Baldwin Wallace University is leading an initiative to enable drone-based businesses to safely operate in the Cuyahoga County sky.

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BEREA, Ohio — Imagine having your online shopping or medication delivered by drone. One Northeast Ohio university is working to make that a reality, aiming to attract drone-based businesses by making sure the skies over Cuyahoga County are safe.

Traffic signals, street signs and rules of the road keeps traffic moving safely. But in the sky, were drones fly, none of that exists yet. That’s where Northeast Ohio Flight Information Exchange or NEOFIX steps in, to provide a real time free data service to operate drones safely.

“It’s a flight chart with hazards and advisories of where you can fly, or the rules for avoiding places,” explains Stuart Mendel, the NEOFIX project director and affiliate professor at Baldwin Wallace University.

NEOFIX collects data from weather sensors, airports and the Ohio Department of Transportation. Baldwin Wallace University has led the two-year effort to cover all of Cuyahoga County and recently started installing up their own dedicated sensors. The goal is to create a reliable system that helps drones operate safely and attract new businesses.

“The companies that will be offering drone services have told us that if it’s, safe to fly, they will come here and they’ll pay us to do that,” said Mendel.

For example, companies could use drones to deliver medication, which the Cleveland Clinic is exploring with the company Zipline. The drones need to fly autonomously, and the public needs to know they are safe.

“The first step in this has been to persuade the public officials that it’s a good idea,” said Mendel. “Then allow them to advise us on what the policies and zoning should be.”

Helping to build public trust? First responder drones.

The Garfield Heights Police Department recently trained on a new drone system, the first of its kind in Cuyahoga County to support police and fire. With just an address, a drone can be dispatched, fly on its own and responders take manual control when it arrives.

“Gathering intelligence when it comes to maybe someone that committed a violent crime or other crimes in our community, be able to maybe locate someone rapidly,” said Deputy Chief Dale Merchant of the Garfield Heights Police Department. “We also have a stretch of Metroparks in here. So, we’re on occasions, we’re looking for lost children and stuff like that.”

The city received the drone thanks to a state grant through the Violent Crime Reduction Program. One drone can cover the entire city. Garfield Heights has partnered with NEOFIX, and Merchant sees it as essential.

“It’s vital that we have this stuff and this infrastructure in place,” said Merchant. “And assist not only us, but it also assists our citizens that could possibly benefit from these type of delivery services.”

More than $2 million in state and local grants are funding the NEOFIX project, with expansion into other counties and communities possibly in the future.

“Baldwin Wallace has a mission to contribute to the community, to be part of the community, do relevant things with the business community,” said Mendel. “And this was one of those good ideas that nobody had ownership of.”