2017 Conference Program
Tuesday October, 24
Product previews (conference pass required)
1:00 – 5:00
Product Previews
Learn about the newest supplier advances and best practices for specifying, planning and executing projects in Product Previews presented by exhibiting companies.
Click the “+” button below to view the full schedule of companies and presentation times.
Product Preview Schedule
| Track I | Track II | |||
| Pavilion 1-3 | Pavilion 9-11 | |||
| 1:00-1:15 | U-Drone Robotics Australia | 1:00-1:15 | Trimble | |
| 1:15-1:30 | Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc. | 1:15-1:30 | Ventus Geospatial | |
| 1:30-1:45 | DroneDeploy | 1:30-1:45 | C-Astral Aerospace | |
| 1:45-2:00 | Dynamic UAV Solutions | 1:45-2:00 | Parrot | |
| 2:00-2:15 | Flyability | 2:00-2:15 | Unmanned Aerial Specialists | |
| 2:15-2:30 | Harris Corporation | 2:15-2:30 | PrecisionHawk | |
| 2:30-2:45 | Leica Geosystems Inc. | 2:30-2:45 | Delair | |
| 2:45-3:00 | Microdrones | 2:45-3:00 | Optelos | |
| 3:00-3:15 | Phase One Industrial | 3:00-3:15 | Lockheed Martin Canada CDL Systems | |
| 3:15-3:30 | Pix4D | 3:15-3:30 | Ambar Group/Agrowing/Walkera | |
| 3:30-3:45 | YellowScan | 3:30-3:45 | Ontario Power Generation | |
| 3:45-4:00 | RIEGL USA Inc. | 3:45-4:00 | Hazon Solutions | |
| 4:00-4:15 | ALX Systems | 4:00-4:15 | LiDAR USA / DJI Enterprise | |
| 4:15-4:30 | Aeryon Labs Inc. | 4:15-4:30 | Cepton Technology | |
| 4:30-4:45 | Bentley Systems | 4:30-4:45 | Phoenix LiDAR Systems | |
| 4:45-5:00 | Viper Drones | 4:45-5:00 | Pulse Aerospace |
workshops & symposia (registration required)
Day 1
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Ballroom E
Technical Seminar: High Accuracy Mapping with DJI Phantom & Inspire (SOLD OUT)
(Registration for this workshop is now sold out) A Must Attend Event! AirGon presents a comprehensive colloquium on the topic of high accuracy mapping with DJI Phantom and Inspire Drones...
8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Flyability Training: Get Started with Indoor Drone Inspection (Mon – Fri)
Get started with indoor drone inspection and learn how to fly the Flyability Elios. During this one day training, you will learn all you need to apprehend the very own...
8:30 am - 5:30 pm
Pavilion 6
Pix4D User Workshop (SOLD OUT)
(Registration for this workshop is now sold out) Kickstart your workflow by learning about Pix4D’s recommended best practices when capturing and processing your imagery. This is a technical workshop for...
8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Pavilion 4
ASPRS UAS Technical Symposium & New UAS Mapping Certification (SOLD OUT)
(This Symposium is now full. To be added to a waiting list, please contact uassymposium@asprs.org directly) The American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) will be hosting a pre-conference...
2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Conf. Room 1-2
Working the Field from 400 Feet: Essential Tools for Success in Agriculture (SOLD OUT)
As more and more drone pilots become legal to fly with a Part 107 license, imagery collected from agricultural drone sensors will become a standard tool for crop management. Join...
happy hour – exhibit hall
Day 1
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Hunka Hunka Happy Hour
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Exhibit Hall
Wednesday October, 25
EXHIBIT HALL OPEN
8:00 – 9:00 AM
Exhibit Hall
Exhibit Hall
Networking Breakfast Sponsored by GPS Networking Inc.
Network with industry professionals over a continental breakfast buffet on the exhibit floor.
opening & Keynotes
Day 1
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Welcome & Introduction
Jeremiah Karpowicz, Commercial UAV News Executive Editor, will welcome the crowd to the 2018 Commercial UAV Expo and introduce our opening keynotes.
