With Carolyn McLeish and Emily Merkel
Scenario 1:
A
power line company spends lots of money on a helicopter company monitoring and fixing problems on their line. One of the biggest costs is the helicopter
having to fly up to these things just to see if there is a problem with the
tower. Another issue is the cost of just figuring how to get to the things from
the closest airport.
Problems:
The first question for this company would be "How much is 'lots of money?'" While it was difficult to determine the cost to utilize a helicopter from websites of companies that provided such services, those used for the purpose of medical evacuation cost about $6500 per transport in 2010 (Wykes and Sanford, 2013).
Assuming that a medical transport would last approximately one- to three-hours, one could estimate a cost of about $2170-$6500/per hour of specialized helicopter services. Even so, using the lower end of this estimate, i.e. $2100, a power company would have to spend about $19500 to use the helicopter services, assuming a 9 hour workday.
The other major issue with using a helicopter is that finding a nearby airport may be difficult in cases where the power lines are located in remote areas. Flying or otherwise transporting helicopters (e.g. via truck) to such remote areas would only add to the cost of fuel and per-hour cost of the use of the helicopter.
Another problem with using full-size helicopters to monitor power lines is that flights would be weather-dependent. For instance, if the power lines are located in a region plagued with inclement weather, how likely is it that a cancelled flight would be able to resume ASAP once the weather improved? Probably not too likely considering that the helicopter company would probably have other appointments scheduled with other clients.
Solution:
Rotary Wing Camera Platform
The most effective solution to the problems presented by full-size helicopter inspection of power lines mentioned above would be to employ an unmanned aerial vehicle to inspect the power lines for damages. However, a fixed-wing UAS platform (FWP) would not be recommended in the case of power line inspections due to: 1) the vehicle's inability to hover and take the pictures/video necessary to asses damage, if any and 2) the danger that power lines pose to the FWP should it become entangled in them. The risk of entanglement in power lines also rules out other, even cheaper, UAS platforms such as kites and balloons for the inspection of power lines and towers.
The most practical solution to the problems inherited by inspecting power lines and towers would be to use rotary wing platforms (RWPs). Following are two examples of RWP systems on opposite ends of the price spectrum.
Cheap
The cheapest resolution that would allow the utility company to effectively monitor its lines and towers would be to deploy a relatively cheap RC RWP unit to the areas where the towers are located. For instance, the Align RC 600 Nitro (fig. 1), which comes as a kit and costs approximately $700, could be retrofitted with a durable camera on its underside that would allow for the video inspection of power lines and towers .
The waterproof Ion-Air Pro 2 helmet camera (fig. 2), for instance, weighs only 4.6 ounces, is small in dimension (1.4 x 1.4 x 4.5 in.), and has 2.5 hours of battery life. Costing roughly $250 apiece, several of these cameras could be bought and attached to the Align throughout the workday as the battery fails in each.
Although the Align comes as a kit, it would likely be no problem for one of the power company's maintenance workers to assemble it on site. Replacement parts for the Align, such as rotary shafts, blades, and fuselages are also available on the NitroPlanes web page (http://www.nitroplanes.com/15h-kx0160npc.html).
Furthermore, the relatively cheap cost of the Align RWP would enable more than one copter to be purchased, thus cutting down substantially on the time it takes to inspect the towers and lines. For instance, ArcGIS could be used to establish inspection zones and use a feature class layer to represent the towers. Each Align operator could carry a GPS unit that was programed with the coordinates of each tower and geographically "check off" each tower that was inspected in their respective zone. Towers could also get identifying placards installed on them so that their unique identifier could be synchronized to specific coordinates in ArcGIS and the GPS device.
Mobility is another pleasing aspect to the RWP solution. For example, operators could take the small (approx. 7.1 pound) Align model with them in their company/all terrain vehicles (ATVs) to the locations where the inspections would take place. Once there, the Align could be deployed and the applicable data collected.
Weather would not affect Align missions as much as those conducted by companies with full-sized copters because missions could simply be postponed until weather permitted their re-initiation. Also, since all the Align operators would be in-house (i.e. linemen trained to operate the RWP) rescheduling missions would not be as daunting as compared to doing so for independent helicopter companies. Furthermore, the low cost of the Align would ensure that if one of the RWPs did happen to become lost or damaged, a replacement, although not ideal, would be doable in terms of cost.
