Home > News > Top Stories > Federal Aviation Administration Announces Chosen Vendors to Set Technology Standards for New Drone-Tracking System

Federal Aviation Administration Announces Chosen Vendors to Set Technology Standards for New Drone-Tracking System

The eight vendors will set the technology standards for FAA’s Remote ID program to track drones and their operators.
The rule created a framework for tagging drones with unique radio wave identifiers that are broadcast directly from the drone or over a Wi-Fi internet connection, depending on the method.
The FAA is still working to finalize the proposed Remote ID rule, at which time the agency will also announce the application requirements for potential service suppliers.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced the vendors chosen to develop the underlying technology and standards for tracking drones and their pilots as part of a new regulatory regime and marketplace.

In December, the agency issued a proposed rule to establish a system for remotely identifying unmanned aerial vehicles—more colloquially known as drones—called Remote ID. The rule created a framework for tagging drones with unique radio wave identifiers that are broadcast directly from the drone or over a Wi-Fi internet connection, depending on the method. That unique ID could be picked up by air traffic control towers, law enforcement and the general public to ensure a level of safety and accountability.

The rule also established a marketplace of vendors—Remote ID UAS Service Suppliers, or Remote ID USS—to manage the ecosystem by ensuring each drone was assigned a unique ID and that the relevant data is available to those with authority to access it. Before FAA can create that marketplace, the agency needs to know exactly how it should be set up and what standards need to be met by all companies involved.

On Wednesday, FAA announced eight companies that will help the agency set those standards: Airbus, AirMap, Amazon, Intel, One Sky, Skyward (a Verizon company), T-Mobile and Wing (a Google subsidiary). These eight vendors will work together to develop the technology requirements that other companies will use as they build systems to manage the Remote ID system.

The FAA will be able to advance the safe integration of drones into our nation’s airspace from these technology companies’ knowledge and expertise on remote identification,

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.

The FAA is still working to finalize the proposed Remote ID rule, at which time the agency will also announce the application requirements for potential service suppliers. Wednesday’s announcement says the agency will also begin accepting applications at that time.

Spotlight

More featured news

Spotlight

Related News

Cybersecurity

ZeroFox Renews and Expands 8-Figure Contract with Critical U.S. Federal Agency

GlobeNewswire | October 25, 2023

ZeroFox, a leading provider of external cybersecurity, is proud to announce its continued partnership with a strategic U.S. federal agency focused on cybersecurity. This renewal marks the 9th continuous year of ZeroFox supporting critical cyber threat intelligence activities. The partnership originated between the agency and LookingGlass Cyber Solutions, which ZeroFox acquired in April earlier this year. This program supports thousands of users across more than 200 departments and agencies across federal, state, and local governments to provide cyber threat intelligence, attack surface Intelligence, and advanced security operations support. ZeroFox products are integrated into core operational systems, and are often the primary means of consuming Automated Indicator Sharing (AIS), required by all federal agencies. We’re proud to play a part in the federal government’s critical cybersecurity initiatives and support their mission to keep organizations safe with our threat intelligence and adversary disruption capabilities, said James C. Foster, Chairman and CEO of ZeroFox. This expansion further establishes ZeroFox as a trusted partner of federal agencies and demonstrates continued success in growing our large public sector and enterprise customer base. ZeroFox provides government organizations with critical visibility, deep intelligence, and automated protection necessary to identify and address threats outside the perimeter. Using a global data collection apparatus, artificial intelligence-based analysis, and automated remediation, ZeroFox products reduce risk, disrupt and dismantle attackers' infrastructure, and protect organizations against targeted nation-state-sponsored cyberattacks. The external attack surface for government agencies is ever-expanding with the proliferation of cloud- and internet-based applications, making it essential to have a complete picture of each agency’s digital risk, said Dan Smith, Vice President of Federal at ZeroFox. At ZeroFox, we strive to provide all of our federal customers with the intelligence they need to make informed decisions about how to best secure our nation and its people from external cyber threats. This renewal underscores that commitment – we’re proud to be a trusted partner of the federal government. About ZeroFox ZeroFox, an enterprise software-as-a-service leader in external cybersecurity, has redefined security outside the corporate perimeter on the internet, where businesses operate, and threat actors thrive. The ZeroFox platform combines advanced AI analytics, digital risk and privacy protection, full-spectrum threat intelligence, and a robust portfolio of breach, incident and takedown response capabilities to expose and disrupt phishing and fraud campaigns, botnet exposures, credential theft, impersonations, data breaches, and physical threats that target your brands, domains, people, and assets. Join thousands of customers, including some of the largest public sector organizations as well as finance, media, technology and retail companies to stay ahead of adversaries and address the entire lifecycle of external cyber risks. ZeroFox and the ZeroFox logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of ZeroFox, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries.

