2024-04-27T16:18:01-04:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/128712543/nasa-and-verizon-to-partner-to-monitor-drones-in-the-us Nicholas Korody 2015-06-03T13:43:00-04:00 >2015-06-04T20:10:57-04:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/h8/h8pbug3469c1if2l.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><em><p>Verizon, the US&rsquo;s largest wireless telecom company, is developing technology with Nasa to direct and monitor America&rsquo;s growing fleet of civilian and commercial drones from its network of phone towers. According to documents obtained by the Guardian, Verizon signed an agreement last year with Nasa &ldquo;to jointly explore whether cell towers &hellip; could support communications and surveillance of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) at low altitudes&rdquo;.</p></em><br /><br /><p>Currently, the Federal Aviation Authority doesn't have recourse to adequate resources or personnel to monitor rapidly-increasing drone traffic. Nasa's new unmanned aircraft traffic management system hopes to be able to enable "safe low-altitude drone flights" soon. By partnering with Verizon, they would be able to take advantage of the nation's largest provider of cellphone service. As Missy Cummings, professor of aeronautics at Duke University states, "We can already track phones like crazy...[so the plan is]&nbsp;a nice alternative to saturating an already broken air traffic control system.&rdquo;</p>