Stone Age. Bronze Age. Iron Age. We define entire epics of humanity by the technology they use.”
Just like many of you, I recently attended Intergeo, which has grown into an event large enough to reliably highlight some of the trends in the geospatial industry. Having been a regular visitor for the past years, it was hard not to notice the increased number of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones exhibited at the show.
Reed Hastings referred in his above quote to the Internet Age, but maybe Chris Anderson, the former editor-in-chief of Wiredmagazine, is right and we are about to enter the “Drone Age”.
One does not need to be a visionary to realise that UAVs have become an integral tool for military operations and public safety. Going back to this year’s Intergeo, it is obvious that we see a similar, albeit delayed trend in the kind of commercial and civil mapping applications. At previous Intergeos, smaller start-ups with innovative processing methods or innovative UAV designs created a bit of a buzz. This year, the number of systems on display for outdoor mapping applications mushroomed.
The multitude of designs and approaches on display is not unusual for emerging technologies that often find their way into the market more by trial and error than by strategic intent. Emerging technology (and trade-show) dynamics also explain why a plethora of start-ups with astonishingly innovative approaches seem to have taken the lead over the more established companies — bringing innovative ideas to the market appears a whole lot easier when you start with a blank sheet. Nobody is going to limit your creativity by asking you if the new widget will work with the previous one. Yet, sustainable innovations need to prove themselves beyond the exhibition floor. To avoid being victims of some kind of Darwinian market consolidation, they need to meet customers’ expectations. The big question is: which UAVs (if any) work for which application? If not only for the lack of a crystal ball, it is probably too early to give answers. There is undoubtedly still a lot of trial and error going on, but if we listen to the market carefully, a few trends seem to emerge.
Tech advances
For sure, the rise in micro drone sales, personal UAVs and DIY drones is largely linked to advances in smartphone technologies with cheaper and smaller sensors, better integration and ease-of-use. A few years back you needed to be a genius to fly an RC helicopter. Today, nearly everyone can do that without even reading a manual. One may argue that the payload/camera on most of the low-cost UAVs is not usable for professional mapping applications: but, we all should be at least a little amazed at what you can get for a few bucks today. Also, because these UAVs are borderline “toys”, their use for recreational purposes within line-of-sight operation is accepted in many countries. At least so long as your line-ofsight is not straight into your neighbour’s window. Low price, easy-to-use, no legal issues combined with a “wow” factor — it can be understood why this attracts young and old alike for an afternoon of fun.
But this is not just about fun. There is a lot of scientific research going on with these micro drones as well and I expect great solutions for a number of professional applications, such as indoor mapping and public safety. Yet their use for traditional outdoor mapping applications currently is limited.
One step up from “your personal UAV” is the more professional portable, small, fixed wing UAVs or Quad- and Octocopter solution with a total weight of less than 10kg. They are generally equipped with a low to medium-end commercial camera and, when used for mapping purposes, controlled by off-the-shelf autopilots.
Quad- and Octocopter systems have not only found their way into TV and movie making. Because they take off and land vertically, can hover for observations, follow even the most acrobatic flight paths and run on relatively silent electric motors, they are also the preferred vehicles for urban mapping and surveillance applications. In addition, their flexible in-air-performance supports more accurate and environmentspecific mission planning, a key factor to achieve accuracy in airborne mapping.
Small, portable, fixed-winged UAVs are currently most often used for small area mapping applications such as mine site mapping, archaeology and agriculture.
These systems have a rather limited payload capacity and the combination of a non-calibrated camera, a low-end GNSS/IMU system and lightweight construction requires processing tools closer to computer-vision than traditional photogrammetry. With basic GPS pre-orientation of the images and the right software, orthophotos and DEMs can be created automatically. On the other hand, if strong winds turn planned nadir images into unplanned obliques, the iterative process may be time consuming and may not lead to the desired accuracy or quality. The relatively inexpensive styrofoam-design UAVs have advantages beyond damage control in case of malfunction. They can be replaced, easily and at little cost.
Medium-sized rotary and fixed-wing UAVs with a weight ranging from 10 to 60 kg are for certain professional mapping applications . They offer a higher payload capacity and flexibility to carry metric cameras, small LiDARs, hyperspectral scanners or multiple sensors. They also offer a more stable flight and more endurance. Fixed-wing UAVs in this category are easier to build and pilot, but require space for take-off and landing and often have smaller payload capacity. Helicopter-based systems of this size offer greater payload and endurance capabilities, but are more difficult to pilot.
Note of caution
Commercial operation of such mediumsized systems, however, is currently forbidden, restricted or under investigation in many countries. In case of special permissions, a qualified pilot is the minimum requirement. Although more and more countries are investigating their policies and legal framework, I suspect this heavy regulation is not going to change in the short term. However, there are a few applications where the use of such systems brings clear advantages over traditional airborne or terrestrial mapping and thus should be explored further. One area is mining, where UAV-based mapping systems such as the Swissdrones Waran equipped with metric cameras can deliver highly accurate maps, orthophotos, volumetric measurements and slope determination, plus environmental data over an open pit or a pipeline corridor. Another area is agriculture, as the UAV can transform from a vegetation mapper with a multispectral camera to a crop sprayer.
I do not believe this technology is going to replace traditional airborne mapping, at least not soon. Some airborne mapping companies have or will make UAV-based mapping a new area of business, complementing well their everyday activities.
To promote the safe and peaceful use of this technology, we need to engage local authorities, manufacturers, operators and end-users to create safe and reliable systems, define best practices and continue to develop new applications. Focus areas should include sensor integration, operational safety and fail-safe mechanisms, sense-and-avoid technologies, best practices and certification. For mapping, intelligent integration of all onboard sensors to promote safe, autonomous operation and accurate data is of particular importance. I am not sure if we are entering the “Drone Age”, but I am sure the future should be fun!
