UAV analytics in support of geothermal energy exploration

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This research project supports geothermal energy exploration through the development of analytical tools that translate infrared images acquired by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) into information products. UAVs are expected to replace other remote sensing platforms commonly used to identify and map surface heat anomalies in geothermal exploration, particularly for projects with footprints up to several square-km, due to their lower cost, maneuverability, and capacity to produce high-resolution maps of geothermal hotspots. However, there are significant technical barriers to the integration of UAV infrared imagery into geothermal exploration workflows, which is what motivated this collaboration between the University of Calgary and Borealis GeoPower - one of Canada's leading geothermal exploration companies. The main challenge tackled in this research is to adapt and customize computer vision algorithms in order to seamlessly integrate up to several hundred infrared images acquired by a UAV into a geometrically-accurate and radiometrically-precise map of surface heat anomalies. Conventional analytical tools developed for infrared imagery acquired by manned aircraft and satellites do not straightforwardly apply to UAVs because of the complex geometric and radiometric distortions in imagery acquired by these low-flying platforms. NSERC Engage funding will be used to develop a three-stage research project: (1) Algorithm development; (2) Blind experiment; and (3) Semi-automated processing workflow. Stage 1 will involve testing and customization to feature matching and image normalization algorithms adapted from computer vision research. Stage 2 will test the analytics in a blind experiment at the Canoe Reach Geothermal Project near Valemount, BC. Stage 3 will translate the algorithm or set of algorithms into custom software tools. Overall, the main contribution of this project is the development of new analytics that extend the breadth of tools used to identify, map and assess geothermal energy resources.