GPS World

Tag: environmental monitoring

  • UAVs monitor marine emissions, string powerlines

    UAVs monitor marine emissions, string powerlines

    A couple of interesting drone applications came up this month — marine smoke emission monitoring and studies from a little known European drone manufacturer.

    Monitoring marine emissions

    Climate change: Some might say these are words we don’t really need to hear. Such a big to-do about how much human activity is affecting the weather changes that we are now seeing globally. Or is it all part of a natural cycle that the Earth is going through as many might say?

    I don’t really want to get into that argument, but it would seem useful that someone is doing something to reduce the use of dirty fuels by ships. After all, we seemed to readily acquiesce to unleaded fuel for our vehicles without a lot of protest; why would we accept this as the norm when marine transport still uses dirty bunker fuel, belching out a significant amount of pollution?

    If it’s good for people and their cars, and we quite possibly incurred some costs getting there, why not stick it on the marine industry too?

    So that’s what the International Maritime Organization (IMO) did in January this year, reducing the allowable sulphur content in marine fuel from 3.5 to 0.5%. Enforced under the international convention for the prevention of pollution from ships, this is aimed at cutting sulphur oxide emissions from ships by 77%, equivalent to a reduction of about 8.5  million metric tons annually.

    That’s the tricky bit – enforcement. Ships spend most of their time miles away from land, so knowing what their smoke emissions contain is somewhat difficult. Now (this is where I manage to tie things back to what I’m supposed to be reporting on) its useful that Schiebel, along with its partner operator Nordic Unmanned, thought about enforcement of the new regulations.

    Schiebel Camcopter S-100. (Photo: Schiebel)
    Schiebel Camcopter S-100. (Photo: Schiebel)

    With a range of up to 200 kilometers (~125 miles) the Camcopter S-100 can get out to the shipping lanes to check on what’s coming out of the smokestacks. Equipped with an automatic identification system (AIS), a sulphur sniffing sensor and an L3 Harris Wescam MX-10 real-time electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) camera, the “enforcement drone” can determine which ship it’s flying over, what the smoke plume sulphur content might be, and even take geo-coded pictures to show in which jurisdiction the ship is sailing. If necessary, it can even take pictures of who’s throwing what at the overflying UAV.

    In recent tests, the Camcopter flew out of Gniben, Denmark, where European regulations on emissions applied, and marine exhaust fumes are limited to contain no more than 0.1 percent sulphur oxide. The Camcopter S-100 performed two 4- hour flights and provided real-time readings of the sulphur level in ships’ exhaust plumes.

    With these successful tests in the bag, Nordic Unmanned has indicated its capabilities to worldwide maritime authorities that they are ready and able to help enforce the new IMO regulations.

    European-built multi-rotor drone

    Acecore Technologies in the Netherlands makes multi-rotor drones which have found some unique applications:

    The NEO 8-rotor UAV. (Photo: Acecore)
    The NEO 8-rotor UAV. (Photo: Acecore)

    Stringing power-lines using NEO (SPIE website)

    In order to extend power transmission line capacity, the approach used is often to first pull a lead cable. This  normally involves several power company personnel and a whole bunch of specialized equipment.

    However, in a first-of-its-kind test, SPIE Nederland used an Acecore NEO drone to pull a lead cable over 150 meters between high-voltage pylons.

    Equipped with suitable cameras and other sensors, Acecore drones have also been used for power-line and gas-plant thermal inspection, movie making (including Game of Thrones), live broadcasts, autonomous aerial surveying, and tethered security applications. They also make crop health monitoring possible.

    Designed with durability in mind, Acecore drones are weather-proof, built with strong carbon-fiber frames, have triple redundant autopilots, and are ADS-B-ready to broadcast GPS position to support sense-and-avoid capability.

    Acecore is also promoting the fact that its drones and controllers are manufactured entirely with European parts. In other words, they would like to grab a chunk of DJI’s huge market share by jumping on an apparent global move to switch over from Chinese sourced goods and equipment.

    So, drones are taking on environmental monitoring. They’re reducing the environmental impact of transmission-line build-out. And they’re moving  toward building drones locally — all are interesting new applications of unmanned aircraft systems.

    Tony Murfin
    GNSS Aerospace

  • SenseFly launches eBee X fixed-wing drone for mapping

    SenseFly, provider of fixed-wing drones, has launched the eBee X for mapping.

    The eBee X, part of the Parrot Business Solutions portfolio, is designed to boost the quality, efficiency and safety of an operator’s geospatial data collection.

