Detection and localisation of radioactive environmental anomalies using aerial radiometric surveying

该项目将制定使用移动辐射测绘技术来确定异常情况的方法和协议。该项目专门旨在开发利用空中和地面技术识别有价值矿体的方法。因此，该项目将涉及主要在英国西南部进行的大量野外工作，但也将寻求在更多其他国家之一进行研究。这可能包括索马里兰、罗马尼亚、日本(福岛)和葡萄牙。该项目将利用布里斯托尔开发的多旋翼无人机辐射测绘系统，以及他们也开发的基于汽车和背包的变种，以及由Imitec有限公司(大华大学的一个分支)商业化的系统。作为该项目的一部分，博士生将学习驾驶无人机并获得CAA资格证书。该项目的一个关键方面是开发下一代辐射测绘技术，通过将辐射数据与激光雷达获得的准确地形数据相结合，提供更准确的真实辐射场表示。这项技术随后可能应用于核场地监测以及识别具有辐射特征的近地表矿体。我们将利用国内外的实地工作，开发一套结合激光雷达和辐射数据的高质量数据集。随后，这些数据集将作为测试数据，用于开发一些专业软件，用于对每个给定地点的“真实”辐射场进行反向建模，这是最有可能的解决方案。我们还将使用Fenswood Farm(布里斯托尔以南)的UOB测试设施来建立一些具有复杂几何形状和光亮路径的较小规模的测试。此外，我们还将申请NERC ARF计划，以获得固定翼飞机，以提供与我们的低空无人机调查相比较的较高海拔数据。我们已经提交了一份提案，在西门迪普山丘进行调查，那里已知与至少放射性热点一起发生了重大矿化。通过比较同一地区飞机、无人机、汽车和背包的辐射数据，我们将寻求开发快速调查(勘探)目标区域的新方法和协议。

The project is to develop methodologies and protocols for the use of Mobile radiationmapping technologies to identify anomalies. It is specifically aimed at developingmethodologies for the identification of valuable ore bodies using both aerial and groundbased techniques.Accordingly the project will involve a significant element of fieldwork based mainly in thesouthwest UK but also seeking to conduct research in one of more other countries. This willpotentially include Somaliland, Romania, Japan (Fukushima) and Portugal.The project will make use of multi-rotor UAV radiation mapping systems developed byBristol and the commercialised by Imitec Ltd (a UoB spin-out) along with car and backpackbased variants they have also developed. As part of the project the PhD student will learn tofly UAVs and gain CAA qualification.A key aspect of the project is to develop a next generation radiation mapping technologywhereby radiation data is combined with accurate terrain data gained by LiDAR to provide amore accurate representation of the true radiation field. This technology may then be appliedto nuclear site monitoring as well as the identification of near surface ore bodies that carry aradiometric signature.We will use fieldwork at home and abroad to develop a suite of high quality datasetscombining LiDAR and Radiation data. Subsequently these data sets will act as test data forthe development of some specialist software for inverse modelling the most likely solutionfor the 'true' radiation field at each given site. We will also use the UoB test facility atFenswood Farm (just south of Bristol) to establish some smaller scale tests with complicatedgeometries and shine paths.Furthermore we will also apply to the NERC ARF programme to gain access to a fixed wingaircraft to provide comparative higher altitude data against our low altitude UAV surveys.Already we have submitted a proposal to conduct a survey across the west Mendip hills,where significant mineralisation is known to have occurred along with at least oneradiological hot spot.By comparing radiation data from aircraft, UAVs, cars and backpacks all for the same area,we will seek to develop new methodologies and protocols for rapid surveying (prospecting)of a target area.