One downside to this particular RWP model (i.e. the Align 600 Nitro) is that its 440 cc fuel tank only allows for 10 minutes of flight time, assuming no payload and ideal conditions. However, the problem of limited flight time could be solved by simply replenishing the fuel supply periodically throughout the workday. Also, the Nitromethane fuel that this RWP uses is relatively cheap costing about $25 per gallon, according to some internet sources (http://www.ultimaterc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=176431) and would allow for 84 minutes of continuous flight time, assuming about 3700cc per gallon.
The most practical solution to the problems inherited by inspecting power lines and towers would be to use rotary wing platforms (RWPs). Following are two examples of RWP systems on opposite ends of the price spectrum.
Cheap
The cheapest resolution that would allow the utility company to effectively monitor its lines and towers would be to deploy a relatively cheap RC RWP unit to the areas where the towers are located. For instance, the Align RC 600 Nitro (fig. 1), which comes as a kit and costs approximately $700, could be retrofitted with a durable camera on its underside that would allow for the video inspection of power lines and towers .
The waterproof Ion-Air Pro 2 helmet camera (fig. 2), for instance, weighs only 4.6 ounces, is small in dimension (1.4 x 1.4 x 4.5 in.), and has 2.5 hours of battery life. Costing roughly $250 apiece, several of these cameras could be bought and attached to the Align throughout the workday as the battery fails in each.
Although the Align comes as a kit, it would likely be no problem for one of the power company's maintenance workers to assemble it on site. Replacement parts for the Align, such as rotary shafts, blades, and fuselages are also available on the NitroPlanes web page (http://www.nitroplanes.com/15h-kx0160npc.html).
Furthermore, the relatively cheap cost of the Align RWP would enable more than one copter to be purchased, thus cutting down substantially on the time it takes to inspect the towers and lines. For instance, ArcGIS could be used to establish inspection zones and use a feature class layer to represent the towers. Each Align operator could carry a GPS unit that was programed with the coordinates of each tower and geographically "check off" each tower that was inspected in their respective zone. Towers could also get identifying placards installed on them so that their unique identifier could be synchronized to specific coordinates in ArcGIS and the GPS device.
Mobility is another pleasing aspect to the RWP solution. For example, operators could take the small (approx. 7.1 pound) Align model with them in their company/all terrain vehicles (ATVs) to the locations where the inspections would take place. Once there, the Align could be deployed and the applicable data collected.
Weather would not affect Align missions as much as those conducted by companies with full-sized copters because missions could simply be postponed until weather permitted their re-initiation. Also, since all the Align operators would be in-house (i.e. linemen trained to operate the RWP) rescheduling missions would not be as daunting as compared to doing so for independent helicopter companies. Furthermore, the low cost of the Align would ensure that if one of the RWPs did happen to become lost or damaged, a replacement, although not ideal, would be doable in terms of cost.
One downside to this particular RWP model (i.e. the Align 600 Nitro) is that its 440 cc fuel tank only allows for 10 minutes of flight time, assuming no payload and ideal conditions. However, the problem of limited flight time could be solved by simply replenishing the fuel supply periodically throughout the workday. Also, the Nitromethane fuel that this RWP uses is relatively cheap costing about $25 per gallon, according to some internet sources (http://www.ultimaterc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=176431) and would allow for 84 minutes of continuous flight time, assuming about 3700cc per gallon.
Figure 1
The Align RC 600 Nitro is a nitromethane powered, remotely controlled helicopter. With a camera attachment, such as the Ion Air 2 in figure 2 below, this device would be an ideal platform from which to monitor power lines and towers more cost effectively than current full-sized helicopter services allow (http://www.nitroplanes.com/15h-kx0160npc.html).
Figure 2
The cheap, sturdy, waterproof Ion Air 2 helmet camera could be retrofitted to the underside of the Align RC helicopter (or similar RWP system) in order to visually inspect power lines and towers for damage. Multiple Ion Airs could be purchased in order to compensate for the devices 2.5 battery life. (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ion-air-pro-2-wi-fi-hd-camcorder-blue-black/2174008.p?id=1219070712053&skuId=2174008&ref=06&loc=01&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=2174008&extensionType={adtype}:{network}&s_kwcid=PTC!pla!{keyword}!{matchtype}!{adwords_producttargetid}!{network}!{ifmobile:M}!{creative}&kpid=2174008&k_clickid=02b4ced1-feed-2e49-2a09-00003036eaf6#tab=overview).
