Grand Sky Airfield Operations, a 217-acre UAS test facility in North Dakota, has selected Harris Corporation to provide an advanced solution to support beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) unmanned aerial systems (UAS) flight operations, reducing the need for chase planes to provide constant visual surveillance during flight. Grand Sky tenants will have the ability to conduct BVLOS UAS flights, enabling commercial and government operators to deploy their technologies, test and conduct operations. The announcement was made during AUVSI’s Xponential.
Harris will provide a customized RangeVue sense-and-avoid solution that delivers real-time situational awareness of surrounding unmanned and manned aircraft traffic, with multi-sensor surveillance for cooperative and non-cooperative vehicles. airspace situational awareness tool designed specifically for test-range operations for unmanned air systems (UAS). RangeVue puts real-time NextGen surveillance data, obstacle data, flexible background maps and weather information in the hands of the people who are actually in the field testing and validating UAS missions. The solution will cover the 217-acre unmanned aircraft business and aviation park located on Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota.
It will enhance Grand Sky’s infrastructure for safe and efficient BVLOS UAS operations and testing, ensuring the FAA’s stringent safety requirements are met and eliminating the need for expensive chase planes to track UAS entering, exiting or operating within Grand Sky’s 60 nautical-mile radius airspace.
Harris’ Grand Sky solution will combine available surveillance sources — including Grand Forks AFB’s radar feed, locally installed ADS-B Xtend and FAA NextGen surveillance data — into a single stream that offers area coverage and airspace visualization for drone operators. Xtend supplements the FAA’s existing ADS-B nationwide network operated by Harris, which provides precise and reliable satellite-based surveillance for the nation’s air traffic control system.
As UAS operations become more complex and are increasingly used for both commercial and recreational purposes, UAS traffic management systems, or UTM, are necessary to seamlessly integrate UAS into the airspace and existing air traffic management systems. ICAO will solicit proposals for a global framework for UTM ahead of its Drone Enable UAS Industry Symposium, which will take place in Montreal, Canada in September.
“ICAO is the natural agency to be gathering together the best and brightest from governments and industry to define the problem so that global solutions can be proposed, debated and agreed,” said Leslie Cary, remotely piloted aircraft systems program manager at ICAO.
An operational UTM will ensure the safe and efficient use of the airspace as UAS operations become more complex, such as with established navigation routes and point-to-point route segments requiring specific equipage requirements. UTM will integrate UAS into the existing airspace infrastructure to ensure the continued safety of the airspace.
“Collaboration between stakeholders is key to addressing complex issues such as UTM,” added Brian Wynne, president and CEO of AUVSI. “AUVSI is pleased ICAO is taking steps to explore solutions for UTM that will allow companies to operate globally under the same standards, reducing barriers to innovation and improving safety and security for all aircraft – both manned and unmanned. We look forward to working with ICAO to draw awareness and facilitate industry engagement in the RFI process.”
VectorNav Technologies, a provider of embedded navigation solutions, announced at AUVSI’s Xponential that it will supply its surface mount VN-100 inertial measurement unit/attitude and heading reference system (IMU/AHRS) to Neya Systems for a custom version of that company’s UxAB module.
The back-packable Advanced Explosive Ordnance Disposal Robotic System (AEODRS) with integrated Neya Systems’ UxAB module. Photo: VectorNav
Neya Systems will in turn deliver its custom version of the UxAB platform to Northrop Grumman for that company’s Advance Explosive Ordnance Disposal Robotic System (AEODRS) Increment 1 delivery, an autonomous bomb-disposal robot, to the U.S. military. The AEODRS unmanned ground vehicle “back-packable” increment 1 system weighs less than 35 pounds and comprises the handheld operator control unit, communications link, mobility capability module, master capability module, power capability module, manipulator capability module, end effector capability module, visual sensors capability module, autonomous behaviors capability module and other minor components.
The UxAB is a a fully self-contained semi-autonomy and autonomy capability module that includes GPS waypoint navigation, multi-joint manipulator control (with self-collision avoidance), retrotraverse, return-to-comms and optional obstacle avoidance behaviors.
