Article
Agronomy
Lucas Santos Santana, Gabriel Araujo e Silva Ferraz, Joao Paulo Barreto Cunha, Mozarte Santos Santana, Rafael de Oliveira Faria, Diego Bedin Marin, Giuseppe Rossi, Leonardo Conti, Marco Vieri, Daniele Sarri
Summary: This study evaluates the quality of semi-mechanized coffee planting on different land slopes using a remotely piloted aircraft and statistical process control, highlighting unexpected variations in plant spacing between planting rows and within rows, especially on steep slopes. Discussions on possible causes and management strategies contribute to improving the culture installation stage.
Article
Social Issues
Nick Tepylo, Leilah Debelle, Jeremy Laliberte
Summary: Technological developments have enabled the rise of the commercial drone industry, and studies show that the public's perception of drones has become more supportive over the years. Factors such as age, gender, prior knowledge, and user experience influence the public's attitudes towards drones.
TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIETY
(2023)
Review
Agronomy
Ali Ahmad, Javier Ordonez, Pedro Cartujo, Vanesa Martos
Summary: This review discusses the sustainable perspective of using remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) or drone technology in the agriculture sector, highlighting their applications in crop monitoring, disease detection, and yield estimation. Additionally, it mentions the significant applications of RPAs in livestock, forestry, and various other agricultural aspects, along with considerations of technology efficiency, cost, and limitations based on previous studies.
Article
Ecology
Christopher J. Moran, Valentijn Hoff, Russell A. Parsons, Lloyd P. Queen, Carl A. Seielstad
Summary: Remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) offer new perspectives for remote sensing of fire. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using low-cost RGB and calibrated RGB-NIR cameras to distinguish crown scorch from uninjured canopy in point clouds at fine resolutions. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) provides the most discriminatory spectral data, and a low-cost RGB camera also provides useful information. Voxelization of the point cloud, based on a simple threshold NDVI classification, generates a suitable dataset for application and further research.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
R. Giles Harrison, Keri A. Nicoll, Graeme J. Marlton, Douglas J. Tilley, Pejman Iravani
Summary: Charge can influence the properties of liquid droplets, and this research found that modifying droplet charge can affect the reflectivity of fog.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
James Ehrman, Shawn Clark, Alexander Wall
Summary: This study utilized remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) collected aerial images processed with structure from motion photogrammetry to monitor fluvial ice covers. By comparing the measured surface ice roughness to the subsurface ice roughness values predicted by the Nezhikhovskiy equation, strong trends were identified in the relationship between surface and subsurface ice roughness. Strong potential was shown in using RPA-derived measurements of surface ice roughness to estimate river ice flow resistance, with further verification and improvement recommended for future studies on a wider range of rivers and ice covers.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Diego Bedin Marin, Gabriel Araujo e Silva Ferraz, Paulo Henrique Sales Guimaraes, Felipe Schwerz, Lucas Santos Santana, Brenon Dienevam Souza Barbosa, Rafael Alexandre Pena Barata, Rafael de Oliveira Faria, Jessica Ellen Lima Dias, Leonardo Conti, Giuseppe Rossi
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the potential of using the Random Forest machine learning method with vegetation indices obtained from Remotely Piloted Aircraft images to measure nitrogen content in coffee plants. The suggested model showed high accuracy in assessing nitrogen distribution in coffee trees and quantifying nitrogen deficiency, potentially leading to a significant reduction in nitrogen fertilizer application by producers.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rafael Walter Albuquerque, Manuel Eduardo Ferreira, Soren Ingvor Olsen, Julio Ricardo Caetano Tymus, Cintia Palheta Balieiro, Hendrik Mansur, Ciro Jose Ribeiro Moura, Joao Vitor Silva Costa, Mauricio Ruiz Castello Branco, Carlos Henrique Grohmann
Summary: This study evaluates the use of low-cost RPA technology for FR monitoring in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, demonstrating accurate measurement of structural parameters such as Tree Density, Tree Height, Vegetation Cover, and Grass Infestation. While structural parameters can be accurately measured, challenges persist in classifying tree species for assessing biodiversity using remote sensing methods.
