Page 54 - GIS for Science Technology Showcases

DRONE DATA AUTOMATION
WITH SITE SCAN FOR ARCGIS
Lauren Winter, Esri
Environmental researchers face significant barriers from the technological complexity and time-consuming nature of data collection, processing, and management. For time-based research such as marsh erosion, it’s crucial to ensure that processes are repeatable for comparative analysis.
To address this challenge, many environmental scientists now use drones equipped with optical, multispectral, laser, thermal, and radiation sensors to collect data. These sensors and drones rely heavily on the same technologies used in mobile phones, so capability is rapidly increasing while cost is decreasing. The use of drones is clearly a boon for the quality of scientific instrumentation and the amount of data that can be collected. However, this capability can quickly turn into a mountain of unmanageable data and processing. For imagery, each drone flight commonly produces 500 to 1,000 4k photos that require complex image processing configura- tions and leave little time for environmental science. Also, these complexities are prone to human error, such as inconsistent drone flight patterns for image captur- ing, which makes it difficult to accurately compare and analyze results over time.
Site Scan for ArcGIS is an industrial software as a service (SaaS) product that enables calculated and automated drone flights to capture large sets of precisely posed images that are uploaded to the cloud for parameterized processing into 2D orthomosaic, 3D point cloud, and digital elevation model (DEM) data products. Site Scan organizes the data and a set of workflow tools for analysis, measurement, planning, and comparison. Researchers require this type of cost-effective system automation, data management, precision, and repeatability for tasks such as daily project planning, progress reports, and built-as-designed quality assessment.
Consider the task of measuring marsh erosion and the formation of surge channels over time, which is one of the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) programs. The institute discovered that using a drone carrying a high-quality camera is the perfect tool. It can be flown over a large area without significantly disturbing the study area and performed with fewer people and in less time than doing the work on foot.
To monitor the evolution and condition of a 90-acre marsh near Corte Madera, California, the team used Site Scan to program a drone flight that took about 45 minutes. The 640 high-resolution images, together with the processed orthomosaic image and DEM, provided detailed and measurable information for the study.
Thanks to Pete Kauhanen, San Francisco Estuary Institute, and Ross Robinson, Esri.
Site Scan automatically completes the steps of drone flight planning, sensor setup, flight, image transfer to the cloud, image processing, data storage, and data analysis, saving valuable time and producing scientifically significant results.
Images and results are automatically managed in the cloud and can be shared with other scientists and used publicly in ArcGIS Online.
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