Data Acquisition (DAQ) system dedicated for remote sensing applications on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)

Author(s):  
C. Keleshis ◽  
S. Ioannou ◽  
M. Vrekoussis ◽  
Z. Levin ◽  
M. A. Lange

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (24) ◽  
pp. 5507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Jenal ◽  
Georg Bareth ◽  
Andreas Bolten ◽  
Caspar Kneer ◽  
Immanuel Weber ◽  
...  

Short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging systems with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are rarely used for remote sensing applications, like for vegetation monitoring. The reasons are that in the past, sensor systems covering the SWIR range were too expensive, too heavy, or not performing well enough, as, in contrast, it is the case in the visible and near-infrared range (VNIR). Therefore, our main objective is the development of a novel modular two-channel multispectral imaging system with a broad spectral sensitivity from the visible to the short-wave infrared spectrum (approx. 400 nm to 1700 nm) that is compact, lightweight and energy-efficient enough for UAV-based remote sensing applications. Various established vegetation indices (VIs) for mapping vegetation traits can then be set up by selecting any suitable filter combination. The study describes the selection of the individual components, starting with suitable camera modules, the optical as well as the control and storage parts. Special bandpass filters are used to select the desired wavelengths to be captured. A unique flange system has been developed, which also allows the filters to be interchanged quickly in order to adapt the system to a new application in a short time. The characterization of the system was performed in the laboratory with an integrating sphere and a climatic chamber. Finally, the integration of the novel modular VNIR/SWIR imaging system into a UAV and a subsequent first outdoor test flight, in which the functionality was tested, are described.



2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Cuaran ◽  
Jose Leon

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones have been developed significantly over the past two decades, for a wide variety of applications such as surveillance, geographic studies, fire monitoring, security, military applications, search and rescue, agriculture, etc. In agriculture, for example, remote sensing by means of unmanned aerial vehicles has proven to be the most efficient way to monitor crops from images. Unlike remote sensing from satellite images or taken from manned aircraft, UAVs allow capturing images of high spatial and temporal resolution, thanks to their maneuverability and capability of flying at low altitude. This article presents an extensive review of the literature on crop monitoring by UAV, identifying specific applications, types of vehicles, sensors, image processing techniques, among others. A total of 50 articles related to crop monitoring applications of UAV in agriculture were reviewed. Only journal articles indexed in the Scopus database with more than 50 citations were considered. It was found that cereals are the most common crops where remote sensing has been applied so far. In addition, the most common crop remote sensing applications are related to precision agriculture, which includes the management of weeds, pests, diseases, nutrients and others. Crop phenotyping is also a common application of remote sensing, which consists of the evaluation of a crop’s physical characteristics under environmental changes, to select the plants or seeds with favorable genotype and phenotype. Besides, multirotor is the most common type of UAV used for remote sensing and RGB and multispectral cameras are mostly used as sensors for this application. Finally, there is a great opportunity for research in remote sensing related to a wide variety of crops, crop monitoring applications, vegetation indexes and photogrammetry.



2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 948 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Gaffey ◽  
Anshuman Bhardwaj

Owing to usual logistic hardships related to field-based cryospheric research, remote sensing has played a significant role in understanding the frozen components of the Earth system. Conventional spaceborne or airborne remote sensing platforms have their own merits and limitations. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have emerged as a viable and inexpensive option for studying the cryospheric components at unprecedented spatiotemporal resolutions. UAVs are adaptable to various cryospheric research needs in terms of providing flexibility with data acquisition windows, revisits, data/sensor types (multispectral, hyperspectral, microwave, thermal/night imaging, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), and photogrammetric stereos), viewing angles, flying altitudes, and overlap dimensions. Thus, UAVs have the potential to act as a bridging remote sensing platform between spatially discrete in situ observations and spatially continuous but coarser and costlier spaceborne or conventional airborne remote sensing. In recent years, a number of studies using UAVs for cryospheric research have been published. However, a holistic review discussing the methodological advancements, hardware and software improvements, results, and future prospects of such cryospheric studies is completely missing. In the present scenario of rapidly changing global and regional climate, studying cryospheric changes using UAVs is bound to gain further momentum and future studies will benefit from a balanced review on this topic. Our review covers the most recent applications of UAVs within glaciology, snow, permafrost, and polar research to support the continued development of high-resolution investigations of cryosphere. We also analyze the UAV and sensor hardware, and data acquisition and processing software in terms of popularity for cryospheric applications and revisit the existing UAV flying regulations in cold regions of the world. The recent usage of UAVs outlined in 103 case studies provide expertise that future investigators should base decisions on.



EDIS ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (6) ◽  
pp. 6
Author(s):  
Sri Charan Kakarla ◽  
Yiannis Ampatzidis

Remote sensing applications for agriculture often require periodically collected high-resolution data, which are difficult to obtain by manned flights or satellite imagery. This 6-page document provides guidance on the use of post-processing software to visualize data collected by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for agriculturalapplications. It provides step-by-step instructions for using the data collected from a UAV flight to create several types of maps and indices. Written by Sri Charan Kakarla and Yiannis Ampatzidis, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, October 2019.



2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 100019
Author(s):  
Alvarez-Vanhard Emilien ◽  
Corpetti Thomas ◽  
Houet Thomas


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