As can be seen from the Calendar, there is hardly a month in which a UAS conference is not occurring. Not listed are those conferences held by commercial entities whose business focus is holding conferences, instead of unmanned aviation. Including them would expand the list by 50 percent. With such an extensive menu competing for their time, members of the unmanned aviation community usually have to restrict their diet to those conferences that best fit their professional interests. To aid in their selection, this section presents brief descriptions of each conference. For attendees, some conferences address unmanned ground and sea vehicles as well as aircraft, some have an academic-orientation and others a commercial one, and some focus on a specific region or nation while others strive to be international in scope. A number offer optional workshops on specific topics (usually airspace access issues) the day before the conference begins. For presenters, some events solicit any and all submissions, while some have by-invitation-only talks. Some screen for originality and insist on papers being in a strict format, while others do not. Each typically produces conference proceedings in hardcopy, CD, and/or on-line within 1 to 2 months after the event; some charge extra for them. Early bird discounts are often offered to encourage early registration.
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
AIAA, a professional organization headquartered in Reston, Virginia, USA, hosts an annual conference on unmanned aviation in either the May or Sep timeframe at various locations in the USA. Its first “Unmanned, Unlimited” conference was held in 2002 and was preceded by a series of one-day workshops starting in 1999. Starting in 2005, AIAA’s Program Committee on Unmanned Systems joined with its Technical Committees on Computer Systems, Software Systems, Intelligent Systems, and Sensor Systems to form one combined conference, labeled “Infotech@Aerospace,” to emphasize the network aspects of unmanned aviation and deemphasize the aircraft aspect. Recent conferences have attracted some 200 attendees and some 10 exhibitors. Conference fees typically run $750, with discounts for students. AIAA has both open (formatted papers required) and invited (no paper required) “oral” presentations; members receive discounts but speakers do not. Presentations are made in up to eight parallel sessions, typically offering some 240 papers over its three days. The AIAA conference’s strengths are its high number of presentations (three times the next most prolific conference), encouragement of, and good representation from, university researchers and students, i.e., the next generation of unmanned aviation professionals, as well as its strong foreign participation ( some 25-30 percent). Its weakness is its high number of last minute no-shows for talks.
Sponsor: AIAA’s Program Committee on Unmanned Aviation
Host: Dr. Mike Francis
Website: www.aiaa.org/events/infotech@aerospace
Association of Old Crows (AOC)
AOC, a professional association located in Alexandria, Virginia, USA, hosts a conference on unmanned aircraft payloads every 18-24 months in the Washington, DC, area. Although few if any of its presentations are classified, the conference is held in a secure facility, and attendees are required to submit their clearances. Contractors must also submit endorsements from their government customers. Organized in 1963, AOC sponsors 10-15 conferences and 12-15 courses annually; it has been sponsoring this conference (“UAS Payloads”) since 1998. Recent conferences have attracted some 100 attendees; exhibitors are not included. Conference fees typically run $¬¬¬375-$450. AOC has invited (no paper required) presentations only; members receive discounts. Presentations are made in one large conference room; some 15-30 presentations are typically offered over its one to two days. The AOC conference’s strength is that its speakers and its audience share a common background and experience level; acronymese is freely spoken here. Its weakness is the extra irritation of the paperwork required for its classified status when it contains little/no such material, although this filter ensures only the cognoscente attend.
Sponsor: Association of Old Crows
Host:
Website: www.myaoc.org
Association of Unmanned Vehicles International (AUVSI)
AUVSI, a trade association located in Alexandria, Virginia, USA, hosts two conferences annually that are dedicated to unmanned air, ground, and maritime vehicles, one in the Jun-Aug timeframe that alternates between the Washington, DC, area (odd years) and another area (even years), and the second (“Program Review”) in Feb in Washington, DC. Its odd-year summer exhibitions include a UAS flight demonstration day at Webster Field, an hour south of Washington, DC, the day before the conference begins. Founded in ___, AUVSI has been sponsoring conferences/exhibitions since 1973. Affiliated with Flight International in 2004, it now participates in five additional annual conferences/air shows in Paris, London, Singapore, Seoul, and Dubai. It also sponsors a series of student-built vehicle competitions (two air, two ground, and one underwater). Recent U.S. summer conferences have attracted over 3500 attendees and some270 exhibitors. Conference fees typically run ___. AUVSI has an open submissions policy in the summer and an invited papers policy in the winter; members and speakers receive modest discounts. It offers some 70 presentations in four parallel sessions at the summer conference and some 30 presentations (10 on aircraft) in one large conference room during its midwinter event. Its strength is its extensive hardware exhibits, and its weakness is having product infomercials posing as technical papers.
Sponsor: AUVSI
Host: Daryl Davidson
Website: www.auvsi.org
EuroUVS (see UVS International)
National Defense Industries Association (NDIA)
NDIA, a trade association based in Arlington, Virginia, USA, sponsors an annual “Targets, UAVs, and Range Operations Symposium and Exhibition” in the Oct-Nov timeframe at various U.S. resort locations. It usually has a golf tournament the day before the symposium starts. NDIA has been holding this symposium since 1963. Its symposia typically attract over 100 attendees and some 20 exhibitors. Conference fees typically run just under $___. Presentations at NDIA are by invitation only; speakers receive discount registrations. It typically offers some 6 to 8 presentations on unmanned aircraft in a series format in one large conference room over two and a half days. The NDIA conference’s weakness is its limited coverage of unmanned aviation, typically only half a day on the last day of the meeting.
