A drone flies during a media demonstration by the Los Angeles Fire Department in Los Angeles. Photo: Ronen Tivony/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday announced the selection of 10 cities for a pilot project aimed at testing different varieties of drones to ultimately establish future regulations on permanent deployments.
Why it matters, per Axios' Kim Hart: The FAA's pilot program is a big step for the industry wanting to test drones in different real-world settings to figure out how to fly at night, over houses and beyond the line of sight under controlled conditions.
Recipients of the projects:
- City of Reno, Nevada
- City of San Diego, California
- Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship Investment Authority (Virginia Tech)
- Kansas Department of Transportation
- Lee County (Florida) Mosquito Control District
- Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority
- North Carolina Department of Transportation
- North Dakota Department of Transportation
- University of Alaska-Fairbanks
Go deeper with Quartz for details on the 10 pilot programs selected; Demand for drones is exploding