Letter: Cicero supports drone surveillance company
To the editor:
An open letter to Julie A. Cerio, director, Onondaga County Office of Economic Development, and Mr. Robert M. Simpson, president and C.E.O., Centerstate Corporation for Economic Opportunity:
I am writing to express our town’s support for investments in the Unmanned Aerial System (drone) industry in Upstate New York and in particular, the exciting new technology company Omnimesh. We want drone-related businesses to locate in Cicero and we believe that OmniMesh’s command, control, and networking solutions can play a key role in making this happen.
OmniMesh provides a robust, high-powered wireless network to solve the problems of drone control in public airspace. We believe that drones’ place in our town’s economy depends on them being safely under control of their users and public authorities such as the FAA. We are confident in OmniMesh’s solution to provide this crucial safety system for unmanned flight.
Development and deployment of a safe and reliable drone control network can only lead to good outcomes for the town of Cicero and Central New York. Drone operators on safe networks could help maintain our many miles of public utility and transportation infrastructure and enhance the monitoring of our town’s significant natural resources. It will provide for the growth of drone-reliant businesses that will create needed jobs in Cicero while adding to the local tax base. Most of all, safe, coordinated drone flight will enhance the safety and security of people living and working here.
Cicero welcomes the deployment of OmniMesh’s network here and throughout the UTM corridor, of which Cicero anchors the western end. We believe that because OmniMesh is a local company, they will be most responsive to our community’s specific needs, and we have invited the company to establish its permanent headquarters right here in Cicero. In 2017 we intend to work with OmniMesh to find ways to deploy and test their technology here; explore use cases for mesh technology in our town’s departments, and do whatever we can to support efforts to make the UTM corridor safer and more commercially successful.
Mark Venesky
Supervisor, Town of Cicero
