MRI Acquisition of: Heavy-lift UAV Sensor Platform for Research and Development

Morehead State University, Morehead KY

Investigators

Abstract

With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Timothy Hare will use and make available to other researchers and engineers a heavy-lift unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV or drone) with multiple cameras and scanning sensors for a wide variety of uses in research and development. This combined UAV/remote sensing system makes possible rapid and accurate capture of environmental data for the creation of 3D models of vegetation, land surfaces, and constructed features. It also provides a platform for testing new robotic and remote sensing technologies. For instance, researchers in fields such as agricultural sciences and engineering technology can use the instrument for precision farming, farm and pasture mapping, and robotics development. Earth and space scientists can use the instrument for testing new sensors and environmental research. Dr. Hare will employ the vehicle to introduce new capabilities to Mesoamerican archaeology. Students will benefit from hands-on experience and development with cutting-edge technologies. This instrument will be the first one of its kind available to the researchers and students at Morehead State University, in Appalachian eastern Kentucky, and in Mesoamerican archaeological research. The combined heavy-lift UAV/remote sensing system will enhance research and development by leveraging several new technologies. First, the heavy-lift UAV allows for carrying multiple sensors simultaneously at low elevations and slow speeds to capture high-resolution and overlapping image data through most climatic and surface conditions. Second, the global navigation satellite system and inertial measurement unit provide centimeter-level control and georeferencing of data. Third, the high-resolution cameras capture a variety of wavelengths including visible, near infrared, and infrared. Fourth, the Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) device can scan through vegetation with better than 10 cm accuracy. One example of the instrument's use is Dr. Hare's mapping of archaeological ruins and associated environmental features through the forest canopy for his ongoing archaeological investigations at the ancient city of Mayapán in the northern Yucatan of Mexico. The purpose of archaeological survey in Mexico's northern Yucatán Peninsula is to map the regional context of the ancient political and economic capital of Mayapán. Hence, the instrument will be used for archaeological field survey, mapping ancient settlements, and mapping excavations for spatial data analysis. The resulting data will make possible the creation of 3D models of ancient Mayan ruins at the scale of entire regions. Capturing material remains of past people in context is the foundation of all archaeological research, but these activities are hampered by difficult field conditions and the limitations and high costs of traditional mapping technologies. The combined heavy-lift UAV/remote sensing system will overcome these obstacles, making possible the creation of 3D maps of the ancient Mayan world at a detail level never before possible.