Field Exercise 12 - Unmanned Aerial System Flights

INTRODUCTION

          For field exercise twelve our geospatial field methods class observed two Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Flights. Both flights were done at the UW-Eau Claire Priory because there was a wide grassy expanse next to the parking lot that contained enough open space for both take off and landing. Both Unmanned Aerial vehicles (UAVs)(the iris and matrix) were multi-rotor UAVs so they didn't need a lot of room for take off and landing anyways. Below in figure one is an image showing the launch area for the UASs.

Figure 1: shows an image of part the UW-Eau Claire Priory property. The area surrounded by the red box was the grassy expanse south of the parking lot that the class used for the two UAS flights.

          It is important to remember that a UAS is composed of at least three different pieces of equipment. The first piece of equipment is the UAV or flight platform itself. The UAV is almost always rigged with different measuring tools, camcorders, and cameras so that imagery or climate data can be processed. The second piece of equipment is the transmitter. The transmitter contains the controls for the UAV and always has the final say in what the UAV does. This means that it can override autopilot in case of an emergency. The third piece of equipment is the base station and it contains the brains for the whole operation. All data acquired by the UAV is sent to the base station where it can be processed. The base station also relays the mission plan to the UAV. In our classes case we also had a tablet which acted as sort of a second base station.

METHODS

Mission Programming

 

          In field exercise four I discussed the versatility and applications of the different UAV types. This information can be viewed here. Because different UAV types have different applications the missions that they complete are going to be very singular to each flight scenario. This means that a different mission has to be programmed before each flight. This is not a problem because there is cheap easy to use software (mission planner or droid planner) out there that allows programmers to lay out a flight plan in a manner of minutes. I personally tested some flight planning software and it was as easy to use as Microsoft paint. I simply created way points where I wanted them by tapping on the screen and the UAV would fly to those points. Since the UAVs were multi-rotor UAVs I could also have them stall for a set amount of time. The image in figure two below shows the mission planner interface.

Figure 2: shows the mission planner interface. The touch screen of the tablet allows the programmer to draw out their desired mission with their fingers.

There were many other features I could've explored with the mission planning software but didn't have the time for. The software can be downloaded onto a phone or tablet with no license and it's free. Once a mission has been created for the UAV to fly It just has to be uploaded onto the platform through the base station pictured in figure three below.

Figure 3: shows the base station computer. The base station is the brains of the UAS and relays information to and from the flight platform.

Pre Flight

          Before the UASs could be launched a lot of pre flight and safety procedures had to be observed. The UAVs we were flying were not incredibly dangerous although their rotors probably could have taken a finger off, but they are expensive so great care was taken to ensure that they would take off, fly the mission, and land safely. The first thing taken into consideration was the weather. Wind speed, wind direction, and the probability of precipitation were three major weather factors that were taken into account. I f the wind had been too strong or it had started raining the flights would've been a no go. Rain was threatening but no actual precipitation had fallen, and the wind bordered on too strong to fly. The next thing checked was the UAV itself: props secure, cracks/chips, battery secure, antenna secure, sensor connected? Everything was a go so we powered up and performed another checklist: connected to satellites, connected to base station, batteries over 95 percent, transmitter on, batteries charged on transmitter, mission created, sensors on? The UAS was now ready to launch so we performed the take off sequence: throttle down, platform on, spectators clear, kill switch off, clear for launch, take off. Take off was performed manually by the course instructor and then switched over to autopilot so that the UAS could fly the mission that was programmed into it. It should be noted that during the "batteries charged on transmitter" phase, the batteries began smoking and had to be replaced with new ones. Images of the two UAVs in pre flight mode is provided in figures four and five below.


Figure 4: shows Iris UAV in pre flight mode

Figure 5: shows the Matrix UAV in pre flight mode

UAS Flights

          The first flight done with the Iris multi-rotor UAV went the whole length of the mission which looked like a Greek key design. The mission was really just created so that the class could see the UAVs in action. Even though the UAVs fly their missions on autopilot that doesn't mean that the pilots have nothing to do. It is important that there is a pilot manning the base station to give constant updates to the pilot on the transmitter controls what the status is of the flight. Updates on how many satellites are in contact with the UAS and the accuracy of the flight path are important. The second flight ended abruptly because of too much wind. The pilot manning the bay station informed the transmitter pilot that the UAV was trying to correct it's position on the flight path, but the UAV couldn't handle the wind gusts so it began to wobble dangerously. The transmitter pilot then flipped the HOME switch on the transmitter controls to bring the UAV straight back to the launch site. Figure six below shows the Matrix heading back to the launch site after it lost it's battle with the wind.

