Drone Cluster

News	Activities

- Apologies for being new to Wiki editing **

Lindsay Barbieri (Bar) - currently posting status on: MISSION: UAV Science Research in Vietnam

UAV PLATFORMS

In the hopes of clarifying some of the info in the rest of this email, I'd highly recommend getting started by reading this page about doing 3D mapping with the open-source drone platform that we use - as this process is also how you get 2D orthophotos: http://copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/common-3d-mapping/

- Note that I've experimented with the OpenDroneMap package and gotten it to run - but I put weird data in, and got not so great results. I think with better inputs it will work well, but I can't say that from experience yet. - I also have a copy of the PhotoScan package which I'd be glad to help run your data through.

I looked at the Nova quadcopter a bit more, and I think we can make it work on a tight budget - but for a little more money I think it would be best to look at a machine that will be much easier to work on (and in theory a bit better built too). In short, I'd recommend we have another conversation before you actually click the "BUY" button on any of the expensive hardware.

Here's little quadcopter that could serve as a trainer, called the Hubsan X4 for $45 (the camera model is an extra $10-20): http://www.amazon.com/Hubsan-H107L-Channel-2-4GHz-Quadcopter/dp/B00IZC6C8E/ref=pd_sim_t_6?ie=UTF8&refRID=1EPQP99HRHYCCMP7P3VB

With that said and with a bit of caution, it's totally possible to learn on the "real" drones - at least, that's how I did it. (Just have a few extra propellers for backup when you crash - they're thankfully pretty cheap!)

The "real" drones:

You'll want to have either a Windows laptop, or an Android based tablet with OTG capability to run the software for the ground-station, so you can track battery levels, GPS, etc. in real time.

The Quanum Nova we'd discussed will cost about $400 total for all of the drone hardware we'd need to get it up and running. Then, a camera will also be necessary, which will run ~$100 used on ebay which I can point you to. With extra batteries (~$30 / per), I'd ballpark total investment around $600.

- http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__55105__Quanum_Nova_FPV_GPS_Waypoint_QuadCopter_Mode_1_Ready_to_Fly_.html - Adding Telemetry Downlink to Nova: http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/adding-3dr-radio-telemetry-to-the-quanum-nova-apm-powered-copter

However, after looking into it a little more, I think the Quanum would take a little some hacking to get working for your needs, so if you're comfortable spending a little bit more on a higher quality unit - (and one that I actually have direct experience with):

My recommendation would be to look into the 3DR Iris drone, which is made by the same company that builds the open-source flight software that both of these drones run on (ArduPilot). I think this would be a better long-term investment, and one that in theory could bolt small sensors onto as well.

We have a relationship with 3DR, and so I get wholesale pricing if you order through my account - which brings the normal $750 down to $625. Win! You'll also need more batteries here, so figure the same ~$100ish for 3-4 extra batteries, and also need a camera.

- Iris product link: https://store.3drobotics.com/products/iris

I would figure about $800 all said and done with a flying Iris. Figure $200 for a Pelican case to get it to Vietnam and we're hovering right around $1k all-in.

I've also got an extra Canon Powershot camera which could be used on these drones that I can lend you for the short term, as we're not currently using it.

SENSORS:

GHG INSTRUMENT

Methane (CH4)

Ideally some sort of low-energy laser diode which reads methane concentrations? Paul sent around a paper and a powerpoint on folks who have done such things. This may be Phase II.

- Methane Sensor (although min. sensitivity is 200ppm...... it's $5): https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9404 - Actually, all of them from that company would work: http://www.futurlec.com/Gas_Sensors.shtml - that Gas Socket would make for easy installation or swapping of sensors. - Which can be directly integrated into the autopilot with NO CODE via: http://copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/common-analog-and-digital-pins-for-apm2-px4-and-pixhawk/#pixhawk_analog_input_pins_virtual_pin_firmware_mapped_pin_id

While that probably isn't of much use for your actual application, simply proving the sensor can log data while flying mapping flights may be of value?

Nitrous Oxide (N20) / CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) Nothing yet, I'm using a Photoacoustic Gas Analyzer which can quantify both these gasses, but that is way too heavy for a platform in the 1K range. The instrument is like 50K itself. However, there may be something to LOS GATOS Research Inc instruments. Further research.

CAMERAS: Looking at visual range and also Near Infrared (for water saturation and NDVI (normalized differential vegetation index) analyzing)

Most NDVI setups involve a modified camera that has the special NIR filter over the sensor. While the RGB images that come out of that modified camera can still be used as normal photographs, they will certainly look weird - this is a good example . - So, ideally having two cameras would be a good thing. Thankfully, cameras that are compatible with the autopilot for mapping in the normal visible spectrum can be had for well under $100 used, and building a bracket to carry two cameras at the same time may be possible.

Also, I'll throw out that NDVI is not something I'm very knowledgeable about from an analysis perspective - I know everything you need to GET the raw NIR-G-B image data, but processing and actually making sense of the outputs isn't something I'm very familiar with yet - beyond knowing that it's possible.

After a little bit of homework, to buy a camera already modified will run about $600. Which is obviously a pain - so, I'd recommend buying a used camera and the filter, and then doing the modification DIY style for about $200, not counting the cost of the time to do it. It looks like about 45min of work to do the conversion.

Amazon has a used Canon S100 with two extra batteries for $130, and the filter for it is the next link for about $60. http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B005MTME3U/ref=sr_1_1_olp?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1424710900&sr=1-1&keywords=canon+s100&condition=used http://www.event38.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=NGB2

Here's some more links of interest:

http://publiclab.org/wiki/infragram-convertible-cameras http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/diy-camera-filter-swap-on-a-canon-powershot

http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/great-post-on-agricultural-drone-mapping http://diydrones.com/group/iris/forum/topics/iris-for-mapping-custom-mount-and-camera-case-design