CrewID™: Giving Drone Teams the Identification and Access They Need

Beyond the Yellow Vest: CrewID™ is the Real ID for Drone Operators

The drone industry is ready to scale.  Drones are increasingly visible on worksites that range from construction to telecomm, and in residential areas for applications like delivery or power line maintenance.

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While unmanned systems offer tremendous benefit for businesses and communities, drone teams still draw scrutiny from bystanders and stakeholders.  Drone operators and their crew are frequently asked to explain their presence, name their employer, or present authorization.   Many teams designate one crewmember for dealing with questions; others use cones, vests, or barriers to indicate that a drone mission is a legitimate commercial operation.  

Drone service providers and enterprise drone teams need a way to identify their operators, visual observers, and maintenance crew with a secure and widely recognized ID – one that can ease access to worksites and allow management of the ID at a company level.  That’s the space that CrewID™ is ready to fill.

CrewID™ is the solution that manned aviation uses to manage personnel, and it’s one that translates well to unmanned operations.  Companies and airports all around the world recognize CrewID™ as a legitimate and secure identification.  For drone service providers or in-house drone operations teams working at remote sites, CrewID™ helps give pilots the legitimacy, access, and authorization that they need.    Companies apply to CrewID™: when authorized as a provider of airspace services, they can then manage IDs for all of the relevant employees.

Drone service providers may send individual pilots anywhere a drone is required: to construction sites, energy installations, public events, or wildfires.  In public spaces or on gated worksites, other stakeholders want to know that the drone pilot is a professional, and authorized to be on site.  In this case, CrewID™ provides a better solution than just a yellow vest, identifying an operator’s company or employer as well as their role in the operation in a secure form.

Large enterprise like the communications, energy, and manufacturing sectors have always had strong safety and security access requirements.  For in-house drone teams traveling to multiple sites, access and permissions are a frequent challenge, often requiring letters of authorization for multiple layers of security.  CrewID™ can smooth access to remote field assets like power stations, oil rigs or telecom towers.

The CrewID™ Badge is not just an ID with a photo, but a credential that verifies in real time and provides relevant data on the individual badge holder. Job titles include those specifically relevant to UAS missions, like Part 107 Remote Pilot or visual observer.  The badges are designed to be difficult to forge, with security features like a hologram and QR code, which can be scanned to indicate the ID-holder’s job position and employment status. Information updates in real time, which means that employers can activate a new pilot’s badge immediately; or ensure that employees no longer with the company are designated inactive right away.  Badges can also be integrated with standard door security systems, allowing authorized personnel to scan their CrewID™ badge to enter restricted areas.

Credibility is critical for the unmanned industry to grow.  As drone delivery, public safety, and critical infrastructure missions scale, it’s more important than ever for all stakeholders to ensure that the drone operator working onsite is authorized to be there.   A strong authorization and ID system protects customers and service providers.  For drone operators, a secure CrewID™ can make their jobs easier – and doesn’t require a yellow vest.

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