Jeremiah Karpowicz
Welcome Address
Lisa Murray, Director, will welcome the crowd to the 2018 Commercial UAV Expo.
Lisa Murray
9:00 am - 9:25 am
Pavilion 1-3
How Enterprise Adoption is Reshaping the Commercial Drone Industry
Mike Winn will address: 2017 has been an important year for commercial drone adoption. Drones have proven to be a valuable asset in the commercial space. They are increasing productivity,...
Mike Winn
Hunter Cole
Grant Hagen
2017 Commercial Drone Market Overview and Update
Mike Blades will address: Commercial UAV Market: Drivers for Industry Growth & Opportunities Commercial drones must function in an ecosystem where a fleet of platforms use advanced software/algorithms, AI, computing...
Mike Blades
Colin Snow
Data Overload: How to Harness Data and Unlock Business Value
UAVs are positioned to address real-world business challenges from start to finish. Raw footage acquired from a UAV is not useful without advanced data analytics and reporting. Commercial UAV operators...
Anil Nanduri
Using Your Brain to Control a Swarm of Drones
The swarming paradigm, deriving inspiration from the behavior of natural swarms such as bird flocks and fish schools, offers myriad advantages to a team of drones. Recent advances in computing,...
Panagiotis (Panos) Artemiadis
10:30-11:00 Networking break – Exhibit HAll
Civil infrastructure – rail, bridges, tunnels, roads
Day 1
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Session Chair of Civil Infrastructure
The session chair for the Civil Infrastructure session will be Dave Henderson, Director of Sales at Topcon Positioning Systems
Dave Henderson
Critical Infrastructure Inspection – Best Practices and Lessons Learned
Todd Graetz, Director of Technology Services and the UAS program at BNSF will provide an overview of critical infrastructure inspection including best practices and lessons learned.
Todd Graetz
UAS Use for State Transportation Agencies
The purpose of this presentation is to identify the benefits UAS can have for use within transportation agencies. To name a few, mapping using this technology can create detailed surveys...
Paul Wheeler
Automation: Microbot Infrastructure Inspection
The Microbot Infrastructure Inspection Project is a work unit within the Navigation Systems Research Program at Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The goal...
Joseph Harwood
11:45 am - 12:30 pm
Pavilion 1-3
Panel Discussion with Presenters – Civil Infrastructure
There will be a 30 minute panel discussion with the speakers of the Civil Infrastructure session including: Session Chair: Dave Henderson - Director of Sales, Geospatial Solutions at Topcon Positioning...
law enforcement & security
Day 1
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Session Chair for Law Enforcement & Security
The session chair for the Civil Infrastructure session will be Douglas Spotted Eagle, Managing Director for Sundance Media Group, Inc.
Douglas Spotted Eagle
UAV Use in Motor Vehicle Crash Case Study
The Nevada Highway Patrol has been a pioneer in the use of UAV to investigate motor vehicle crashes. A case study will be presented showing the capabilities of UAV’s to...
Daniel Marek
UAVs and Twenty-First Century Policing
The Mobile Police Department, Technology-based Aviation Program (T.A.P.) currently utilizes six different UAV/sUAS Airframes to safely and successfully accomplish a multitude of law enforcement and first responder functions. MPD-TAP in...
Kevin Levy
Robotic Aerial Security – Utilizing UAVs for Physical Security
The presentation will cover the major changes that UAVs (and robotics as a whole) are bringing to the physical security industry. We will be going over the unmet needs currently...
Jack Wu
Panel Discussion with Presenters – Law Enforcement & Security
There will be a 30 minute panel discussion with the speakers of the Law Enforcement & Security session including: Session Chair: Douglas Spotted Eagle - Managing Director, Sundance Media Group...
Joe Talley
12:30-2:00 Lunch (available for purchase) – Exhibit HAll
considerations for your enterprise UAV program – are you protected?
Day 1
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Session Chair of Considerations for your Enterprise…
The session chair for the Considerations for your Enterprise session will be Jeremiah Karpowicz, Executive Editor for Commercial UAV News.
