Establishing Industry Standards
One of the most important things for a developing industry is the establishment of best-practices and guidance materials for stakeholders. This makes it easier for the industry to grow and improves relationships with regulators and policy makers. ADI works with partners across the industry to develop guidance materials and other resources for stakeholders.
The Unmanned Pilots Association for Safety and Standards (UPASS)
The Unmanned Pilots Association for Safety and Standards (UPASS) is a 501(c)(3) which serves as a group advocating and training ag-drone pilots how to operate safely in the United States. UPASS is a great resource for compliance and direct training on how to safely operate ag-drones. UPASS focuses on providing operational training and compliance guidance with relevant regulations. They offer on-site training as well as educational videos.
The EU’s SORA System
While it does not directly apply to American operators, the European Union’s SORA mission-planning system is seen as a strong framework alternative to the current American model. While SORA does not apply to the U.S. market and ADI does not advocate for replacing American policy with SORA’s contents, ADI recommends interested operators become acquainted with the SORA program, as it can help inform safer flying and may have components that operators want to integrate into their flight-planning and safety systems.