Six Organizations Honored for Using Drones to Enhance Safety Amidst Covid-19 Pandemic

ARLINGTON, Va. — Today, the Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems International (AUVSI) announced winners of the XCELLENCE Humanitarian and Public Safety Awards. Six organizations pioneering new ways to use drones for good were recognized during an awards ceremony at AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2021, which is being held this week at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

"These organizations responded to the challenges brought forward due to the global COVID-19 situation by bringing to light even more critical safety uses for UAS," said Brian Wynne, AUVSI President and CEO. "These organizations show that UAS are the future of not just commerce and the economy but are also becoming the primary tools relied on for disaster relief, firefighting, and other critical public safety and health emergencies.”

The recipients of the 2021 AUVSI XCELLENCE Humanitarian and Public Safety Awards have established themselves as leaders in the application of drones as solutions-providers. Each awards category recognizes three organizations or individuals that have made a significant impact using unmanned systems to serve in humanitarian or public safety efforts. This year’s recipients are:

Humanitarian Project/Program

• ALTI UAS (Pty) Ltd, ALTI Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operation Blacktip - ALTI Flying in Misool
• MissionGO, MissionGO Completes Longest UAS Human Organ Delivery Flight
• UNICEF African Drone & Data Academy (ADDA) / Virginia Tech, African Drone & Data Academy (ADDA)

 

Public Safety Project/Program

• Department of Homeland Security FEMA (Region IV),Travis Potter - UAS Coordinator, Response Division I FEMA Region IV
• Easy Aerial,Easy Aerial Smart Air Force Aerial Monitoring System
• International Emergency Drone Organization,IEDO Best Drone Practices Report for Fire & Rescue services

The six organizations will equally divide a $6,000 prize for their ground-breaking humanitarian and public safety efforts.

For more information about AUVSI visit AUVSI.org. For more information about the AUVSI XCELLENCE Awards and XPONENTIAL 2021, visit xponential.org.

AUVSI Media Contact
Jackie Beckwith, JBeckwith@auvsi.org