Lab 10 SSoT Measured Ground Control

Figure 1: Mission Plan Using the Measure Ground Control App. 

Introduction:

In this lab we introduced the concept of single source of technology (SSoT) and how it relates to safety and efficiency.  To explore this we are using the Measure Ground Control app, which is an app specifically for UAS operations. The measured ground control app is an example of SSoT as it allows us to plan missions, control aircraft and sensors, and record and store data all in one place that is accessible to everyone involved in the mission. This makes crew resource management much easier and efficient for everyone involved. Additionally, the Measured Ground Control app also has several features that promote safe and controlled UAS operation such as access to LAANC (low altitude an notification capability) and the ability to create and save checklists for various UAS platforms and sensors; which I will go into more detail with below.

Overview:

Figure 2. App home screen 

Let's walk through the Measure Ground Control app. When you first open the app you are greeted with four options as seen above in figure 2; we'll walk through these one by one. Starting form left to right with the airspace map. This menu allows us to see airspace conditions and restrictions, access LAANC, and get a general overview of the airspace.

Figure 3. Airspace Map Screen 

Figure 4. Airspace Rules and advisories for figure 3

In figure 3 above, you can see the airspace map when it first opens; figure 3 is showing the area around an airport I previously worked at and you can see the amber colored circle denoting it's airspace. You can also see similarly colored areas highlighted on the airspace map which denote areas with airspace restrictions or advisories; by tapping the red triangle in the lower right hand corner of the screen you can bring up a detailed list of the airspace restrictions and advisories currently on the screen as seen in figure 4. Similarly in figure 4 you can see a few options on the left side of the rules and advisories tab as to operating rules. FAA part 107 certified comes as the recommended default which works great for my uses. On the right side of the same tab We see a break down of the various airspace rules in the area, by tapping on each of them you can bring up a detailed report of the specifics of each area.

Figure 5. Airspace Map around Purdue University  

Figure 6. Airspace breakdown around Purdue University

The Figures 5 & 6 above show another example of the airspace map around Purdue University as you can see this area has a more complex airspace. The Airspace map is easy to navigate by dragging your figure across the screen or alternatively, you can search for specific areas as seen in figures 7 & 8 below. 

Figure 7 Martell Forest  

Figure 8 Purdue Wildlife Area

The airspace map is also where we can access the LAANC system. This system is a great tool for UAS operators to use and become familiar with as it allows us to request permissions to operate a UAS mission in the airspace at the push of a button. 

Figure 9. LAANC Authorization feature 

As seen above I wasn't exaggerating when I said push of a button. However, there is one stipulation to using the LAANC system in the Measure Ground Control app which is that you must download and have open the AirMap app. Which is a a little odd but doesn't make this function any less valuable. 

Moving on to the settings tab, this allows us to configure the various componets of our operation such as sensor settings, aircraft settings, data storage etc. Its a fairly standard affair as far as settings go and Measured Ground Control has a comprehensive help page that explains indetail the various settings and options linked here: https://www.measure.com/help/mobile-flight-app

Figure 10. Settings tab

As seen in the figure above the settings tab also has a side tab for creating checklists for missions. This is a great tool to use as it allows operators to ensure that the critical systems and sensors for their operation are properly prepared and maintained. 

Moving to the flight tab. The flight tab is used for controlling a UAV in manual flight and works similarly to most other mobile based platforms. One notable feature of the flight tab is that it allows you to access the sensor settings and flight control options at the same time, Thus allowing for a single operator to manage both the platform and sensors from a single screen.

Figure 11. Manual Flight Tab

Note: No UAV was connected to the system in figure 11 thus the screen is black. 

Finally the flight plan screen allows the user to create, save, and share flight plans by a intuitive interface that is easy to use. 

Figure 12. Overview of flight planing tab  

Figure 13. Flight planning options 

Figure 14. Flight times comparison

In figure 12 you can see a general overview of the floght planing tab. In that example I chose to draw a plan over the airport I used to work at. The interface is easy to use with various options to choose from when selecting a platform and sensor as well as various flight layouts. In figure 13 &14 notice the difference between flight times and altitudes. 

