The Grand Forks region’s UAS sector has become a breeding ground for UAS technology startups, and has been dubbed ‘Silidrone Valley’ by Time Magazine. One such startup, Evolve Analytics, is poised to launch a $350,000 UAS demonstration project, thanks to support from Microsoft TechSpark.
Microsoft TechSpark is a new national civic program to introduce digital initiatives designed to foster greater economic opportunity and job creation in six communities across the United States. The focus is to do more work outside the country’s major metropolitan centers. By partnering closely with leaders and communities on the ground, the TechSpark goal is to learn more about regional challenges and how technology can help better contribute to local economic growth, with a plan to share learnings more broadly.
Evolve Analytics partnered with UND’s Aerospace Foundation to apply for Microsoft TechSpark’s Regional Grant Competition – Aerial Data Imagery, which funds novel ideas using innovative aerial imagery applications tied to a particular industry. The award will allow Evolve Analytics to build a scalable platform, utilizing artificial intelligence within aerial imagery.
“We have an opportunity to do something no one else has done before. This is the next evolution in the way we use drones,” said Joshua Riedy, Evolve Analytics Founder and CEO.
The project is designed to work hand-in-hand with Microsoft Azure and Azure IoT (Internet of Things) to provide a framework for “Enterprise Autonomy”, a term coined by Evolve Analytics, which defined as secure, remote, autonomous, multi-drone, UAS operations.
Additionally, the concept aims to reduce the cost of manpower needed for current drone operations. “Right now, the FAA requires you to have a person behind the scenes of any drone in flight, but we are looking to prove that you can safely remove people from that equation,” said Riedy.
GFREDC Support
Riedy is no stranger to innovation in the UAS industry. In 2015, he served as Co-Principal Investigator on a major National Science Foundation grant to establish the Midwest Big Data Hub, and was the Principal Investigator on the first major grant from the Midwest Big Data Hub in the area of Digital Agriculture.
In summer of 2018, Riedy resigned his position as COO of UAS startup EdgeData to focus on his concept with Evolve Analytics. That’s when he reached out to Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Keith Lund, and Business Development Manager Brandon Baumbach.
“Right away we recognized the importance of this project and opportunity it presented to grow jobs within the EDC’s targeted sector of high tech,” said Lund.
Lund and Baumbach worked with Riedy to plan a path forward, helping Evolve Analytics navigate key opportunities and organizations that might benefit from Riedy’s concept.
“The EDC’s willingness to work with the Microsoft TechSpark program and myself to make this project happen has been incredibly valuable,” said Riedy.
In order to apply for the TechSpark grant Evolve Analytics needed to partner with a nonprofit organization and UND Aerospace Foundation came on board as a partnering agency in the process.
“I couldn’t think of a more ideal partner for an aerial imagery grant program. UND Aerospace is a pre-eminent and known quantity within the aviation industry and their expertise in both manned and unmanned flight is unrivaled,” said Riedy.
EDC staff worked with the partnering organizations, connecting them with the Grand Forks Jobs Development Authority to apply for a $50,000 grant, which was matched by the EDC’s board of directors.
This is the first TechSpark grant to be awarded in the state of North Dakota, and the first involving a startup technology company. The Grand Forks region’s assets were a crucial component to Microsoft’s decision to invest in Evolve Analytics, which is working to launch a new product called Airtonomy. Access to both manned and unmanned aerial vehicles, the computational capacity within our research University, industry concentrations of agriculture and energy, community buy-in and willingness to support the project were all attractive factors in TechSpark’s decision.
“The fact that Microsoft has recognized the potential of this technology and the capability of Evolve Analytics and the Airtonomy platform to transform the way digital imagery and data is managed is what truly sets this project apart,” said Lund. “The EDC board felt strongly that we needed to invest in something that could be a foundational moment for significant growth in the UAS technology sector for years to come.”