end-to-end platform, which significantly enhanced range-wide situational awareness.

Meanwhile, Ax Enterprize is supporting NUAIR’s integration, testing and operation of several USS systems at the New York UAS Test Site, including the OneSky UTM.

Since 2015, OneSky has participated in the NASA UTM effort. The company recently completed Technical Capability Level 4 (TCL4) UTM testing.

Along with being a UAS Service Supplier, OneSky is also providing access to its Supplemental Data Services Provider (SDSP) analytics such as terrain analysis, modeling of communications link quality, and navigation accuracy forecasting to NUAIR, as well as other USS. These analytics help ensure safe UAS operations across the flight route.

In an effort to improve the rigor of the New York UAS Test Site’s testing process, NUAIR has also implemented AGI’s Test and Evaluation Tool Kit (TETK) software, which helps quickly deliver actionable insights from the UAS test flights.