About the size of a postage stamp, VectorNav’s surface mount VN-100 is a temperature calibrated MEMS-based IMU/AHRS that includes 3-axis accelerometers, gyros and magnetometers. The module delivers to users a real-time 3D orientation solution that is continuous over the complete 360 degrees of motion at rates of up to 400 Hz. In addition to calibrated IMU and AHRS functionality, the VN-100 includes VectorNav’s Vector Processing Engine (VPE), a suite of proprietary sensor fusion algorithms running onboard the sensor that deliver real-time magnetic & acceleration disturbance rejection, adaptive signal filtering, dynamic filter tuning, and on-board Hard & Soft Iron compensation.
The VN-100 surface mount module is being integrated directly into the electronics board of Neya Systems’ UxAB platform. Neya is using the calibrated pitch and roll estimates to assist in its controller functionality, for example to provide warning when the robotic module is in danger of tipping. The VN-100 AHRS magnetometer-based heading solution is used for waypoint navigation. VectorNav is providing platform specific hard/soft iron calibration expertise to ensure the magnetometer-based heading solution takes into account the magnetic signature of the UxAB module and provides accurate navigation in a variety of environmental conditions.
AEODRS is the next generation of Explosive Ordnance Disposal robotic systems, designed as a follow-on and capability upgrade to existing deployed platforms. AEODRS is based on an open architecture, and Neya’s Autonomy Module will conform to the logical, electrical, and physical interfaces that are required by this architecture. Neya will be adapting its commercially available UxAB platform to comply with AEODRS Capability Module requirements.
This e-newsletter marks the sun setting on the career of GeoIntelligence Insider columnist and contributing editor Art Kalinski, long active in geospatial circles. Art is handing the journalistic reins to William Tewelow, a former intelligence specialist with the U.S. Navy. He also served a special assignment at the U.S. Department of Transportation and is currently a manager with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The following discussion muses about the direction of our geospatial tradecraft in the coming years.
Tewelow’s Geointelligence column will alternate monthly with Mike Jones’ Defense PNT column. Every issue of this newsletter also brings you the latest news on both expanding fronts, hardware and software, in the defense and security realm.
Passing the torch
A conversation between retiring GeoIntelligence editor Art Kalinski, GISP, and his successor, William Tewelow, GISP.
Counter-drone technology research and operation efforts are helping to prepare for the potential threat of drone swarms. This Lockheed Martin concept is explored in “Technology That Counters Drone Swarms.” (Image: Lockheed Martin)
Art: A factor of life is that you just can’t predict with certainty where technology is headed or what the issues will be. Several weeks ago I attended a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) users group that seemed like a glimpse of the Wild West. I thought the key discussion topics would be the latest technology which seems to change almost weekly. That was not the case. The key discussions were the same as the early days of GIS: legal liability, jurisdictions, data ownership, administrative issues and so on, as the FAA changes the rules and regulations. I began to see that there will be more employment opportunities for lawyers than techies and pilots.
Although most of the attendees at the conference were geospatial/first responder users, I’ve learned of a growing community of non-traditional users such as power line inspectors and even tower painters. Yes, a tower painting company using tethered UAVs to paint in dangerous locations such as bridges, tanks and towers. At first I thought that would be difficult but by using a tethered system, heavy batteries are eliminated and bigger UAVs will permit heavier hoses, etc. Although the FAA had little interest in tethered balloons and UAVs, that could change as the size, altitude and potential crash radius expands.
This is just one example of how our technology is moving in many unplanned directions, everything from UAVs with new ways of collecting imagery to more exotic topics such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, augmented reality, virtual reality (VR) and gamification. The entire trade craft is evolving in ways I don’t think anybody could have predicted just a few years ago, much less a decade ago. It will be interesting to see where it goes.
William: You mentioned several new technologies mixing things up. Small sats are also making a significant impact. They are game changers. Imagine the traditional 2D satellite imagery base map. With the tech we have now 3D base maps are possible and have been for a long time with DEMS. Now, small sat imagery can be overlaid atop the 3D basemaps providing fresh imagery with periodicities of 24 hours or less, including multi-spectral. I’ve even seen small sat video overlays. That’s game changing.
