2016DroneClusterPlan

ESIP Collaboration Area Strategic Plan 2016

• Co-Chair (s): Lindsay Barbieri, Jane Wyngaard
• Website (wiki): http://wiki.esipfed.org/index.php/Drone_Cluster
• Monthly Meeting Day/Time: Thursday of the month, 4-5 ET / 1–2 PST

ESIP Vision

To be a leader in promoting the collection, stewardship and use of Earth science data, information and knowledge that are responsive to societal needs.

2015-2020 Strategic Plan Goals

• Increase the use and value of Earth science data and information.
• Strengthen the ties between observations and user communities (e.g. technologies, research, education and applications).
• Promote techniques to articulate and measure the socioeconomic value and benefit of Earth science data, information, and applications.
• Position ESIP to play a major role in Earth science issues (e.g. addressing effects of climate change mitigation, adaptation and supporting sustainable science data infrastructure).

Resources: 2015-2020 Strategic Plan Executive Summary
Strategic Plan Roadmap

Drone Cluster Plan

Collaboration Area Objective:

In response to a growing interest in the use of drones (unmanned aerial systems (UAS)) in the earth sciences, the Drone Cluster is focused on understanding, communicating and furthering the development and use of drones as tools for science research. While there are currently various challenges around using UAS, the existing and anticipated advantages mean that firstly the domain is swelling with innovation, and secondly that UASs are expected to become a standard piece of field equipment for scientists. Lindsay Barbieri (PhD student in Environment and Natural Resources) and Jane Wyngaard (Post Doctoral Student, Electrical Engineer and Computer Scientist) are the co-chairs of the Drone Cluster. They have teamed up to explore Drones with the ESIP community in two ways: 1. as tools for Earth Science applications and research 2. as instruments with unique data management and standardization challenges.

Things we may do to fulfill our objectives

1. Continue building ESIP community involvement via Telecons and Summer Session
2. Connect more with other Earth Science Drone Users especially for ESIP Meetings
3. Work with community to build a Drone Catalog of Resources
4. Plan out some guest speakers and the best role of telecon meetings for the Cluster
5. Work with Bill Teng & Goddard Drone Intern on two deliverables
   1. Drones used in Earth Sciences: List of people / organizations / labs
   2. List of Tools/Software/Models of Drones used by Earth Science organizations / labs
6. Work with Education Cluster for Drones in STEM Education - ongoing

Things our collaboration area needs to deliver our objectives?

• Contact from anyone interested in using drones for earth science and seeking or offering expertise in:
  • The technical aspects of flying drones
  • The technical aspects of processing sensor data

How will we know we are on the right track?

• Monitor our community engagement at meetings and telecons
• Monitor our delivery of resources regarding the use of drones for earth science
• Monitor the number of papers, project proposals, and presentations to arise out of cluster work

How will others know what we are doing in & out of ESIP?

• ESIP blogs
• ESIP bi-annual meeting sessions and presentations
• Telecons, email lists
• Social media posts by co-chairs
• Resources published to the cloud

Cross-collaboration area connections

• Education (k-12 and University level)
• Discrete sensor data management and sharing techniques
• Data Standards
• Novel light weight sensor development