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