Low-Altitude Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Observation
UAV systems are becoming established as platforms for remote sensing activity both for Low-Altitude UAVS including lightweight fixed-wing, helicopters and blimp / balloons / microlites, and High-Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) missions.
The benefits of UAVs mainly lie in the ease, rapidity and cost of flexibility of deployment that lends itself to many land surface measurement and monitoring applications.
The past 5 years have seen a steady flow of high quality peer-review papers and research theses on remote sensing from UAV platforms for innovative applications. Small, low-altitude UAVs are ideal for monitoring of crops, coastal algal blooms, and vegetation, and even for photogrammetry and laser scanning.
This theme specifically targets small UAV platforms as these are of most immediate relevant to the land-based Earth Observation community to facilitate a two-way knowledge transfer, involving those involved with existing UAV platform and instrument technology, and the land-based earth and environmental community. Specifically, it is designed to bridge the gap between scientific needs and current platform / instrument capability.
Dialogue is required to establish the best path for operational use of UAVs for scientific deployment within the current regulatory framework and UK law as this is likely to impact on the size of platforms, the weight / complexity of instruments and geography of deployment. This theme is timely because of the recent publication of the NERC Scoping Study (MacKenzie et al, 2009) and the formation of a UAV Special Interest Group (SIG) by the Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society (RSPSoc).
A technical Workshop, University of Durham, July 2011
This meeting brought together key technologists and application scientists with practical experience around environmental monitoring applications relevant to NERC science, to address the following issues:
• limitations in the spectral capability of lightweight imaging devices; developments in lightweight multi and hyper spectral imaging devices; liaison with the Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation (CEOI) over instrument development; altimetry, GPS and data downlink capability;
• difficulties of post-processing image data to derive image maps with good quality radiometry and geometry;
• the role of very high spatial and temporal resolution optical imagery for ecological research; and
• to explore the potential for a NERC consortium bid to establish a low-altitude UAV facility for the NERC science community.
You can read more about the meeting here.
Proposed Activities
Project funds have already been used to establish a strong UAV SIG Steering Committee with international representation. We also plan to produce an in-depth review and consultation exercise drawn on peer review and grey literature publications including presentations from recent UAV conference sessions. The aim is to provide a balanced appraisal of the scientific impact of UAV technology and applications; and to help inform the wider terrestrial science community of the current state-of-the-art and best practice.
Outputs, including presentations
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Establishment of a RSPSoc-affiliated UAV SIG;
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Publication of a review and consultation exercise as a digital monograph or review paper;
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Dissemination of technical workshop outcomes at key scientific meetings including the Earth Observation Technology Cluster Conference in 2012.
For more information, contact the Theme Leader, Prof. Daniel Donoghue
Professor in the Department of Geography, University of Durham
Telephone: +44 (0) 191 33 41867
Fax: +44 (0)191 33 41801
Email:
danny.donoghue@durham.ac.uk
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Professor Donoghue has a broadly based research profile that covers applications of remote sensing technology in the fields of spectrometry, forestry, coastal ecology, land use change and archaeology. He has developed processing methods for high spectral resolution optical imaging including a commercial image-processing package (T-Spectra). Recent projects include studies on the use of artificial neural networks for image processing, the study of airborne thermal infrared imagery for geology and archaeology, the use of declassified space photography (e.g. CORONA) and high spatial resolution imagery for archaeological prospection (e.g. IKONOS).
Woodland Structure, Habitats assessment & Land cover change
Research Associates Robert Dunford and Pete Watt are currently working on methods to quantify woodland structure and volume in upland conifer forests in the UK. Recent work includes a British National Space Centre Customer Partnership Project to study woodland establishment, and, a EU LIFE-ENVIRONMENT project to study rapid stock assessment using satellite image data. Khondaker Huda, Tawhidul Islam and Shahed Rashid hold Commonwealth Commission Scholarships and are using remote sensing to study different aspects of land cover and resource change in Bangladesh. Huda is investigating changes in the distribution and function of small water bodies, Islam is studying changes to sal forest resources and Rashid is looking a land transformation for 1951-2001. Our research group have undertaken contracts research for Durham County Council, English Nature, the Environment Agency and the EU. NERC has supported our work by supplying airborne remotely sensed images. Dr Donoghue was a member of NERC's Airborne Science Steering Committee (1995-1998).
Archaeological Remote Sensing
Anthony Beck holds a NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) studentship to evaluate satellite data for archaeological landscape assessment. Nikolaos Galiatsatos holds a HSSF (Hellenic State Scholarships Foundation) scholarship to study the use of declassified space photography (e.g. CORONA) and high spatial resolution imagery for archaeological prospection (e.g. IKONOS). Kay McManus holds a University Scholarship and is investigating methods for processing airborne thermal infrared imagery for geology and archaeology applications, this work is in part supported by Dr Stuart Marsh from the British Geological Survey. Dr Donoghue was a member of editorial board of Archaeological Prospection (1999-2002). He helped to found the Archaeological Special Interest Group of Remote Sensing Society and was invited to join Aerial photography & Remote Sensing Committee of the Archaeological Data Service (1996).
Catchment Sensitivity Modelling
Penny Widdison holds a NERC-ESRC research studentship to study the impacts of land use and policy on freshwater quality in the Leet and Lamden burn sub-basins of the River Tweed. Stephen Opoku Duah holds a Ghana Scholarship to study land cover change and its impact on the Volta river basin in Ghana. Katherine Arrell holds a University Scholarship to study the evolution of cirque glaciers, this work is primarily supervised by Dr Ian Evans. Dr Donoghue helped to found the Scottish Fisheries Co-ordination Centre and is a member of the management committee with responsibility for information technology. The Centre is a partnership among the Scottish Executive, Independent fisheries trusts, Scottish and Southern Energy and The University of Durham. Members of the group have developed computer systems for catchment area analysis and management.