Figure 2
The cheap, sturdy, waterproof Ion Air 2 helmet camera could be retrofitted to the underside of the Align RC helicopter (or similar RWP system) in order to visually inspect power lines and towers for damage. Multiple Ion Airs could be purchased in order to compensate for the devices 2.5 battery life. (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ion-air-pro-2-wi-fi-hd-camcorder-blue-black/2174008.p?id=1219070712053&skuId=2174008&ref=06&loc=01&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=2174008&extensionType={adtype}:{network}&s_kwcid=PTC!pla!{keyword}!{matchtype}!{adwords_producttargetid}!{network}!{ifmobile:M}!{creative}&kpid=2174008&k_clickid=02b4ced1-feed-2e49-2a09-00003036eaf6#tab=overview).
Expensive:
When fitted with a fuel engine, the Avenger by Leptron (fig. 3) gets about 2 hours of flight time. The biggest draw-back for the Avenger is its price tag which equates to about $100,000 apiece (Joyce). The reason for the high cost of the Avenger compared to the Align 600 is because, in addition to increased flight time; durability; and performance (i.e. its ability to operate in 40 m.p,h winds), the avenger is much more versatile in terms of operability. For instance, the Avenger can be manually controlled by an operator through either a laptop Windows interface, or via a controller.
Also, a more sophisticated RWP such as the Avenger can also be flown by using GPS way-points to guide its flight path (autopilot). This option would be useful as the RWP could be flown to previously geocoded towers before the operator switches over to RC mode in order to perform a more precise inspection of the tower. Once each geocoded tower was inspected, it could be "checked off" the list if the inspection was a part of routine, preventative maintenance (PM).
Also, the ability of the Avenger to switch between RC and auto pilot mode is good since remotely located power lines might be miles from the road. In this case, the 11-pound Avenger could be transported via ATV or company vehicle to the area of interest and operated by remote control in order to inspect power lines and towers.
Another attractive aspect of the Avenger is that Leptron sells specialty cameras that can be fitted onto the Avenger. These turret-mounted cameras (fig. 4) have geo-locator capabilities, are stabilized, and can be operated from the Avenger's remote control as opposed to commercially available cameras that could be mounted to the avenger in order to cut costs.
One problem that the power company may have with the Avenger is that its price may limit the utility company to only one unit, and thus less area covered over a given time as compared to multiple cheaper units being operated simultaneously, as given in the Align example.
.
Image of the Avengenr by Leptron in flight. Although far more expensive than the Align RWP, the durable Avenger integrates all its geospatial technology, such as geocoding, geo-locating, and GPS way-points, into one unit so that data relating to power line and tower inspection can be easily classified (http://www.leptron.com/corporate/products/avenger/specs.php).
Figure 3
Image of the Avengenr by Leptron in flight. Although far more expensive than the Align RWP, the durable Avenger integrates all its geospatial technology, such as geocoding, geo-locating, and GPS way-points, into one unit so that data relating to power line and tower inspection can be easily classified (http://www.leptron.com/corporate/products/avenger/specs.php).
Figure 4
Some of examples of the the more sophisticated, turret-mounted, remotely operated cameras that can be used fitted onto the Avenger RWP system (https://www.leptron.com/corporate/products/avenger/camera.php).
Conclusions:
While the Align and Avenger RWP options above both solve the fiscal problems associated with of utility line inspection via full-sized helicopters, each does so in a different way. For instance, while the Align option is much cheaper than the Avenger option, the Align would be much more cumbersome in terms of operation, mobility, flight time, convenience and data accuracy. That being said, all the problems associated with the Align option could be solved, but it would require unconventional synchronization of many different systems such as cameras, GIS, GPS, and flight operation; whereas with the Avenger option, all these systems would come already integrated with one another.
However, with the convenience of the integrated flight, GPS, and GIS systems, as well as other luxuries such as improved quality and performance in addition to high-tech camera systems, the Avenger by Leptron comes at a price. While the price of the Avenger may limit the utility company's ability to purchase more than one unit, the overall price of the system would still save the company money in the long run with the unit paying for itself after five or so uses (assuming $19500/nine-hour day for a conventional helicopter service).
