Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) uses for Remote Sensing and Mapping Applications

GeCo in The Rockies, September 2014

Grand Junction, CO Jason Caldwell, VP of Business Development and Sales

©2013, The Sanborn Map Company, Inc.

Agenda • Sanborn Overview and Why UAS?

• Non-Airborne Drones

• UAS/UAV Technology

• Sensor Technology

• Communications Technology

• Mapping, Remote Sensing

• Testing

• Public Safety Use Cases

• Regulation Issues

• Current Business Models

• Questions

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Company Overview • Sanborn is an industry leader in terms of acquisition

resources and data processing throughput, assets included: – Aircraft (12)

– UltraCam Eagle Digital (3)

– UltraCamD (2)

– Integraph Z/I (4)

– 5-way oblique system (4)

– Airborne GPS systems (7)

– Inertial Navigation Systems (6)

– Trimble GPS survey equipment

– IT Infrastructure (over a Petabyte of storage)

– Over 1,200 distributive processing CPUs

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Decision Support

Visualization

Systems

Software Applications

Value Added Services

(Base Map Analysis)

Data and Map Production

Comprehensive Solutions

• Decision Support Systems – Wildfire Management

– Forestry and Ecosystem Management – Emergency Response

• Visualization Systems – 2D – 3D – Prism 4D, Common Operating Picture

• Software Applications – GIS Software Development

(Enterprise/Desktop/Web)

– Portals and Distribution Tools

• Value-Added Services – Land use and land cover analyses

– Change detection – Other imagery analysis services

• Mapping & Remote-Sensed Services – LiDAR, Digital Orthoimagery,

Photogrammetric, Topographical Maps

Airborne LiDAR USGS QL1 SAMPLE

Mobile Mapping 100 points per Sq. Meter Sample

Orthoimagery

Google Imagery and Sanborn Added Value

• Google Imagery combined with Sanborn

– Formatting

– Projections

– Tilling

– Planimetrics

– Land Cover

– Change Detection

– DEM/DSMs

– Accuracy assessment

– Cloud hosting (client owned and Google data)

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Planimetrics

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Storm Water Utility and Fee Management Using Impervious Data

Cities can revamp their Storm Water Utility

Rate Structure using Google Imagery and

Sanborn’s Premium Impervious Data

Stormwater Needs

Assessment &

Rate Structure

Development

Ordinance for

New Rate

Structure

Public Info

Review &

Adjustment

Billing

&

Collection

Update

&

Maintenance

Oblique Imagery

3D Data

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2D map of the scanned environment

3D LiDAR intensity point cloud of the scanned area

A topological map of the area

Derivative products:

i. 3D LiDAR intensity point cloud can be vectorized to extract objects in the scene

ii. Create photo-realistic 3D model of the building interiors

iii. Building inventory of the quantity, locations and dimensions of all scanned objects

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Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

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In the US alone, approximately 50 companies, universities, and government organizations are developing and producing over 155 unmanned aircraft designs.

Unmanned Aerial Systems

UAS

UAV

Communications

Sensors

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UAS and Sanborn

Expand value propositions

within existing set of target

verticals

Develop new offerings for

existing target verticals

Expand offerings into

new verticals

Develop new offerings for new verticals and expand geographies

Current Verticals

New Verticals

Current Value Propositions New Value Propositions

• Integrate technology into existing products and services

• Allows for expansion into new Markets

• Allows for expansion into new Services

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http://www.birdseyeimaging.net/

Avenger E: Electric UAS

• Operational Altitude: 5,000 - 12,000 Ft WGS, no Lift Loss

• System that is sensor agnostic

• Full Autopilot : Autonomous flying, terrain following, target tracking, real time GPS waypoints, simultaneous helicopters, etc. Dual Mode – Wireless and Laptop

• Automated return home, max/min altitude setting

• Payload max of 10-15lbs

• Can fly in 50+ MPH cross winds, can land and take off in a small area

• Manufacture with build, training and maintenance programs

• Full Turn Key systems: Maintenance, Training and Helicopters, Ground Stations, Wireless communications, etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=c0gvbN5uxEs&vq=large

Flight Management Integration

• Auto Take-Off, flight and Landing

• Waypoints – 10 CM Accuracy

• Terrain Following

• Remote camera settings and GPS integration

• Real Time Vehicle Data during flight

There is a Sensor for the Job

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Live Down Link Communication

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Video : Digital/Analog - Frequency : L, S and C - Power: .25, 1, 2 and 5 Watt Power - Range: .5 – 2 Mile Video : IP - Frequency : 5.8 GHz - Power: 1, 2 and 5 Watt Power - Range: 1 – 10 Mile

Control : Analog - Frequency : 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz - Power: 1, 2 Watt Power - Range: 1 Mile HH, 2 Mile GS Control : IP - Frequency : 5.8 GHz - Power: 1, 2 and 5 Watt Power - Range: 1 – 10 Mile Control : Satellite - Frequency : Iridium - Range: 10 Mile

