The Use of UAV s for Gathering Spatial Information. James Van Rens CEO MAPPS Winter Conference January, 2015

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1 The Use of UAV s for Gathering Spatial Information James Van Rens CEO MAPPS Winter Conference January,

2 UAV Technological Timeline 1980 s RPV (Remotely Piloted Vehicle) Operator on ground, almost near real-time control of aircraft on variable surfaces 1990 s UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) Operator on ground and can take over intermittently as necessary for course correction, introduction to complete automation UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) Operator on ground to modify or take over in emergencies, complete flight path automation 2

3 UAV s Effective New Tool Changing the Landscape of Aerial Surveying and Data Acquisition UAS will never replace fully piloted aircraft. UAS size = small = decreased radar, acoustical, infrared and environmental signatures UAS is cost effective, as compared to fully manned aircraft (cheaper fuel costs, no crew downtime, minimal aircraft maintenance, no aircrew, minimal weight, easy mobility) Safety is improved due to both piloted and autonomous flight. 3

4 Advantages of each type of UAV s Multi-Rotors Fixed Wing Helicopter UAV Complexity of system design has increased and developed over recent years. Lighter and stronger materials and components Multi-rotor components readily available No need for a runway Vertical take off Hovering in place Low altitude flight Ability to stay airborne is not a function of the drive motor Less overall power consumption per flight. Stable in flight Robust Can survey farther distances Good payload capability Single motor operation Highly maneuverable Great placement of sensor payload Single motor operation Vertical take off Hovering in place Low altitude flight No need for a runway 4

5 Benefits of LIDAR compared to Photogrammetry Interaction with target objects Lighting Texture of targets Linear Objects LIDAR instantaneous interaction of laser pulse with target (typ. 4 ns) is sufficient to generate precise 3D point, i.e., no analysis of neighbourhood necessary LIDAR as active technique does not rely on illumination of the scene by e.g. the sun LIDAR works in a wide dynamic range (reflectance low, nearly black surfaces up to retroreflective surfaces). The texture of the surface has no impact on the LIDAR performance. Measurements to absolutely untextured surfaces like snow fields, dunes, etc. impose no problem at all. LIDAR can detect thin wires in the data, as long as the LIDAR cross section is sufficient. 5 Dense Image Matching (DIM) One target has to be seen in at least 2 images by several pixels in order to identify correspondence. Definitely not the case for bare earth below canopy. Heavily relies on good (i.e., bright and time invariant) illumination, usually by the sun. Bright sunshine however imposes additional problems (dynamic range of sensors) in shadowed areas. For DIM algorithms to work, i.e., to find local similarities in images, the object s surface has to have a structured texture. Objects with unstructured textures can not be measured at all. DIM algorithms need a 2D neighbourhood on a target to find correspondences. Thus, wires still visible in images as, e.g., a line of width 2 pixels, can NOT be resolved as a 3D object. Consequence LIDAR s excellent penetration of even dense canopy, whereas DIM can only generate digital surface model LIDAR can operate at night, dawn, dusk, daylight, whereas DIM works only in good daylight conditions. The variety of measureable surfaces is more limited for DIM than for LIDAR. LIDAR easily detects all the wires (power lines, overhead cabling, etc.) whereas DIM does not.

6 Advantages of Echo Digitization and Waveform Analysis 6

7 Benefits to LiDAR Integrated UAV s - New technology allows for LiDAR acquisition at a fraction of the current aerial surveying aircraft costs. - Small form factor allows for easy mobilization to site and thus, more remote sites. - Easy mobilization and lower operational costs, as well as time saved, results in a faster return on investment for the LiDAR/UAV remote sensing. - Faster deployment for repeat scans of an AOI - Expands LiDAR to new and novel applications currently in use with UAV s. 7

8 RIEGL s New RiCopter - UAV LiDAR Octocopter 8

9 RIEGL VUX-1 High-accuracy ranging based on echo digitization and online waveform processing Survey grade measurement Accuracy/Precision 10mm/5mm High laser pulse repetition rate of 550kHz for fast acquisition Fast scan speed up to 200 scans / sec Operating altitude of more than 1000ft Very compact (227 x 180 x 125mm) and lightweight (approx. 3.6 kg) Internal data storage capability of 240 GB Low power consumption of 60W while scanning Easily mountable to professional UAV/UAS s 9

10 RIEGL VUX-1 Field of View FOV in Valley FOV in Urban Canyon 10

11 RIEGL VUX-SYS 11

12 Applications of LiDAR integrated UAV s Powerlines Pipelines Canyons Forests Architecture - Cultural Heritage Caves Narrow Urban Areas Wind Parks Gas Lines Cliff Overhangs Substations Agricultural Land Archeological Sites Aquaducts Port Facilities Bridges Danger areas Open pit mines Valleys Offshore Oil Rigs Golf Courses Flood Zones Complex Industrial Plants Power Plants Wildlife Refuges Traffic Accident Scenes Racetracks 12

13 Example of Applications Application: Precision Agriculture Application: Forestry Lidar data Shrub layer & Deadfall Ground Conditions Terrain Model Vegetation Growth Monitoring 13

14 Example of Applications Application: Power Line Inspection & Infrastructure Monitoring Application: Topography in Open-Pit Mining Areas 14

15 Conclusion RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems latest developments, the RiCopter and the VUX-SYS, are the first systems in the ULS segment that are bridging the gap between airborne, mobile, and terrestrial laser scanning. ULS systems are bringing professional survey-grade quality of laser scanning that will enable current and new users to be highly productive and to deliver 3D analytics much more efficiently. Thank You and Any Questions? 15