Figure 6: shows the end of the second flight performed by the multi-rotor Matrix flight platform

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION

          Although I did not personally fly either of the UAVs observing the mission planning, pre flight, and launching proceedings was a good experience. It's not until you go through a process with someone who has done it a hundred times before that you learn all of the ins and outs of that process. Watching our course instructor harp on the importance of the pre flight and launch checklist really got it through to the whole class that these things are important to the success of the UAS mission. UAVs cost upwards of five hundred dollars and just one slip up can cost a flyer their UAV which is why it is so important to be completely prepared before launching.

Field Exercise 11 - GPS Navigation

INTRODUCTION

          In the previous field exercise our geospatial field methods class was tasked with navigating the rugged and wooded terrain of the UW-Eau Claire Priory using only a map and compass. The experience was a real crash course in field navigation. For this field exercise the class was tasked with navigating the same rugged and wooded terrain of the Priory but with a handheld GPS unit. The class was broken down into five different groups of three so that each group could navigate one specific area of the priory. To complete the navigation exercise each group had to mark off five different points of interest (POIs) on the maps we created for the previous field exercise (field exercise ten - orienteering with a map and compass) and navigate to them using a handheld GPS device. The five POIs each group marked on their maps of course corresponded to the area their navigation exercise was supposed to focus on. Once a POI was navigated to the group had to first, record the point on their GPS unit, second, mark a large tree on the point, and third, take a picture of its location. This process was repeated for all five points.

Study Area

          My group decided that we would take on the responsibility of navigating the far Northwestern corner of the Priory property. This corner of the property contained the most densely wooded and steepest terrain of any other area on the property. I was personally on board for choosing this area of the property because I thought it would be the most fun to navigate. After all what's a navigation exercise without some sweat and dirt mixed in? Figure one below shows a map of the UW-Eau Claire Priory and my groups area of interest (AOI).

Figure 1: shows a map of the UW-Eau Claire Priory and my groups corresponding AOI. The property line of the Priory is delineated by the black box, the five meter contour lines are marked with red lines, and my groups AOI is marked with a green box. 

METHODS

          As stated above my group and I navigated to five predetermined points located in the far Northwest corner of the UW-Eau Claire Priory property. My group and I tried to space out the points so that they were all equally far apart from each other. We also tried to locate the points on prominent land marks such as ridge tops and ravine forks. The five POIs that we marked prior to the navigation exercise can be viewed in figure two below.

Figure 2: shows the priory map and the five predetermined points which are marked with green dots. The five POIs are also labeled in the order which we navigated to them in.

In order to navigate to these five POIs my group and I decided to use a Trimble Juno 3 handheld GPS device. We chose to navigate with this unit because we were all very comfortable using this piece of equipment and It can obviously get the job done. My group and I were also carrying around print outs of the Priory map for easy reference. In order to navigate to the five POIs one member of our group was in charge of the GPS unit. This persons job was to make sure that we were always on course. Another member of our group was responsible for referencing the Priory map. This persons job was to make sure that the GPS was taking us in a sensible direction and that the GPS and Map were congruent with one another. The final group member was responsible for finding the quickest and most sensible path through the terrain. There job required them to constantly reference the map and their immediate surroundings. For our purposes it was this final job that proved to be the most important because of how rough the terrain was in the Northwest quadrant of the Priory property.

DISCUSSION

          After navigating to each of the five predetermined POIs, my group and I flagged a nearby tree and took a picture of it. Below in figures three-seven are pictures of the five POIs my group and I navigated to.

Figure 3: shows POI one. POI one was located just on the other side of the first big gulch that navigators have to traverse. 

Figure 4: shows POI two. POI two was located at the bottom of four converging ravines.  

Figure 5: shows POI three. POI three was located on the farthest point of the most Northern knob on the Priory property.



Figure 6: shows POI four. POI four was located at the top of another ravine and was quite close to someone's backyard shed.

Figure 7: shows POI five. POI five was located at the fork of two converging ravines and stands out in the open.

          Even though we were all comfortable with GPS unit my group had problems with it because we did not make any of the features editable. We could still take points of our locations, but using it for navigating to the five predetermined POIs was impossible. My group and I troubleshot this problem by utilizing the orienteering skills we garnered in the previous field exercise. We had a map and compass so we just followed our compass bearing until we reached where we had marked on the Priory map.

CONCLUSION  

          The exercise for this week was very similar to the prior weeks exercise albeit not as intense because we chose the points we were navigating to. My group's GPS unit failed to help us in our navigating efforts so it was a good thing that the previous weeks orienteering exercise prepared us to navigate with a map and compass. Overall I'm glad we did another navigation exercise because I think it's a fun way to learn and be active at the same time.

