Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems to Enhance Applied Research Visualization at Lakeland College

该提案要求NSERC支持购买配备图像采集和处理技术的无人机系统（UAS）。UAS是无人驾驶飞行器（UAV）加上相机有效载荷和图像处理软件的组合。UAS工具已被全球警察机构广泛采用，作为犯罪现场可视化、搜索和救援以及战术操作的工具。这些工具通过提供及时的、非侵入性的作物监测，以低成本实现高度的管理强度，在推进精准农业方面具有巨大的潜力。卫星和飞机图像可以提供有关作物的大量信息。无人机系统将允许更频繁地以高空间和时间分辨率收集这些数据。莱克兰学院侧重于应用研究和在实际商业运作中使用技术。该研究工具将为我们与行业合作伙伴的作物管理强度多年经济评估项目以及许多其他农业研究项目增加一个重要的数据维度。Lakeland对这一多功能研究工具的初步应用将集中在农业机会上，但我们认识到它对学院其他核心研究兴趣领域的广泛适用性，包括能源、消防和应急服务以及环境科学。

This proposal requests NSERC support to purchase an unmanned aerial vehicle system (UAS) equipped with image acquisition and processing technologies. A UAS is the combination of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) plus camera payload and image processing software. UAS tools have received widespread uptake by police agencies globally as tools for crime scene visualization, search and rescue, and tactical operations. There is huge potential for these tools to advance precision agriculture by providing timely, non-invasive surveillance of crops allowing a high degree of management intensity at a low cost. Satellite and aircraft-based imagery can provide considerable information about a crop. UAS will allow this data to be collected more frequently and at high spatial and temporal resolution. Lakeland College focuses on applied research and using technologies in real commercial operations. This research tool will add an important dimension of data to our multi-year economic evaluation of crop management intensities project with industry partners along with many other agriculture research projects. Lakeland's initial applications of this versatile research tool will focus on agricultural opportunities, but we recognize its applicability to a wide variety of the college's other core areas of research interest including energy, fire and emergency services, and environmental sciences.