THE AFRICAN DRONE AND DATA ACADEMY
Dr . Kevin Kochersberger has received initial funding of $ 948,000 from UNICEF to establish the African Drone and Data Academy ( ADDA ) in Lilongwe , Malawi ; a one-of-a-kind drone technology program offering in-person and online accredited unmanned aircraft training for pan-African students . The ADDA graduated its first 10-week , in-person cohort of 25 students on March 18 , 2020 , covering topics in drone flight operations , airspace rules and regulations , and data / GIS analysis tools and techniques . Along with Dr . Kochersberger , three Virginia Tech students from the Unmanned Systems Lab traveled to Malawi to assist in flight training . Nine African nations were represented in the first class , including one student originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo who is now a refugee at the nearby UNHCR Dzaleka Camp .
Unique to this program is accreditation by the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International ( AUVSI ), providing students with the Trusted Operator Program ( TOP ) Level 2 Certificate upon successful completion of a practical flight test . The curriculum also satisfies the requirements of the Malawi Remote Pilot License ( RPL ) for those wishing to work as drone pilots in Malawi .
“ Drones for Good ” is the programmatic theme encompassing UNICEF ’ s interest in unmanned aircraft , beginning with the opening of a test corridor in Malawi in 2017 . Applications in public health such as vaccine delivery and disaster response and management are promoted by the ADDA , which also provides incubator space for promising new company start-ups .
A four-week online course is currently being offered , and three more cohorts will be taught this year with a plan to bring students to the ADDA in 2021 to complete their in-person flight training . Complementing the flight training are laboratory activities in aerodynamics , propulsion , radio communications , imaging and payloads , and electrical test and fabrication techniques .
UNICEF completed a Long Term Arrangement ( LTA ) with Virginia Tech on July 1 worth $ 4.1M to continue operation of the ADDA and its programs through June , 2023 .
Kevin Kochersberger
Associate Professor
VIRGINIA TECH MECHANICAL ENGINEERING ANNUAL REPORT • 2019-2020 • RESEARCH 31