SHAWN SALAMONE | 21 JULY 2025
The state budget investment sets Ohio up as a leader in flight information sharing and enhances the potential for innovative commercial and public safety uses.
A Baldwin Wallace University-led drone information-sharing hub for local governments, public safety agencies and drone operators, the Northeast Ohio Flight Information Exchange (NEOFIX) has received $1 million in state funding.
The project aims to keep the lower-altitude airspace (less than 400 ft.), where drones operate, open, secure and safe by harnessing proven navigational technology to inform drone operators of ground rules and conditions, local issues and events, public safety incidents, hazards, and sensitive and critical infrastructure.
The system is complementary to the existing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) higher-altitude coverage.
“NEOFIX is developing vital technology infrastructure that allows innovative drone uses to flourish for a variety of purposes from public safety to economic development,” said Dr. Stuart Mendel, affiliate professor and NEOFIX project director. “As more drones are being used by public agencies, companies, and private citizens, the need for flight safety continues to rise.”
Vital data sharing
Using a network of airspace awareness sensors, NEOFIX provides digital data as a free public asset to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and aircraft operators, as well as the software and technology providers that support them.
The data sharing is key to the safe rollout of programs such as
- the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) mission to mitigate threats posed by malicious actors using drones;
- “Drone-as-a-First-Responder” public safety services, which Cuyahoga County and other early-adopting municipalities are currently exploring; and
- commercial, medical and delivery services.
“NEOFIX focused first on Cuyahoga County, with plans to expand outward and to other key regions of Ohio. In fact, we are already working to extend coverage to portions of Akron, Mansfield and Portage County,” Mendel says.
Multistate collaboration
NEOFIX is also working collaboratively with other public flight information exchanges in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Oklahoma, Texas and California.
“We have a collective goal to allow information sharing in the most open way possible while also respecting operational security, privacy requirements and public safety,” Mendel explains. “The new, two-year state funding demonstrates Ohio’s commitment to a scalable, cost-effective nationwide public system and cements Ohio’s leadership role as a member of the Advanced Air Mobility Multistate Collaborative Steering Committee.”
Mendel says the U.S. commercial drone market size was valued at $4.79 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.1% from 2023 to 2030, impacting sectors such as agriculture, delivery and logistics, energy, construction and real estate, among others.
As governments establish regulatory frameworks, the integration of drones into industries is expected to accelerate.
Soaring to new heights, together.
Be sure to visit the BWU Technology Partnerships Initiative website to learn more about how our NEOFIX program drives economic growth, promotes policy and infrastructure to improve drone safety and efficiency in various industries, and ensures that drone technology is being used responsibly.