C ustom Python Tool using UAS to aid in Search and Rescue in Hays County Texas Aaron Schroeder
Geographical Traditions Spatial Tradition Utilizing distance, space, and direction Modern computer technology allows for this analysis
Relevant Literature Zeiler : Modeling our World Allowed for key Python Scripting examples Best : Geospatial web services within a scientific workflow: Predicting marine mammal habitats in a dynamic environment Relatable workflow using a custom tool
Data source & problems National Land Cover Data - USGS National Elevation Dataset – USGS 30m elevation data is not the most accurate but it is the only publicly available data for the whole US. Aeiral Imagery – RP Flight Systems
Background in Search & Rescue Search and Rescue teams have just recently implemented UAS Past searches have relied solely on ground search teams Helicopters are expensive to use There is a lot of waiting time for searchers due to lack of terrain intel
Study area The tool will allow an input of a polygon feature class which will be the AOI This allows for the study area to be anywhere Specifically we are practicing on a location in Hays County Texas
Data flow model
Methods Custom tool interface Extract by mask tool Reclassify tool Path Distance tool
Results The resulting output raster from the custom python script will display locations a person is most likely to traverse from a last known location We are also working on implementing a time factor into the equation which will allow us to split the area into different zones representing the likely distance traveled in a certain amount of time
References Zeiler, M., Murphy, J. Modeling Our World: The ESRI Guide to Geodatabase Concepts. 2nd ed. Redlands, CA: ESRI, Print.