scholarly journals Experimental Approach for the Evaluation of the Performance of a Satellite Module in the CanSat Form Factor for In Situ Monitoring and Remote Sensing Applications

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
Juan Sebastián Rodríguez ◽  
Andrés Yarce Botero ◽  
Diego Valle Lopera ◽  
Julián Gálvez- Serna ◽  
Francisco Botero

This article includes the phases of conceptualization and validation of a picosatellite prototype named Simple-2 for remote sensing activities using COTS (Commercial-Off-The-Shelf) components and the modular design methodology. To evaluate its performance and ensure the precision and accuracy of the measurements made by the satellite prototype, a methodology was designed and implemented for the characterization and qualification of CanSats (soda can satellites) through statistical tests and techniques of DoE (Design of Experiments) based on CubeSat aerospace standards and regulations, in the absence of official test procedures for these kinds of satellite form factor. For the above, two experimental units were used, and all the performance variables of the different satellite subsystems were discriminated. For the above, two experimental units were used, and all the performance variables of the different satellite subsystems were discriminated against. These were grouped according to the dependence of the treatments formulated in thermal and dynamic variables. For the tests of the first variables, a one-factor design was established using dependent samples on each of the treatments. Then, hypothesis tests were performed for equality of medians, using nonparametric analysis of the Kruskal-Wallis variance. Additionally, multivariate analysis of variance was carried out for nonparametric samples (nonparametric multivariate tests), and the application of post hoc multiple-range tests to identify the treatments that presented significant differences within a margin of acceptability. To know the dynamic response and ensure the structural integrity of the satellite module, shock, oscillation, and sinusoidal tests were applied through a shaker. Having applied the experimental methodology to the different units, the results of a real experiment are illustrated in which a high-altitude balloon was used through the application of nonparametric regression methods. This experiment’s interest measured thermodynamic variables and the concentration of pollutants in the stratosphere to corroborate the operating ranges planned in the above experiments using on-flight conditions and estimate the TLR (technology readiness level) of future prototypes.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 366
Author(s):  
Renato Macciotta ◽  
Michael T. Hendry

Transportation infrastructure in mountainous terrain and through river valleys is exposed to a variety of landslide phenomena. This is particularly the case for highway and railway corridors in Western Canada that connect towns and industries through prairie valleys and the Canadian cordillera. The fluidity of these corridors is important for the economy of the country and the safety of workers, and users of this infrastructure is paramount. Stabilization of all active slopes is financially challenging given the extensive area where landslides are a possibility, and monitoring and minimization of slope failure consequences becomes an attractive risk management strategy. In this regard, remote sensing techniques provide a means for enhancing the monitoring toolbox of the geotechnical engineer. This includes an improved identification of active landslides in large areas, robust complement to in-place instrumentation for enhanced landslide investigation, and an improved definition of landslide extents and deformation mechanisms. This paper builds upon the extensive literature on the application of remote sensing techniques and discusses practical insights gained from a suite of case studies from the authors’ experience in Western Canada. The review of the case studies presents a variety of landslide mechanisms and remote sensing technologies. The aim of the paper is to transfer some of the insights gained through these case studies to the reader.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 3982
Author(s):  
Giacomo Lazzeri ◽  
William Frodella ◽  
Guglielmo Rossi ◽  
Sandro Moretti

Wildfires have affected global forests and the Mediterranean area with increasing recurrency and intensity in the last years, with climate change resulting in reduced precipitations and higher temperatures. To assess the impact of wildfires on the environment, burned area mapping has become progressively more relevant. Initially carried out via field sketches, the advent of satellite remote sensing opened new possibilities, reducing the cost uncertainty and safety of the previous techniques. In the present study an experimental methodology was adopted to test the potential of advanced remote sensing techniques such as multispectral Sentinel-2, PRISMA hyperspectral satellite, and UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) remotely-sensed data for the multitemporal mapping of burned areas by soil–vegetation recovery analysis in two test sites in Portugal and Italy. In case study one, innovative multiplatform data classification was performed with the correlation between Sentinel-2 RBR (relativized burn ratio) fire severity classes and the scene hyperspectral signature, performed with a pixel-by-pixel comparison leading to a converging classification. In the adopted methodology, RBR burned area analysis and vegetation recovery was tested for accordance with biophysical vegetation parameters (LAI, fCover, and fAPAR). In case study two, a UAV-sensed NDVI index was adopted for high-resolution mapping data collection. At a large scale, the Sentinel-2 RBR index proved to be efficient for burned area analysis, from both fire severity and vegetation recovery phenomena perspectives. Despite the elapsed time between the event and the acquisition, PRISMA hyperspectral converging classification based on Sentinel-2 was able to detect and discriminate different spectral signatures corresponding to different fire severity classes. At a slope scale, the UAV platform proved to be an effective tool for mapping and characterizing the burned area, giving clear advantage with respect to filed GPS mapping. Results highlighted that UAV platforms, if equipped with a hyperspectral sensor and used in a synergistic approach with PRISMA, would create a useful tool for satellite acquired data scene classification, allowing for the acquisition of a ground truth.


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