Cape, the leading cloud platform for drone telepresence and data management, today announced it has been selected for participation in the UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) in partnership with the city of San Diego. As an industry partner of one of only 10 awardees chosen from 149 applicants across the country, Cape’s selection furthers its reputation as one of the global innovators in the drone software automation space.
Overseen by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the UAS Integration Pilot Program is a new government initiative aimed at enabling the safe expansion of cutting-edge drone operations in the U.S. Ten state, local, and tribal municipalities and their private sector partners were selected for the opportunity to test innovative commercial drone deployments across a number of currently regulated activities, including operations over people, detect-and-avoid technology, night operations, package delivery and beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations.
As part of the program, Cape will be working in partnership with the city of San Diego and alongside some of the biggest names in technology, including AT&T, Qualcomm, Intel, Uber, and GE, to help define the future of commercial drones. One piece of the multi-faceted pilot, Cape will be focused on public safety initiatives with the Chula Vista Police Department, including the use of drones for emergency response support.
“For the last four years, Cape has been at the forefront of drone software innovation, helping companies safely and easily use Cape technology to reduce costs and increase operational efficiencies,” said Chris Rittler, CEO of Cape. “We are proud to be among the select number of technology partners trusted to bring safe, impactful drone operations to the U.S., and are extremely excited to partner with the city of San Diego and the Chula Vista Police Department to improve the safety of both its officers and the broader community.”
“From drones to human genomes, San Diego is renowned for its innovative spirit and talent that can’t be matched anywhere else,” Mayor Faulconer said. “This designation brings together some of our brightest minds in local government and private industry to develop cutting-edge technologies that are going to take drone innovations to the next level.”
Cape’s participation in the program and its partnership with the Chula Vista Police Department expands on its success with similar public safety deployments in countries around the world, including work with one police force that resulted in a 95% improvement in response time and contributed to a 10% decrease in overall crime rates.
In addition to its track record of success and technology expertise, Cape is one of the first and only companies in the U.S. to be awarded precedent-setting waivers under both Section 333 and Part 107 regulations. To date, Cape has performed more than 100,000 flights in the U.S., Middle East, Mexico, and New Zealand, with zero incidents.
About Cape
Cape unlocks the full potential of commercial drones, giving companies all of the benefits with none of the traditional hassle. Every day, Cape users log in to the Cape Aerial Telepresence™ platform, connect to physical drones around the world, and safely conduct remote flights to capture live, high-resolution video. The only cloud-based system for drone telepresence and data management, Cape provides secure, real-time visualization that increases productivity and operational efficiency and improves safety. Since its founding in 2014, Cape has been a leader in software for drone usability, and the trusted drone software solution for a wide range of use cases, from construction and public safety to oil & gas and agriculture. To date, more than 100,000 Cape-enabled drone flights have been completed with zero incidents. For more information about Cape, please visit http://www.cape.com.
