March 12, 2021 - Guidance Memo: UAS Flights for Emergency Operations and Training: Amended Guidance under Secretary’s Order 3379
January 19, 2021 - AS PMB Memo - Restoring OAS Authority to Procure Blue sUAS
October 6, 2020 - Important Update on Secretary's Order 3379 and Blue Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems
January 29, 2020 - Secretary Bernhardt Signs Order Grounding Interior's Drone Fleet for Non-Emergency Operations
October 10, 2019 - Changes in DOI Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Acquisition
February 14, 2019 - FAA Makes Major Drone ID Marking Change
September 19, 2018 - DOI and FAA Collaborate on Expanded Blanket Area sUAS Class G Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA)
August 20, 2018 - DOI UAS in Aerial Ignition - Aggressively Managing Fuels With Enhanced Efficiency and Safety
May 31, 2018 - DOI UAS Teams Supporting Volcano Monitoring & Emergency Response / Rescue
May 15, 2018 - Interior Awards First Contract for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Services
March 13, 2018 - Interior Expands Capabilities with Vertical Take Off and Landing Fixed Wing Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems
February 21, 2018 - Interior Announces 2017 Drone Mission Report
June 9, 2017 - Interior Expands Information Sharing Initiative to Prevent Drone Incursions over Wildland Fires
August 16, 2016 - U.S. Department of the Interior Awards Contract for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems
October 8, 2019 - Microsoft takes to the skies with UAS program for DOI
Video items previously listed in this section have been re-located to our DOI UAS Videos page, additionally some videos may be listed on our external news page if they were part of a news story, please visit DOI UAS in the News.
September 5, 2019 - OAS Flight Testing of UAS Based Water Sampling Capability in Support of Bureau Requirements - Improved Sensing, Safety, Savings, & Service
August 30, 2019 - Sheridan Fire UAS Aerial Ignition Videos
Sheridan Fire UAS Aerial Ignition Video 1
Sheridan Fire UAS Aerial Ignition Video 2
Sheridan Fire UAS Aerial Ignition Video 3
Sheridan Fire UAS Aerial Ignition Video 4
Sheridan Fire UAS Aerial Ignition Video 5
July 12, 2019 - Compilation of 2014 and 2015 Optionally Piloted Helicopter Demonstration Flights
March 27, 2019 - USGS Tests New Drone Technology to Measure Floodwaters
Interior Museum Lunchtime Lecture Series: Drones for Good: The DOI Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program
USGS Volcano Hazards Program: Videos and Short Movie Clips of Kīlauea
Fissure 8 view from UAS provides critical geologic information
Kīlauea Summit UAS footage shows an ever growing Halema‘uma‘u Crater
May 27, 2018 - Follow the drone to safety, UAS mission in Kīlauea helps guide evacuations and rescued a local resident
August 22, 2019 - OAS Director Presentation to DHS CISA UAS Cyber Working Group
August 21, 2019 - OAS Director Presentation - with Speaker's Notes to 2019 AUVSI Defense Protection Security Conference
August 19, 2019 - OAS Director Presentation to District of Columbia Mayor's UAS Working Group
August 1, 2019 - Blog Talk Radio: DOI Drones: Guest Mark Bathrick, Director, Office of Aviation Services
May 13, 2019 - Optionally Piloted Helicopters - A Wildfire Game Changer - OAS Director Briefing to OAS Senior Leadership Team
October 15, 2018 - OAS Richard Thurau's Imagine Nation Presentation at ELC:
DOI’s Drone Program for Incident Response; Volcanoes, Fires, Hurricanes and More!
September 26, 2018 - OAS Director Mark Bathrick's Keynote to 2018 New York State Geospatial Summit, Skaneateles Falls, NY:
Drones and the Democratization of the 3rd Dimension - Opportunities and Challenges for the Geospatial Community
July 12, 2018 - OAS Director Presentation to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction
"Drones for Good," The Game-Changing Promise for Wildland Fire
April 26, 2018 - OAS Director Mark Bathrick's Presentation at NextGov - Technology as a Force for Change:
“Drones for Good” A Government Technology Success Story & A Roadmap for Success
Proven Template for Success - DOI OAS Playbook for UAS Program
April 2018 - OAS Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Testing – Emergency Equipment Delivery
February 8, 2018 - AUVSI Defense Protection Safety Conference Presentation: DOI Drones for Good (with speaker's notes)
Four Must-Have Competencies for Commercial UAV Success
September 6, 2016 - Asia Pacific Aerial Firefighting International Conference Presentation - UAS in Aerial Ignition
August 2, 2016 - DOI Lightning Presentation, White House Workshop on Harnessing the Potential of Unmanned Aircraft Systems
February 1, 2021 - U.S. Department of the Interior Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Program 2020 Use Report
January 20, 2021 - DOI UAS Fleet Inventory
December 10, 2020 - Updated - UAS Waiver and Reporting Form Instructions
December 10, 2020 - Updated - UAS Emergency Readiness Waiver Form
December 10, 2020 - Updated - UAS Emergency Ops Reporting Form
October 15, 2020 - Interagency Aviation Safety Alert 21-01 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) DJI M600 Mishaps
October 6, 2020 - Important Update on Secretary's Order 3379 and Blue Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems
May 21, 2020 - DOI "Designated UAS" Assessment Guide
May 08, 2020 - Memorandum: "Designated UAS" under Secretary's Order 3379
March 24, 2020 - US Department of the Interior Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Program 2019 Use Report
February 14, 2020 - Implementation Guidance on Secretary's Order 3379
January 10, 2020 - DOI Fleet Aircraft FY19 Flight Hours by Mission Code
December 2, 2019 - UAS Data Collection at U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) Sites - Over the past 3 years, USBR demonstrated how UAS were able to collect data faster, cheaper, and safer than traditional methods. A total of nine demonstrations were conducted, comprising 39 UAS projects resulting in nearly 100 hours of UAS flight time. The data collected were both higher quality and in greater quantity than what had been collected with traditional methods. Cracks can be detected to 1/8 inch or better, topographical maps can be generated to 1-foot contours, and IR data (at 400 ft AGL) can be resolved to a resolution of 9 inches per pixel compared to satellite imagery that is around 36 inches per pixel. The demonstration projects discussed herein showed that the typical photogrammetric project required about 2 to 3 weeks to complete, from flight planning to data collection to data processing. Finally, the safety enhancements of operating a UAS is substantial. Because UAS can access areas that are hazardous for humans to access, or are otherwise impossible to reach, human hazards are significantly mitigated.