Art: Not only small sats but the work being done with drone swarms is an exciting new area. If data needs to be collected in a hostile area or if flight clearance in a busy air corridor was limited, a swarm of maybe 100 drones could capture a wide swath of data at high resolutions, with multiple spectrums in very short order.
Virtual reality and augmented reality are two areas which have always intrigued me and they are coming to fruition. When I started out in GIS, I told people working for me to do the best we could building our regional database because at some point we would have construction workers wearing goggles that will augment the reality of what they are seeing with GIS data. That day is here and people are finally starting to do that. So, the entire concept of AR (augmented reality) and VR I find extremely exciting.
William: Yes, absolutely, in fact I believe they used drone swarms in the hostage situation in Algiers in 2014. And you are right. VR and AR use for first responders is especially critical. Say you’re a disaster relief person at night in a smoke-filled building. Night vision and thermal vision reach a practical limit. However, combining the vision devices with AR you may be able to navigate through the environment well enough. AR shows at least what should be there so accurate and timely data is critical. I can see this is where things are headed. Additionally, more mundane tasks such as design and modifications of structures could be enhanced. Work is already being done using AR and VR to facilitate the design process.
Art: VR started as fun and games but to me serious use VR is where the new and exciting action will be for geospatial practitioners. Virtual trainers I saw recently included small arms and artillery trainers for the military to a less exciting but equally impressive virtual trainer to teach arc welding and even spray painting a car. Significantly more critical was a VR surgical trainer where the muscle learning and hand eye coordination required is significant. It’s obviously quicker, easier and cheaper to practice virtually than on a real human or real equipment and the VR environment is just one short step away from surgical robots operating in remote locations.
William: Right, and you are touching on gamification, where VR can be used to train toward certain results. Take the military, for example, gamification can save all manner of resources – bullets, people, buildings the environment. Additionally, users can also scale up or down. The VR environment doesn’t just mean roads, maps or mountains. You can get down to a micro level.
Art: It’s interesting you mention that. One aha! moment I had years ago was at the first Esri User Conference in San Diego. I went through the map gallery. A lot of examples of different uses for GIS were on display and one person had created a map of the human circulatory system using ArcView Network Analyst. Looking at it I thought, of course, whether its blood vessels or interstate highways, it’s a network; so, this individual was using a geospatial tool to map the entire blood vessel network.
William: We are now in the realm of nano technology, where things are small enough to work on blood cells. Imagine steering straight towards a cancer cell by pinpointing a location in relation to the body.
Art: It’s almost like the movie “Fantastic Voyage” except in a virtual environment.
William: Yes. Being able to put the nano technology right where it needs to be means entering an age of focused medicine so that a pill releasing nano particulates doesn’t impact the whole body just the area needed. That’s another discussion in itself. Of course, all of that will have to be controlled, mapped and understood in terms of what it’s doing and where it’s going in relation to the body.
Art: One area that is very concerning to me is cyber. All of this stuff we’ve talked about is very vulnerable whether stealing data or doing damage to a society. Thwarting those threats is getting into machine learning, AI and other topics bordering science fiction.
William: Yes, and you are getting into artificial intelligence. IBM, Google, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft and our three letter agencies are all investing into the world of Geospatial AI. I am not sure where GeoAI will end up but we can already see some hints. The amount of geospatial data is overwhelming and imagine the explosion happening with IoT. How will all that be managed? GeoAI will do pattern recognition so in effect GeoAI is assisted intelligence.
As an example let’s consider a high profile event. There are 1000’s of parameters that need to be tracked such as surveillance cameras, social media feeds, a suite of sensors, etc. Identifying critical patterns is crucial so Geospatial Assisted Intelligence can monitor the parameters of the event then notify the analyst when a triggering event occurs. That’s where the technology is going where it has to go.
Art: One has to have a truly dizzying intellect to keep track of all aspects of our technology. At the last NGA (National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency) conference, Director Cardillo talked extensively about open systems and open sources which are growing directions for the agency. I believe it’s good to get away from everything being “inside the tent” and taking advantage of the extensive capability in the broad geospatial community. The stated goal is to be able to develop needed geospatial tools, in an unclassified environment, not in months or weeks but literally in minutes to provide those tools to analysts in the field. Things have come so far from the day I was just happy to get a pen plotter to print a simple map.
