What can drone technology do for you? Brady Woodard & Erik - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

What can drone technology do for you? Brady Woodard & Erik Nelson

Benefits  Cover large project areas quickly  Added value of aerial image  Safety  Mass data collection  High detail  Economical  Versatile use • Video, still images, photogrammetry, volumes, GIS integration, etc. 2

Challenges of Drone Operation  Nature of photogrammetry • File sizes are large • Stitching multiple still images together • Costs - lots of equipment to buy and into one overall image maintain  Red tape on FAA • This type of technology can become outdated quickly • Drone Pilots License • Regulations  Liability Insurance • Additional Drone Coverage  Property Access • Identify property owners  Technology and data • Processing data can be a challenge 3

Multirotor vs. Fixed Wing 4

Multirotor  Pros • Handles the wind well (~25 mph) • Able to stay directly in mission area • Ability to hover for best vantage point • Real time view • High quality video and images from any angle − Versatile uses  Cons • Unable to cover large work areas • Limited battery life 5

Fixed Wing  Pros • Made specifically for photogrammetry • Top-notch mission planning software • Flight time of 35 minutes or more  Cons • Needs a larger area to complete mission • Wind can make it tough to fly − Winds need to be below 20 mph 6

Prepping for flight 7

Equipment 8

What can drones do?  Have a bird’s eye view of the territory rather than walking the property for hours  Survey crews can scout prior to entering the site 9

How does it work?  Initial look at the site from a safe location 10

GIS Integration  Parcel Map Example  Goose River Flight Example • Determine who the adjacent landowners are • Map Flight Plan along the flight plan • Manage Drone Flight • Have an overall map Photos depicting the flight plan • Document Problem area Areas and Remediation • Identify areas preflight as Plans over time past problem areas 11

GIS Integration  Goose River Flight Example  No longer a need for boots on the ground 12

DRONES FOR ENGINEERING/SURVEY  Now partnering with SkySkopes for:  LiDAR Mapping/Modeling  Large Scale Photogrammetry  Asset Inspections  ROW Monitoring Mapping

AIRCRAFT & SENSORS DJI M210 Altus ORC 2 MFD 5000 MiniRanger Ranger Mirage OGI 20MP Flir Duo +/- 1-2 CM Accuracy +/- 1 CM Accuracy Thermal Camera Camera 100k Points Per Sec. 700k Points Per Sec

Software ● Pix4D (Orthomosaic) Processing Options ● Terrasolid, TopoDOT, Microstation (LiDAR Processing) Elevation Colorized Point Classified Point Orthomosaic Model Cloud Cloud

PIX4D – PROCESSING

PIX4D – PROCESSING

FEATURE EXTRACTION EXAMPLES - TOPODOT

Recently Completed Projects ● Refinery Tank Survey ● ND State Mill ● Highway Project ● Moccasin Creek & UND ● Railroad Bridge

ND State Mill Information: Approximately 300 acres ● Aerial - 220 acres ● Ground - 80 acres Onsite Time: Aerial - 2.5-3 hrs Ground - 0.5 hrs

HIGHWAY PROJECTS  Extremely difficult survey 1:1 slopes and dense vegetation.  LiDAR could accurately survey through the trees and slopes.  Penetrated dense tree cover and vegetation  Onsite about 6 hrs.  Surveyed 3 sites Total 10 miles

LIDAR POINT CLOUD – HIGHWAY PROJECT  Full LiDAR collection  Video of area fly through

LIDAR POINT CLOUD – HIGHWAY PROJECT  Ground Classification only

Moccasin Creek & UND UND Moccasin Creek Information: Information: Approximately 300 Approximately 18 miles acres Aerial ● Aerial ● photogrammetry photogrammetry Orthomosaics ● 3D Model ● Onsite Time: Onsite Time: 2 Days 2 Days

Photogrammetry Based Volumes

3D RENDERING FROM PHOTOGRAMMETRY

QUESTIONS COMMENTS