Northwest Aerospace News October | November — Issue No. 17 | Page 49

INDUSTRY FOCUS POINTS ( INITIAL SURVEY RECAP ) — Aggregate Challenge Data by Category —

INDUSTRY FOCUS POINTS ( INITIAL SURVEY RECAP ) — Aggregate Challenge Data by Category —

Figure 5
The Industry Lead is dependent on receiving and discussing inputs from companies within the unmanned / autonomous field . Raising industry issues via the USIC platform makes it far more likely concerns will be heard and addressed within the legislative and public sectors . WSDOT , Commerce and the COE have already shown their commitment to making changes for the better .
The measure of the long-term success of USIC will be demonstrated in our ability to ultimately expand our UAS / UAM / UTM customer and supplier base within Washington State and attract customers from outside the state . I am a believer in my partners on the Council , as “ they ” want what “ we ” want – for Washington State to become an economic engine on the unmanned / autonomous industry world stage .
Results of April and July 2020 USIC webinars
The intent of USIC interactions with all members is to provide both a virtual and in-person stage for both information sharing and networking . Unfortunately , due to the current pandemic , we have been restricted to virtual only until restrictions are lifted , so much has been dependent on pre-webinar planning and discussions .
The April webinar focused on the compilation of priority topics identified by the surveyed industry partners in February-March . A total of 49 completed surveys were received and 92 different data points collected . The data received was compiled , analyzed , and aligned within one of five categories ( funding , industry shortfalls , regulations , workforce , and environment ) and used to focus priorities with industry interests ( Figure 4 ).
The aggregate data compiled throughout the survey showed a relatively balanced level of interest , although factors such as the current COVID-19 pandemic weighed in during the casting of the “ environment ” data ( Figure 5 ).
The July webinar focused on three identified shortfalls that would provide significant gains to the development of our unmanned and autonomous industry : The Washington B & O Tax Credit , the creation of a statewide Unmanned Aircraft Systems Coordinator , and establishment of initial funding for a UAS test center . These shortfalls cut across all five of the industry focus points .
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