William: It really is mind boggling. I was there when full motion video began and that was dynamic 2D imagery but then it made the jump to 3D dynamic imagery and my circuits fried. I still have a hard time comprehending all the data crunching that goes into it and it is now almost standard. The future is amazing. That is the direction I want to continue to explore.
Commercial drone and data company PrecisionHawk has opened access to its professional mapping and analytics software, PrecisionMapper, for free.
With the software, drone operators can snap an unlimited number of photos, create maps without resolution limits, and run algorithms to analyze their data.
PrecisionHawk announced the launch of the free version of PrecisionMapper today at the AUVSI Unmanned Systems conference.
Drone operators can use PrecisionMapper to generate aerial data using their own drones.
“Drones have the potential to capture more high-resolution data than any other technology, but we believe that drones are being under-utilized because of the cost barriers around processing, analytics and storage,” said PrecisionHawk CEO Michael Chasen. “Users should be able to walk into any store, buy a drone and use that drone to generate business insights for free.”
“We believe that this move allows more innovation from more people,” Chasen continued. “PrecisionHawk has gained a lot from the advanced thinking of this community, and this is our way of giving back.”
By providing this software for free, PrecisionHawk is giving operators of drones with visual cameras the capability to explore the financial value of aerial data in any industry and is encouraging further use and adoption of drone technology.
Operators can quickly and easily upload imagery collected from a drone to PrecisionMapper. Using GPS information embedded within images, the software automatically stitches together a complete map, viewable in both 2D and 3D. Free users of PrecisionMapper can create up to 60 surveys a year without resolution or export limits.
In addition, users can add ground control points and access free analysis tools for construction, agriculture, insurance, and energy including:
volume calculations
3D models
contour maps
multiple crop health indices, including visual-NDVI
“When professionals have the opportunity to get hands-on experience with PrecisionMapper, they will be able to better understand the power of aerial data and how it can be best incorporated into their existing businesses,” Chasen said.
With a legacy of delivering reliable, robust, and highly accurate small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS), NASA has awarded Black Swift Technologies (BST), a specialized engineering firm based in Boulder, Colorado, the contract to develop and deliver a purpose-built scientific platform to explore volcanoes in order to improve air traffic management systems and the accuracy of ashfall measurements.
BST will deliver to NASA a tightly integrated sUAS solution consisting of an airframe, avionics, and sensors specifically designed to measure selected gases and atmospheric parameters including, temperature, pressure, humidity, and 3D winds as well as more advanced measurements such as particle sizing and trace gases.
Based on BST’s commercially available SuperSwift airframe and SwiftCore Flight Management System—which have been proven in the field to provide a cost-effective, powerful, and easy-to-operate—the SuperSwift XT [figure 1] is specifically engineered to meet the demands of high altitude flights through strong winds and damaging airborne particulates typical of nomadic scientific field campaigns in harsh environments.
“NASA and similar scientific agencies require deliverables with a high degree of accuracy and reliability,” emphasizes Jack Elston, Ph.D., CEO of Black Swift Technologies. “The SuperSwift XT will be designed to collect data in harsh environments and will enhance the performance and utility of NASA’s Airborne Science fleet.”
Member organizations of NASA’s Airborne Science Program can all benefit from the measurements provided by this system in various atmospheric conditions using different sensor payloads which, by design, are easily interchangeable. The sUAS will provide targeted, in situ observations from previously inaccessible regions that can significantly advance NASA’s goal of safe, efficient growth in global aviation by aiding in the collection of scientific data from which predictive Volcanic Ash Transport and Dispersion models (VATD) can be used to inform air traffic management systems.
Leveraging BST’s proprietary Mission Planning Software, scientists can program the SuperSwift in minutes to calculate the area under review and then begin collecting data for immediate analysis and decision making. With its intuitive tab-driven interface, flight planning is simple and easy to accomplish.
Mission monitoring and mapping is all done from a handheld Android Tablet loaded with BST’s SwiftTab software. Gesture-based controls enable users to confidently deploy their SuperSwift with minimal training while being able to collect data over geography that is topically diverse with confidence.
