Real-time compensation of magnetic data acquired by a rotary-wing unmanned aircraft system

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Unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) have much potential for geomagnetic surveys for mineral explorationbecause they can fly closer to the ground and slower than conventional manned aircraft. In order for UASs tobecome a viable alternative on the commercial market, however, the data acquired by magnetometers mountedon UASs must be of equivalent or higher quality than the data recorded by magnetometers mounted onconventional manned aircraft.Metallic components and engine movement on a UAS create undesirable noise on the data recorded by themagnetometer that can obscure the signal originating from ore bodies in the subsurface. RMS Instruments havedeveloped the AARC51 compensator, an instrument designed to attenuate this interference noise. In thisresearch project, the compensator will be mounted unto an unmanned helicopter-type UAS. Firstly, differentflying maneuvers will be flown to calibrate the compensator. The maneuvers will include flying along the fourdirections of the geomagnetic fields (north-east-south-west) at different altitudes, and repeating lines inopposite directions (e.g. north to south, and south to north). Secondly, a geomagnetic survey will be executedin an area where interesting geological features are present. The survey data will be analyzed in detail tocompare the raw and compensated geomagnetic data, and assess the performance of the compensator. UASflight data such as altitude, speed, and orientation will also be analyzed to identify the best way to fly the UASto acquire magnetic data of the highest quality.The project will provide a HQP at an early stage of his/her career hands-on training on UAS survey planningand quantitative data analysis. These skills are much in demand due to the high level of interest about UASs inthe airborne surveying community.