scholarly journals Observing river stages using unmanned aerial vehicles

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomasz Niedzielski ◽  
Matylda Witek ◽  
Waldemar Spallek
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Water Surface ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Hydrodynamic Models ◽  
Surface Areas ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Sw Poland ◽  
High Flows ◽  
Student’S T

Abstract. We elaborated a new method for observing water surface areas and river stages using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). It is based on processing multitemporal m orthophotomaps produced from the UAV-taken visual-light photographs of n sites of the river, acquired with a sufficient overlap in each part. Water surface areas are calculated in the first place, and subsequently expressed as fractions of total areas of water-covered terrain at a given site of the river recorded on m dates. The logarithms of the fractions are later calculated, producing m samples of size n. In order to detect statistically significant increments of water surface areas between two orthophotomaps we apply the asymptotic and bootstrapped versions of the Student's t-test, preceded by other tests that aim to check model assumptions. The procedure is applied to five orthophotomaps covering nine sites of the Ścinawka river (SW Poland). The data have been acquired during the experimental campaign, at which flight settings were kept unchanged over nearly 3 years (2012–2014). We have found that it is possible to detect transitions between water surface areas produced by all characteristic water levels (low, mean, intermediate and high stages). In addition, we infer that the identified transitions hold for characteristic river stages as well. In the experiment we detected all increments of water level: (1) from low stages to: mean, intermediate and high stages; (2) from mean stages to: intermediate and high stages; (3) from intermediate stages to high stages. Potential applications of the elaborated method include verification of hydrodynamic models and the associated predictions of high flows using on-demand UAV flights performed in near real-time as well as monitoring water levels of rivers in ungauged basins.

scholarly journals Observing river stages using unmanned aerial vehicles

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 3193-3205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomasz Niedzielski ◽  
Matylda Witek ◽  
Waldemar Spallek
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Water Surface ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Hydrodynamic Models ◽  
Surface Areas ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Sw Poland ◽  
High Flows ◽  
Student’S T

Abstract. We elaborated a new method for observing water surface areas and river stages using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). It is based on processing multitemporal five orthophotomaps produced from the UAV-taken visible light images of nine sites of the river, acquired with a sufficient overlap in each part. Water surface areas are calculated in the first place, and subsequently expressed as fractions of total areas of water-covered terrain at a given site of the river recorded on five dates. The logarithms of the fractions are later calculated, producing five samples, each consisted of nine elements. In order to detect statistically significant increments of water surface areas between two orthophotomaps, we apply the asymptotic and bootstrapped versions of the Student's t test, preceded by other tests that aim to check model assumptions. The procedure is applied to five orthophotomaps covering nine sites of the Ścinawka river (south-western (SW) Poland). The data have been acquired during the experimental campaign, at which flight settings were kept unchanged over nearly 3 years (2012–2014). We have found that it is possible to detect transitions between water surface areas associated with all characteristic water levels (low, mean, intermediate and high stages). In addition, we infer that the identified transitions hold for characteristic river stages as well. In the experiment we detected all increments of water level: (1) from low stages to mean, intermediate and high stages; (2) from mean stages to intermediate and high stages; and (3) from intermediate stages to high stages. Potential applications of the elaborated method include verification of hydrodynamic models and the associated predictions of high flows as well as monitoring water levels of rivers in ungauged basins.

The Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

2021 ◽  
pp. 810-826
Author(s):  
Aleksandar Erceg ◽  
Zafer Kilic
Keyword(s):  
Research And Development ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Economic Impact ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Production Cycles ◽  
New Jobs ◽  
The Way

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are present in our lives, and although they are mostly connected to military purposes, they are becoming more present in the commercial and civilian sector. Possible applications of UAVs in the commercial and civilian sector will open new possibilities for further research and development of UAVs. This movement can bring new investment and new jobs, but at the same time, it will influence the way some activities are being done now. The use of UAVs brings savings in the production cycles and improve current operations in various industrial sectors. The chapter gives a definition and explains different types and potential applications of unmanned aerial vehicles in the word as well as the potential economic impact of their development and use. In the second part, the chapter analyzes the application of drones in Turkey and Croatia. Although different in terms of their size and the number of inhabitants, both countries are at the same level in relation to UAV application. Applications in both countries are compared, and after that, a conclusion is drawn.