    The eBee X. (Photo: senseFly)
    The eBee X. (Photo: senseFly)

    It offers a camera to suit every job, the accuracy and coverage capabilities to meet the requirements of demanding projects, and is durable enough to work virtually every site, the company said.

    “The eBee X is a giant leap forward for mapping technology and underscores senseFly’s position as the leader in the fixed-wing drone market,” said Gilles Labossière, executive vice president and COO of Parrot Group and senseFly CEO. “No matter what type of project a professional is undertaking, the eBee X has the coverage, data and accuracy capabilities needed to get the job done.”

    The eBee X includes a range of cameras for jobs ranging from land surveying and topographic mapping to urban planning, crop mapping, thermal mapping, environmental monitoring and more. Cameras include:

    • The senseFly S.O.D.A. 3D: a unique drone photogrammetry camera with a one-inch sensor, which changes orientation during flight to capture three images (two oblique, one nadir) every time, instead of just one, for a much wider field of view. The result is stunning digital 3D reconstructions in vertically-focused environments—such as urban areas, open pit mines and coastlines—over larger areas than quadcopter drones can achieve. senseFly S.O.D.A. 3D is optimised for quick, robust image processing with Pix4Dmapper software.
    • The senseFly Aeria X: a compact drone photogrammetry camera with APS-C sensor. This rugged innovation offers an ideal blend of size, weight and DSLR-like image quality. Thanks in part to its built-in Smart Exposure technology, it provides outstanding image detail and clarity, in virtually all light conditions, allowing operators to map for more hours per day than ever before.
    • The senseFly Duet T: a dual-camera thermal mapping rig, which lets mapping professionals create geo-accurate thermal maps and digital surface models quickly and easily. The Duet T includes both a high-resolution (640 x 512 px) thermal infrared camera and a senseFly S.O.D.A. RGB camera with one-inch sensor. Both image sources can be accessed as required, while the rig’s built-in Camera Position Synchronisation feature works in sync with Pix4Dmapper photogrammetry software (optional) to simplify the map reconstruction process.

    The eBee X is also compatible with the Parrot Sequoia+ multispectral camera for agriculture, the senseFly S.O.D.A. drone photogrammetry camera and senseFly Corridor for simple linear mapping.

    The eBee X can meet the exacting requirements of every project. Its unique Endurance Extension option unlocks a flight time of up to 90 minutes (versus a maximum endurance of 59 minutes by default).

    With this capability activated, the drone is able to achieve vast single-flight coverage of up to 500 hectares (1,235 acres) at 122 meters (400 feet), while the eBee X’s built-in High-Precision on Demand (RTK/PPK) function helps operators to achieve absolute accuracy of down to 3 centimeters (1.2 inch) — without ground control points.

    According to senseFly, the eBee X allows users to work virtually every site, no matter how demanding, thanks to the drone’s built-in Steep Landing technology, ultra-robust design, live air traffic data and more, all backed by senseFly’s professional, localized support.

    The eBee X is ideally suited to the varied and evolving needs of mapping professionals. These include: surveying and construction companies, quarry and mine operators, agronomists and forestry engineers, professional drone service providers, aerial imagery companies, environmental researchers and more, the company added.

    The eBee X is supplied with senseFly’s eMotion flight planning and data management software.

     

  • Trimble Launches VRS Now Service in New Mexico

    Trimble has launched its Trimble VRS Now correction service in New Mexico. The commercial subscription service provides surveyors, civil engineers and geospatial professionals in the region with instant access to real-time kinematic (RTK) GNSS corrections without the need for a base station.

    Using both the GPS and GLONASS constellations, the Trimble service delivers centimeter-level RTK corrections customized for each GNSS receiver’s location anywhere in the network via cellular communications. The Trimble VRS Now service supplies accurate, reliable and easy-to-use GNSS positioning for a variety of applications including surveying, urban planning, urban and rural construction, environmental monitoring, resource and territory management, disaster prevention and relief and scientific research, Trimble said.

    “As we continue to expand our VRS Now network infrastructure throughout the U.S., users in New Mexico now have increased reliability from both GPS and GLONASS corrections to enhance their work,” said Lisa Wetherbee, business area director of Trimble’s Positioning Services Division. “Our suite of correction services offers a variety of performance options, designed to meet the different requirements and budgets of our customers. VRS Now in New Mexico delivers centimeter-level accuracy to a wide range of industry professionals.”

    Service in New Mexico is a continuation of Trimble’s focus on providing solutions that enable customers to increase productivity by simplifying access to high-precision positioning around the world. Similar VRS Now services are operating in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Oregon and parts of Europe and Australia.