Earlier this month in collaboration with the Arizona Regional Economic Development Foundation, Arizona UAS Magazine produced and organized Arizona’s second annual Arizona UAS Summit & Expo at the Sheraton Mesa Hotel at Wrigleyville West in Mesa.

The distinguished faculty addressed a wide array of issues impacting unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) including UAS utilization to assist in response to natural disasters, evolving state and local regulations and possible conflicts with related federal requirements.  Brian Wynne, President & CEO of the Association of Unmanned Vehicles Systems International (AUVSI), the world’s largest nonprofit organization exclusively devoted to advancing the unmanned systems and robotic community, addressed the Summit’s attendees and spoke in part to a recent Presidential Memorandum for the Secretary of Transportation on a UAS Integration Pilot Program.

Other speakers at the well-attended summit included industry experts sharing their utilization of UAS and predictions for future use, regulation, and possible areas of conflict.  UAS implementation in fire management, flood control, hurricane response, post-disaster relief and environmental and land use contexts provided much reason for enthusiasm about the future of the industry.