Dear Aloft Community,
Today marks a significant milestone in our journey — the one-year anniversary of the launch of our innovative solution, Aloft Geo. This pioneering self-serve platform has swiftly become the canonical source for the drone ecosystem, empowering verified and authoritative agencies to publish safety and takeoff/landing advisories across the Aloft Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) network of applications, including the FAA’s B4UFLY.
By publishing to Aloft Geo, verified users are able to reach an estimated +90% of drone pilots and stakeholders, affecting how drones operate in their four-dimensional airspace.
As we look back, we’re thrilled to share some impressive metrics: over 500 verified accounts have adopted Aloft Geo, publishing data across more than 5 million square miles. This wide-scale participation underscores the platform’s role in facilitating enhanced safety, promoting compliance, and fostering shared situational awareness within the drone ecosystem.
The breadth and diversity of our users — from local law enforcement to the FAA, from NASA to the Houston Astros, from the Texas Department of Public Safety to Michigan DOT — bear testimony to the platform’s versatility and broad applicability. What’s more, it’s not just about defining areas of restriction; agencies like the State of Pennsylvania have taken a progressive step, using Aloft Geo to delineate areas where drone flight is actively encouraged. This highlights the transformative potential of our platform to shape the future of drone policy and practice.
A year in, Aloft Geo’s impact extends far beyond just numbers. The platform is instrumental in managing and mitigating risk in drone operations. Users can swiftly react to changes in the field, keeping all drone operators within the loop in real time. This capability underscores Aloft Geo’s value proposition — driving an efficient, responsive, and safety-focused drone operating environment by presenting as much situational awareness data as possible.
With the release of Aloft’s new Developer Portal last week, it’s important to note that consumers of our airspace APIs have access to all Aloft Geo data to use in their applications and flight control systems.
As we celebrate this milestone, we’re also looking to the future. Our commitment to serving the growing and maturing UTM requirements remains unwavering. Building on the success of the past year, we are working diligently on updates and enhancements designed to meet emerging needs and challenges.
Our journey forward will be defined by innovative solutions like machine learning algorithms to predict high-risk areas, automation capabilities for even faster response times, and partnerships with global organizations to expand our reach. Our goal remains to make the skies safer and more accessible, promoting responsible and beneficial drone use across all sectors.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all our users for your support and engagement. You are at the heart of our success, and your feedback and collaboration are invaluable as we continue to innovate and evolve.
Here’s to another year of safety, growth, and shared success in the skies!
-The Aloft Team
Jon Hegranes - Aloft CEO
Jon is the Founder & CEO of Aloft, the market leader in drone airspace systems & UTM technologies. Aloft’s patented technology is used in today’s leading recreational, enterprise, and government drone applications.
Jon is a certified commercial drone pilot as part of FAA Part 107, the founder of the Drone Advisory Council, and is an active member of other industry groups, including GUTMA, NBAA Emerging Tech, the FAA’s Advanced Aviation Advisory Committee (AAAC) and working groups, and is a founding member and data working group chair of the FAA Drone Safety Team. He’s a self-taught iOS developer, writes about drone topics for technology news outlets including VentureBeat, TechCrunch, and Forbes, and regularly speaks at industry events such as Commercial UAV Expo, 2B Ahead Future Congress, and DJI AirWorks. Jon graduated from TCU with a major in finance and received his MBA from Thunderbird Global School of Management (ASU). Jon has served on multiple FAA Advisory and Rulemaking Committees (ARCs), including drone detection, counter UAS, and Beyond Visual Line of Site (BVLOS).