The existence of a sUAS capable of carrying the necessary instruments routinely through harsh environments adds an invaluable contribution to the calibration and validation of data collected from ground- and satellite-based methods. The flight envelope, concept of operations (CONOPS), and rugged nature of the SuperSwift XT will permit researchers to collect data previously unobtainable through traditional data collection methods or existing sUAS.
This includes gathering difficult to obtain data sets such as from volcanic plumes shortly after eruption (i.e., particle size-frequency distribution, vertical ash concentration distribution, SO₂ flux, etc.).
The innovations of the SuperSwift XT, including the total sensor suite, can be utilized for scientific research by federal and state public agencies and other state-funded laboratories to collect data on coherent atmospheric structures such as smog, volcano plumes, wildfire smoke, chemical fires, forest humidity, etc.
Commercial applications for private industry exist as well, such as utilizing the SuperSwift XT to assess the composition, and relative danger, of chemical fires at refineries or the chemical composition of smokestack exhaust.
A drone that weighs less than 50 pounds can provide fully functional 4G cellphone service.
Virginia-based Fenix Group has partnered with Martin UAV, a Texas-based manufacturer of rugged utility drones, to launch an under-55-pound drone capable of providing fully functional 4G cellphone service.
While Fenix Group plans to issue its first production units to the U.S. Department of Defense and first responders, it anticipates demand from telecommunications providers, oil and gas companies, and crisis response units worldwide.
It also could mean connectivity in remote parts of the world.
In addition to providing a coverage area on the ground, the payload is also able to stream encrypted video from the drone’s camera system to anyone on the network. In the future, soldiers, search and rescue teams, and first responders will have access to drone video from their phones.
The Fenix team also enabled Internet access so that command centers could access the feed from anywhere in the world.
On March 15, drone-maker MMC strung power lines across the Ragged Mountain in Thailand using its Spider drone and specialized wire-pulling tools.
The project was carried out for EGAT (Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand) and served as a transnational demonstration for MMC. By cooperating with MMC, EGAT hopes to use professional drones to string more lines helps the nation in its quest for 100 percent electrification in Thailand.
In recent years, the Thai government has increased the investment in the development of power projects to meet the requirement of its rapid economic growth. The traditional method of stringing power lines using human labor doesn’t fit with the green economy and humanism, wasting time, human resources and sacrificing the environment, EGAT said.
China Eagle’s Sharp Sword is in prototype testing.
China Eagle is building the country’s largest production base for industrial drones.
A Beijing-based UAV developer, China Eagle is maker of the Divine Eagle and the Sharp Sword stealth drones. The firm also works with the state oceanic administration to produce drones for shore patrols.
The production base in Jingjiang’s economic and technological development zone in east China’s Jiangsu province is expected to produce its first industrial UAV this month. The drones will be designed for mapping, aerial inspection and unmanned cargo transport.
With an investment of 510 million yuan ($74 million), China Eagle’s new production base is designed with an annual production capacity of 5,000 units. Its total output value is estimated at 3 billion yuan a year. Analysts say the general aviation sector is unable to meet the needs of industrial customers in China, where demand is high.
One-third of GPS World readers who responded to the latest poll think air traffic control and the FAA regulatory environment constitute the biggest challenges facing the UAV industry today. Other answers receiving top votes, from 10 to 27 percent of the total, included
Better, smaller, more lightweight sensors: inertial, Lidar, infrared, spectral, etc. (16 percent)
Integration of other sensors with GPS/GNSS. (10 percent)
Competition from satellite and aircraft imagery/mapping. (9.8 percent)
Definition of sensor performance specifications for navigation, in particular GNSS & SBAS MOPS-like standardisation.
Something simple that will make it visible on primary radar
Longer flight time
To learn more about overcoming such challenges, tune into the free April 20 webinar, “From Flying Drones to Doing Business,” addressing ease of use for the user in business applications. The webinar will cover a broad range of issues concerning sensor integration aboard a flying platform, and in particular their use for commercial purposes. Webinar attendees will have the opportunity to ask direct questions of the speakers, both upon registration and during the live event. Register free at env-gpsworld-integration.kinsta.cloud/webinar.