Jeremiah Karpowicz
Establishing An Ecosystem for UAS Safety
Safety within an organization begins with the remote pilot and requires a supporting ecosystem to ensure standardized, professional, and risk averse UAS operations. Organizations are looking to expand use of...
Calvin Rieb
Realities & Hurdles
William Lovett of Phoenix Air Unmanned will expand on the realities and hurdles that large enterprise UAV programs are often faced with.
William Lovett
Free Your Fleet: Flying Safely and Mitigating Risks
The panel will address the risks inherent in drone use in the energy, utility and construction industries. Topics to be addresses include: current state and federal regulation of drone use,...
Rachel Constantino-Wallace
How to Actively Insure and Manage Unmanned Risk for Long Term Success
Abstract to come.
Chris Proudlove
2:24 pm - 3:00 pm
Pavilion 1-3
Christopher Kahn
New Jersey American Water
Eric Gakstatter
GPS World Magazine
Panel Discussion with Presenters – Considerations for your Enterprise…
There will be a 30 minute panel discussion with the speakers of the Considerations for your Enterprise UAV Program session including: Session Chair: Speakers: Calvin Rieb - Director of Safety,...
Christopher Kahn
Eric Gakstatter
public safety – firefighting & Search and rescue
Day 1
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Session Chair for Public Safety
The session chair for the Public Safety session will be Robert "Bob" Gann, Deputy Director at DFPC Center of Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting.
Robert Gann
Using UAVs to Save Lives in Disasters
When disaster strikes, communities are left in a state of utter chaos. Survivors need assistance to stay alive. There are countless barriers for rescuers reaching people in need, such as...
Rahul Singh
Help Is on the Way! Untethered Support for Standing Up Your UAS Program
Ever feel like the UAS industry has too many options to choose from? The Colorado Center of Excellence is here to assist you in understanding which platform, sensor, software, and...
Garrett Seddon
Panel Discussion with Presenters – Public Safety
There will be a 30 minute panel discussion with the speakers of the Public Safety session including: Session Chair: Robert "Bob" Gann, PhD - Deputy Director, DFPC Center of Excellence...
Gene Robinson
Joe Talley
3:00-3:30 Networking break – Exhibit HAll
Outdoor flying demonstration
Day 1
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Outdoor Flying Demonstrations at Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS)
3:30 pm - 7:00 pm
The new NIAS test range
plenary – Bvlos & PATHFINDER UPDATE
Day 1
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Session Chair of BVLOS & Pathfinder Update
The session chair for the BVLOS & Pathfinder Update plenary will be Marke "Hoot" Gibson, Senior Advisor, UAS Integration for the FAA. Marke Gibson Senior Advisor on Unmanned Aircraft Systems...
Marke “Hoot” Gibson
Update from BNSF
As The FAA’s chosen research partner for BVLOS research, BNSF continues to assist with the various elements of research that will support The FAA in ultimate rulemaking for BVLOS in...
Todd Graetz
Update from CNN
Greg Agvent will present in the BVLOS & Pathfinder Update session. Presentation details to come. Check back soon!
Greg Agvent
Update from PrecisionHawk
Allison Ferguson, Director of Airspace Research at PrecisionHawk will provide an update for the BVLOS & Pathfinder Update session.
Allison Ferguson, PhD
3:45 pm - 3:55 pm
Pavilion 1-3
Thomas Swoyer
Grand Sky Development Co.
Nicholas Flom
Northern Plains UAS Test Site
Update from Northern Plains UAS Test Site
North Dakota’s Northern Plains Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Test Site was granted a Certificate of Authorization (COA) by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) enabling a phased approach to Beyond Visual...
Thomas Swoyer
Nicholas Flom
3:55 pm - 4:30 pm
Pavilion 1-3
Panel Discussion with Presenters – BVLOS & Pathfinder Update
There will be a 30 minute panel discussion with the speakers of the BVLOS & Pathfinder session including: Session Chair: Marke "Hoot" Gibson - FAA Senior Advisor, UAS Integration Speakers:...
