The FAA selected eight companies to help establish the technology requirement framework for drone remote identification, a key enabling technology. One of those companies is Skyward, a Verizon company that develops commercial drone management and airspace intelligence platforms. They acted as a USS (UAS Service Supplier) for the cohort.

This episode we are joined by Skyward president Mariah Scott and product manager Amanda Breese.

Mariah Scott has taken businesses from creation through exit, and built new markets in commercial drones, healthcare, identity services, and media delivery across North America, Europe, and Asia. As the president of Skyward, she helps enterprises realize the potential of drones. She’s built the company through startup to a successful acquisition by Verizon. Skyward software now manages drone programs for Fortune 500 companies as well as drone flight service startups. Skyward is actively developing the global standards needed to enable this new technology.

Amanda Breese is a product manager for Skyward’s web application. She leads frontend development and works closely with design and engineering teams to deliver Skyward software features. Amanda has ten years of experience working in engineering and support roles. 

We discuss the significance of drone remote identification and the private/public partnership model used to create the technology framework. Skyward worked primarily on network-based remote identification but broadcast-based solutions are also part of the framework.

Skyward has recently expanded its Aviation Management Platform to include a new Approval Workflow feature, which allows drone crews to seek approval from managers before deploying to the field. This supports Skyward’s strategy to help companies mitigate risks and liability in their corporate drone operations as they adopt new technology.