November 27, 2019 - DOI UAS Payload Requirements
November 19, 2019 - BLM UAS 2019 - Unmanned Aircraft System Operations by the Bureau of Land Management for Training, Natural Resources, and Wildland Fire, in Fiscal Year 2019
November 18, 2019 - FY2019 DOI UAS Flight Use Charts
November 8, 2019 - DOI Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Layered Data Management Assurance / Security Approach
November 8, 2019 - UAS Flight Use Report FY19 - Dept of the Interior - for FAA - Operator Names and locations removed
November 8, 2019 - UAS Flight Use Report FY18 - Dept of the Interior - for FAA - Operator Names and locations removed
November 6, 2019 - Comparison of Draft Army Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) UAS Specification with Representative Master UAS Requirements for the DOI
September 6, 2019 - Department of the Interior Unmanned Aircraft System Historical and Future Projected Flight Totals - 2010 - 2025
August 13, 2019 - DOI Drone vs Services Procurement Decision Guide
August 2, 2019 - Skid Fire UAS Flight and Data Collection Summary
August 2, 2019 - Roberts Fire UAS Flight and Data Collection Summary
July 25, 2019 - U.S. Department of the Interior Small UAS Selection and Acquisition Process
July 19, 2019 - Key Messages and FAQ's - OAS UAS Data Management Assurance Flight Test and Technical Evaluation Report
July 3, 2019 - Based on the conclusions and recommendations contained in the Flight Test and Technical Evaluation Report of the completed DJI Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Mission Functionality and Data Management Assurance Assessment, this letter provides limited authorization for Interior to acquire and operate selected and specially configured DJI UAS in support of wildfire, SAR, emergency response, natural resources, and other applicable bureau missions.
July 2, 2019 - This Flight Test and Technical Evaluation Report presents results of an assessment of the flight, payload, and data management assurance performance of the SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. Matrice 600 Pro and Mavic Pro unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) modified with DJI Government Edition (GE) hardware, firmware, and software for suitability in selected Interior bureau missions. Test articles were operated under the Office of Aviation Services (OAS) Test Plan for Validation and Verification of Data Security Software for Employment of DJI UAS Platforms, originally signed on April 9, 2018 and later updated with approved Modifications One and Two of November 14 and 16, 2018, respectively.
March 29, 2019 - DOI Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Program - 2018 Use Report
March 21, 2019 - Interagency Strategic Framework for Drone Incursion on Wildfires Including 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 Results
March 18, 2019 - DOI Supported UAS Use on Wildland Fire (2019 Projected) (Updated 03/27/2019)
March 15, 2019 - Master UAS Requirements for the DOI
February 19, 2019 - DOI UAS Best Practices for Responsible Operations
November 19, 2018 - BLM: UAS Cultural Resource Summary 2014-2017
November 09, 2018 - DOI UAS Field Report - Henry Smith Site, Montana
October 14, 2018 - DOI OAS UAS Briefing Paper - Positive Impacts of DOI's Expanded VLOS - EVLOS - BVLOS Authorities
September 19, 2018 - DOI OAS UAS Briefing Paper - Call-When-Needed UAS Contract Usage Update
August 31, 2018 - DOI OAS UAS Briefing Paper - August 2018 Update on Current OAS UAS Support for Wildland Fire
August 6, 2018 - DOI OAS UAS Briefing Paper - Aerial Ignition UAS and Payload Development
August 6, 2018 - DOI OAS UAS Briefing Paper - Aerial Ignition OT&E Field Report
August 3, 2018 - OAS Briefing Paper - Drone Incursions on Wildfires - Key Messages - July 2018 Update
July 31, 2018 - DOI UAS Concept Paper - In Your Hand and On Demand – A concept for enhanced awareness, effectiveness, & safety
April 29, 2018 - OAS Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Testing - Emergency Equipment Delivery
April 10, 2018 - DAS PRE OAS Information Paper - The Problems with Predators for DOI
April 5, 2018 - Searchable DOI UAS Imagery Data Note: (Select "UAS" under the "dataset" tab for UAS imagery results)
April 5, 2018 - DOI UAS Data Research
April 5, 2018 - USGS UAS Publications
April 5, 2018 - USGS UAS Poster Gallery
July 12, 2017 - DOI UAS Report - Relationship of Fire Discovery Times on the Timeliness of Aerial Firefighting Support
July 2017 - Interagency Fire Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations Guide
June 2017 - Boundary Fire Unmanned Aircraft System Operations After Action Review (AAR) and Lessons Learned
May 25, 2017 - Irwin GeoPlatform Service User Guide V1.0
June 2016 - North Fire Unmanned Aircraft Systems Testing & Evaluation After Action Review
March 19, 2016 - Homestead National Monument Aerial Ignition UAS Test Results
March 31, 2016 - NWCG Memorandum No. 16-006 Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Incursion Protocol for Wildland Firefighter
March 31, 2016 - NWCG Memorandum No. 16-006a Incursion Decision Tree