Poolside connect & happy hour
Day 1
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Poolside Connect & Happy Hour
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Westgate Resort & Casino Pool
Thursday October, 26
EXHIBIT HALL OPEN
8:00 – 9:00
Networking Breakfast Sponsored by Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc.
Network with industry professionals over a continental breakfast buffet on the exhibit floor.
suas in public safety workshop
Day 1
Thursday, October 26, 2017
sUAS in Public Safety Workshop
In this workshop, industry experts will present on and discuss the use of sUAS in public safety. Speakers will include: Ben Miller - UAS Technical and Outreach Specialist, Colorado DFPC...
Garrett Seddon
Public Safety UAS overview
As one of the very first adopters of public safety UAS, Ben has been educating public safety UAS users for a decade and will share the current status of UAS...
Ben Miller
Drone Laws and Public Safety Users
While commercial UAS users have been successfully implementing FAA regulations in their daily operations, many public safety users remain confused. This presentation will briefly review how we got to where...
Adam Trojanowski
10:30 am - 11:15 am
Pavilion 6
Preston Culver
Austin Fire Departments Robotics Emergency Deployment (RED) Team
Air-Land-Water – AFD Red Team
Public safety departments are quickly recognizing the value of drone technology and it's safe to say that one day it will be an integral component of emergency response worldwide. In...
Preston Culver
UAS Operations at the CoE
The Center of Excellence has been tasked by the Colorado Legislature to "conduct a study concerning the integration of unmanned aircraft system withing state and local government operations that related...
Robert Gann
mining & aggregates
Day 1
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Session Chair of Mining & Aggregates
The session chair for the Mining & Aggregate session will be Iain Allen, Program Director, Innovation at Barrick Gold.
Iain Allen
Mining & Aggregates Presentation by Ben McKnight
Please check back for presentation details.
Ben McKnight
9:15 am - 9:30 am
Pavilion 1-3
Mathew Key
Rio Tinto Kennecott Utah Copper
Andrew Carey
Rio Tinto Kennecott Utah Copper
Building an Enterprise Scale UAV Program at Rio Tinto Kennecott Utah Copper
How do you introduce UAV technology into a large-scale business? This presentation will cover the “how to steps” taken to build a large-scale UAV program and share the broad range...
Mathew Key
Andrew Carey
Panel Discussion with Presenters – Mining & Aggregates
There will be a 15 minute panel discussion with the speakers of the Mining & Aggregates session including: Session Chair: Iain Allen - Program Director, Innovation, Barrick Gold Speakers: Ben...
Adam Yoxtheimer
INSURANCE applications
Day 1
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Session Chair of Insurance Applications
The session chair for the Insurance Applications session will be Nick Wayne, Director of Business Development of AirBus Aerial.
Nick Wayne
Update from Arch Aerial LLC
Ryan Baker, CEO and Founder of Arch Aerial LLC will provide an update in the insurance applications session. Check back for updated presentation details.
Ryan Baker
Update from AIG
Carson Lyons, Vice President, Global Product Line Manager - General Aviation at AIG Aerospace will provide an update in the emerging applications session. Check back for updated presentation details.
Carson Lyons
9:30 am - 10:00 am
Pavilion 9-11
Panel Discussion with Presenters – Insurance Applications
There will be a panel discussion with the presenters of the Insurance Applications session including: Session Chair: Nick Wayne - Director Business Development, Airbus Aerial Speakers: Ryan Baker - CEO...
10:00-10:30 Networking break – Exhibit HAll
Precision AGRICULTURE
Day 1
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Session Chairs of Precision Agriculture
The session chair for the Precision Agriculture session will be Young Kim, CEO of Digital Harvest and Jeff Lorton, Creative Director at The Duke Joseph Agency.
Jeff Lorton
Young Kim
Is Agriculture Ready for Drones?
There has been lots of talk and publications that Agriculture can be a huge industry for drones. However, drones don’t seem to be “taking off” like everyone thinks they should....