Sponsor: NDIA
Host:
Website: www.ndia.org
Red River Valley Research Corridor (RRVRC)
The RRVRC Coordinating Center has joined with the University of North Dakota and the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corp. (GFREDC) to conduct “Unmanned Aircraft Systems Action Summits” in Grand Forks, North Dakota, annually in the March timeframe since 2006. It focuses on developing unmanned aviation as a business market for the region, and its panel sessions are oriented around key business questions. Recent conferences have attracted over 200 attendees and some 15 exhibitors. There are no conference fees. RRVRC has an invited speakers-only policy. Presentations are made in series in one large conference room. Its Action Summits typically offer some 10 presentations and three panels over its one and a half days. Its strength is its business-first approach to unmanned aviation.
Sponsors: RRVRC Coordinating Center, University of North Dakota, GFREDC
Host: Delore Zimmer
Website: www.theresearchcorridor.com
The Shephard Press
Shephard, the specialty publisher of Unmanned Vehicles magazine and the annual Unmanned Vehicles Handbook is located in Burnham, Buckinghamshire, England, (near London). It hosts three 2-day conferences annually that are dedicated to unmanned air, ground, and sea vehicles. “UV Europe” occurs in the Jun-Jul timeframe, alternates between Paris and London, and is timed for the week before the Paris and Farnborough air shows. “UV Asia-Pacific” is held in the Mar-Apr timeframe, usually in Singapore or Australia. “UV North America” takes place between Aug and Dec, usually alternating between Washington, DC, and Florida. Founded in ___, Shephard has been sponsoring UAS conferences since __. Its conferences typically attract over 300 attendees and some 20 exhibitors. Conference fees typically run just under $1,000. Presentations at Shephard are by invitation only; speakers receive free registration and are guests at a private dinner. It typically offers some 24 presentations in a series format plus one or more panels. Its strength is its coverage of non-U.S. unmanned activities, and its weakness is its proclivity for inviting speakers with titles or rank over those with first-hand knowledge (i.e., policy over technology).
Sponsor: The Shephard Press, Ltd.
Host: Alexander Shephard
Website: www.shephard.co.uk
Technical Analysis and Applications Center (TAAC)
TAAC, a university center of excellence located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA, hosts an annual conference on unmanned aviation in the Oct-Dec timeframe at various locations throughout New Mexico. Its first conference was held in 1999. Recent conferences have attracted over 300 attendees and some 20 exhibitors. Conference fees typically run ___. Presentations at TAAC are by invitation only; speakers receive discounts. Presentations are made in series in one large conference room. TAAC typically offers some ___ presentations over its three days, with the first day being dedicated to classified (no foreign) talks. The TAAC conference’s strength is its coverage of non-DoD unmanned activities, and its weakness is ___.
Sponsor: Physical Sciences Laboratory of New Mexico State University
Host: Steve Hottman
Website: www.psl.nmsu.edu/uav
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol’s Department of Aerospace Engineering, located in Bristol, England, hosts an annual conference on unmanned aviation in the Mar-Apr timeframe on its campus in association with the Cranfield College of Aeronautics and the Royal Aeronautical Society. Its first conference was held in 1979, and it spun off an Indian counterpart in ___. Recent conferences have attracted over 100 attendees and some 10 to 15 exhibitors. Conference fees typically run ___. Bristol has an open submissions policy; speakers receive discounts. Presentations are made in series in one large conference room. Bristol typically offers 30 to 40 papers over its three days, along with an informal reception and a formal dinner. The Bristol conference’s strengths are its international audience and its presentations on basic research on unmanned topics; its weakness is its occasionally being overly academic.
Sponsor: Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Bristol
Host: Robert Frampton
Website: www.aer.bris.ac.uk
UVS Canada
UVS Canada, a trade association located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, hosts an annual conference on unmanned aviation in the Sep-Nov timeframe at varying locations across Canada. Its first conference was held in 2003, and it also sponsors a student paper competition. Recent conferences have attracted over 300 attendees and some 20 exhibitors. Conference fees typically run ___. UVS Canada has an open submissions policy; speakers receive discounts. Presentations are made in parallel sessions. UVS Canada typically offers some ___ presentations over its three days, each with a specific theme. The UVS Canada conference’s strength is its companion program, and its weakness is ___.
Sponsor: UVS Canada (Ing Engineering)
Host: Ian Glenn
Website: www.uvscanada.org
UVS International
UVS International, an international federation of commercial firms and academic institutions engaged in unmanned aviation located in Paris, France, hosts an annual conference on unmanned aviation each Jun usually in Paris. Organized in 1995, registered with the Chamber of Commerce in The Hague, The Netherlands, and headquartered in Paris, it was known as European UVS until 2004. Its membership consists of 226 entities from 31 countries, mainly European. Its first conference was held in ____. Recent conferences have attracted over ___ attendees and some ___ exhibitors. Conference fees typically run ___. UVS International has an open submissions policy; speakers receive discounts. Presentations are made in series in a large conference room. It typically offers some ___ presentations over its two days. The UVS International conference’s strength is ___, and its weakness is ___.
Sponsor: Blyenburgh & Co.
Host: Peter van Blyenburgh
Website: www.uvs-international.org
