The city of San Diego is one of 10 jurisdictions selected to participate in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s UAS Integration Pilot Program, and one of two municipalities selected in the final group of 10.
 
The city’s Office of Homeland Security was the lead program applicant, with support from the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and approximately 20 partner organizations representing business and government throughout the region. 
 
The win is an affirmative endorsement for the city where years of UAS research and development have provided a near perfect springboard for the five proposals listed in its application for the IPP. Moving forward will require the continued collaboration of the San Diego region’s government agencies, private industry partners, academic, military and non-profit partners, according to those involved.
 
“We have a strong team among the local jurisdictions and the state agencies,” Jesse Gipe, senior economic development manager at the San Diego Regional EDC, says of San Diego’s inclusion in the IPP. In terms of the region’s particular strengths, Gipe says, “Besides being a major city … because of the military presence here, [our airspace] is even more complex. We have a substantial element of restricted military air space, so it’s a very complex, real-world setting.”
 
The city also has existing drone testing sites at several universities and in the nearby city of Chula Vista. 
 
Harrison Pierce, lead action officer with the San Diego Office of Homeland Security, says San Diego has a “compelling combination” of elements, noting the more than 50 airports and heliports in their jurisdiction, 80-plus miles of oceanic coastline, a busy international border and substantial military presence. 
 
The merging of private enterprise partners — AT&T, Uber, Intel, and others — with nonprofit, regional, and government organizations, positions San Diego at the very nexus of what UAS promises for economic and technological development. 
 
Five projects take flight
 
San Diego’s IPP application includes five research proposals; three align under interests of public safety and two fall under commerce. 
 
“The EDC is focused on the growth of our economy while Homeland is focused on public safety,” Gipe says. “By teaming together, we are complimenting each other’s core missions and elements.” 
 
The first public safety project plans to use UAS in the city of Chula Vista to respond to emergencies such as fires, crime scenes and major accidents; the drones should provide actionable information because “we can see live what is taking place,” Gipe says.
 
Partners include AT&T, the network provider for FirstNet, a reliable and secure broadband network designated solely for first responders; it will be used in conjunction with Cape, which provides aerial telepresence. Cape already works internationally with first responders, where “their efforts have been attributed with a 90 percent reduction in response times to emergency situations,” according to a company statement.
 
The ability of a UAS to arrive on scene prior to first responders and other personnel should yield valuable and life-saving benefits. “In an [emergency] situation, every minute matters,” Gipe says. “You can provide more rapid and targeted services” with the use of a UAS that provides a “live view,” whether it’s a fire or an active shooter situation. 
 
The second proposal focuses on the continued growth of City IQ, which in partnership with GE, is the “largest network of smart city infrastructure in the nation” according to Pierce, who adds that they’re leveraging this to gather and disseminate open source data, allowing for third parties to build apps and “create better services” such as finding available parking spots or monitoring road conditions.
 
One of the primary questions being asked, according to Gipe, is, “How can we integrate UAVs as another sensor in the intelligent system that the city is building?”
 
City IQ currently uses sensors in street light poles, their “terrestrial-based assets,” to capture actionable information. The city’s application says they are “[seeking] to test the integration of data feeds from UAS and intelligent infrastructure into a single source to enhance city services.” 
 
The city’s partner organizations — GE, Qualcomm, Intel, AT&T — want to discover how UAS in “urban environments transfer data, whether lidar, thermal imaging, video; how is that information being transferred?” Gipe says. Essentially, connectivity and network reliability are in question. “How are we studying and gathering the data appropriately?” 
 
Pierce adds that communication links will be a “core element of a robust and safe airspace” while researchers look ahead to 5G systems to develop a coordinated and reliable system, one that Gipe says could be the “backbone” of future developments. 
 
“Part of the data that we can take back to the FAA [is the] proof of concept for this type of technology to provide the reliability and data links and remote ID capabilities for this as it grows nationally,” Gipe says.
The third public safety proposal involves international commerce and border security by using unmanned traffic management (UTM) and other technologies to effectively manage cross-border air traffic and commercial deliveries at night. 
 
“Anything we can do to improve efficiency is a win for all of us,” Gipe says. “We’re working with Commerce and Border Patrol each.”
 
According to Gipe, the use of drones could help “expedite the process to move [trucks] through check points faster.” This mission, which involves private industry partners AT&T, Qualcomm and GE, is a close blend of commerce and security and has several underlying components in terms of identification and operational awareness. 
 
In the realm of commerce, San Diego’s two proposals focus on medical delivery of pathology specimens and package delivery, specifically of food. Matternet, a drone logistics platform, is already running successful drone deliveries of patient samples in Switzerland.
 
“We’re excited because these companies have demonstrated their ability to follow through on these activities,” Gipe says.
 
The goal for participant the University of California San Diego is to “establish an autonomous drone delivery network for the transportation of patient blood and pathology specimens.” Considerations include “the complexity of the air space” and assurance that the aircraft and surrounding community will be safe, Gipe says. 
 
According to the city’s application, “The landing/takeoff sites and flight route [will be] fixed, protected and surveyed in advance of operations.” Although the system will be manually loaded, the takeoff, navigation and landing will be autonomous and monitored in real time. Pierce says the ultimate goal is to expedite specimen testing, since traditional deliveries are limited to longer wait times and fewer delivery options; ultimately, Pierce says, “We can have lower costs for healthcare and more precise and effective services.” 
 
Food package delivery will occur in partnership with Uber. During flights, researchers will be monitoring “stability, vibration, heading, weather [and] RPM” among other elements to ensure safe operations over people, according to their application materials. One of Uber’s main goals is to eliminate food deserts, Pierce says.
 
“Giving broader options [to the public] is a meaningful goal,” he says, adding that lowering fossil fuel emissions is another long-term goal. 
 
Overall, the unique combination of San Diego’s maritime, international, military, and airspace components in light of these five projects should provide the FAA with ample data to inform future regulations.

Above: UCSD’s landmark Giesel Library. The university will join the IPP research effort to focus on package delivery. Photo: UCSD. Below: San Diego Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer and local businesses and innovation leaders announce San Diego was selected to participate in the IPP program. Photo: City of San Diego