Oregon State University (OSU) is part of the Pan-Pacific Test Site coalition that has established an FAA-approved national test site in the Pacific Northwest to integrate Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) into the national airspace system. Collaborators in the test range effort include the states of Alaska and Hawaii, several industries and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.

Decades of experience in remote sensing have drawn OSU to this venture, as well as broad research spanning several areas of application of UAS.  OSU researchers are developing applications for remote sensing of natural resources (e.g., forests, snow pack, coastal environments), agriculture, and hazard/disaster preparedness and response. OSU researchers use optical remote sensing to detect earthquake faults, assess wildfire impacts on forests and measure tsunami inundation patterns.  OSU researchers have instruments on the International Space Station to study shoals and ocean shores.  OSU intends to leverage these and other capabilities, outline below, to support the UAS industry in Oregon.  OSU is developing other technologies to advance a variety of unmanned systems that can be used in the air, in the sea, and on land that broadly address the future needs of society.