1. Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS aka UAV; Drones)
High resolution remote sensing with UAS

2. Photo by Andrew Xu. Flickr Creative Commons

3. UAV: Josephat Laboratory, Chiba University, Japan

4. Learning Objectives What kinds of UAS are available for remote sensing
What types of sensors are carried by UAS
Understand the general rules for flying drones in the U.S.
Be familiar with the basic procedures for flying a UAS mission
What are the main components of the workflow for processing UAV imagery?
Be able to describe some applications of UAS for remote sensing

5. What are UAS? UAS = Unmanned Aerial System
Can be equipped with a variety of RS sensors
Multi- and hyperspectral, thermal, video, radar, lidar, etc.
Sometimes operated in fleets to collect data over large areas simultaneously or to collect different kinds of data from same area
Can produce large amounts of data, requiring significant processing to correct geometric inconsistencies, etc. Work flow is key.

6. Advantages
Can be operated over study areas at a variety of scales, including very small or constrained areas (e.g., canyons, urban corridors, etc.)
Can collect very high spatial resolution data
Can collect data frequently (very high temporal resolution)
Gives users freedom to design custom missions using specific sensors
Some are very portable—can be carried in a backpack
Can be used where manned aircraft would be in danger (e.g., fires, narrow canyons, etc.)

7. Challenges
Payloads are often small, so lightweight sensors need to be used.
Cost is high if you need to lift heavier sensors.
Regulatory environment is still in flux.
Flying can be challenging (wind, etc.).
Can be difficult or field-intensive to georectify the imagery.
Image processing can be complicated and time- consuming.

8. History of UAS Not a new technology!
Unmanned balloons used to bomb Venice in 1849
“The balloons appeared to rise to about 4,500 ft. Then they exploded in midair or fell into the water, or, blown by a sudden southeast wind, sped over the city and dropped on the besiegers. Venetians, abandoning their homes, crowded into the streets and squares to enjoy the strange spectacle. … When a cloud of smoke appeared in the air to make an explosion, all clapped and shouted. Applause was greatest when the balloons blew over the Austrian forces and exploded, and in such cases the Venetians added cries of ‘Bravo!’ and ‘Good appetite!’”
(Time Magazine archives)
But, some say this demoralized the Venetians, who surrendered soon after this.

9. Early development largely for military apps.
Some early civilian use too
NASA 1970s-80s used them for atmospheric sampling (“mini- sniffer”)
Other scientific programs in 1990s used UAS for atmospheric studies, rangeland sampling, etc.
Recent
explosion in
civilian UAS
application
NASA photo of mini-sniffer

10. Types of Platforms
UAS platforms are classified based on size, flight altitude, and flight duration.
Cover full range from very small to large, altitudes from meters to a 10,000s of meters, and ranges from hours to more than a day.
Image: Dept. of Homeland Security

11. MAVs and NAVs – Micro or Nano Aerial Vehicles
Smallest UAV’s. Can be carried in a backpack. Low altitudes (<400 m) and short flights (5-30 min.)
VTOLs (Vertical Take-Off and Landing)
Require no runway, e.g., in difficult terrain. Typically low altitude, but can be variable depending on size.
LASE (Low Altitude Short Endurance), aka sUAS (s=small)
Also don’t need runways hour flights.
LASE Close
Require runways, fly to 1,500 m altitude, multiple hour flights
LALE (Low Altitude Long Endurance)
Extended flights at a few thousand meters
MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance)
Larger platforms, fly at up to 9,000 m, many hours, hundreds of miles from their ground stations
HALE (High Altitude Long Endurance)

12. HALE (High Altitude Long Endurance)
Large and complex (bigger than some manned aircraft), can fly at 20,000 meters or more, 1000s of km from base stations, for up to 30 hours.
NASA/NOAA Global Hawk:
750 kg payload
550 km/hr.
19,800 m altitude
17,000 km range
Used for remote sensing since 2008
Regional to global climate impact studies, etc. Expensive!
NASA Image from Watts et al. 2012

13. A Nano Aerial Vehicle (NAV) by AeroVironment, Inc.
Can be used without being observed (e.g., military).
8-minute flights
Carries small video camera
Image: AeroVironment Inc. in Watts et al. 2012

14. Many groups use multi-rotor UAS for local scale remote sensing.
Quadcopter
Multicopter
Hexicopter
Hexirotor
Octarotor
Slide modified with permission of Brandon Stark, U. of California

15. Regulation of Drones
Drone regulation by the FAA is evolving, but has become considerably more practical over time.
See FAA website for up-to-date requirements:

16. What do you need to legally fly?
Recreational
License number registered with FAA displayed on aircrafts
Registration fee $5 per person
Slide modified with permission of Brandon Stark, U. of California

17. Commercial Section 333 Exemption or Aircraft Certification
Replaced by new small drone rule (Part 107)
Certificate of Authorization (COA)
Aircraft Registrations and Markings
Pilot Certificate
Registration $5 per aircraft
From FAA website
Slide modified with permission of Brandon Stark, U. of California

18. As a public agency (e.g., UW)
Certificate of Authorization (COA)
Aircraft Registration and Markings
Registration $5 per aircraft
See manual on UW website in the Compliance area of the UW Research Office website
Slide modified with permission of Brandon Stark, U. of California

19. Where is it legal to fly? Where is it safe to fly?
Class G (uncontrolled) airspace
Under 400 ft. altitude
Within Line of Sight
Outside of 5 NM of an airport
Other locations will require additional FAA authorization
Safe
No flying over non-participants
Area should be secured or very likely to have no incursions
Spectators should be
65 ft away for planes
25 ft away for multirotors (quadrotors)
Airspace mapping solution
Slide used with permission of Brandon Stark, U. of California

20. Planning Mission and Flying Drones
To collect data to be used in remote sensing and GIS applications, mission planning is critical.
Video or still images
Desired spatial resolution
Flight line planning for coverage of study area
Image overlap for stereo or 3D image rendering
Etc.
Software available for many of these planning functions—many run on phone or tablet.

21. How to Operate a Drone PIC – Pilot in Command
Ground Control Station (GCS)
Visual Observer (VO)
Radio
Safety Link / RC Communication
Control & Communication (C2)
RC & Safety Link
Control & Communication Link
Visual Observer
Make a visual image showing all the items
Pilot in Command
Ground Control Station
Crew Member
Slide used with permission of Brandon Stark, U. of California

22. Things That Go Wrong Pilot Error! Too windy Loss of communication
Fly-away – Automated system error
Loss of GPS
Loss of Altitude (IMU failure)
Slide used with permission of Brandon Stark, U. of California

23. UAS image processing workflow
Drones can collect large numbers of images, but to be useful for RS they must be processed
Georectification
Mosaicking
Rendering of 3D data clouds (if needed)
Spectral corrections
Information extraction
From Pix4D website

24. Applications
Similar to aerial photography and other high spatial resolution sensors
Land cover mapping
Forest inventory
Agricultural applications
Archaeological surveys
Coastal mapping
Fire management
Etc., etc.

25. Examples from UW UAV Symposium (Summer 2016)
Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne, University of Vermont UAS: Actionable Information for Local Decision Makers Many other excellent talks with examples of UAS applications on WyoCast including your HOMEWORK! (See University of Wyoming UAS Symposium for more)