The North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) and the Northern Plains UAS Test Site (NPUASTS) announce 8 BEYOND partners. These companies – including some major players in the commercial drone space – will work in North Dakota to execute on the goals of the (FAA) BEYOND program, the next phase of the UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP).

The IPP brought state, local and tribal governments into the process of testing advanced drone operations. The IPP established a model of partnerships between state, local and tribal organizations; drone industry providers; and government regulators. The IPP was sundowned at the end of 2020: but the BEYOND program will pick up where successful IPP projects left off. BEYOND has “a particular focus on operations beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) of the operator that are repeatable, scalable, and economically viable,” says an ND DoT press release. “These efforts will be bolstered by Vantis, North Dakota’s UAS Network, which is designed to enable real-world BVLOS flights without extreme barriers to entry.”

Partnership in the BEYOND program has benefits for all parties. Communities have the opportunity to realize the benefits of commercial drone programs, and the opportunity to provide input into the way those programs should operate. Drone industry partners are given the opportunity to demonstrate operations that may fall outside of current regulations.