INDOT and Purdue UAS Report

Aknowledgements

It may sound cliché, but my appreciation for research publications didn't truly blossom until I was part of a team that created one. The credit goes to the two authors, Sarah and Brian Hubbard, who are not only extremely knowledgeable in their field but also approachable and inspiring individuals. Their expertise in the industry proved invaluable, and they managed to make the research process an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Working with them was undoubtedly one of the highlights of my early aviation career, thanks to their positive and honest attitude, coupled with their direct and realistic feedback.

Overview 

When I started research, I was a teenager in college at Purdue University, Part 107 was not law, and it was uncertain whether Purdue would offer UAS as a major! Despite this, I was absolutely obsessed with learning about aviation law, UAS technology, and photogrammetry. After taking a few aviation related classes, I met Sarah Hubbard and earned the privilege of doing research for her and Brian Hubbard while balancing a college job to pay the bills, a time-consuming leadership role as a resident assistant, and a video production job creating UAS training content for a private startup. (more about that in a different post.)

What was my role in this Report?

My role in the report was to learn about how UAS was being applied to Department of Transportations (DOTS) because back then, government entities were using Certificate of Authorizations (COAs) to experiment and operate Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) legally. For four years, I tracked the applications of UAS in state DOTs and developed criteria to prioritize use cases most beneficial to INDOT’s needs. Throughout the information collection stages of the report, I experienced the before and after affects of Part 107, was introduced to some of DJI’s earliest aircraft (which probably do not fly today) and provided consultation and recommendations to INDOT before they had a UAS program. (this wasn’t that long ago but I feel old!)

Is the Content in the Report Old?

As much as I do not want to admit, one can argue that I lived through some historical moments that still affect us today. Looking back at this report in 2023, although the referenced aircraft are old, many of the specific applications have been implemented and are part of INDOT's UAS program. If you are interested in learning about what UAS applications we recommended for INDOT, open the report below. 

Link to INDOT and Purdue UAS Report