About UAS Operations
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-Introduction -Operational Area -Airframe and Payload -Autopilot -Future Developments |  |
Introduction
Aerial imagery serves as a fundamental intermediary between satellite imagery and ground-based observations. Unmanned aircraft provide a method of obtaining aerial imagery without the added risk of putting a human life in the air. An interdisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Florida (UF), with funding from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), have developed the Nova 2 small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) designed specifically as a low-cost, autonomous, aerial imaging tool for ecological research and monitoring (Figure 1).
The University of Florida UAV is constructed primarily of fiberglass and carbon fiber in order to deliver a high strength with low weight. The vehicle is electrically-powered, with speed and flight duration dependent somewhat on payload (and thus on the capacity and weight of the onboard power supply). Advances in electronics and battery technology will result in performance increases. An autopilot allows for autonomous flight and navigation along pre-programmed paths; manual control can override autopilot anytime for safety and also is normally used for landing.
Operational Area
Through a Certificate of Airworthiness from the Department
of the Army, and a Memorandum of Agreement between the Department of
Defense
and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Nova 2 research team
has
achieved clearance to fly low altitude (<366 m) missions
throughout large
portions of the south Florida National Airspace System.
Mission sites in and around Lake Okeechobee
and the greater Everglades are ideal places to conduct low altitude
aerial
missions because they contain significant ecological targets, are
largely
uninhabited by people, and are fairly uniform in elevation. As our program moves
forward, we intend to
apply for clearance to fly additional operational areas.
Airframe and Payload
Autopilot
Autonomous flight control is achieved with a Procerus Technologies Kestrel™ 2.2 autopilot system aboard the Nova 2 which is linked by a 900 MHz wireless modem to Virtual Cockpit™ 2.5 autopilot software on the ground. Pre-planned flight paths are uploaded and autonomously executed by the aircraft with a level of precision rivaling that of a human pilot. The autopilot system allows instantaneous flight plan changes, a user-friendly interface, and an abundance of failsafes to ensure positive aircraft control and promote the safety of other objects in the air as well as on the ground.
Future Developments
The Nova 2 sUAS has completed missions in south Florida to assess the efficacy of herbicide treatments on invasive vegetation, and nesting inventory of white wading birds. Our georeferenced solutions continue to improve, and we are routinely achieving a relative accuracy of better than one meter between images. We intend to increase the number of potential Nova 2 applications by installing near-, and thermal-infrared sensors to the platform, and seek clearance to fly additional operational areas within the near future.
