I-Corps: 3D Mapping and Monitoring using an Autonomous Kite UAV

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The research team proposed to develop a tool for field geologists, golf-mapping industry and ecological monitoring, in which topography is mapped using cameras mounted on an auto-piloted Kite Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). These cameras could be visual, near-infrared or thermal or a combination of all of them. The system can generate high resolution ( 1 m) textured Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) that can be uploaded into Google Earth along with derived products such as hillshade and slope maps, providing user-friendly ways of monitoring and mapping. While there are currently a number of UAV technologies and 3D mapping products, this solution has the following features 1) Use of a cost-effective Kite platform that can be flown without any training 2) Multiple sensor integration capability i.e., integrating visual cameras with near-infrared and thermal cameras for enabling novel applications in the field of agricultural monitoring, ecological mapping and pipeline mapping 3) Integration with Google Earth and Maps for easy and effective planning and visualization. The tools that will be developed as part of the proposal will be intuitive and end-user oriented. This will enable UAVs to be used effectively for civilian purposes by non-air-qualified personnel.Cost-effective Unmanned Aerial Vehicles could change the way large areas are monitored: from crop monitoring to cattle monitoring to environmental protection. The tools that are developed as part of this project may enable these UAVs to be used effectively for civilian purposes. This could usher in a new era of inexpensive, cost-effective vehicles that can be used by farmers, agribusinesses, and mapping professionals, providing businesses with an unprecedented way of increasing the quality, reliability, and amount of information available to them.