Article
Biophysics
Yuhu Weng, Kewei Bian, Kalish Gunasekaran, Javad Gholipour, Charles Vidal, Haojie Mao
Summary: Understanding the impact of small remotely piloted aircraft systems (sRPAS) on human heads is crucial for improving head protection during ground collisions. Studies have shown that slight changes in impact settings can significantly affect head responses, with arm-first impacts generating significantly higher skull stresses and brain strains compared to regular body-shell-first impacts.
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Francisco Pedrero Salcedo, Pedro Perez Cutillas, Faissal Aziz, Marina Llobet Escabias, Harm Boesveld, Harm Bartholomeus, Anas Tallou
Summary: The effects of climate change on food security, particularly in water-scarce areas like Murcia, have been unfavorable. This research explores the use of remote sensing to evaluate agricultural and irrigation practices and their impact on soil salinity. The study found that the Salinity Index (SI) applied to bare soil is a useful index, while other metrics such as the Normalized Difference Salinity Index (NDSI) had poor correlations. The thermal camera was effective in evaluating canopy temperature in open-air fields, but not in greenhouse conditions.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Carlos H. Grohmann, Camila D. Viana, Guilherme P. B. Garcia, Rafael W. Albuquerque
Summary: A workflow using RPAs and the Litchi App is described for automated image acquisition of vertical surfaces, allowing for flexibility and adaptability.
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Andres Omar Tiseira Izaguirre, Luis Miguel Garcia-Cuevas Gonzalez, Pedro Quintero Igeno, Pau Varela Martinez
Summary: Series hybridization, distributed electric propulsion, and boundary layer ingestion are promising methods for fuel consumption reduction. However, the application of these technologies on small remotely piloted aircraft shows less significant effects due to increased propulsion system weight and reduced propeller efficiency.
AEROSPACE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lucy Wilson, Richard van Dongen, Saul Cowen, Todd P. Robinson
Summary: This study examines the ability of standard remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) imagery to differentiate between plant species in a rangeland environment. The findings suggest that reflectance bands and height variables are effective in discriminating between species, while texture measures are less useful. Increasing flight height can improve capture efficiency, and accuracy can be further improved with additional bands or grouping like species.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Nicole Lopes Bento, Gabriel Araujo e Silva Ferraz, Lucas Santos Santana, Rafael de Oliveira Faria, Jhones da Silva Amorim, Mirian de Lourdes Oliveira e Silva, Michel Martins Araujo Silva, Diego Jose Carvalho Alonso
Summary: Soil compaction is a significant threat to soil degradation, and this study examines the feasibility of using aerial images from a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) to assess soil compaction in a coffee plantation area. The results show that there were no significant differences in soil chemical analysis based on different plant heights, but there were significant statistical differences in penetration resistance, which correlates with plant height and productivity. The radiometric data was also correlated with penetration resistance, allowing for estimation of compaction data.
PRECISION AGRICULTURE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Francisco Contreras-de-Villar, Francisco J. Garcia, Juan J. Munoz-Perez, Antonio Contreras-de-Villar, Veronica Ruiz-Ortiz, Patricia Lopez, Santiago Garcia-Lopez, Bismarck Jigena
Summary: Research has shown that various factors such as flight time, frame overlap, and the number of GCPs can significantly impact the accuracy of beach area mapping with RPAS. In general, conducting flights in the early morning can help reduce errors and improve accuracy in surveys.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Andreas Platis, Marie Hundhausen, Astrid Lampert, Stefan Emeis, Jens Bange
Summary: The study reveals that the dissipation of wake downstream of large offshore wind farms depends on atmospheric stability, with a clear relationship between stability and wind direction. Stability is primarily determined by lapse rate, and stability classification is influenced by the measurement height.
BOUNDARY-LAYER METEOROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Brian R. Greene, Stephan T. Kral, Phillip B. Chilson, Joachim Reuder
Summary: This study explores a new method for estimating turbulence statistics profiles in the stable boundary layer using multicopter unmanned aircraft system (UAS) profiles. By scaling the temperature and wind profiles using gradient-based scaling, turbulence profiles can be derived. The method is validated and proven to be a powerful diagnostic tool that only requires a simple thermodynamic sensor payload on a multicopter UAS.
