CNA continuously invests in innovative, independent research projects that explore new tools and approaches for addressing emerging national safety and security challenges. These projects are showcased in the CNA Innovation Incubator (CNAi2). From analyzing machine learning for public safety to developing a Navy Force Design Lab, CNA's most creative thinkers are continuously working on new approaches to help government solve the nation’s toughest problems. In our Meet the Innovator series, we interview the analysts behind CNAi2 projects about their work and their innovation process.
Q: You’ve been instrumental in several Innovation Incubator projects, but perhaps most importantly with UCATS™. What is that project, and what’s innovative about it?
Yang: UCATS™ has been a very interesting project. We’ve been working in this UAS (uncrewed aircraft systems) traffic management space for a while, starting out deep in the technical details of how to do cybersecurity when exchanging messages between drones and drone operators. But when we looked at the bigger picture, we started thinking, “How are we going to use the airspace fairly when the skies are full of delivery drones competing for space?”
At the time, I was also working on what might seem like a totally unrelated project. It was the middle of the pandemic, and I was modeling the movements of residents and staff in corrections facilities to try to limit the spread of COVID. We were using an agent-based model we developed at CNA called SAFER-C™. I saw there were some similar characteristics at a fundamental level to the airspace domain: In a prison or jail, you have “agents” moving around and having to follow strict rules when they interact with each other in a restricted space, which at a high level is what delivery drones and their operators will have to do, too.
So I applied for CNA funding to explore this idea. It was kind of innovative to merge work on corrections and COVID with UAS traffic, but we found that with this agent-based modeling approach, we can really tailor our simulations of delivery drone packages and drone operations to specific regions and future scenarios that that might come up. We call it UAS Cooperative Airspace Traffic Simulation, or UCATS™. And it's able to look at these what-if scenarios—because we don't really know what the future will look like.
We can play with different types of operations and provide insight to address some of the decision-making problems the FAA and other stakeholders are going to have to deal with. Like we've looked at package deliveries as well as fast food deliveries and how they interact with each other. We've also looked at restricted airspace. So if you have maybe a concert that's happening, and we need to close off the airspace so that we don't have drones flying over people, how is that going to impact operations?
Q: You say that this project was originally funded by CNA itself, not the FAA. Is there a connection between CNA funding of research projects and innovation?
Yang: CNA does a call for proposals for internally funded projects once a year, and they encourage us to think about connections between projects we've worked on and new analysis the government will need in the future. We were actively thinking of other places where we could apply the techniques we were successfully using in SAFER-C™. We had whole list of issues that involved a lot of moving pieces: fighting wildfires, transportation—and drones. The proposal process nudges us to think about links between current work and future problems.
Innovating on CNA funds allows us to then go back to the government with prototypes, results, insights that have already been tested. There are a lot of ideas out there and tools that the government could use, but having something that's already been built and validated gives the government confidence. That’s happened with UCATS™. It's resonated with the FAA and NASA, having a simulation tool that can answer some of these questions. The FAA has actually funded it, and we're working with NASA to develop a research plan for the use of a simulation.
CNA funding also brings a certain freedom that encourages creativity. I have been working on a CNA-funded project just about every one of the eight years I’ve been here, and it's always something I'm excited to talk about. They tend to be fun projects. You have more freedom to think outside the box. It’s an investment in our own staff that I think that is unique to CNA.
Q: What’s your personal approach to innovation?
Yang: I try to set myself up for innovation by exposing myself to a variety of domains. If we're only just looking at aviation narrow-mindedly, and only know what's been done in aviation, we’re going to be missing out on innovative techniques and practices that other domains are doing, like in law enforcement or corrections. It's sometimes a little hard to see the connections and pull from other experiences, but it’s important to be open to looking for those connections.
Collaboration across centers and divisions is really encouraged at CNA. So even though my primary work is in the Center for Data Management and Analytics working on aviation concepts for the FAA, I’ve had opportunities to work with different centers and different domains. So for example, right now I’m working with CNA’s Center for Public Health Preparedness and Resilience, supporting the US Department of Health and Human Services with a data visualization project. This project is pulling from some of the expertise we have in other centers. And who knows, maybe one day I’ll be able take something I’m learning now in the health operations domain and find a way to apply it to aviation.
