Infrastructure

DART aims to establish a critical infrastructure to support the continued safe and secure integration of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) into the National Airspace, which will enable increased R&D for public safety, emergency response, and other community-supporting operations.

Our infrastructure program focuses on securing funding to deploy and integrate critical real-time airspace management information technologies such as ADS-B sensors, Drone Remote ID sensors, and a system for delivering local advisory information (both static and time-dependent). DART has led and supported efforts on relevant grant proposals, such as the Federal Aviation Administration’s Center for Advanced Aviation Technologies Request For Information, the CA Jobs First – Uplift Central Coast Catalyst Program, and a SMART grant proposal for UAS natural disaster monitoring in Monterey Bay.

DART also acts as a central proponent for infrastructure planning to leverage the proliferation of AAM companies in the Monterey Bay Region. Building on our 2024 white paper assessing operational and infrastructural readiness for AAM in Monterey Bay, DART is partnering with Skyway, a leading vertiport developer, to plan a full vertiport network in the region.

To coordinate regional and statewide stakeholders, DART facilitates the Monterey Bay Tech Hub Infrastructure Working Group. This monthly convening of airport managers, state aviation planners, economic development professionals, and industry members ensures that communities in Monterey Bay have a platform to help shape the development of AAM.

• Central California Airspace Innovation Project (CCAIP)
• Central Coast Flight Information Exchange (CCFIX)
• Monterey Bay Tech Hub Infrastructure Working Group
• Strategic Outlook and Assessment of Readiness for Advanced Air Mobility in the Monterey Bay Region (SOAR AAM)