How does one check the "license plate" on a drone flying several hundred feet in the air? The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International is seeking ideas.

AUVSI recently put out a call for papers on technologies that could be used to identify the operators of small unmanned aircraft systems, more commonly known as drones. The documents will be used to provide government officials an overview of what technologies exist to ID drone air traffic.

The federal government started requiring mandatory registration of any drones weighing more than .55 pounds in late 2015, according to IEEE Spectrum, a news service owned by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Registration numbers must be placed on drones but currently there is no requirement to broadcast signals for remote identification, although that may change.

At least one company took AUVSI up on the offer. In a whitepaper, drone manufacturer DJI argued that remote identification must be balanced with privacy concerns. Companies testing new products or investigative journalists using drones for newsgathering may not want to be identified, for instance.

DJI suggested using radio-based transmissions to identify drones rather than placing a physical "license plate" or other mark on the devices.

"Authorized receivers of the transmission who believe the drone's operator is violating a regulation or engaged in unlawful acts can record and investigate, similar to how a license plate might be recorded by someone who is cut off on a road," the company said. http://bit.ly/2olpRE7

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