Sources:
Sanford, J., and Wykes, S, 2013, Study examines cost-effectiveness of helicopter transport of trauma
victims: http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2013/april/helicopter.html (accessed February 2014).
Scenario 2:
An oil pipeline running through the Niger River delta is showing some signs of leaking. This is impacting both agriculture and loss of revenue to the company.
Problem:
This Google image shows the general area of interest in the Niger River delta on the west coast of the African continent. More information from the company whose oil pipeline is leaking will be needed in order to pinpoint the exact AOI in this region.
Locating the Leak
Figure 2 illustrates how the source of oil contamination could be determined using a system of tethered balloons to monitor contamination in the AOI. Balloons in this diagram correspond to odd-numbered river miles. Each balloon will take a series of aerial photographs in NIR to locate surficial oil contamination on the river (grey areas). Once an area the river is found to be free of contamination (blue) using aerial surveillance, ground crews need only to search between that balloon and the nearest one exhibiting contamination downstream of it to find the source of the leak; in this example, between river miles 7 and 9.
Sensors
In order to determine whether or not the water in the Niger River is contaminated, the correct sensors must be attached to the tethered balloons. Figure 3 shows some of the spectra associated with oil slicks on water, as determined by the USGS during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
While the DWH spill was likely more massive than the one being examined in this article, the USGS found that when viewed in infrared wavelengths, different thicknesses of oil slicks displayed differnt spectral signatures. Computational analysis could then be performed on the images collected by the sensors to determine whether or not the portion of the river corresponding to that particular sensor was contaminated or not.
Using the spectral information provided by the USGS, NIR cameras would likely be the best photographic method for determining whether or not the surface waters on the Niger River are contaminated with oil or not.
While the DWH spill was likely more massive than the one being examined in this article, the USGS found that when viewed in infrared wavelengths, different thicknesses of oil slicks displayed differnt spectral signatures. Computational analysis could then be performed on the images collected by the sensors to determine whether or not the portion of the river corresponding to that particular sensor was contaminated or not.
Using the spectral information provided by the USGS, NIR cameras would likely be the best photographic method for determining whether or not the surface waters on the Niger River are contaminated with oil or not.
Figure 4 shows an example of a near-infrared camera, from Edmund Optics, that could be suspended from a balloon platform in order to locate surficial oil contamination on the Niger River. While far from cheap at nearly $2000 apiece, this price likely pales in comparison to what the oil company is losing in revenue and mounting cleanup costs.
Figure 3
Figure 3 shows an example of the spectra measured by the USGS during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. It was found that when using NIR sensors, thin layers of oil could be spotted on the surface of the water; i.e. those less than 0.5 mm thick (blue line).
Figure 4
Figure 4 shows one of the cheaper NIR cameras offered by Edmund Optics. This device, which weighs about 90 g and costs about $2000, could be suspended from the tethered balloon platforms in order to detect thin layers of surficial oil contamination on the Niger River delta (http://www.edmundoptics.com/imaging/cameras/near-ir-nir-ultraviolet-uv-cameras/1460-1600nm-near-infrared-camera/2384).
Monitoring Platforms
According to precipitation graphs for Lagos, Nigeria, which is approximately 200-300 miles away from the AOI on the Atlantic coast, weather should not inhibit the deployment of balloons except, maybe, in the months of May, June, and July, when rainfall exceeds 200 mm per month (fig. 5). However, if inclement weather were to occur on a day when the balloons were scheduled to collect data, their deployment could be easily rescheduled until a more meteorologically favorable day.
The cost of the balloons themselves is very minimal when compared to overall cost of the spill in terms of ecological damage and revenue lost. Offered by Balloons Direct, figure 6 shows an example of a weather balloon that could be used in this project. Each balloon costs about $35 and has a payload capacity of 3 pounds, which is more than enough to lift the 90 gram infrared sensor mentioned above in figure 4.
In order to deter theft of the expensive NIR cameras, it would be beneficial to outfit each camera with a harness system that was easy to detach from its balloon monitoring platform. This detachable harness system would also be beneficial as the NIR cameras would need to be removed periodically anyway in order to download their images onto a computer for spectral analysis.
