Heavy lift drone for environmental and natural hazard monitoring

我们的RTI申请要求购买一架重型遥控飞机系统（RPAS），大疆Agras T30。该无人机主要用于支持NSERC资助的研究，其次是由加拿大航天局和加拿大国家研究委员会等其他来源资助的工作。T30是最用户友好，可靠和技术能力的重型电池操作的RPAS可用。该设备支持的研究有助于加拿大关于水下生命、气候行动和陆地生命可持续发展目标的2030年议程国家战略。该RPAS将实现超视距飞行，并容纳短波红外高光谱成像仪（SWIR-HSI）。在加拿大，我们将1)量化和绘制泥炭地水生边缘香蒲床的甲烷排放图；2)估算大面积泥炭地地下水位位置和重力含水量；3)为当前和未来的泥炭地生态系统星载高光谱系统提供可追溯的验证数据。泥炭地覆盖了加拿大11%的土地，储存了全球30%的土壤碳。确定它们在气候变化中的作用的关键是估计泥炭的湿度，这是模拟呼吸作用的一个关键方面。水生植被，如香蒲，占碳相关过程的50%。我们还将调查自然灾害，特别是火山。大多数加拿大人都不知道不列颠哥伦比亚省和育空地区有几座休眠但活跃的火山。这些火山将在某个时候爆发，并影响加拿大的人口、农业和关键基础设施（大都市和农村地区）。作为加拿大火山的代表，我们将在Poás工作，这是哥斯达黎加一个高度活跃和危险的火山，有一个活跃的山顶火山口区；因此是RPAS的理想选择。我们将使用swe - hsi来详细绘制热液蚀变的程度，以帮助我们评估峰顶火山口内和周围的薄弱区域；5)绘制喷发的酸性火山气体对峰顶附近森林地区和低海拔农业地区的影响。我们不仅试图确定明显受影响的区域，而且还试图用正常的视觉手段或仪器无法检测到的HSI绘制微妙的影响。Kalacska和Stix都有使用和推进RPAS科学领域的长期经验。该设备将立即受益，是目前三名HQP完成学位的必要条件，也是计划在不久的将来为拟议的研究招募的HQP所必需的。他们将在HSI、图像分析、数据标准和分析技术方面获得丰富的知识，从而在未来的求职者中脱颖而出。由RPAS所做的研究将使他们成为学术界、工业界、非营利组织和政府机构高度需要的下一代创新科学家。

Our RTI application requests the purchase of one heavy-lift Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS), the DJI Agras T30. This drone is essential primarily for the support of NSERC funded research and secondarily, work funded by other sources including the Canadian Space Agency and the National Research Council Canada. The T30 is the most user-friendly, reliable and technically capable heavy-lift battery operated RPAS available. The research supported by this equipment contributes to Canada's 2030 Agenda National Strategy regarding the Sustainable Development goals of life below water, climate action and life on land. This RPAS will enable Beyond Visual Line of Sight flights as well as accommodate a shortwave infrared hyperspectral imager (SWIR-HSI). In Canada, we will 1) quantify and map methane emission from cattail beds in the aquatic margins of a peatland, 2) estimate peatland water table position and gravimetric water content over large areas, 3) provide traceable validation data for current and upcoming spaceborne hyperspectral systems for peatland ecosystems. Peatlands cover 11% of Canada, and store 30% of the global soil carbon. What is critical for determining their role in a changing climate is to estimate the wetness of the peat, a key aspect for modeling respiration. Aquatic vegetation such as cattails account for up to 50% of the carbon related processes. We will also investigate natural hazards, specifically volcanos. Most Canadians are unaware that British Columbia and the Yukon have several dormant, but active volcanoes. These will erupt at some point and impact Canadian populations, agriculture and critical infrastructure (metropolitan and rural areas). As a proxy for Canadian volcanos, we will work at Poás, a highly active and dangerous volcano in Costa Rica with an active summit crater area; hence ideal for RPAS. We will use SWIR-HSI to 4) map the degree of hydrothermal alteration in detail to help us assess zones of weakness in and around the summit crater and 5) map the impacts of emitted acidic volcanic gases on forested areas near the summit and agricultural areas at lower elevations. We seek to identify not only areas that are obviously affected, but also to map subtle impacts with HSI that cannot be detected by normal visual means or instruments. Both Kalacska and Stix have a long demonstrated experience using and advancing the field of RPAS science. This equipment would immediately benefit and is a requirement for three current HQPs to complete their degrees and is also necessary for HQP planned to be recruited in the near future for the proposed research. They will develop a strong knowledge of HSI, image analysis, data standards, and analytic techniques needed for them to stand out amongst other future job applicants. The research made possible by the requested RPAS will allow them to become the next generation of innovative scientists in high demand in academia, industry, non-profit and government agencies.