People watching the downtown skyline will see more action in 2019.

That’s because Reno, along with Henderson, is one of two Nevada communities the U.S. Department of Transportation chose for testing of unmanned aerial systems, more commonly known as drones.

UAS pilots will conduct extensive, in-flight testing to better understand how drones perform in an urban environment.

The Federal Aviation Administration and others will use test results to more fully integrate drones into the National Airspace System, which includes airspace, airports and associated policies, procedures and regulations.

“This is really the first operational test for drones integrating into an airspace platform,” said Chris Walach, director of the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems, a nonprofit that works to promote Nevada as a hub for development of drone technology. “This is going to be the platform the FAA uses to fully integrate drones into the national airspace with manned aviation.”

Commercial drone flying is already regulated by the FAA.

For example, licensed commercial drone pilots are required to follow airspace regulations that restrict where and how drones can operate.

In downtown Reno, pilots are required to get permission from the FAA before flying. The system, however, is passive and based on pilots agreeing to abide by the restrictions, such as a 100-foot ceiling in certain areas as opposed to the more general 400-foot limit for drones.

The testing will focus on new systems designed by NASA that will allow the FAA to take a more active role by using technology that will help controllers see drones while in flight.

“You have active tracking of drones, you can actually bring that display to a tower, and tower personnel can see where a drone is flying,” Walach said.

Also, the testing will include drones flown beyond the sight of their pilots. Currently, most commercial drone flying is done by visual line-of-sight, which means the pilot must be able to see the drone during flight.

It’s a limiting factor that makes it difficult to unleash the potential of drones for everything from power or rail line inspection to package delivery.

Testing systems that allow pilots to fly beyond where they can see will identify best practices for expanding the use of drones, such as how pilots might use the internet or cellular networks to operate drones outside of radio contact.

“When you are operating with radio frequency and you fly behind buildings you lose signal," Walach said.

The testing announcement Monday comes as Walach is gearing up for the 2019 session of the Nevada Legislature.

Walach said NIAS will seek a budget boost in order to help Nevada remain competitive in the burgeoning drone industry.

NIAS was founded in 2013 with support from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and $5 million in seed money from the state.

The state money is nearly gone and the nonprofit uses money from vendors and government contracts, Walach said.

He said a new infusion of money will help Nevada remain competitive in infrastructure development with states such as New York, which dedicates as much as $33 million annually for drone industry development.

“We have got to put some serious focus on infrastructure here in the state of Nevada,” he said. “You are going to see drone businesses and technology businesses sprout up alongside that infrastructure.”