NOAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems
NOAA UAS Program
NOAA UAS News
Introductory Video to the NOAA UAS Program - Watch Now
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) can revolutionize NOAA's ability to monitor and understand the global environment. There is a key information gap today between instruments on Earth's surface and on satellites - UAS can bridge that gap. Operated by remote pilots and ranging in wingspan from less than six feet to more than 115 feet, UAS can also collect data from dangerous or remote areas, such as the poles, oceans, wildlands, volcanic islands, and wildfires. Better data and observations improve understanding and forecasts, save lives, property, and resources, advancing NOAA's mission goals.
Vision: UAS will revolutionize NOAA observing strategies comparable to the introduction of satellite and radar assets decades earlier.
Program Goals:
- Goal 1: Increase UAS observing capacity
- Goal 2: Develop high science-return UAS missions.
- Goal 3: Transition cost-effective, operationally feasible UAS solutions into routine operations
Mission Areas:
- High impact weather monitoring
- Polar monitoring
- Marine monitoring
2012 Sponsored Projects:
- Ozone Monitoring using Skywisp® UAS
- Monitoring Marine Debris using two Small UAS
- Monitoring Marine Sanctuaries with PUMA
Partnerships:
NOAA's UAS work draws on expertise from industry, academic, and government partners. This broad coalition seeks to apply technologies used in national defense - including high- and low-altitude UAS, communication technologies, and instruments - to benefit the global environment.