Article
Environmental Sciences
Luiz Felipe Ramalho de Oliveira, H. Andrew Lassiter, Ben Wilkinson, Travis Whitley, Peter Ifju, Stephen R. Logan, Gary F. Peter, Jason G. Vogel, Timothy A. Martin
Summary: Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) have rapidly advanced in technology, allowing for low-cost capture of high-resolution images for deriving three-dimensional photogrammetric point clouds. This study evaluates the quality of three-dimensional datasets from two cameras and one lidar sensor collected over a managed pine stand with different planting densities. The results show that the higher-quality camera photogrammetric data is sufficient for individual tree detection and height determination, but lidar data is best overall. The automated tree detection algorithm performed well with lidar data, but slightly fell short in comparison to manual mensuration within the lidar point cloud.
Article
Social Issues
Chenyu Huang, Yu-Che Chen, Joseph Harris
Summary: This study investigates the status of UAS regulatory compliance in the U.S. from the perspectives of ownership registration and maximum flight altitude limitation, analyzing the socio-demographic factors of UAS users and their relationship with compliance. Findings present the demographics of adult UAS users, the overall compliance status, and the relationship between compliance and socio-demographic factors, providing insights for developing effective policies and strategies for regulating UAS activities.
TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Filippo Bandini, Lukas Kooij, Bjorn Karl Mortensen, Marie Boeskov Caspersen, Lasse Gammelby Thomsen, Daniel Olesen, Peter Bauer-Gottwein
Summary: Bathymetry is crucial for river maintenance and flood risk management. This paper explores the use of drone-borne and water-coupled GPR to measure bathymetry in non-frozen inland water bodies. The results show that drone-borne GPR has similar accuracy to water-coupled GPR and outperforms traditional sonar measurements in water bodies with dense vegetation.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
J. Aurell, B. Gullett, A. Holder, F. Kiros, W. Mitchell, A. Watts, R. Ottmar
Summary: Sampling emissions from a wildfire using a drone system revealed variations in emission factors for the same species burned under different conditions. The use of UAS for emission sampling minimizes risks to personnel and equipment, allowing capture of representative smoke constituents.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Samuel Hillman, Luke Wallace, Karin Reinke, Simon Jones
Summary: Advances in fire behavior modeling are driving the development of next generation fuel inputs, with Unoccupied Aerial Systems (UAS) carrying Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors proposed as a potential source of fine fuel properties. This study evaluates the ability of UAS LiDAR point clouds to describe crown fuel elements in eucalypt trees, showing promising results in separating crown fuel and wood compared to dense Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) data.
ISPRS JOURNAL OF PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND REMOTE SENSING
(2021)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Min-Lung Cheng, Masashi Matsuoka, Wen Liu, Fumio Yamazaki
Summary: This paper introduces a systematic workflow for on-the-fly 3D reconstruction in disaster areas using optical imagery acquired by drones. It proposes a strategy for spatially linking sequential images and determining suitable stereopair selection. The study also develops criteria for valid epipolar stereoapair determination to improve the effectiveness of 3D dense reconstruction. The research utilizes a dataset from collapsed buildings induced by the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake in Japan to simulate more effective 3D reconstruction, achieving a mean data processing time of approximately ten seconds per image.
AUTOMATION IN CONSTRUCTION
(2022)
Article
Remote Sensing
Ahmed Alamouri, Astrid Lampert, Markus Gerke
Summary: Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are increasingly common in the European Union, where regulators have made efforts to establish reliable legal frameworks to ensure safe operation, minimize risks, and explore the economic potential of UAS technology in scientific and commercial sectors. New EU drone regulations have been in force since January 1, 2021, to keep up with technological advancements and reduce potential hazards.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Maja Kucharczyk, Chris H. Hugenholtz
Summary: The study found biases in current drone-based remote sensing of natural hazard-related disasters and recommended future research to focus on a wider range of disasters and regions.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Alexander M. Brown, Simon J. Allen, Nat Kelly, Amanda J. Hodgson
Summary: This study presents a method of using UAVs to collect video of dolphins and investigate group size estimation error. The results show a positive correlation between availability and group size, and the existing manual estimation methods have a bias in group size estimation. Through resampling exercises, the study demonstrates that UAVs are an effective and relatively inexpensive method for studying dolphin availability.
REMOTE SENSING IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Remote Sensing
Israel Quintanilla Garcia, Norberto Vera Velez, Pablo Alcaraz Martinez, Jordi Vidal Ull, Beatriz Fernandez Gallo
Summary: This article discusses the application of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) in healthcare logistic systems, supporting existing structures, especially in emergency situations, through rapid deployment of an air delivery network. The flight tests were successful but faced some issues, requiring further development to ensure the safety of large-scale automated operations.
Review
Ecology
Melodie Kern Sarubo Dorth Sinegalia, Giulio Brossi Santoro, Paulo Guilherme Molin
Summary: The development of technologies that enable large-scale monitoring in forest restoration is crucial. This study conducted a systematic review of how sensor-equipped drones have been used for forest monitoring, revealing a focus on tropical ecosystems and specific attributes such as forest structure and canopy height. However, there is a lack of research specifically addressing the application of these technologies in forest restoration monitoring.
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
S. Paun Pop, N. Badeu
Summary: As the market for new entrants continues to develop, there is a growing need to integrate UAS into the daily air operations at a national, regional, and even international level. This article discusses the Romanian national legislation in the UAS field, focusing on the connection between the national legal system and Romania's obligations at the regional and international levels.
JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT & ROBOTIC SYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Jaewon Kim, Cynthia D. Huebner, Richard Reardon, Yong-Lak Park
Summary: The study developed a spatially targeted biocontrol strategy using a drone to detect Persicaria perfoliata and release Rhinoncomimus latipes. The aerial images taken at <= 15 m above the ground successfully detected the weed patches, allowing for the successful escape of over 98% of the released insects. The use of a rotary-wing UAS for aerial detection and deployment of biocontrol agents in hard-to-access areas was effective.
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Deo A. Lachman, Courtney J. Conway, Kerri T. Vierling, Ty Matthews, Diane Evans Mack
Summary: Habitat selection is a crucial decision-making process for animals, especially for colonial-nesting birds. This study investigates how water depth and proximity to open water influence nest-site selection for Western and Clark's Grebes, providing insights into the microhabitat features that affect their choices within a breeding colony.
Article
Remote Sensing
Andrew M. Wilson, Kenneth S. Boyle, Jennifer L. Gilmore, Cody J. Kiefer, Matthew F. Walker
Summary: Although drones have been widely used in studying wildlife, their application in bioacoustics research is limited. This study found that the responses of different songbird species to drones vary, which highlights the importance of considering species-specific reactions when using drones in avian studies.