Engineers working on the TerraLuma Project at the University of Tasmania, Australia are bringing hyperspectral capabilities to their fleet of unmanned aircraft systems.
To do so, they will be employing Headwall Photonics’ (Fitchburg, MA, USA) Micro-Hyperspec sensor on-board a multi-rotor SkyJib airframe from Droidworx (Waikato, New Zealand). SkyJib is a purpose-built aerial platform, which the TerraLuma team has adapted to carry scientific instruments.
One of the unique aspects of the TerraLuma project is that the university researchers use multiple sensors — visible, multispectral and hyperspectral (VNIR), thermal, and LiDAR — to map and monitor different aspects of the environment.
They have worked on a range of applications such as mapping and monitoring vegetation in remote locations, deriving 3-D tree structure for forest inventories and landslide mapping.
The TerraLuma research project at the University of Tasmania aims to develop novel tools and algorithms for environmental remote sensing applications and aerial surveys using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Up-to-date and accurate spatial data are of crucial importance for sustainable management of our ecosystems. UAS offer an exciting and novel opportunity to map the environment in greater detail than ever before.
The university team consists of a senior academic, a postdoc, five PhD students, and two technical officers and specialises in UAS sensor integration and image processing for earth observation applications. They have been working with UAS and specialised sensors since 2009.
One of the unique aspects of our project is that they operate and integrate multiple sensors: visible, multispectral and hyperspectral (VNIR), thermal, and LiDAR, to map and monitor different aspects of the environment at ultra-high resolutions on-demand.
They have worked on a range of applications, including precision agriculture and viticulture; mapping and monitoring vegetation in remote locations such as Antarctica; deriving 3D tree structure for forest inventories; landslide mapping and deformation monitoring; 3D stock pile and quarry surveys and volume estimations; assessment of coastal erosion; mapping of geological structures; and mapping of natural vegetation communities such as saltmarshes.
Source: Web Site