9/14/20

Treston Russell

AT 409

Week 3 Individual Field Report

Week 3 of the UAS capstone lab revolved around helping a Forestry PhD student, Aisha, with her research. The question Aisha wanted to answer was “does a difference in elevation affect the quality of the collected data”. To answer this question, the different flight groups had to fly operations at different elevations. My flight crew was assigned to survey at 400ft elevation. For preparation of the operation, we walked the perimeter and placed Ground Control Points (GCPs). I placed 10 Propeller Aeropoint GCPs around the perimeter, along with one in the center for reference. The GCPs require at least 45 minutes of “GPS soaking” before finishing the operation. A requirement of these GCPs is that they must be collected off the ground in reverse order. 

This week was not focused on processing the data collected, rather than just collecting the data itself. There was emphasis on the preflight procedures to become more familiar with each step and ask questions where there were gaps of clarity. The M600 was used in this operation, along with its preflight checklist. Once the preflight procedure was completed, and the correct metadata was programed in the Measure app, the M600 took off on its autonomous flight. After the operation finished, and the M600 landed, a post flight procedure commenced. This procedure was to heighten our attention to detail when handling the aircraft. 

Not all the flight groups got to fly this week due to time, and this tight time frame didn’t let us process the data collected. So, the next week will be focused on processing this data for a piece of the answer to Aisha’s research. When all of the flight groups finish their data collection operations, a final determination of the best quality DSM from each elevation will be made. The best DSM will more than likely be made a standard elevation in future Purdue UAS operations.