Property UHWP

Digital Orthoimagery • Sub centimeter resolution

• Horizontal accuracy within 2 pixels

Property UHWP

3D Color Photos DSM

Digital Surface Models and 3D

Elevation Accuracy at 1-2 Centimeter Levels

Farms

• They really could care less about the UAS technology or the imagery except to say it is cool. Surprisingly, most customers were familiar with CIR imagery type. Really what they want is reports that provide information to make faster and better decisions for:

– Soil typing for new seeding

– Information about how and when to fertilize

– Information about plant stress, irrigation or pest based

– Topography for dirt movement, irrigation etc…

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Testing- 1cm GSD vs. Google

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More Resolution Provides Different Context

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Crop Health Index

DSM

3cm Multi Spectral Ortho Imagery

Web Viewer built on open source and other technology: • Leaflet • MapQuest • Stamen • GDAL Information to be processed automatically within 24 hours of flight. Results: better beer

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3cm Resolution Imagery

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3-5cm vertical accuracy

Thermal

Video Application

• Inspection: Active of Hazardous areas and explosives

• EPA : Avoid Fines and Stack ‘Shutdown’ that can be up to $1M in cost

Ranchers • Almost all ranchers have interest in the smaller RDAS UAS system.

These applications don’t require significant remote sensing processing; essentially all applications are video camera surveillance type of work. Applications included:

– Livestock locations and issues

– Grazing patterns

– Fencing issues

– Well/Water tanks status

– Overall surveillance of property

• I had one rancher tell me he spends four hours every day driving to his water tanks to confirm they have water for his cattle. He wanted to use the RDASS for doing the work instead of driving.

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Tractor Companies • Many of the new tractors that are being offered are drones, they are

automated robots. These tractors use GPS guided tools for navigations. Current start up protocol requires driving the tractor around the perimeters of the fields in order to define boundaries which is quite expensive. There is a market to sell a UAS service/devise to complete highly accurate boundary surveys that can be used as input for the tractor navigation.

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Seed and Fertilizer Companies

• Insurance review: Guarantees are made to the farmers regarding the products they are purchasing. When issues arise the Farmer calls the seed/fertilizer company to complain about a portion of the crop that is not meeting requirements.

• Advanced remote sensing: Many of these companies also have interest in completing more advanced techniques for creating better products, understanding soil types and other applications very similar to the Farm

applications mention in item 1 above.

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Fire and Streets • Emergency Management/Fire: Stopped by the booth and want share

the system throughout the City for different EM requirements. Fire, Police and other for surveillance type of work.

• Non-Ag. City of Greeley Streets Division: Has sensor that measures road surface during ice and snow storms to determine salt and gravel requirements. Sensor is currently used on truck; client thought the UAS platform would be faster and less costly.

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Police - Surveillance/Search • Ability to launch in less than 5 minutes

• Search large areas quickly, HD Video, Night and Infra-red

• Ability to zoom with HD Video or photos of subjects

• Quiet: At 100 – 300 Ft minimal sight and sound recognition

• Remote live communications feed with cloud broadcast capabilities

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Police - Accident Reconstruction

• Reduce Trooper exposure to secondary crashes

• Fast: Take 100 pictures accurately in 5 – 10 minutes (Instead of ~45 mins)

• Calibration: Ability to digitally render entire accident scene into CAD drawings for admission into court or case files

• High Quality: 15 – 20 MegaPixel for HD resolution and zoom

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Prism 4D - Common Operating Picture

FAA Issues: Three Current ways to Legally use UAS • Model Aircraft: Recreational use of the UAS is covered by FAA Advisory Circular

(AC) 91-57, which generally limits operations to below 400 feet above ground level and away from airports and air traffic.

• Experimental UAS: An SAC-EC is the only certification means available to civil operators for UAS. Since July 2005, the FAA has issued 94 SAC-EC, to 13 civil operators covering 20 unique UAS types. The FAA works with these operators to collect technical and operational data to improve the UAS airworthiness certification process.

• Public UAS and COA: The process is available to public entities, including military, law enforcement, and other governmental agencies who want to fly a UAS in civil airspace. Applicants apply online and the FAA evaluates the request. The FAA issues a COA generally based on the following principles:

– The COA authorizes an operator to use defined airspace and includes special provisions unique to the proposed operation.

– Most COAs are issued for a specified time period (up to one year, in most cases).

– Most COAs require coordination with an appropriate air traffic control facility

– The FAA issued 146 COAs in 2009 and 298 in 2010, more than doubling in one year. As of June 28, 2011, there were 251 active COAs, 90 different proponents, and 77 different aircraft types.

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Business Model: System Sales

• System sales

– With and w/o maintenance contract

– With and w/o sensors packages

• Hyperspectral

• RGB

• Video

• FLIR

• LiDAR

– With and w/o support to obtain Certificate of Authorization (COA)

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Business Model: Pilot and Processing Services

• Trained Pilots to provide service to fly client owned Systems

• Large scale mapping (1”=20’ map scale or better)

• Small AOI updates/maintenance – Landfills

– DOT Survey and Mapping

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Questions

Jason Caldwell

Vice President of Business Development and Sales

719-264-5547

jcaldwell@sanborn.com 9/29/2014 ©2014, The Sanborn Map Company, Inc. 44