If there is one technical issue I found while testing this app it's that the terrain following option in the flight plan tab tended to crash the app.

Conclusions:

Mission planning is imperative to the success and safety of UAS operations in order to ensure that crew, platform, and sensor resources are used effectively. And that flights are done in a safe and legal manner. Record keeping is general good practice for any business and equipment maintenance is imperative to keep any operation running. The SSoT approach that the measured ground control app enables for UAS operators allows all the above aspects to be managed all in one place and is a great tool for efficiently and safely operating a UAS mission. 

Lab 7 Volumetric Analysis with UAS

Figure 1: Volumetric Analysis

Introduction:

In this lab we used Pic4D & ArcPro to preform a volumetric analysis on the Wolfcreek area. A volumetric analysis in ArcPro is using image data and data sets from Pix4D to calculate the volume of a specified area; an example of which you can see above in figure one. There are several tools within ArcPro that help facilitate this an there are many different methods to use depending on what the application is; many of these we will go into detail with below. However before we do that we need to understand what we need in order to do a volumetric analysis. Obviously we need image data of the target area which we can get from Pix4D, we also need accurate GCP data of the area in order to ensure our location and altitude data are accurate.

Methods:

Figure 2: Pix4D Processed Volumetric Data

To start off the process, we need to process our image data in Pix4D. This is done the same way as we are familiar with from before. After moving our raw data into the project we first defined our area of interest usinh the clip function, in this example the stockpiles in the north end of the image data as seen in figure 3 & 4 below.

Figure 3: Stockpiles Clip

Figure 4: Stockpiles Location

With this done we can start processing the volume data, it's important during this time to make sure to resample our data as needed in order to get accurate results. After this is done we can use thwe various means of calculating volume to create a table of values, the results of which are below. We use different ways of calculating volume in this case to explore the options we have as they will all give different results.

Figure 5: Volume Calculations by Align with Lowest Point

Figure 6: Volume Calculations by Align with Highest Point

Figure 7: Volume Calculations by Custom Altitude (293")

Figure 8 Volume Calculations Align by Average Altitude

Figure 9: Volume Calculations by Fit Plane

As you can see we have a few different options to choose from when determining the volume of the area.
With this data in hand we can move on to ArcPro to create a usable map. After creating our database we'll use the polygon tool to mark our area of interest. Then we can use the extract by mask tool to clip out the aggregate piles we did our volumetric work on in Pix4D. We can then use the surface volume tool on the raster files to do just that and fin the surface volume.

Discussion:

We've already seen the end result of the Pix4D volumetric analysis in figure 2 but I want to draw attention to the table of values below, this tables compiles the values found in figures 5-9.

Table 1: Values of Different Volumetric Tools

Note the differences in total volume between the various methods, particularly the custom altitude method and the lowest point method; they are very similar to each other and much larger then the other methods; this is important as we can use our GCP data to verify the altitude of the land around the clip and establish that as the "bottom" of the stockpile.

Moving on to the ArcPro side of things we see one of the primary uses of Volumetric analysis as it pertains to us, that being the change in volume or area over time. In the figures below we examine the change in volume of an aggregate pile over a period of time.

Figure 10: Lithcfield Volume Over Time

Figure 11: Litchfield Change in Volume

This kind of data has a multitude of uses from a business perspective such as keeping track of stock and waste, or future development. But beyond this particular type of business being able to calculate the volume or change in volume of an area with UAS has many possible applications; such as, tracking the progress of erosion, deforestation, or change in waterways. These are just some of the possibilities I could name offhand.

I also want to take a quick aside to reaffirm the importance of resampling and ground control. I've discussed this at length in previous entries but now we can visually see the purpose of such. GCPs are needed to gain the level of accuracy in position data needed for applications like this; as seen in the figures and tables above when dealing with large areas being off on position by even a few feet can dramatically change your results. Resampling is important much for the same reasons as it allows to make the DSM data more accurate. 

Conclusion:

In conclusion, volumetrics are vastly helped by the use of UAS as they allow for detailed information to be gathered over a long time with greater efficiency than other platforms. However accurate data and proper usage of the resources available in GIS are key to making the most of its uses. And as I alluded to before the number of uses for this are limited mostly by imagination.