AUVSI TOP™ is a professional unmanned system community initiative aimed at supporting industry accepted remote pilot standards and protocols, which will result in the safe and sustainable advancement of the industry.
AUVSI has worked with more than 190 international safety experts to create TOP™ to raise the trust and acceptance of the use of unmanned aircraft globally. TOP™ uses a set of protocols constructed from many relevant standards (i.e. ICAO, ANSI, ASTM, NIST) and industry association best practices (i.e. NATE, IOGP, ASPA, HAI) to meet or exceed the aviation regulations established by the Federal Aviation Administration (US), Civil Aviation Safety Authority (AUS), and several Civil Aviation Authorities (including the UK and South Africa).
All three TOP Levels are aimed at both individual remote pilots and commercial UAS organizations. Each level of certification reflects the level of skills, knowledge and safety protocols required to operate in different industries.