Emerging Technology

Carahsoft Partners with Lucid Software to Bring FedRAMP® Authorized Visual Collaboration Software to the Public Sector

GlobeNewswire | October 03, 2023

Lucid Software, the leader in visual collaboration software, and Carahsoft Technology Corp., The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider®, today announced Carahsoft will serve as the distribution partner for Lucid GovSuite. The partnership makes the company’s industry-leading visual collaboration platform available to the Public Sector through Carahsoft’s reseller partners and contracts, including NASA Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP) V, National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance (NCPA), OMNIA Partners, E&I Cooperative Services Contract, and The Quilt contracts. “By using Lucid, Public Sector teams can drive efficiency, maintain project timelines and achieve stakeholder alignment with increased security to meet mission-critical objectives in an engaging, intuitive and collaborative way,” said Dave Grow, CEO of Lucid Software. “We’re thrilled to partner with Carahsoft to help facilitate digital transformation and improve collaboration across the Public Sector by providing secure solutions that allow Government agencies and contractors to see and build the future with confidence.” Lucid GovSuite, built on AWS GovCloud infrastructure, introduces an additional layer of security and governance for highly regulated organizations. It holds FedRAMP® Authorization at the Moderate security impact level, offering a secure, cloud-based environment for visual collaboration with Lucidchart and Lucidspark. Along with the Lucid GovSuite, Lucidscale for Gov is also accessible on AWS GovCloud, enabling agencies to better understand their cloud environments. Public Sector teams can leverage Lucid GovSuite as they ideate, plan and execute mission-critical projects in a FedRAMP-compliant environment. “We are pleased to partner with Lucid to provide the Public Sector with purpose-built, secure and compliant solutions that are now FedRAMP Authorized,” said Bethany Blackwell, Vice President of the Salesforce Business Unit at Carahsoft. “By continuing to work with Lucid and our reseller partners, we will empower our Public Sector customers to collaborate securely to drive efficiency, adhere to project timelines and achieve stakeholder alignment.” Lucid Software is available through Carahsoft's Salesforce AppExchange Public Sector Guided Tour site, offering Government agencies a valuable resource to enhance their operations. This platform is part of the Salesforce AppExchange, the largest enterprise cloud marketplace hosting over 7,000 ISV applications and consulting organizations. It has been developed in collaboration with Salesforce ISV Partners to cater specifically to Public Sector customers, enabling Government Cloud Platform users to discover and explore specialized solutions at their own pace. Carahsoft offers FedRAMP cloud service offerings (CSOs) for three stages of compliance: FedRAMP Authorized, FedRAMP In Process and FedRAMP Ready. FedRAMP is a Government-wide program that provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services. Salesforce and Carahsoft have partnered to empower the Public Sector with Salesforce Customer 360 solutions to digitally transform service delivery to better meet the needs of customers and citizens. AppExchange is the leading enterprise cloud marketplace with ready-to-install apps, pre-built solutions and consultants. Apps allow customers to quickly extend the power of Salesforce and solve business challenges with just a few clicks. Carahsoft has partnered with numerous top apps and consultants, including members of Salesforce’s ISV Partner Program, to provide quality apps that power Public Sector organizations. About Carahsoft Carahsoft Technology Corp. is The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider®, supporting Public Sector organizations across Federal, State and Local Government agencies and Education and Healthcare markets. As the Master Government Aggregator® for our vendor partners, we deliver solutions for FedRAMP, MultiCloud, Mobility, Cybersecurity, DevSecOps, Open Source, Customer Experience and Engagement and more. Working with resellers, systems integrators and consultants, our sales and marketing teams provide industry leading IT products, services and training through hundreds of contract vehicles. About Lucid Software Lucid Software is the leader in visual collaboration, helping teams see and build the future from idea to reality. With its products—Lucidchart, Lucidspark and Lucidscale—teams can align around a shared vision, clarify complexity and collaborate visually, no matter where they're located. Top businesses use Lucid's products all around the world, including customers such as Google, GE and NBC Universal. Lucid's partners include industry leaders such as Google, Atlassian and Microsoft. Since the company's founding, it has received numerous awards for its products, business and workplace culture. Learn more about Lucid’s public sector solutions here.

Government Business

Noblis Earns FedRAMP® Authorization for Its RunCyberAssurance® Solution and Hosting Platform

GlobeNewswire | September 21, 2023

Noblis, Inc., a leading provider of science, technology and strategy services to the federal government, today announced that its RunCyberAssurance software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution and its supporting platform-as-a-service have achieved the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program’s (FedRAMP®) Moderate Authority to Operate designation. “Earning FedRAMP authorization for both our solution and platform is a significant step,” said Mark Lay, Noblis’ Solution Delivery Organization lead. “This designation allows federal agencies to quickly and efficiently leverage the RunCyberAssurance solution to simplify and maintain secure cloud authorization across their enterprise. At the same time, our authorized platform provides a foundation to integrate future solutions for our customers’ evolving missions.” RunCyberAssurance combines automation, analytics and a streamlined, standardized compliance workflow to help agencies continuously manage their authorized services. Depending on unique mission needs, agencies can leverage RunCyberAssurance as a FedRAMP Authorized SaaS or deploy it within their managed boundaries. Key benefits of the solution include: Continuous Authority to Operateacross entire technology portfolio Automatic managementof cybersecurity compliance Advanced analyticsto expedite decision making and proactively mitigate risks Automates processesto save time and money FedRAMP provides a cost-effective, risk-based approach for the adoption and use of cloud services by the federal government. It empowers agencies to use modern cloud technologies, with an emphasis on security and protection of federal information. About Noblis For more than 25 years, Noblis has been an innovator within the federal government, committed to enriching lives and making our nation safer while investing in the missions of tomorrow. As a nonprofit, Noblis works for the public good, providing independent and objective science, technology and engineering solutions. Together with our subsidiaries, we work with a wide range of government clients in the defense, homeland security, intelligence, law enforcement and federal civil sectors.