Acquisition of surveying equipment (UAVs, GNSS receivers) and associated hardware and software to support research and undergraduate training at the University of Alaska Southeast

University Of Alaska Southeast Juneau Campus, Juneau AK

Investigators

Abstract

This Division of Earth Sciences Instrumentation and Facilities Program award supports acquisition of three survey-grade unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for airborne topographic mapping, hardware and software for associated Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetric processing, and two Global Navigational Satellite System (GNSS) receivers and antennas for ground-based surveying. The requested instrumentation will support faculty and student research and research training at the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau, AK. The investigators will engage students in hands-on experiential learning using the requested equipment and are active in public outreach discussing avalanche and glacial lake outburst flood hazards and the effects of changing climate on regional mountain glaciers. The University of Alaska Southeast is a Native Alaskan serving institution and the PIs are active in outreach to Native Alaskans through extant University programs and through contact with the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida in Juneau. Research projects that will take advantage of the UAVs for topographic mapping include process-based studies of glacier-ocean interactions, glacier lake outburst floods, sedimentation and erosion, and avalanche dynamics. Field areas will include the Mendenhall glacier, Mt. Juneau avalanche field, and Taku glacier, all located very close to the University but comprised of rugged and largely inaccessible terrain across Southeast Alaska. The UAVs and related GNSS base stations will permit topographic surveys in this challenging terrain with unprecedented accuracy and speed to observe rapidly changing mountain glaciers, glacial lakes and avalanche prone areas in a safe manner and with direct implications for monitoring potential hazards and mitigating loss of life and infrastructure in the municipality of Juneau. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.