Campaigns begin for Geophysical
Institute's unmanned aircraft system
June 29, 2007
Friday
Fairbanks, Alaska - Logging more than 18 hours of flight time
in six separate flights, the Geophysical Institute's unmanned
aircraft system completed its first scheduled campaign of the
year in the Stewart Creek impact area near Eielson Air Force
Base June 21 to 24, 2007. During the flights, the UAS collected
30 color images per second of about 43 square miles of terrain.
Soon, the images will be pieced together and analyzed by the
U.S. Army Alaska Garrison to map wildfire fuels growing in the
Stewart Creek Impact Area.
Dale Nash, chief operating
officer of the Alaska Aerospace Development Corporation, stands
behind the launcher as the Geophysical Institute's unmanned aircraft
system takes flight at 9 p.m. on June 22, 2007. The UAS was equipped
to capture images of the vegetation growing in the Stewart Creek
impact area, near Eielson Air Force Base.
Photo by Martin Susser, Insitu, Inc.
"This campaign was an ideal initial experiment for our operation,"
said Greg Walker, manager of the University of Alaska's Unmanned
Aircraft Program and Poker Flat Research Range. "The application
gave us our first chance to exercise our aircraft and the Army
gave us access to restricted airspace where we did not have to
worry about conflicts with other airplanes."
The images collected by the UAS will help officials plan for
prescribed fires in the impact area. Prescribed fires minimize
the chance of flames igniting during live fire training exercises
conducted in the area by Army and Air Force users. Mapping wildfire
fuels in the Stewart Creek impact area is typically a challenge
because ground access is restricted. However, the UAS safely
gathered images of the area from an average altitude of 1,500
feet.
(L to R) Martin Susser,
program manager at Insitu, Inc., and the Geophysical Institute's
Don Hampton load the 40-pound unmanned aircraft system onto its
launcher at the Stewart Creek impact area. From June 21 to June
24, 2007, the UAS made six flights, and logged more than 18 hours
of flight time, capturing images of wildfire fuels in the area.
The UAS, a model dubbed "Insight," was designed and
manufactured by Insitu, Inc. and is owned by the Geophysical
Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Photo by Kevin Engle, Geophysical Institute
In the coming weeks, the individual images captured will be stitched
together, and geospatially rectified with knowledge from the
aircraft's position and camera pointing angles. The result will
be a high-resolution color map of the entire impact area to be
used by the U.S. Army Alaska Garrison at Fort Wainwright.
In addition to image collection, the campaign allowed other interested
parties to see the UAS technology in action. Personnel from the
Alaska Fire Service also were on scene to observe how the aircraft
may aid their efforts during future Alaska wildfires.
The Geophysical Institute's
unmanned aircraft system began its first campaign of the summer
under the midnight sun. From June 21 to June 24, 2007, the UAS
made six flights, and logged more than 18 hours of flight time,
capturing images of wildfire fuels in the Stewart Creek impact
area. The campaign was a collaboration between the Geophysical
Institute, the U.S. Army Alaska Garrison, Insitu, Inc. and the
Alaska Fire
Service.
Photo by Kevin Engle, Geophysical Institute
The Geophysical Institute's UAS is slated to perform several
other campaigns this summer throughout the state.
The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks
purchased the unmanned aircraft system in 2006. The model, dubbed
"Insight," weighs less than 40 pounds, and was designed
and manufactured by Insitu, Inc. in Bingen, WA. The UAS is based
at Poker Flat Research Range.
Source of News & Photographs:
Geophysical Institute
www.gi.alaska.edu
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