Robert Blair
My Advice to UAV Centric Companies Looking to Enter the Ag Market
My advice to UAV centric companies looking to enter the Ag market - 'Go elsewhere, then come back' Among several commercial markets for UAV's, agriculture is one of the most...
Young Kim
Unmanned Agriculture in the Era of IOT
Jeff Lorton of The Duke Joseph Agency will give an update on unmanned agriculture in the era of IOT.
Jeff Lorton
UAVs for Viticulture: Lessons Learned
This brief will outline lessons we’ve learned in the drone-based vineyard analytical map market via graphics, stories and practical advice. The points made will be transferrable to other crop markets.
Taylor McAuslan
11:10 am - 12:00 pm
Pavilion 1-3
Panel Discussion with Presenters – Precision Agriculture
There will be a 45 minute panel discussion with the speaker of the Precision Agriculture session including: Session Chairs: Young Kim - CEO, Digital Harvest Jeff Lorton - Creative Director,...
process, power, utilities – dams, water/wastewater, pipes, cell towers
Day 1
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Session Chair of Process, Power & Utilities
The session chairs for the Process, Power & Utilities session will be Hector Ubinas and Dave Truch. Hector Ubinas, the Unmanned Aerial Systems Program Lead and Aviation Safety Advisor at...
Dave Truch
Hector Ubinas
Glen Canyon Dam Unified Intelligent Model
The US Bureau of Reclamation develops, manages and protects western water resources for the nation. Built in an age of slide rules and drafting, Reclamation’s 492 dams and 53 powerplants...
David Winslow
Pete Kelsey
10:45 am - 11:00 am
Pavilion 9-11
Christopher Kahn
New Jersey American Water
Eric Gakstatter
GPS World Magazine
Update from New Jersey American Water
In 2016, American Water funded a Proof of Concept project to understand the value of UAVs for various applications within its operations. We tested different types of rotorcraft and fixed-wing...
Christopher Kahn
Eric Gakstatter
The Evolution of an Aerial Inspection Program
This presentation brings to life the evolution of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) inspection program. A series of case studies have been performed, from the initial proof of concept, testing...
Tim Trebilcock
UAS Programs Improve Safety and Effectiveness for Offshore Asset Inspection and Surveying
Oil and gas companies are using unmanned aircraft system (UAS) technology to improve safety and efficiency in a growing range of applications, from infrastructure and maintenance inspection to security, emergency...
Todd Chase
Panel Discussion with Presenters – Process, Power, Utilities
There will be a 20-30 minute panel discussion with the speaker of the Process, Power, Utilities session including: Session Chairs: Dave Truch - Technology Director, Digital Innovation Organization, BP Hector...
Nick McKee
12:00-1:30 Lunch (available for purchase) – Exhibit HAll
Plenary: UTM – Supporting Technologies
Day 1
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Session Chair of UTM: Supporting Technologies
The session chair for the UTM - Supporting Technologies plenary will be Joseph Rios, Chief Engineer for NASA’s UAS Traffic Management (UTM) project. Dr. Joseph Rios serves as the Chief...
Joseph Rios
Skyward, A Verizon company’s Role in UTM
Skyward, A Verizon Company, Jonathan Evans will briefly outline Skyward, A Verizon Company’s role in UTM supporting technologies, setting the framework for the in-depth discussion which will be led by...
Jonathan Evans
AirMap’s Role in UTM
Ben Marcus will briefly outline AirMap’s role in UTM supporting technologies, setting the framework for the in-depth discussion which will be led by PK of NASA.
Ben Marcus
UTM – A European perspective
Unifly is the leading provider of UAS Traffic Management (UTM) software in Europe. Not only are we active in research projects, the Unifly UTM platform is a deployed product that...
Marc Kegelaers
FAA’s Role in UTM
Hoot Gibson will briefly outline the FAA's role in UTM supporting technologies, setting the framework for the in-depth discussion which will be led by PK of NASA.
