potential for using unmanned aerial vehicles (uav) in an on-site
TRANSCRIPT
Potential for Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) in an On-Site Inspection
Dr James Palmer AWE plc, UK
CTBTO Science and Technology Conference 2015
T3.2-06
2 CTBTO Science and Technology Conference 2015. T3.2-06
§ Different definitions… § Can be remote controlled or autonomous. § They are only a platform for sensors. § The really important question to address is,
What information do you want to gather?
What is an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle?
Imagery Context information Data product e.g. vegetation locations
3 CTBTO Science and Technology Conference 2015. T3.2-06
Types of UAVs
§ Small or large. § Light or heavy. § Wide range of sensors that
can be carried. § Important factors;
§ payload, § range, § number of sensors carried, § endurance, § cost, § size of launch area, § complexity, § capital and operation costs.
Fixed wing, rotary wing, multi-rotor, light than air.
4 CTBTO Science and Technology Conference 2015. T3.2-06
Not considering large UAVs in this talk. Too expensive to buy, run, maintain, train Inspectors…
5 CTBTO Science and Technology Conference 2015. T3.2-06
What is useful information for an OSI? § Situation awareness. § Site survey. § Data on what is normal for the landscape. § Imagery of ROIs. § 3D terrain models of ROIs. § Imagery in multiple wavelengths. § Thermal imagery. § Processed data products. § Information that is easy for the Inspection Team to understand and
absorb. § Data that could contain observables/signatures.
§ How can data from UAVs provide this useful information?
6 CTBTO Science and Technology Conference 2015. T3.2-06
Small UAV to survey an area of interest. Question to answer:
§ What can be seen in this new area of interest?
Task: § Survey the site and create a 3D model of
this new area. Sensors:
§ Point-of-View video camera, visible light still camera.
Method: § Flight pattern planned and created at the
BoO. § Refined at Polygon if needed. § Deploy UAV and survey the area with
UAV. § Download data. § Process data. § Deliver data products to Inspection Team.
Case study
7 CTBTO Science and Technology Conference 2015. T3.2-06
What is the state of the possible? § Flight time long enough to survey a ROI. § Sensors for many OSI techniques are now available for
UAVs. § Panchromatic and spectral imaging cameras, thermal imaging
cameras, lidar, gamma spectrometers, … § Some UAV systems do not need UAV experts to operate
them. § Many can be transported easily by car/van/backpack. § Live video streaming of what the UAV sees can be viewed
by people on the ground. § Encryption of data collected. § Authentification of UAV and sensors by state parties is
possible.
8 CTBTO Science and Technology Conference 2015. T3.2-06
Conclusions § There is huge potential for UAVs to be used during an OSI. § UAVs are being used by various industries to collect information
relevant to OSIs, e.g site surveying.
§ UAV development is accelerating and their capabilities are improving. § There is a wealth of options for how to use them during an OSI and
which type to use. § Many OSI technologies can now be deployed via UAV.
§ MSIR, magnetometry, position finding, video, photography, ground penetrating radar.
§ Before using them you must answer the question, “How will the data a UAV collects be used to progress the OSI?”
9 CTBTO Science and Technology Conference 2015. T3.2-06
10 CTBTO Science and Technology Conference 2015. T3.2-06
How could UAVs be used in an OSI? Must address some questions first. § What questions do you want the UAV
data to answer? § How to use the data to assist the OSI?
(processing and analysis) § What type of data should be collected? § What missions should the UAVs fly? § What do you want the UAV to do? § What type of UAV to use? § How might local aviation rules apply?
11 CTBTO Science and Technology Conference 2015. T3.2-06
An OSI UAV concept § Multi-rotor § Live streaming of flight camera can be sent to many headsets. § Modular sensors can be swapped as required. § On-board storage. § Altitude monitoring. § Sight camera linked to motion headset used to view items of
interested. § Ground control station.
§ Pilot controls. § Cameraman controls. § Status monitoring. § Progress relative to flight plan display. § Storage of live streaming images. § Radio links to UAV.
§ Spare batteries and other spares.
12 CTBTO Science and Technology Conference 2015. T3.2-06
Large UAVs § Too expensive to buy, maintain, deploy, train and
retain operators. § Leave it to NTM.
13 CTBTO Science and Technology Conference 2015. T3.2-06
Medium sized UAVs Pros § Long endurance. § Whole IA could be surveyed. § Can carry heavy payload. § Can carry multiple sensors. § More resilient to weather
conditions.
Cons § Requires runway or launcher. § Larger size creates transport
issues. § Higher maintenance
requirements and costs. § Larger regulation burden. § At risk from local action. § Greater technical expertise
needed to operate. § Higher capital costs. § Creates a fuel handling issue. § More complex flight planning. § Longer set up time pre-flight.
14 CTBTO Science and Technology Conference 2015. T3.2-06
Small UAVs Pros § Can be deployed within a ROI. § Can cover a small area quickly. § Short set up time. § Possible to swap sensors as
required. § Live video can be streamed to
the ground. § Electrically powered. § Rapid data review. § Easier to transport.
Cons § Limited flight duration. § Vulnerable to weather
conditions. § Limited payload capacity. § Limited physical space for
electronic storage.
15 CTBTO Science and Technology Conference 2015. T3.2-06
Data analysis. § How data is analysed is determined by what question/
tasks we want the data to answer. e.g. § “Find OSI relevant features.” Is too vague to be . § In contrast the question, § “Can high resolution visible light images of an area of
interest approximately 1000 km2 be captured during a field mission?”, can be answered. And the answer is yes.
16 CTBTO Science and Technology Conference 2015. T3.2-06
Medium UAV to fly whole IA. § Fixed wing aircraft. § Requires runway or launcher. grass or hard standing § Liquid fuel (petrol, Avgas, etc) § Long range. § Automated flight. § Extensive range of sensors available (vis-LWIR imaging, Vis-LWIR
spectral imaging). § Some live streaming, some on-board data storage. § Options of viewing directions (nadir, off-nadir). § High capital cost. § Expensive to run and maintain. § Local country flight rules to be considered.