Columbus, Ohio -- CAL Analytics is testing their Contingency Management Platform (CMP) with the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP), a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) designated Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) test site. The deployment of the CMP is part of a pilot program with MAAP, to enable their Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations.
CAL's CMP software will interface with software from Krongsberr, Resilinex, and TruWeather to help ensure the safe operation of all unmanned aircraft.
The CMP was developed out of an Ohio Federal Research Network-funded R&D project that took place from December 2019 to June 2021. The Ohio Federal Research Network is an Ohio-wide R&D funding program managed by Parallax Advanced Research in collaboration with The Ohio State University Ohio and is funded by the Ohio Department of Higher Education. As part of its mission, the Ohio Federal Research Network fosters statewide university and industry research collaborations that meet the mission critical needs of Ohio’s federal laboratories. In this case, the CMP project is directly aligned with one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) six focus areas. The CMP project aligns with NASA’s In-time System-wide Safety Assurance (ISSA). ISSA provides a continuum of information, analysis, and assessment that supports awareness and action to mitigate risks to safety in UAS operations. CAL Analytic’s CMP technology establishes what is essentially an ISSA system for Ohio UAS operations.
“As the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) market continues to grow in Ohio and the Nation, the urgency to reduce and deter threats and survey larger areas in less time increases,” said Bob Tanner, Parallax Advanced Research executive director of aerospace partnerships. “CAL Analytics’ selection to conduct this revolutionary research for the state is spot on, and we are honored to partner with the company’s research team and Ohio Department of Transportation to maintain our state’s security.”
“We are excited to work with the Virginia Tech MAAP and bring our CMP platform to their site for expanding their operational use-case and build towards a routine beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) capability,” said Dr. Sean Calhoun, managing director of CAL Analytics.
“We built the CMP to provide all the critical services to enable BVLOS operations, but look to these partnerships, like with MAAP, to validate the CMP capabilities for a variety of operations and under different environment conditions”, said Dr. Calhoun.
“Software that can provide comprehensive airspace awareness is a crucial source of safety-critical information for a ground-based pilot," said John Coggin, MAAP's associate director. "This visibility into multiple characteristics of the airspace is essential for drone operations to safely expand towards broad commercial viability, and we're excited to leverage CAL's platform to explore potential solutions."
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About CAL Analytics
CAL Analytics is a small business focusing on the development of aviation and autonomous systems. Located in Dayton, OH and founded in 2010, CAL Analytics has expertise in navigation systems, remote sensing, signal analysis, and information fusion.
About Parallax Advanced Research
Parallax is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that tackles global challenges by accelerating innovation and developing technology and solutions through strategic partnerships with government, industry and academia across Ohio and the Nation. Together with academia, Parallax accelerates innovation that leads to new breakthroughs. Together with government, Parallax tackles critical global challenges and delivers new solutions. Together with industry, Parallax develops groundbreaking ideas and speeds them to market.
About Ohio Federal Research Network
The OFRN has the mission to stimulate Ohio’s innovation economy by building statewide university/industry research collaborations that meet the requirements of Ohio’s federal laboratories, resulting in the creation of technologies that drive job growth for the State of Ohio. The OFRN is a program managed by Parallax Advanced Research in collaboration with the Ohio State University and is funded by the Ohio Department of Higher Education.