Seeing what’ s out there is a huge part of a geo’ s job, but what about those terrains that are tough for us to get to? This edition is a fly-by on drones (see what I did there?), how the British are deploying them to study Antarctica, and what factors to consider when deciding if they make sense as a tool for your project.
And speaking of seeing what or who is out there, we’ d love to learn more about you, dear reader, and what you would like to learn about in Enspired. Take our survey here. Thanks in advance!
And now, I’ ll try not to drone on 😉Let’ s get to it!
Sarah Compton
Editor, Enspired
Too Far to Hike, Goose, I’m switching to Drones
Ground Picture/ Shutterstock.com
If you didn’t read that headline in the voice of Maverick from Top Gun, you and I have had very different life experiences.
For geoscientists, the phrase “too far to hike,” isn’t in our lexicon. Backpacking in the name of work matches most of our definitions of a dream come true: camping, hiking, and getting paid for it.
Sometimes, though the work that needs to be done can’t be done with what we—even with the help of several intrepid undergrad “field hands”—can realistically carry on our backs. This also applies in environments in which we can’t survive for long or might damage with our mere presence, such as the frozen wasteland…I mean untouched beauty… of Antarctica.
Antarctica is incredibly hostile to humans and particularly vulnerable to our presence, but studying it is key to understanding the global climate and our impacts on it.
The British are coming! The British Antarctic Survey is using cutting edge technology to study Antarctica while reducing human presence and helping with the agency goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2040.
What researchers are doing:
The Windracers ULTRA UAV (uncrewed aerial vehicle) uses a cloud-based autopilot system that maintains connection to the platform from any location, providing beyond visual line of sight control.
Masterless control means that no individual flight computer is directly controlling the aircraft, so a failure of one of the three flight control computers has no impact on continued safe operation.
The UAV can carry up to 220 lbs of useful payload and travel a distance of up to 621 miles.
During last season’s testing phase, the UAV was sent to do magnetic and gravity surveys to investigate tectonic structures, assess geological structures with airborne radar, and test atmospheric turbulence to investigate the coupling between ocean and atmosphere.
Get some more info on the British Antarctic Survey here and more info on Windracers UAV here.
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There needs to be more than the “wow” or “cool” factor in a technology to make it worth deploying, and drones are no different.
Remote submersibles have proven their weight in gold and then some, but aircraft are different for a number of reasons, including the requirements for wireless operation and payload limits.
So, when, where, and why would UAVs be worthwhile?
The British Geologic Survey hasn’t been shy about when and why it employs drones, and it’s worth knowing the use cases for such technology. These include:
Repeatable short and long-term records of time-dependent processes such as cliff erosions
Using high-resolution cameras on drones, drone pilots can capture overlapping photographs and employ photogrammetry or structure-from-motion software to construct 3D models. These models can tell researchers about land movement, sinkholes, and more.
Medium-scale rapid and real-time measurements that a human being can’t capture on foot for a number of reasons but that are too logistically complicated—money, operating conditions, etc.—to measure via airplane or helicopter.
Examples include, but are hardly limited to, remote emissions measurements (oil and gas has already dove into this some!), ground temperature measurements for geothermal sources, surface data to include with models of landslides, and 3D geological modeling of faults.
Own or outsource: Once the decision to employ a drone is made, you’ve got to decide if you’re going in-house or hiring a third-party contractor.
The BGS decided to go in-house because it allows greater control of who is on (or over) a site, pilots’ flight hours, pushing/testing the limits of the drone and sensors, and the freedom to use the drones for educational purposes.
If such tight control isn’t a high priority, it could be worth considering a third-party contractor for your drone needs.
The petroleum industry—which farms out everything from drilling to completions—is highly familiar and capable when it comes to managing third-party contractors, so don’t sleep on this option!
If you enjoyRC cars, and I suspect many of you do, you might consider getting your own drone certification. There are other reasons to consider it too, obviously, but the RC one is the most fun. 🤓
Much like driving, there are some online courses involved, but I have a few colleagues who have gone that route and seem to enjoy the work. Plus, “UAV Pilot,” sounds pretty cool.
For more information from the BGS on their drone work, check this out. For more information on becoming a certified drone pilot, take a lookie-loo at this.
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