Balloons could be tethered to the ground using a rope or cable attached to either a hand operated or motorized winch. However, the balloons would likely not be very high off the ground (<20ft.) and a more expensive, motorized winch system would be more of a luxury than a necessity.
Figure 5
Figure 5 shows the average precipitation for each month in Lagos, Nigeria, located approximately 200-300 miles up the Atlantic coast from the Niger River delta. Based on rainfall averages projected here, the only problematic months for a balloon launch somewhere in the Niger River delta would be May, June, and July of any given year; that is, when the precipitation is greater than 200 mm per each month (http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/climate/africa/nigeria/Lagos.html).
Figure 6
This figure shows the cost-effective ($35) "Cloud Buster" weather balloon offered by balloons direct. Its 3-pound payload capacity would be more than adequate to lift the 90 g NIR camera shown in figure 4 (http://www.balloonsdirect.com/products/55-foot-cloudbuster-weather-balloon-orange).
Conclusions:
While locating the oil leak on the Niger River Delta is no easy task, regardless of what method is used to determine its source, the use of tethered balloons outfitted with NIR-sensors would provide an efficient and cost effective manner of doing so given the information that was made available by the oil company thus far.
Once the questions presented in the beginning of the article are answered, other, more effective measures may be recommended based on that information. For instance, if the size of the leak is large enough, the Nigerian government or an environmental consulting firm may be able to offer further assistance to the oil company in addition to our services.
Works Cited:
Clark, R.N., Swayze, G.A., et. al, 2010 , A method for
qualitative mapping of thick oil spills using
imagingspectroscopy:
http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1101/ (accessed February 2014).
El Dorado Weather, 2014, Lagos, nigeria, africa average
annual temperatures:
http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/climate/africa/nigeria/Lagos.html
(accessed February 2014).
Scenario 3:
A
military testing range is having problems engaging in conducting its training
exercises due to the presence of desert tortoises. They currently spend
millions of dollars doing ground based surveys to find their burrows.
Questions /
Concerns:
·
What
is the scope of the area to be surveyed?
·
Would
it be preferable to only find the burrows or to find the suitable training
ground?
Analysis
The
Desert Tortoise is an endangered species that lives in the Mojave and Sonoran
desert of southern California, Nevada, and Utah. They prefer semi-arid
grasslands, desert washes, and sandy canyon bottoms that are below 3,500ft
elevation. They live in burrows that are 3-6ft deep. They are most active in
the Spring and least active from November through February, when they hibernate
in burrows. Desert Tortoises depend upon vegetation such as new cacti growth
for food and water; they also consume calcium-rich soil for digestion, and
prefer to burrow in sandy loam soils (ardisols) with varying amounts of gravel
or clay. When rain is anticipated, the tortoise will dig basins to collect the
rainwater. Tortoises also prefer south facing slopes. A recent study performed
by the Department of Defense, states that tortoises prefer to build burrows
under a vegetation canopy near to a desert wash. (Grandmaison 2010). All of
these factors can be used to aid in locating the tortoise habitats.
Figure 1http://www.spatialsource.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Aibot-3-280x203.jpg
Figure 2
Figure 2 http://img.directindustry.com/images_di/photo-mg/fixed-wing-civilian-mini-uavs-101645-2972005.jpg
Other sensors could be used to create a point cloud which would be used to create a digital elevation model through photogrammetry. This model would be used to determine elevation and slope. Combining the vegetation, elevation, slope and soil type information, a habitat map could be created which highlights key areas that Desert Tortoises prefer indicating areas also that would be better suited for training exercises. This survey could be completed in early spring or during the months of November through February.
Using a simple camera at low altitude and analyzing the photography would be a low cost option to detecting the burrows, other options such as using a multispectral camera and perhaps
Sources:
Grandmaison, David D., 2010. Landscape-Level Habitat Associations and. (n.d.). Department of Defense Legacy Program. Retrieved February 16, 2014, from http://www.denix.osd.mil/nr/upload/08-385-Technical-Report-Landscape-Level-Habitat-Associations-and-Phylogenetics-of-Desert-Tortoises.pdf
UAV: fixed wing or rotary?. (n.d.). sUAS News. Retrieved February 16, 2014, from http://www.suasnews.com/2013/09/25214/uav-fixed-wing-or-rotary/creating a habitat map would be more expensive.
