Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Technology for High-Resolution Mapping in the High Arctic
2015 RPIC Federal Contaminated Sites Workshop
Purpose and Outline
Describe the use of small unmanned aerial vehicle technology in obtaining high-resolution ortho-imagery on Prince Patrick Island, NT. A case study! Site location and history of mapping in the area What’s currently available, pros and cons? What mapping is required to meet project needs? The technology, how the data is obtained and processed. Advantages over traditional survey, limitations! Regulatory framework.
May 13, 2015 2
Site Location
May 13, 2015 3
Site Location
May 13, 2015 4
A bit of mapping history…
May 13, 2015 5
Prince Patrick Island wasn’t formally explored or mapped until the Canadian Arctic Expedition of 1915.
A bit of mapping history… McClure 1853
May 13, 2015 6
A bit of mapping history… CAE 1915
May 13, 2015 7
What’s available now?
May 13, 2015 8
We’ve come a reasonable way in the last 100 years.
1:250,000 and 1:50,000 NTS topographic maps Google Earth imagery Aerial photographs (maybe!) Satellite imagery (maybe!) Oblique aerial photography Site survey
1:50,000 NTS Mapping
May 13, 2015 9
Google Earth
May 13, 2015 10
Oblique Images
May 13, 2015 11
Satellite Imagery
May 13, 2015 12
Best we can get for this area currently is WorldView-2 50cm resolution Imagery availability is not consistent Image quality may be affected by clouds, etc. We got lucky….
Small UAV Technology
May 13, 2015 21
Platform we used was the SenseFly Swinglet Essentially a flying digital camera with
a GPS. Fully autonomous after flight
planning. Plan your flight, including required
area of coverage and resolution Download flight plan to UAV, launch
and watch.
Flight Planning and Flight Following
May 13, 2015 22
Post-processing work flow
Import photos (the software can tell approximately where photos were taken based on GPS location saved in each photo)
Import ground control target coordinates (if deployed before survey) and tag their location in each photo where they appear
Preliminary processing to create the camera model and generate statistics indicating the amount of error at each GCP and areas where images did not match well with adjacent images.
Correction of problem areas by tagging GCPs in additional images, by adding manual tie-points, or by excluding bad images.
Full processing at the highest resolution possible, and the output Orthomosaic and DSM are reviewed and corrected.
Orthomosaic and DSM are clipped to remove edge effects. Preparation of deliverables
May 13, 2015 30
Post-Processing Products
Geo-referenced orthomosaic images for base maps Digital elevation models (accuracy is increased by surveying
ground control points) Three dimensional images
May 13, 2015 31
Post-Processing Products
May 13, 2015 32
Post-Processing Products
May 13, 2015 33
Regulatory Requirements
UAVs are regulated by Transport Canada UAVs are split into two weight categories: under 2 kg, and 2.1 kg to 25
kg – the higher weight category has a longer list of restrictions. The SenseFly eBee falls in the under the 2 kg category.
UAV Operations fall under 3 main categories: Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) exempt Restricted Complex SFOC Compliant Operator SFOC
May 13, 2015 34
Regulatory Requirements
SFOC Exemption: Be safe, well trained and know the rules of the sky $100,000 liability insurance Permission from all landowners Know and understand air law rules and regulations Inform air traffic services if UAV enters into controlled airspace Operations only within Class G Airspace – no operations closer than 9
km from forest fires, airports, heliports, aerodromes, and built-up areas Do not fly high than 90 m or over crowds Stay 30 m away from people, animals, buildings, structures, vehicles
and roads
May 13, 2015 35
Regulatory Requirements
Restricted Complex: An SFOC application is submitted to the Transport Canada (TC) region
you wish to operate within (may be all 5 regions) but each region must be applied to individually
TC can take several weeks to process an application Operator must carry $100,000 liability insurance SFOC Applications must include purpose, operating dates UAV
Description Health and Safety Flight Preparation Emergency Response Plan Operations Plan (Airspace restrictions Communications Plan
Applicant must describe their: • UAV Operations Organization • UAV pilot training program (TC must be satisfied the pilots are
appropriately trained) • Operations Manual (in depth document of UAV operations) • Procedures on operations, Pilot records, flight log, maintenance
records, etc.
May 13, 2015 36
Regulatory Requirements
Compliant Operator: Submit one application to Transport Canada, valid for all of Canada up
to 3 years. Requirements as Restricted Complex, except your UAV/UAS must meet
TC Air Worthiness Standards, and there are stricter pilot requirements, including: Formal training course that meets the standard of TP15263E (TC
2014). The written examination subjects include Air Law, Navigation, Meteorology, General Aeronautics Knowledge and Radiotelephony.
Obtain a Restricted Operator certificate with Aeronautical Qualification (ROC-A);
Pilots must declare they are medically fit and can meet the requirements of a Category 4 Medical Standard.
Show proficiency in the English language. Successfully plan and complete a minimum of five training flight
missions.
May 13, 2015 37
Advantages/Disadvantages
Advantages Very high resolution and very recent imagery, excellent for base
mapping Can develop good topographic mapping if coupled with ground control
point survey Cheaper than traditional total station survey per area covered Excellent for showing change or progress over time
Disadvantages
Satellite imagery is cheaper, and may be suitable for purpose Requires a qualified operator and Transport Canada permitting Weather dependent Requires some cleared area for launch/recovery (don’t do this in the
bush!)
May 13, 2015 38
Ballpark Costs
Costs SenseFly eBee purchase price $30-40k (incl cameras) Pilot Licensing with Transport Canada, about $1k Map processing – depends on size of the area and what you what to do
with it ( $5k and up)
Other Comparable UAVs DGI-Phantom 3 Quadrocopter Has a Hi-resolution gimbal camera Performs live streaming video or
still imagery.
May 13, 2015 39
Presenter: Dave Pritchard Golder Calgary (403) 299-4618 [email protected]
May 13, 2015 40
Questions, Comments?