Speakers
Gustavo Lopez, product manager GNSS solutions for UAV applications, Septentrio
Jan Leyssens , managing director, Sales and Business Development, Airobot
Francois Gervaix, product manager – Surveying, senseFly SA
Zak Kassas, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Riverside
DroneDeploy, a cloud software platform for commercial drones, is integrating with agX to help growers more easily capture field maps and analyze aerial data.
agX users can now share field boundaries saved in agX with DroneDeploy to simplify the planning of drone mapping flights. Over time, agX and DroneDeploy plan to integrate further to allow seamless sharing of drone images from DroneDeploy to agX.
“This integration will provide agX users an efficient method of combining high-quality UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] imagery from DroneDeploy with other agronomic data to assist in decision-making that can add to a grower’s bottom line,” said Shawn Peterson, business development lead at agX. “Integrating quality imagery into an operation brings tremendous value by showing the varying conditions of the crop throughout the field. We are excited DroneDeploy will join the platform to offer imagery solutions that bring value to UAV applications.”
agX users can exchange field boundaries between DroneDeploy and other agX Compliant applications, allowing them to centrally store, access and share field boundaries. In the future, DroneDeploy’s integration will offer users the ability to share field data and imagery layers.
DroneDeploy makes drones accessible and productive tools that help growers save time and create actionable insights. Using DroneDeploy, a grower can automatically fly and capture drone imagery, create a field map and analyze crop variability in hours to help make timely management decisions.
“DroneDeploy makes it fast and easy for growers to capture aerial data,” said Scott Lumish, vice president of business development at DroneDeploy. “Integrations with tools like agX help growers turn that data into action.”
agX helps growers and service providers stay connected to various precision agricultural applications. Users can access and share their data within agX Compliant applications to save time and reduce duplicate data entry. Anyone can create a free agX account.
Support for DroneDeploy imagery transfer will be added to agX in early of summer 2017.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plans to release the first set of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) facility maps on April 27. The maps will depict areas and altitudes near airports where UAS may operate safely.
The maps are designed to help drone operators improve the quality of their Part 107 airspace authorization requests, which will help the FAA process these requests more quickly.
Beginning April 27, users can access the facility maps at http://www.faa.gov/uas. Users will be able to download the data in several formats, view the site on mobile devices, and customize their views.
By referring to the facility maps when completing airspace authorization applications, remote pilots will be able to tailor their requests to align with locations and altitudes that the maps indicate are likely to be approved for small UAS operations. This will help simplify the process and increase the likelihood that the FAA will approve their requests.
FAA air traffic personnel will use the maps to process Part 107 airspace authorization requests. Altitudes that exceed what are depicted on the maps require additional safety analysis and coordination to determine if an application can be approved.
The maps will be informational only. They do not automatically authorize flights. Remote pilots must still submit online airspace authorization applications at https://www.faa.gov/uas/. The maps also do not guarantee approval for requests within the guidelines indicated by the maps. Only the FAA can grant controlled airspace access, which must be done through the authorization process.
The agency is releasing the maps in phases, with the first release on April 27 containing approximately 200 facility maps. The FAA plans to release facility maps over the next 12 months. Updates to the maps database will coincide with the agency’s existing 56-day aeronautical chart production schedule (PDF). If a map is not yet available, it can be expected in future releases.
The FAA’s website will be updated within the several weeks with additional guidance and information about the facility maps.
Questions can be directed to the FAA’s UAS Integration Office via [email protected] or by calling 844-FLY-MY-UA.
About the size of a postage stamp, VectorNav’s surface mount VN-100 is a temperature calibrated MEMS-based IMU/AHRS that includes 3-axis accelerometers, gyros and magnetometers. The module delivers to users a real-time 3D orientation solution that is continuous over the complete 360 degrees of motion at rates of up to 400 Hz. In addition to calibrated IMU and AHRS functionality, the VN-100 includes VectorNav’s Vector Processing Engine (VPE), a suite of proprietary sensor fusion algorithms running onboard the sensor that deliver real-time magnetic & acceleration disturbance rejection, adaptive signal filtering, dynamic filter tuning, and on-board Hard & Soft Iron compensation.