The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for CASEVAC in the future urban and littoral environments

2019 ◽  
Vol 105 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-33
Author(s):  
G McKnight ◽  
M Palmer ◽  
M Khan
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Lower Risk ◽  
Risk Profile ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Risk Environments ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Battlefield Injuries ◽  
Potential Use

AbstractThe recent development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and their potential use for casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) has exciting implications for the United Kingdom Defence Medical Services (DMS). When compared to existing technology, the unique attributes of small size, increased manoeuvrability and lack of a human pilot would be extremely useful in congested and hazardous settings. There are ethical and practical considerations to be taken into account, but harnessing the full potential of this technology may improve the chances of survival from some battlefield injuries.UAVs could be of most benefit in a congested and complex battlespace, allowing evacuation of casualties from high risk environments. In addition to CASEVAC, a UAV could be used for critical care transfers, Search and Rescue (SAR) and Humanitarian And Disaster Relief (HADR) operations. Given the vast array of potential applications and a lower risk profile compared with current CASEVAC platforms, the DMS should actively monitor the development of UAV technology and plan ahead for integration within current doctrine.

The Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

2019 ◽  
pp. 64-85
Author(s):  
Aleksandar Erceg ◽  
Zafer Kilic
Keyword(s):  
Research And Development ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Economic Impact ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Production Cycles ◽  
New Jobs ◽  
The Way

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are present in our lives, and although they are mostly connected to military purposes, they are becoming more present in the commercial and civilian sector. Possible applications of UAVs in the commercial and civilian sector will open new possibilities for further research and development of UAVs. This movement can bring new investment and new jobs, but at the same time, it will influence the way some activities are being done now. The use of UAVs brings savings in the production cycles and improve current operations in various industrial sectors. The chapter gives a definition and explains different types and potential applications of unmanned aerial vehicles in the word as well as the potential economic impact of their development and use. In the second part, the chapter analyzes the application of drones in Turkey and Croatia. Although different in terms of their size and the number of inhabitants, both countries are at the same level in relation to UAV application. Applications in both countries are compared, and after that, a conclusion is drawn.

The Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in Slope Stability Assessment

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Connor Meeks
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
3D Model ◽  
Complex Geometry ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Current Standard ◽  
Surface Areas ◽  
Helicopter Flight ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Detailed Application

The use and applications of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in geotechnical engineering is rapidly growing, leading to changes in the way that data is acquired, analyzed and processed. UAVs can reach areas previously inaccessible via ground or helicopter, while also being quickly deployed. Cameras are the current standard for data collection and 3D model creation. There are multiple types of UAV’s currently available. Quadcopters can take off and land in spatially constrained areas, but carry a small stabilized camera producing low quality models. Octocopters permit an increased payload, so a higher quality camera can be attached, allowing for increased model accuracy. Flight time is reduced by the additional weight. Fixed wing UAVs create higher quality photogrammetry models, and are commonly deployed over large surface areas. Transport Canada certification must be approved prior to any flights occurring for research or work. A detailed application must be created, including a flight plan and demonstration of prior flight experience. At the White Canyon site in B.C., a Phantom 4 Quadcopter was flown for geotechnical analysis of a complex geometry slope, which has previously been studied for several years. The terrain has occluded the data available from the ground or from permissible helicopter flight paths. Therefore, detailed information from the slope has not been previously available. The process of using a UAV to obtain these data sets, to develop a full 3D model of these areas of the slope is discussed, considering the accuracy and quality of the data available.

Perching and resting—A paradigm for UAV maneuvering with modularized landing gears

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (28) ◽  
pp. eaau6637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaiyu Hang ◽  
Ximin Lyu ◽  
Haoran Song ◽  
Johannes A. Stork ◽  
Aaron M. Dollar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Power Consumption ◽  
Rapid Prototyping ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Reducing Power ◽  
Battery Power ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Time Of Operation

