COTAK News

The COTAK Program Team invites you to save the date for the 2026 COTAK Summit, scheduled for Tuesday, July 7, 2026, through Thursday, July 9, 2026. 

The event will take place at the Copper Mountain Conference Center, located in the heart of Copper Mountain Center Village at 184 Copper Circle, Frisco, CO 80443.

At the COTAK Summit, you can expect to gain hands-on experience with the latest COTAK tools, hear real-world success stories from champion agencies, and connect with leaders driving innovation in public safety. With live demonstrations, training sessions, and networking opportunities, this event offers a unique chance to learn and collaborate, paving the way for a stronger future in public safety.

Registration for the COTAK Summit will open in January 2026, and we will accept registrations from 250 guests on a first-come, first-served basis. Once we reach this capacity, sign-ups for the event will close. Be sure to mark your calendars for January 2026 to secure your spot!

In Spring 2026, the COTAK Program Team will release an agenda outline with more detailed information on breakout sessions and speakers. For now, you can view the latest event details and information on our website at cotak.gov/summit

The COTAK Program team is excited to announce the release of a series of training videos on the Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) tool. The UAS tool is a free plugin for the Android version of TAK (ATAK) that enables you to fly many common drones using ATAK and share information on the real-time location of the drone and even its camera stream with other COTAK users.

Part one of the training covers the installation of ATAK and the UAS tool software on a drone controller (or smartphone), and the process of configuring a drone and flying it using the UAS Tool.

Part two of the training covers the process of live streaming the drone’s video to other COTAK users. The COTAK team offers a live video server which routes the drone’s video stream to other users with minimal lag, and this video details how drone pilots can create a new stream using the CloudTAK user interface, how to enter stream information into the UAS Tool, and how to initiate a live stream. 

As always, our team is here to support you. If you need further assistance with UAS Tool or other drone integrations, please submit a support ticket, and one of our team members will be happy to assist you.

Story courtesy of Mesa County Search and Rescue 

On Saturday, Sept 20, at approximately 8:00 PM, Mesa County Search and Rescue was paged for a subject who became cliffed out while on Mt. Garfield. The subject reported no injuries but was unable to safely descend on their own. 

Team members and a UAV were deployed. With new technology, the drone broadcast a live video feed to all team members through COTAK (a navigation & situational awareness app), giving them real-time visuals of the subject’s position and the surrounding terrain. The subject was located just below a 20–30 foot vertical rock face on steep, unstable terrain. Due to significant rockfall risks and poor anchor options, a top-down rescue was deemed hazardous.

A bottom-up approach was initiated and contact with the subject was made at approximately 12:00 AM. The subject was given a harness and helmet and carefully guided to safety using a combination of short roping & short pitching. This approach provided the added protection of a rope belay while navigating the terrain. All team members and the subject safely exited the field by 1:00 AM.