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Reclamation Annual UAS Report: Fiscal Year 2012

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Reclamation Annual UAS Report: Fiscal Year 2012 Reclamation Annual UAS Report: Fiscal Year 2012 U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center Denver, Colorado September 2012 Mission Statements The mission of the Department of the Interior is to protect and provide access to our Nation’s natural and cultural heritage and honor our trust responsibilities to Indian Tribes and our commitments to island communities. The mission of the Bureau of Reclamation is to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public. Reclamation Annual UAS Report: Fiscal Year 2012 prepared by Emergency Management and GIS Group Douglas R. Clark U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center Denver, Colorado September 2012 Contents Contents Page I. Background 1 II. Research Goals and Objectives 2 III. Accomplishments 2 IV. Findings 8 V. The Path Forward 10 VI. Appendix A 11 VII. Appendix B 16 iii Acknowledgments Acknowledgements Several individuals were instrumental in developing the data and analysis needed for this study. Suggestions and guidance by Mike Hutt (USGS), Jeff Sloan (USGS), Mark Bauer (USGS), Lance Brady (USGS), and Jade Soddell (USBR), throughout this study are gratefully acknowledged. v Reclamation Annual UAS Report: Fiscal Year 2012 Background Just prior to FY2012 Reclamation hosted its first UAS conference entitled Applications of Near Remote Sensing and Unmanned Airborne Vehicles for Water Resources Management at the Denver Federal Center. Representatives from NASA (http://water.jpl.nasa.gov/), the USGS (http://rmgsc.cr.usgs.gov/UAS/), Utah State University (http://aggieair.usu.edu/aggie.html), and Time-Science (http://www.time-science.com/timescience/default.asp) made presentations touching on current developments in these technologies. Subsequently, a list of possible applications relevant to Reclamation’s mission of water management was compiled and included. Each of these needs to be mission-tested to determine whether UAS technology can provide superior results compared with current technology: • Canal monitoring • Crop identification and yield forecasting • Dam and levee inspections • Emergency management response • Estimating algae density in sewage lagoons • ET estimation • Flood hazard analysis • Flood risk assessment • Flow to habitat relations • Habitat mapping • Identification of canal encroachments • Identification of flood plain encroachments • Imaging to make ortho-rectified maps • Integrating remote sensing and point data info • Law enforcement • Moisture content in snow • Monitoring dam faces for seepage • Riparian surveillance • River corridor change detection • River restoration monitoring/change detection • Root zone soil moisture estimation • Sediment transfer • Snow depth • Urban/canal interface mapping • Volume estimation • Water spreading • Water turbidity • Wetlands classification 1 Reclamation Annual UAS Report: Fiscal Year 2012 Sufficient interest in these topics was generated to justify exploration of the utility of UAS to support Reclamation’s mission. This report speaks to two activities that were funded by Reclamation R&D in 2012: (a. creation and facilitation of a Reclamation UAS community of interest and (b. UAS flight missions in the Elwha River valley to both monitor sediment change during dam removal and test the GoPro Hero2 camera. Research Goals and Objectives The overall goal of these two efforts was to explore the potential uses of UAS and near remote sensing technologies to advance Reclamation’s mission. In support of this goal, project objectives include: 1. Community of Interest Development 2. Develop UAS Community of Interest Charter 3. Build Relationships with Sister Agencies Conducting UAS Operations 4. Construct a UAS Community of Interest SharePoint site 5. Conduct One or More Interregional Workshops 6. Conduct Two Missions in the Elwha River Valley to Monitor Sediment Removal and Test the GoPro Hero2 Camera Technology. Accomplishments The Community of Interest. The Reclamation UAS Community of Interest now contains more than 50 persons from every region. The group includes information resource personnel, dam safety experts, hydraulic engineers, geographic information systems scientists, geographers, group managers, USBR directors, civil engineers, geologists, soil scientists, meteorologists, emergency management staff, remote sensing specialists, and information management specialists. What this shows is that there is wide-spread interest in this technology. Electronic communications occur with the community on a weekly basis. Charter. A UAS Charter has been prepared and is presently under review. A copy of the draft charter is appended to this document (Appendix A). It