sUAS and High Spatial Resolution Mapping: Prospects and Issues J.B. Sharma Department of Physics and The Institute for Applied Environmental Analysis University of North Georgia

Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) Weight less than 55 lbs Most suited for teaching, research, commercial, and numerous other types of applications Technology miniaturization allows powerful sensor deployment on sUAS Novel algorithms like Structure From Motion (SfM) allow for rapid image processing for orthophoto mosaics and 3D models FAA regulations are expected to simplify soon allowing for an emergence of a huge industry

The UNG sUAS Story Physics/Engineering has purchased an eBee Sensefly sUAS This will involve students primarily from but not limited to engineering, GIS/remote sensing Current legal environment permits ‘aeronautical’ test flights only with due diligence FAA is expected to clarify its rules by late summer 2016 It is expected that research/teaching flights over University property will be possible with minimal paperwork

eBee Specifications One of the lightest drones on the market 1.5 pounds. Wingspan: 38 inches Material: EPP foam and composite materials Propulsion: electric pusher propeller Data link: 2.4 GHz USB radio VIDEO

Runway 5 Approach

Gainesville Campus With Approach Path

Typical Flight Path

Oblique View

Command Bar

Generating a 3D Model

Oblique View of Camera Locations

3D Model

False Color Image

Difference between Aerial and UAS Point Cloud

Comparison of UAS derived DSM with Ground LiDAR DSM

Challenges of working with the eBee Images RGB being 8bit while NIR is 12 bit Could not make nDSM from the DSM created by the eBee 1 inch per pixel creates such detail that over segmentation becomes a problem ‘Object Clutter’ resolved using morphological operations Data volumes can be very large for 3 cm imagery Geographic Object Based Image Analysis (GEOBIA) automated feature extraction literacy is critical for large/repeated UAS operations

UNG-Oconee Land Cover Classification using eCognition

UNG Oconee Campus

Counting Trees

Counting Trees The evergreen coniferous trees can be ‘counted’ reasonably easily due to a definite cone shaped morphology that has a well defined maxima Deciduous trees are not easily countable as the tree crowns are not as easily seperable Where the deciduous crowns are seperable a local maxima is not easily identifiable More research needs to be done to resolve this problem The ‘Modifiable Unit Area Problem’ is related to the concept of a ‘meaningful’ object

Thermal Mapping

Energy Sustainability and Thermal Mapping We are about to acquire a Thermal Camera for the eBee UAS Energy Audits of the University Facilities will be conducted Energy losses will be quantified along with developing a plan for limiting this losses A cost/benefit plan will also be developed 3D models can be converted to AutoCAD or other Engineering formats to allow numerical modeling of heat loss scenarios using MatLab or COMSOL

The ThermoMap Camera

Filing for a COA Very long process.. Especially the first time around The first step is your University getting a letter of support from the Attorney General of your State Then, access to the FAA Online Portal is Granted COA then needs to be entered on the portal COA is very technical and needs an understanding of FAA regulations and terminology

UAS in Education and Workforce Development As FAA regulations clarify by later this year this will open up multiple opportunities for education and research by Universities Students are very interested in learning to utilize this technology; it is a great recruiting tool for STEM disciplines The UAS sector has a lot of commercial applications and will develop into significant economic sector in the next few years Curriculum and courses need to be developed to meet this demand by both students and industry

Prospects… A very powerful tool for K12 and STEM outreach Curricular integration into remote sensing and image processing courses including a standalone course in UAS applications The imperative for workforce development is urgent Novel miniaturized sensors include optical, radar, LiDAR and air/gas detection Emergence of a large economic sector of our economy that will greatly enable efficiencies and sustainability The future is looking up… and down…