Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/691665
www.postmagazine.com 37 POST JUNE 2016 Drones InterDrone's film festival and awards program will once again take place on opening night, Wednesday, September 7 th . Last year, the festival presented $10,000 in cash to winners, and this year Bahr says they will award $15,000 in cash prizes. The reception will feature six large-screen monitors showing the eight nominees in each of the festival's cate- gories. Attendees will be able to vote on their favorite submission in realtime using InterDrone's mobile app, determining the "people's choice" award, which will be presented along with the respective indi- vidual winners for each category. DRONE WORLD EXPO HEADS TO SAN JOSE Drone World Expo (www.droneworldex po.com) will return to San Jose, CA, this November 15 th and 16 th , offering attend- ees insight into how they can measure and maximize the value of drones in their commercial businesses. Joelle Coretti is Drone World Expo's event director and says the fall event in the heart of Silicon Valley is both attractive and convenient, as many of the drone busi- ness's technology innovations come from the area, and California has the most FAA 333 exemptions to fly commercially than any other state. Attendees, says Coretti, can come to town for the show and con- duct other business while they are there. Drone World Expo 2016 marks the second time the show is taking place. Last year, more than 2,100 attendees from all 50 states and 29 countries par- ticipated in the inaugural Drone World Expo. "Our event is purely commercial drone use," Coretti explains. "We don't cover hobbyist topics, and we don't venture into military." Last year's show revealed that 30 per- cent of its attendees identified themselves as those using drones for aerial cinema- tography. Panels covered topics such as: Why Zero Latency Is Essential to UAV HD Live Video Broadcast; Getting the Shot: Innovative Imagery & Filmmaking Using Drones; Drones and Privacy: Addressing Public Concern; The DWE Town Hall Meeting: Your Questions Answered; Is the Sky the Limit? Navigating Regulatory and Risk Management in Drone and Unmanned Vehicle Use; Women of Commercial Drones; and Drone Insurance: An Interactive Panel. This year's show will also offer creative programming based around the use of drones, privacy and regulatory issues, standards, big data gathering and analy- sis, and cyber security — topics that are market agnostic, affecting anyone who wants to fly a drone for their business. The 2015 show hosted 75 exhibitors and Coretti suggests that number could double for the show in November. One component that differentiates Drone World Expo from other drone-themed events is the free access that qualified attendees are given. "We're investing in this industry and want to make sure end users are able to come to the expo," Coretti explains. "If you are an end user, you can attend free of charge." Those interested in attending can go online to the event's Website and register for free, providing they qualify. Manufacturers, vendors or service pro- viders pay to participate. "We want to re- move roadblocks and further the industry, allowing people to get to the event and get educated," she adds. Guest speakers will include drone cinematographer Gavin Garrison, who worked on two seasons of Animal Planet's popular Whale Wars series, and Maria Stefanopoulos, a production manager for Good Morning America, which used a drone to broadcast live from an active volcano in Iceland. (See Drones: Part 2 in last month's issue.) Drone World Expo is offering Post readers complimentary conference passes. Visit http://droneworldexpo.com/ register.asp and enter VIP code "POST16." The pass includes admission to the exhibits, keynotes, networking receptions and tech talks within the exhibit hall. Industry & government work to detect UAS near airports Brian Wynne, president and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), recently issued a statement on the FAA's Pathfinder Initiative Cooperative Research and Development Agreements with Gryphon Sensors, Liteye Systems Inc. and Sensofusion to help develop procedures and technologies to identify unauthorized unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) near airports. "The collaboration between these companies and the FAA is another example of government-industry cooperation and is an important step towards the safe integration of UAS into the na- tional airspace," Wynne says. "Equipping airports with technology that can detect, track and identify UAS that are flying unsafely or in restricted areas will help ensure the safety of the airspace for all aircraft —manned and unmanned." In December 2014, AUVSI and the Academy of Model Aeronautics launched Know Before You Fly (www. KnowBeforeYouFly.org.) in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration to provide newcomers to UAS with basic safety information. There are now more than 80 retailers, manufacturers and distributors of UAS, as well as organizations representing the manned aviation community, helping to promote the campaign. Drone World Expo returns to San Jose, CA, this November.