Few aerospace innovations of the last few decades have captured the public’s interest quite like drone technology. What at first found use only in military operations has miniaturized and become affordable enough for toy store shelves, and the hype has been building for countless other applications: scoping out natural disasters, capturing video footage from angles never before thought possible—even delivering groceries. Now San Diego State University and UC San Diego are getting in on the action.

This winter, SDSU launched its Center for Unmanned Systems Technologies, aka the Drone Lab, and UCSD its open-air aerodrome.

“Our initial focus is on applications for public safety,” says Lamine Secka, director of SDSU’s Drone Lab. “How can we use drones to provide real-time imagery of the front lines of a wildfire? Is there an opportunity to put a drone on every fire truck, whether they’re responding to a traffic accident or a small house fire?”

Lamine’s team is working on a new drone called Endurance that allows users to swap out its camera for a radiation sensor, thermal imager, or other tools. “The whole idea for the Endurance is that you have a platform that you can use for a variety of applications.”

This development involves the (surely tedious and unenviable) task of testing midsize quadcopters, as well as a few octocopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Ease of use and intuitive, responsive flight controls are paramount: Ultimately, pilots should be able to simply grab the remote controls at a moment’s notice and send their drones to otherwise inaccessible or dangerous places, such as an earthquake zone or a building with a gas leak.

Drone operators must be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration and abide by their rules, like staying below 400 feet, keeping the aircraft in sight, and staying away from airports and military bases.

To enable outdoor testing without being hampered by these restrictions, UCSD engineers set up their own aerodrome, a netted area about 50 feet long and 35 feet high.

“The beauty is, you’re enclosed within a cage, so even though you’re outside and can get access to GPS signals, there’s no danger of getting a flyaway, and you don’t have to contact the tower in Miramar to let them know you’re flying,” says Timothy McConnell, project manager of the university’s Contextual Robotics Institute.

UCSD is also working on drones that could create 3-D maps of threatened historical and archaeological sites, and one that gathers oceanographic data.

Both universities are also looking into partnerships with San Diego’s many companies that are developing drones, their components, or their applications. And of course, military contractors still play a big role as well.

“We want to get people interested and excited about drones,” Secka says.