Field Exercise 10 - Orienteering With a Map and Compass

INTRODUCTION

          For field exercise ten I was required to navigate a woodland through a method called orienteering. In brief, orienteering is the navigation of terrain using a map and compass. Orienteering is very much like a sport in that it is a race done at speed. For my purposes though, the orienteering exercise was not a race but rather a way to become familiar using a map and compass. Why the use of such rudimentary navigation tools? Sometimes technology fails and a GPS device cannot be relied on and in these situations it is necessary to navigate with what you have.
          For field exercise ten our geospatial field methods class was broken down into five groups of three. Breaking the class up into groups of three was a strategic move by the instructor and will be explained later. Each group of three, using only a map and compass, was required to navigate to five different control points that the instructor marked with tape prior to the exercise. Each group was given a different order in which they were required to navigate to each of the five points which prevented groups from following each other and colluding. Groups were required first: to mark the five control points on their respective maps, second: to actually navigate to the control points in the proper order, and third: to take a picture of the control point marker and move on to the next one.

Study Area

 

          The study area or area of interest (AOI) for field exercise ten was the UW-Eau Claire priory. Located approximately 3.1 miles south of the main Eau Claire campus the priory is a heavily wooded area with a day care/dorm on the south side of the property.  The map created for field exercise three (figure one below) is the priory map that will be used for this orienteering exercise. As seen in figure one below their are dark red contour lines which show five meter intervals in terrain relief. Due to the dispersal pattern of these contour lines it can be surmised that there is quite a bit of relief especially on the west side of the property. The base image of the map also shows that the property is mainly made up of trees which will make for rough going.


Figure 1: shows a fifty meter grid map of the UW-Eau Claire priory. The 5 meter contour line feature class is depicted using dark red lines, the navigation boundary feature class is depicted using a faded grey outline, and the aerial image of the priory can be seen as the base for the whole map. I also added the latitude and longitude onto this map as can be seen by the small black numbering and tick marks on the periphery of the map. All of the other elements that go into creating a proper map including scale bar, legend, north arrow, meta data, title, and my name are also included.

METHODS

 

Map Preparation

 

           The first task preformed for field exercise ten was preparing the maps for orienteering. In order to do this each group of three had to first mark the five control points on their respective maps. The instructor provided us with the lat/long positions of the five control points, and since I implemented lat/long onto my map in figure one above it was simply a matter of marking the point on the map with a blue marker. Each group then had to draw lines in between the points with a straight edge in order to delineate the direction they must head from point to point. Remember that the direction and route each group takes will be different from every other group because they must navigate to each point in the correct order. Once the lines were drawn my group and I estimated the pace count between each point using my pace count, which I measured back in field exercise 3, and the map's scale bar/reference scale. To estimate the pace count between each point I first used a ruler to measure in between each point knowing that two centimeters was roughly 100 meters. Knowing from my pace count that 100 meters is roughly 65 paces I could then do simple math to figure out the distance or pace count between each control point. In figure two below is our orienteering map with the five control points, lines of direction, and pace count drawn in.

Figure 2: depicts the UW-Eau Claire priory map as well as drawn in features including five control points, lines of direction, and pace count. All of these drawn in features fall within the lime green box on the map which made for some small and detailed orienteering work. It should be noted that the west side of the property (the area we are navigating in) is the side with the most steep and rugged terrain. 

 

Compass Navigation

 

          The second task preformed for field exercise ten was learning how to actually navigate with a compass and map. The image of a compass in figure three below can be referenced as I go through the procedure of using a compass.

 

Figure 3: shows a labeled compass. The important labels to pay attention to are the direction of travel arrow, the dial or bezel, the orienteering arrow, and the needle.

          The task of teaching the class how to navigate shall be accredited to our colleague Zachary Hilgendorf, who briefed the class on how to properly use a compass for navigation. His instructions were as follows: first, place the compass over the map with the straight edge scale running parallel to the line of direction drawn on the map; second, swivel the bezel of the compass so that the built in red arrow (orienteering arrow) is facing north on the map; third, place the compass in your hand and get the floating needle to match up with the orienteering arrow (this is called putting red in the shed); and fourth, once red is in the shed follow the black line of direction arrow to the control point drawn on the map.