Scenario 4:
A pineapple plantation has about 8000
acres, and they want you to give them an idea of where they have vegetation
that is not healthy, as well as help them out with when might be a good time to
harvest.
Firstly,
the area is fairly large so if the methods we come up with prove to be too time
consuming or expensive, a sampling
method could always be employed in order to get a general idea of the
vegetation on the land.
Also,
we thought that maybe the type of data that we would be collecting could maybe
be used over several seasons, so may prove to be worth the money and time. We
thought that once it had been highlighted which areas had the proper quality
vegetation, and which area was best to harvest then, these trends might apply
across a few growing seasons.
In
order to highlight the areas where the vegetation is less health than others,
we felt that a thermal infrared sensor
could be used. Thermal infrared sensors detect electromagnetic waves of
wavelength 3.5 to 20 micrometers, as this is the wavelength of moisture particles.
As water is one of the input elements of the process of photosynthesis, we thought that areas where we could detect higher
moisture levels would be areas where the vegetation would be healthier. Figure
1 below shows an example of this type of sensor being put in to practice in
relation to vegetation health. You can see how it clearly shows the different
areas of soil health, and how you could determine which areas were less
healthy.
Figure 1
Sources:
AAI. 2014.
Unmanned Systems. AAI Corporation. Available
at: https://www.aaicorp.com/products/unmanned-systems <Accessed on: Friday
14th February 2014>
Dole. Unknown.
Pineapple Cultivation. Dole-Plantation. Available
at: http://www.dole-plantation.com/Pineapple-Cultivation <Accessed on: Friday
14th February 2014>
Unknown. Unknown. Introduction to
Thermal Infrared Remote Sensing.University of California - Santa Barbra,
Department of Geography. Available at:
http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/~jeff/115a/remote_sensing/thermal/thermalirinfo.html
<Accessed On: Friday 14th February 2013>
Scenario 5:
A mining company wants to get a better
idea of the volume they remove each week. They don’t have the money for LiDAR,
but want to engage in 3D analysis (Hint: look up point cloud).
We are presuming that since the company the
company wanted to use LiDar but could not afford it, then the type of mining
they are engaged in is open pit and not underground. We came up with two
possible ways for monitoring the amount removed from the mine each week. One
approach would be to use digital imagery
to detect the slag heaps, where
measurements could be carried out from the data collected to detect the volume
of matter removed. The other would be to use a cloud point method where laser detectors are used to detect and
later recreate an area, these detectors would be flown over the actual mining
pit in order to construct the space, and then once this is done over time we
could see how the size changes and therefore the volume removed could be calculated.
For the first method the data collection should be
fairly quick so that type of unmanned air vehicle we would recommend would be
perhaps a slightly cheaper unmanned aerial vehicle can be used, so as to save
money. The flight time does not need to be that long so maybe even a battery
operated one would be sufficient, a quad
copter may be a good choice as it could fly straight up and over the slag
heap and remain fairly steady and balanced for the image taking.
This data collection would have to be carried out
during the day so that the heap could be seen, and the time of year would only
be an issue if the mine was located in a region that experiences winters with
high precipitation rates, that might obstruct the camera’s view. As the company
wants to know how much it removes each week, the image could be taken once a
week. Then using computer software like ArcMap,
the image could be downloaded a scale applied, and then volume calculations
could be made from measurements made on the computer.
3D scanning can be performed using a regular
camera attached to a UAV and entered into the appropriate modelling software. A
steady camera would be required, such as rotary wing copter with the ability to
hover. A rotary copter is most suitable for hard to reach locations, which may
include some mines. Using this technology an open pit mine can be visualized;
from this visualization it may be possible to determine the volume of the mine.
Another option may be to attach a specific 3D scanning camera to the UAV creating
a point cloud mesh, this option is very similar to LiDar; but would increase
the cost of the survey. Use of 3D sensor camera would yield a more detailed
report of the mine and would be very similar to overhead aerial LiDar and
ground LiDar surveys.
The data collection for the cloud point method
will be quite extensive, as the unmanned aerial vehicle that the sensor will be
attached to will have to cover all of the exposed mine, and may at some points
need to go down in to the pit. So definitely a gasoline powered on would be
appropriate and with a long flight time, so we would recommend a General Atomics GNAT. Also, as the data
needs to be recorded each week, the cost of the vehicle should probably be kept
fairly low.
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