2011 ANNUAL REPORT MESSAGE FROM AUVSI PRESIDENT & CEO, MICHAEL TOSCANO AUVSI and the unmanned systems community as a whole had another strong year in 2011 — capabilities increased across the board, as did interest in what unmanned systems can deliver. AUVSI is only as strong as its members, and our membership continued its upward climb throughout the year. There was also greater activity by local AUVSI chapters; we added several new chapters and many existing ones conducted successful events in 2011 that will help promote and field unmanned systems. Belonging to a chapter is an excellent way to get involved with unmanned systems at the local community level. We enjoyed record-breaking attendance at AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems Program Review 2011 and AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems North America 2011 and look forward to continued growth this year. We also stepped up our advo- cacy efforts, including hosting another successful AUVSI Day on Capitol Hill and forging more partnerships with other groups that have a stake in unmanned systems. Unmanned systems were frequently in the news during the year, and we helped put them there by hosting a National Press Club event in Washington to highlight the varied uses of unmanned systems and robotics. Unmanned systems helped monitor and clean up the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Japan in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami. They also assisted in the attack on Osama bin Laden, performed unexploded ordnance range clearance at Camp Guernsey, provided assisting technology to the National Federation of the Blind’s Blind Driver Challenge and supported state and local law enforcement, among many other uses. One thing that stands out in my mind for 2011 was the quality and quantity of unmanned sys- tems/robotic competitions and technology challenges, including the traditional AUVSI Foundation student competitions: the 21st Annual International Aerial Robotics Competition, the 19th An- nual Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition, the 14th International RoboSub Competition, the 9th Annual Studen t Unmanned Air Systems Competition and the Fourth International RoboBoat Competition. This new year, 2012, marks a special year for AUVSI. The founders of AUVSI started this organi- zation 40 years ago, in 1972. Since then, we have seen tremendous growth and advancement in the unmanned systems and robotics community, and we are excited to see what the next 40 years have in store. Best regards, Michael Toscano President & CEO AUVSI 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ADVOCACY AND GOVERNMENT RELATIONS.....................................4 RESEARCH . 6 NETWORKING EVENTS .....................................................6 AUVSI FOUNDATION/STUDENT COMPETITIONS ...................................8 MEMBERSHIP AND CHAPTERS ...............................................9 COMMUNICATION AND PUBLICATIONS........................................15 AUVSI BOARD OF DIRECTORS & STAFF ........................................16 ABOUT AUVSI Representing more than 2,100 companies and organizations from more than 60 countries, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International is the world’s largest nonprofit organiza- tion devoted exclusively to advancing the unmanned systems community. AUVSI, with members from government organizations, industry and academia, is committed to fostering, developing, and promoting unmanned systems and robotics technologies. By providing opportunities for information exchange, networking and business development, AUVSI forums are the best resource for learning about unmanned systems and robotics while staying abreast of the latest program and technology updates. AUVSI MISSION STATEMENT The mission of AUVSI is to promote and support the unmanned systems and robotics community through communication, education and leadership. 2011 ACHIEVEMENTS n Worldwide membership numbers hit a record high with 507 corporate members and more than 7,000 individual members. n AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems North America 2011 saw unprecedented growth with more than 7,900 attendees and 500 exhibitors from 40 countries. n Student competitions in air, ground and maritime had participation from 118 student teams from across the globe. n The first Transportation Technology Transfer Initiative (T3I) was held, a program formerly known as the Intelligent Vehicle Technology Transfer effort under funding from DARPA. n A new quarterly electronic publication was released, Unmanned Systems: Mission Critical, covering different topic areas related to unmanned systems and robotics. n A webinar series was launched focusing on unmanned systems and robotics issues. n AUVSI hosted its first press conference, “What You Didn’t Know About Unmanned Systems,” at the National Press Club to highlight the humanitarian use of unmanned systems after recent earthquakes, tsunamis and other disasters. The event drew an overflow crowd. n An advocacy coalition was formed with other aviation stakeholder associations, such as the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the General Aviation Manufacturers Associa- tion (GAMA), the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) and more. 3 ADVOCACY AND GOVERNMENT RELATIONS In 2011, AUVSI continued to build its brand on Capitol Hill, with federal regulators and industry stakeholders. In addition to focusing on accelerating UAS access in the National Airspace System, AUVSI augmented its advocacy efforts for the ground and maritime domains. Some of our accomplishments include: • n Providing increased visibility and presence on Capitol Hill with the following congressional committees: • Appropriations • Armed Services • Homeland Security • Oversight and Government Reform • Science, Space and Technology • Transportation and Infrastructure n Making substantive changes to the UAS sections in the House Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill (H.R. 658). AUVSI’s suggestions were the only outside changes accepted into the bill. Specifically, AUVSI got sections added on: • Requiring the unmanned systems industry be consulted during the development of a comprehensive integration plan • Requiring yearly congressional reports on integration efforts • Allowing public safety agencies to immediately access the airspace with micro-UAS, weighing less than 4.4 pounds • Allowing a one-time approval of similar operations under a certificate of authorization • Requiring the FAA to plan for UAS integration in the next-generation air traffic control system • Creating test sites • Defining the term small UAS as an aircraft weighing less than 55 pounds n Submitting testimony before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and House Science, Space and Technology Committee n Conducting meetings with legislators to include unmanned systems language in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users bill, commonly known as the Highway bill n Interviewing Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and co-chair of the Unmanned Systems Caucus for the May issue of Unmanned Systems n Pursuing Byrne Grant language in the House to support law enforcement and the fire fighting community n Collaborating with the robotics community to advocate in opposition of International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) restrictions on UGVs n Providing Advocacy Action Alerts to our members on hot topics n Utilizing new software that allows AUVSI members to easily contact federally elected officials and regulators on advocacy issues n Increasing membership in House Unmanned Systems Caucus n Redesigning the advocacy section of the AUVSI website to be more informative and user friendly n Adding an Advocacy News section to AUVSI’s weekly Unmanned Systems eBrief 4 n Joining the Coalition to Save our GPS and protecting the 5.9-GHz band n Conducting a successful AUVSI Day on Capitol Hill during National Robotics Week • AUVSI members took part in more than 100 meetings with members of Congress • AUVSI hosted exhibitors in the Rayburn Foyer, and members of Congress and their staff visited the unmanned systems and robotics displays. n Addressing the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Action Summit in Grand Forks, N.D. n Meeting with House and Senate members representing border states to support the increase in the number of mobile surveillance systems n Attending multiple congressional hearings for the air, ground and maritime domains n Supporting the House Unmanned Systems Caucus Technology Fair on 21 Sept. n Hosting congressional receptions on Capitol Hill for members and staff supporting the T3I conference and the Unmanned Systems Caucus Technology Fair n Continuing active involvement in the following standards and development bodies: • ASTM F38 • ASTM F41 • RTCA SC203 • EUROCAE WG73 n Managing and fostering external relationships and partnerships with affiliated organizations • AUVSI created an aviation coalition comprised of more than 15 national aviation trade associations to talk about UAS integration. n Aviation stakeholder groups include: the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the Aerospace Industries Association, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, the National Business Aviation Association, the National Air Transportation Association, the Experimental Aircraft Association, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the Helicopter Association International, the Air Transport Association, Cargo Airline Association, the International Air Transport Association, the Air Line Pilots