Merced Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve

01 Jun, 05 AM - 31 Jul, 05 AM

Mechatronics, Embedded Systems and Automation (MESA) Lab at UC Merced would like to perform unmanned flights above the Merced Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve. During these flights, red-green-blue (RGB) visual imagery, multi-spectral imagery and LiDAR will be taken to assess the status and conditions of the reserve. Specifically we plan on collecting images, post processing and analyzing the data with reserve director Christopher Swarth. From there, we will determine areas of interest (AOI) on the reserve where we will perform multiple flights throughout the year. MESA Lab is currently granted an FAA certificate of authorization (COA) to fly unmanned systems at an Atwater test site. Upon approval of our visit, we will begin the application process for a second COA at the Merced Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve. These flight will be of little adverse impact to the reserve, not more than typical hiking and exploration. The ground control stations (GCS) will be mobile and consist mainly of a foldable table, foldable chairs, canopy, laptop, and a power source. The aircrafts we will be using are just over eight feet in wingspan, and will have the ability to be launched and landed on site. Roads and trails will be used as runways for take off and landing in order to minimize the impact on the reserve. We aim to aid Christopher Swarth in mapping Vernal Pools, monitoring their seasonal behavior and hopefully discover some interesting correlations in the surrounding environment. Once on site, flight preparation consists of GCS setup, camera calibration and UAS assembly/preparation. Once these steps are completed, the UAV is launched and will be airborne for approximately 45 minutes collecting imagery of the reserve. At all times we will know the orientation and altitude of the aircraft through the GCS laptop, as well as the pilot in command (PIC) which will be ready to take control of the aircraft at any time. The PIC is always higher up in the command chain over the autopilot. Once the mission is complete, the UAV will land autonomously at a predefined landing zone (service road or trail). The data will then be extracted and a fresh battery pack will be placed inside the aircraft. The UAV will then be launched again and the cycle repeats until flights for that day are complete.

Visit #35407 @Merced Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve

Approved

Under Project # 28920 | Research

Mechatronics, Embedded Systems and Automation (MESA) Lab at UC Merced would like to perform unmanned flights

graduate_student - University of California, Merced

Reservation Members(s)

Brendan Smith Jun 1 - Jul 31, 2014 (61 days)
YangQuan Chen Jun 1 - Jul 31, 2014 (61 days)
Brandon Stark Jun 1 - Jul 31, 2014 (61 days)
Group of 5 Undergraduate Student Jun 1 - Jul 31, 2014 (61 days)

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Day Use Only 13 Feb 26, 2014 - Dec 31, 2016