NewsDrop Winter 2022

The tell-tale buzzing of a DJI Mavic drone can be heard overhead as the craft passes by a group of scientists observing the flight. Unmanned Aerial System pilot and University of Texas Ph.D. candidate Mariel Nelson follows the Drone’s pre-planned flight path on her controller screen, as the Mavic nicknamed “Robin” continues its methodical pattern back and forth along a large section of the EAA’s Field Research Park. Mariel had tasked the drone to test out the flight path, while recording high-resolution photogrammetry of the FRP. This initial test was conducted in preparation just prior to launching a more advanced unit, the DJI Matrice nicknamed “Grackle”, a six rotor drone coupled with a Phoenix LiDAR imager payload. LiDAR, or light imaging detection and ranging is an active remote sensing technique that uses laser pulses to create a very accurate digital elevation model of the earth’s surface. The LiDAR data can be filtered to create a digital terrain model, a highly detailed image of the ground surface without vegetation, or a digital surface model, an image that isolates tree canopies and buildings from the ground. Among many types of analyses that plan to be performed, EAA scientists hope to use the data to study geomorphic and ecological changes to the FRP land management demonstration area over time. As the six-rotor Grackle returns to the observation area, Mariel initiates the landing sequence and lowers the stabilizing arms. The drone finishes its forty-meter descent and touches down gently on the ground, carrying with it gigabytes of valuable LiDAR data. The EAA acknowledges and thanks Mariel and the University of Texas’ Jackson School of Geosciences for the contribution of their time, talents and resources in conducting the LIDAR survey.