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.

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Site Location

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Site Location

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A bit of mapping history…

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Prince Patrick Island wasn’t formally explored or mapped until the Canadian Arctic Expedition of 1915.

A bit of mapping history… McClure 1853

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A bit of mapping history… CAE 1915

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What’s available now?

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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

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Google Earth

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Oblique Images

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Satellite Imagery

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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

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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

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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

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Post-Processing Products

Geo-referenced orthomosaic images for base maps Digital elevation models (accuracy is increased by surveying

ground control points) Three dimensional images

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Post-Processing Products

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Post-Processing Products

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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!)

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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.

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Presenter: Dave Pritchard Golder Calgary (403) 299-4618 Dave_Pritchard@Golder.com

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Questions, Comments?