 

Group Dynamic

 

           Now that compass navigation has been explained it is time to explain how to physically navigating utilizing the group dynamic. In other words each group member is responsible for his/her part of the orienteering to ensure smooth navigation. There are three basic jobs the first of which is to use the compass to find the line of direction or azimuth in which to travel (this person must also stay put once they find the direction of travel), the second is walking to a point of interest that lies in the direction of travel, and the third is to pace off the distance between each point of interest. I will now give an example of how a group might navigate to a control point. I will refer to each group member by their job (job1, job2, job3). Job1 uses the compass and the map to find that the group's direction of travel is 180 degrees or due south. Job1 then directs job2 to a point of interest that is due south. This point of interest could be anything but a tree will work nicely. Once job2 has successfully made his/her way to the point of interest job3 will walk directly to this point while counting his/her pace. After job3 has reached the point of interest, job1 will walk to job2 and job3's position and repeat the process until they have reached the final control point.

 

DISCUSSION

 

          My group's specific route taken for the orienteering exercise is pictured below in figure four. This image is a cleaned up version of the route within the green box in figure two. This image shows the order in which we navigated to the control points, direction of travel, and the paces between the control points.

Figure 4: shows a clear image of the route taken for the orienteering exercise. The five control points are shown using red dots, the direction of travel is shown with blue lines, and the pace count is shown in black type. 

 

My group navigated to each of the five control points and took a picture at each one to prove we did indeed navigate to each point. Figures five, six, seven, eight, and nine show control points one, two, three, four, and five respectively.

Figure 5: shows control point one. Traveling to point one from the starting point was by far the farthest travel distance between points. Because the distance was so great it was also the trickiest marker to find. Control point one was the farthest north of all the points and it was located in a deep ravine. The ravine was deep enough to where a person would have to stand on the lip of the ravine in order to look down and see the marker.

Figure 6: shows control point two. The proximity of point two to point one made it the easiest marker to find. Control point two was also located on the top of a small hill making it easy to see from a distance.

Figure 7: shows control point three. Control point three was easy to spot as well because it was located on the edge of a clearing. Traveling to control point three was done through unconventional means due to its proximity to the starting point.

Figure 8: shows control point four. Control point four was of medium toughness to find. It was located in some thick brush and the group was forced to traverse a few ravines to get to its location, but good orienteering mechanics saw us there quickly.

Figure 9: shows control point five. Control point five was located on the edge of a very steep ravine. This point would have been tough to spot due to its location but the group was lucky enough to navigate directly to the marker.

 

          My group and I did encounter a few problems while orienteering through the priory's woods. The first problem we encountered was missing control point one. We ended up about twenty paces west of the control point due to the confusion that was caused by heavy undergrowth. Orienteering through thick brush can cause a navigator to lose his/her sense of direction because its difficult to keep one's bearing and sense of direction. My group and I ended up navigating to control point four because it was a known location and from there we re-assessed our situation and navigated to control point one. Part of the reason why we had difficulty finding control point one was the fact that it was located down in a ravine beneath the lip if the ravines edge. Twenty paces west of the control point may not seem like a huge distance, but where steep and rugged terrain is involved it can make all the difference. Our group also had difficulty keeping our pace count because of how difficult it was to walk in a straight line through the thick brush. To take an accurate pace count it's necessary to walk in a straight line so that the count is not skewed. This was an all but impossible task, therefore, our groups pace count was less accurate than expected.

          Navigating to control point two went off without a hitch and so did navigating to control point three, but as mentioned above in the caption of figure seven, my group and I navigated to control point three through unconventional methods. Because control point three was located due west of the priory building clearing, my group and I navigated to the clearing in order to avoid walking through the thick underbrush of the woods. We then chose a large tree that was located due east of control point three and traveled west using traditional orienteering methods. By utilizing the priory clearing my group and I did not travel directly to control point three from control point two  (as the crow flies), but we saved time because we didn't have to pass through the thick underbrush of the woods. Figure ten below shows the path my group took to get to control point three from control point two.

Figure 10: The green line shows the route my group and I took to get to control point three from control point two.

 

          Navigating to control points four and five went smoothly for the group due to excellent navigation methods. As mentioned above control point five was located on the edge of a very steep ravine so depending on where the navigator was standing it could have potentially been very hard for them to spot the marker.

 

CONCLUSION

 

          Navigating through the woods using only a compass and map is not only a sport (orienteering) but a necessary skill that every navigator should have. In todays technological world there are many different GPS units that will navigate you to where you are going, however, sometimes technology fails and rudimentary navigation skills will have to be relied on.  Overall the orienteering activity performed for field exercise ten was very successful due to its interactive quality. Every student had to be on top of their game and aware of what each group member was doing at all times because the success of the group hinged on each individuals navigation efforts. Although my group and I ran into a few problems such as missing the first marker and having to refigure our position and not being able to keep an accurate pace count, we learned a lot from the hands on experience.