© BiStateDev.org

At the start of the drone industry boom, drones were still mainly being viewed as military devices and personal hobby toys. It didn’t take long for commercial sectors to recognize drones as incredible tools for getting difficult jobs done. When the FAA began granting commercial drone exemptions in 2016, the commercial drone industry exploded. Today, commercial drones represent the highest potential for growth in the drone industry. As the desire for commercial enterprises to embrace drone technology expands, many companies are left wondering how to get in on the action and what kind of impact drones will have on their market. To address these concerns locally, the Bi-State Development and St. Louis Downtown Airport held a three part conference entitled Drones-They Are Coming. Are We Ready?

The Bi-State Development (BSD) owns and operates the St. Louis Downtown Airport. They also oversee operations for the Gateway Arch, the St. Louis Regional Freightway, and the Metro system that includes all public transportation systems in the St. Louis metropolitan region. As explained on their website, “(BSD) is a dynamic and multi-faceted resource for economic development in the St. Louis region. With deep expertise in planning and implementation, BSD is uniquely empowered to provide real solutions to regional challenges with a model of efficiency and accountability. At BSD, we have initiated regional economic development for six and a half decades. With that depth and breadth of experience, we fully understand ‘the process of progress.'” Part of “the process of progress” is to prepare the community and it’s entrepreneurs to embrace how to successfully implement drones into the city environment.

The conference was held over the course of three separate days to allow attendees to get the most out of discussions without missing to much time at work. This set up also allowed participants to go home and digest information so that when they returned they could follow up with any questions or concerns. The event was open to the public while the BSD encouraged members from the fields of aviation, education, government officials, public safety officers, business leaders, and any curious community members. The conference modestly cost $16 per event, or $48 for the entire series, including lunch. And as BSD described, “Drones or Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) are finding ways into our daily lives at all levels—aerospace, public safety, industry and infrastructure, leisure, retail services and the list will only continue to grow. This technology is already here and it presents great opportunities, but also comes with real challenges, especially in a fragmented, regulatory environment. This series of three industry networking forums, hosted by Bi-State Development and St. Louis Downtown Airport, will bring together diverse perspectives to begin to explore how the St. Louis region is approaching drone use and what we should understand in order to effectively move forward.”

This event was unique in that it really put into perspective how drones are being used, and can continue to be used, across many commercial fields. There is a plethora of information and regulations that come along with drone use. For companies to benefit from drones, understanding all this information is critical. One of the panelists, Tomislav Žigo, Vice President of Virtual Design and Construction for CLAYCO, made it clear as to just how overwhelming it could be to use drones without an informed plan. “One of the biggest challenges we discovered in using the technology is reconciling the huge amount of information that is being gathered on a construction site,” Žigo said. “If you have a mission that lasts for 30 minutes, you typically gather between 800 and 1500 images that need to be catalogued to be able to extract usable or useful information that I can convey to superintendents, construction managers and project executives and say this is why we fly drones.” True, the data being collected by the drones is invaluable and is meant to expedite procedures while saving the company money. But, without having someone who is skilled in using the drones and knowledgeable as to FAA regulations, a costly drone program could end up hurting a company’s bottom line.

The three events went into topics of safety, regulation, and societal and economic impact of drones. At the end of the conference, attendees were left with a greater understanding of how to improve existing drone programs, how to initiate a program, and how to prepare the community for a seamless influx of commercial drone opportunities. Though a second event has yet to be scheduled, Julianne Stone, Bi-State Development Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, said the conference served as a great starting point to open people’s minds to how drones will effect the St. Louis area.“Most in this room know drones are not coming; they are already here. But the technology is evolving quickly and many businesses and agencies are in a hurry to incorporate the latest technology at great investment, sometimes without a complete understanding of the challenges and opportunities that unmanned aircraft systems can present,” said Julianne. BSD wants to empower the St. Louis region to embrace drone technology in a way that benefits and keeps everyone safe.