Autonomous Environmental Risk Optimization System (AEROS)

Daniel H. Wagner Associates, Inc. (DHWA), in coordination with TruWeather Solutions (TWS) and Akrobotix, proposes to develop an Autonomous Environmental Risk Optimization System (AEROS) that combines the evaluation and optimization capabilities of two existing systems focused on risk to unmanned aerial system (UAS) flights.  RouteCAST, developed under a NASA Phase II SBIR and commercialized by DHWA and TWS, evaluates and optimizes UAS flights based on predicted weather risk, such as wind speed and direction.  The Akrobotix Ground Control Station (AGCS) Elevation Service, developed by Akrobotix and commercialized by Akrobotix and TWS, evaluates and optimizes UAS flights based on terrain and real-time weather data. The AGCS Elevation Service also provides a “Common Altitude Reference System” for effectively sharing the National AirSpace (NAS) and to manage the geofencing envelope. Additionally, TWS has micro-scale models (sub-regional, resolution of 1km and below) that significantly improve upon regional models (3km) by incorporating the effects of terrain and other lower-atmosphere phenomena (e.g., thermals).  In this Phase I SBIR project, DHWA will demonstrate the feasibility of AEROS as an environmentally-aware, real-time and predictive system for evaluating and optimizing UAS flights for AF and other Defense customers, leading to the development of a full prototype AEROS in Phase II.