Marke “Hoot” Gibson
2:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Pavilion 1-3
Panel Discussion with Presenters – UTM Supporting Technologies
There will be a panel discussion with the presenters of the UTM Supporting Technologies session including: Session Chair: Joseph Rios - Chief Engineer for UAS Traffic Management (UTM) project, NASA...
Plenary: regulatory & Government vision for future
Day 1
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Session Chair for Regulatory & Government Vision for Future
The session chair for the Regulatory & Government Vision for Future plenary will be Gregory McNeal, Co-Founder of AirMap. Gregory S. McNeal, JD/PhD, is a Professor of Law and Public...
Gregory McNeal
Presentation by United States Dept. of Transportation
Abstract to come. Check back soon for more updates!
Finch Fulton
Presentation by Small UAV Coalition
The legal and regulatory framework for commercial drones is still very much a work in progress. At the Federal level, FAA rulemaking remains on hold, but FAA and industry have...
Gregory Walden
Presentation by Nevada Institute For Autonomous Systems (NIAS)
Tom Wilczek, Executive Director of the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS), will present in this Regulatory & Government Vision for Future session.
Thomas Wilczek
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Pavilion 1-3
Panel Discussion with Presenters – Regulatory & Government
There will be a 30 minute panel discussion with the speakers of the Regulatory & Government Vision for Future session including: Session Chair: Greg McNeal - Co-Founder, AirMap Speakers: Finch...
3:30-4:00 networking break – Exhibit HAll
surveying & mapping
Day 1
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Session Chair for Surveying & Mapping
The session chair for the Surveying & Mapping session will be Lewis Graham, President and CTO of GeoCue Group. Lewis is the President and Chief Technical Officer of GeoCue Corporation,...
Lewis Graham
sUAV Topographic Mapping – Are You in Control?
sUAS are gaining momentum for use in aerial data acquisition for topographic mapping. If you are using sUAS as a tool to assist your team with generating topographic mapping, developing...
Richard Celender
Precision Airport Mapping with Fixed-Wing sUAS in Restricted Airspace
Our focus case study project will cover planning, execution, control needs, accuracy of results as reported to ASPRS accuracy standards for an airport obstruction aerial survey project at the Des...
Benjamin Sullivan
Surveying & Mapping Presentation by Chad Netto
Chad Netto, Chief Operating Officer, UAS at Chustz Surveying Inc will present in the Surveying & Mapping session. Presentation details coming soon. Check back for more details and updates.
Chad Netto
5:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Pavilion 1-3
Todd Domney
Sumac Geomatics Incorporated
David McKittrick
Blue Marble Geographics
My-Linh Truong
RIEGL USA
Panel Discussion with Presenters – Surveying & Mapping
There will be a 30 minute panel discussion with the speakers of the Surveying & Mapping session including: Session Chair: Lewis Graham - President & CTO, GeoCue Group Speakers: Richard...
Todd Domney
David McKittrick
My-Linh Truong
construction
Day 1
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Session Chair of Construction
The session chair for Emerging Applications will be Zac Penix, Managing Director at Digital Strategies.
Zac Penix
From the Ground Up: Next Steps for UAV Program at Hensel Phelps
Richard will share lessons learned across the board: from flight planning, selecting airframe and software, legal and risk assessment and approvals, maintaining equipment, and – importantly – delivering and leveraging...
Richard Lopez
Scaling Up UAS Program at Skanska
This presentation will focus on the development and standardization of UAS procedures regarding applications, flight operations, safety, and operational excellence through various case examples. We will take a further look...
Oliver Smith
Efficiency of Trust – using UAV’s to accelerate renewable energy construction
The speed and scale of constructing a solar or wind based energy site is relatively fast compared to other electric generation plants, however, this comes with a unique set of...
Nick McKee
Panel Discussion with Presenters – Construction
There will be a 30 minute panel discussion with the speakers of the Construction session including: Session Chair: Zac Penix - Emerging Technologies Consultant. Speakers: Richard Lopez - VDCO Manager,...
Jesse Stepler
***Schedule and presenters subject to change.