calls for a 2 Reclamation Annual UAS Report: Fiscal Year 2012 formalization of community responsibilities. The Aviation Manager for Reclamation will, of course, oversee all UAS policy matters. Under the terms of the draft charter, a working group will be created that will monitor: “developments in UAS technology, submit UAS research proposals, organize training workshops, and promote exploration of the potential uses of UAS within Reclamation. The working group will explore UAS best practices, keep track of COA requirements, explore the potential uses of new sensors and platforms to meet Reclamation’s mission, oversee needs assessments for UAS technology, investigate best practices and software for data processing, make recommendations for the UAS SharePoint site, collaborate with other agencies, and disseminate information across Reclamation about UAS policy and technology.” (USBR UAS Charter) The working group will communicate frequently with the community of interest to update it on new technological developments, familiarize members with the requirements for organizing a UAS mission, and acquaint them with new policy developments. A SharePoint administrator will be selected by the work group to oversee the content in the SharePoint site, and as required, make changes to the site design and look. SharePoint Site. A UAS SharePoint site for Reclamation users has been set up at: https://dosp/techResc/TR/TSC/UAS/Pages/default.aspx. The site provides libraries for documents (including research reports), announcements, and photography. It also provides links to important information and personnel at the USGS, Aviation Management Directorate, the Federal Aviation Administration, and Reclamation. Finally, there are both an event calendar and a discussion board. Build Relationships with Sister Agencies. During FY12, Reclamation has collaborated extensively with the USGS Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Project Office http://rmgsc.cr.usgs.gov/UAS/. This office has provided guidance as to the strengths and limitations of the Raven, T-Hawk, and Predator platforms and sensors. In addition, it has acquainted USBR staff with evolving policies with respect to UAS operations, including certificate of authorization processes, flight hazards analysis, and FAA regulations. Finally, the USGS is actively seeking USBR input in its preparation a roadmap for UAS deployment in Interior. University Presentation. Jeff Sloan of the USGS conducted a colloquium on UAS usage at the University of Denver in January of 2012 in which he described various missions that had been flown already and plans for the joint venture with 3 Reclamation Annual UAS Report: Fiscal Year 2012 Reclamation on the deltas of Mills and Aldwell Reservoirs on the Elwha River.. Approximately 50 faculty and graduate students attended the session. Interregional Workshops. An inter-regional workshop on UAS data processing was held on August 9, 2012. There was discussion regarding the challenges of using the Raven for mapping purposes (it was originally used for reconnaissance). These include wind, poor camera resolution (0.3 megapixals), loss of downlink, managing huge quantities of data, and decoding positional data. (Note: the 0.3 megapixel camera has now been replaced with an 11 megapixel GoPro Hero2 camera with good results). The process involves selecting the best video, extracting transects, creating still images, cropping and then exporting images, creating mosaics, and rubber-sheeting. (Presentation materials are available in the document library of the UAS SharePoint site). A second inter-regional workshop was held on Thursday, September 18th, 2012. Brad Koeckeritz, Senior Training Specialist with AMD, led the workshop. His presentation covered the following topics: • Overview of AMD’s role in DOI aviation • Descriptions of the UAS platforms • Descriptions of the sensors • What the systems have been used for in the past • Strengths and limitations of the systems • Possible future uses • Training course schedule • Topics covered in the training courses • The future of UAS in DOI Nearly 25% of the community of interest personnel attended and several expressed interest in taking the training courses for the Raven and T-Hawk. The Elwha Missions using the Raven UAS. In the year 2000, DOI purchased Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams in preparation for their removal to support river and fish habitat restoration. Approximately 24 million cubic yards of sediment are being managed as part of the dam removal project. Monitoring the changing topography that occurs as the sediment is eroded and redistributed downstream is critical for adding to the science of dam removal. In FY2012, the Bureau of Reclamation partnered with Michael Hutt at the USGS National Unmanned Aircraft
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