BOUNDARY-LAYER METEOROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
T. Lorenz, S. Mayer, S. T. Kral, I. Suomi, G. -J. Steeneveld, A. A. M. Holtslag
Summary: This study investigates the challenge of realistically representing the stable atmospheric boundary layer in numerical weather prediction and climate models. Through model experiments and observational data, it is found that surface albedo and sea-ice thickness are essential for accurately predicting surface energy balance in the models.
QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Ocean
Martin Schoen, Keri Anne Nicoll, Yann Georg Buechau, Stefan Chindea, Andreas Platis, Jens Bange
Summary: This study presents the analysis of atmospheric electricity measurements made from small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The results show the suitability of small UAS for atmospheric electrical measurements, providing cost-effective and accurate results.
JOURNAL OF ATMOSPHERIC AND OCEANIC TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Kjell zum Berge, Annika Gaiser, Hermann Knaus, Andreas Platis, Jens Bange
Summary: The uncrewed airborne measurement platform MASC-3 was used to measure the influence of a forested escarpment with differing leaf area indices (LAI) on the wind field. The results showed that a high LAI led to a stronger wind speed acceleration and enhanced turbulence in the lee of the trees. The inclination angle was more clearly defined during summer with a high LAI. The findings of this study aligned well with the theoretical and analytical models established in the 1970s and 1980s.
BOUNDARY-LAYER METEOROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Yann Georg Buechau, Bram van Kesteren, Andreas Platis, Jens Bange
Summary: This study introduces a low-cost wireless network infrastructure suitable for areas spanning a couple of hectares. Open source hard- and software components make up the infrastructure core, making it scalable in terms of cost and deployment density. The study evaluates different Sensirion SCD30 CO2 sensors and tests their performance under laboratory conditions and outdoor environments.
METEOROLOGISCHE ZEITSCHRIFT
(2022)
Review
Energy & Fuels
Sara C. Pryor, Rebecca J. Barthelmie, Jeremy Cadence, Ebba Dellwik, Charlotte B. Hasager, Stephan T. Kral, Joachim Reuder, Marianne Rodgers, Marijn Veraart
Summary: Leading edge erosion (LEE) of wind turbine blades can lead to decreased power production and increased costs. Understanding hydrometeor properties and joint probability distributions of precipitation and wind speeds is necessary. However, there is a lack of observational data for such locations.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Tamino Wetz, Josef Zink, Jens Bange, Norman Wildmann
Summary: In this study, the spatial structures and statistics of turbulent flow in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) are investigated using multi-point spatial correlation measurements. For the first time, simultaneous measurements of horizontally distributed wind with a fleet of 20 quadrotor UAS are realized. The validity of Taylor's hypothesis and the coherence of flow structures are examined, and the potential of UAS fleet for spatial turbulence measurements is emphasized.
BOUNDARY-LAYER METEOROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Abdul Haseeb Syed, Jakob Mann, Andreas Platis, Jens Bange
Summary: The flow inside and around large offshore wind farms can exhibit different turbulence structures and dominant scales depending on the atmospheric conditions. Under neutral stratification, there is high ambient turbulence and increased intensity of small-scale turbulence structures above and downstream of the wind farm. However, in stable stratification, mesoscale flow structures prevail both upstream and downstream. The vertical flux of horizontal momentum plays a crucial role in energy recovery in large offshore wind farms and is influenced by the length scales of the vertical wind velocity component.
WIND ENERGY SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Martin Schoen, Irene Suomi, Barbara Altstaedter, Bram van Kesteren, Kjell zum Berge, Andreas Platis, Birgit Wehner, Astrid Lampert, Jens Bange
Summary: The wind field in Arctic fjords, particularly in the Ny-Alesund area, is influenced by glaciers, local orography, and the interaction between sea and land. This study utilizes various measurements including unmanned aircraft systems, ground measurements, radiosonde, and reanalysis data to identify and analyze the characteristic processes that determine the wind field around Ny-Alesund. The findings show the dominance of a south-east flow along Kongsfjorden, along with a small-scale catabatic flow from the south to south-west, contributing to a highly variable wind field.
