Integration of a magnetometer into a small electric uninhabited aerial vehicle (UAV) for airborne geophysics

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Airborne magnetic surveys are an important tool for modern geological surveys to detect ore-bodies and other buried geological or artificial features of interest. Until recently, manned aircraft were used exclusively for these surveys. The proliferation of advanced, low cost uninhabited air vehicles (UAVs) has led to growing interest in their ability to complement existing manned aircraft for these surveys. Uninhabited aircraft offer safety and efficiency improvements over manned aircraft. Additionally, UAVs can operate at lower heights above the ground - improving the accuracy of the magnetic field measurements. Although some companies are already offering magnetic surveys using UAVs there are significant challenges. The industrial partner in this proposed NSERC Engage project is already an established world leader in ground- and aircraft-based magnetometers and has recently developed a miniaturized magnetometer for UAV applications. Carleton has a small (<25 kg) fixed wing UAV platform (Corvus) which has been developed as a test bed for airborne geophysics and other applications. This in-house platform will provide an excellent test bed for the proposed project. Using magnetometers loaned from GEM Systems, the students will measure and assess the sources of