Perching helps small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) extend their time of operation by saving battery power. However, most strategies for UAV perching require complex maneuvering and rely on specific structures, such as rough walls for attaching or tree branches for grasping. Many strategies to perching neglect the UAV’s mission such that saving battery power interrupts the mission. We suggest enabling UAVs with the capability of making and stabilizing contacts with the environment, which will allow the UAV to consume less energy while retaining its altitude, in addition to the perching capability that has been proposed before. This new capability is termed “resting.” For this, we propose a modularized and actuated landing gear framework that allows stabilizing the UAV on a wide range of different structures by perching and resting. Modularization allows our framework to adapt to specific structures for resting through rapid prototyping with additive manufacturing. Actuation allows switching between different modes of perching and resting during flight and additionally enables perching by grasping. Our results show that this framework can be used to perform UAV perching and resting on a set of common structures, such as street lights and edges or corners of buildings. We show that the design is effective in reducing power consumption, promotes increased pose stability, and preserves large vision ranges while perching or resting at heights. In addition, we discuss the potential applications facilitated by our design, as well as the potential issues to be addressed for deployment in practice.

scholarly journals A Distributed Approach for Collision Avoidance between Multirotor UAVs Following Planned Missions

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 2404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Fabra ◽  
Willian Zamora ◽  
Julio Sangüesa ◽  
Carlos T. Calafate ◽  
Juan-Carlos Cano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wireless Communications ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Collision Avoidance ◽  
Distributed Approach ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Simulation Results

As the number of potential applications for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) keeps rising steadily, the chances that these devices get close to each other during their flights also increases, causing concerns regarding potential collisions. This paper proposed the Mission Based Collision Avoidance Protocol (MBCAP), a novel UAV collision avoidance protocol applicable to all types of multicopters flying autonomously. It relies on wireless communications in order to detect nearby UAVs, and to negotiate the procedure to avoid any potential collision. Experimental and simulation results demonstrated the validity and effectiveness of the proposed solution, which typically introduces a small overhead in the range of 15 to 42 s for each risky situation successfully handled.

scholarly journals Establishment of a System for the Transport of Goods by Unmanned Aircraft

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Boris Ribarić ◽  
Dragan Vasiljević ◽  
Julijana Vasiljević ◽  
Zoran Ribarić
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Efficiency And Effectiveness ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Many ◽  
The One ◽  
Control Management

Delivery of goods by air using unmanned aerial vehicles is one of the many potential applications of unmanned aerial vehicles. The problem in the operationalization of this type of use of unmanned aircraft is, on the one hand, the limitation in the legal regulations and, on the other hand, the lack of a unified system of control, management and servicing of unmanned aircraft. The paper describes a model of a unique, integrated system of control, management and servicing of unmanned aircraft that can be logistically supported by an extensive network of small airports in the Republic of Serbia. The economic profitability of this way of delivering goods is correlated with the real needs of the market with the efficiency and effectiveness of delivery on the principle of “today for today”.

scholarly journals Consolidation Drainage and Climate Change May Reduce Piping Plover Habitat in the Great Plains

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa A. McCauley ◽  
Michael J. Anteau ◽  
Max Post van der Burg
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Surface ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Piping Plover ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
Prairie Wetlands ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Surface Areas ◽  
Consolidation Drainage

Abstract Many waterbird species utilize a diversity of aquatic habitats; however, with increasing anthropogenic needs to manage water regimes there is global concern over impacts to waterbird populations. The federally threatened piping plover (Charadrius melodus; hereafter plovers) is a shorebird that breeds in three habitat types in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Canada: riverine sandbars; reservoir shorelines; and prairie wetlands. Water surface areas of these habitats fluctuate in response to wet–dry periods; decreasing water surface areas expose shorelines that plovers utilize for nesting. Climate varies across the region so when other habitats are unavailable for plover nesting because of flooding, prairie wetlands may periodically provide habitat. Over the last century, many of the wetlands used by plovers in the Prairie Pothole Region have been modified to receive water from consolidation drainage (drainage of smaller wetlands into another wetland), which could eliminate shoreline nesting habitat. We evaluated whether consolidation drainage and fuller wetlands have decreased plover presence in 32 wetlands historically used by plovers. We found that wetlands with more consolidation drainage in their catchment and wetlands that were fuller had a lower probability of plover presence. These results suggest that plovers could have historically used prairie wetlands during the breeding season but consolidation drainage, climate change, or both have reduced available shoreline habitat for plovers through increased water levels. Prairie wetlands, outside of some alkali wetlands in the western portion of the region, are less studied as habitat for plovers when compared with river and reservoir shorelines. Our study suggests that these wetlands may have played a larger role in plover ecology than previously thought. Wetland restoration and conservation, through the restoration of natural hydrology, may be required to ensure that adequate habitat exists among the three habitat types in the face of existing or changing climate and to ensure long-term plover conservation.

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