Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Past, Present and Future Impact on GIS

By Art Kakinski, GISP

My first exposure to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) was in 1972, serving as a young Ensign on a WWII class destroyer. The UAV was called DASH(Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter). It was a small, counter-rotating rotor drone helicopter used to extend the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) reach of a destroyer. It carried Mark46 torpedoes but could also carry nuclear depth charges. The disappointing characteristic of DASH is that it had a nasty habit of either disappearing over the horizon never to be seen again or, worse yet, crashing into the superstructure of its mother ship. 1970s technology just wasn’t up to the complex task of controlling such a vehicle.

Enter 2012, and UAV technology looks like science fiction. My recent participation at the USSOCOM TNT exposed me to some new developments in military technology and UAVs in particular. Most of you are familiar with the better known UAVs such as the Predator, Global Hawk, or smaller Shadows, but the number of UAVs has grown exponentially with some of the most interesting developments occurring in small UAVs and persistent surveillance. With more than 100 UAVs in today’s market, it’s impossible to do a comprehensive column about UAVs, but just like the blind men looking at an elephant, the following is one GIS guy’s view of this growing market.

Hot New UAV Systems

Building on early lessons learned with vehicles like DASH, the Boeing A160 is a UAV helicopter, but the similarity to DASH ends there. Its design incorporates new technologies not previously used in helicopters, allowing for greater payload, endurance, and altitude than any helicopter currently in operation. The experimental program has ambitious goals of a 2,500-mile range and 24-hour endurance with a 1,200 pound payload. The 35-foot helo flies autonomously rather than relying on real-time human control with speeds over 140 knots.

A reoccurring theme that has been presented at GEOINT and other ISR conferences is that many UAVs currently in use are proving to be almost as expensive to operate as manned aircraft. Because of this, engineers have been looking into alternate technology, including persistent surveillance. One example is the Long-Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) a hybrid blimp and aircraft.

The Lockheed Martin vehicle shown here will be tested in-theater this year. It is designed to operate unmanned and untethered at 20,000 ft. for weeks at a time carrying a 2,500-lb. intel payload. On first glance the LEMV looks like a sitting duck, but based on actual tests the low static pressure, lighter than air, aerodynamic lifting body is very survivable. At GEOINT, Maj. Gen. James O. Poss, USAF, said that if you are lucky enough to hit it from the ground with small-arms fire, it might come down next week.

UAVs at TNT

There were numerous UAVs at TNT, but the two that particularly caught my attention and imagination were two inexpensive vehicles that I believe could be game changers for the GIS community.

One was a very light weight UAV from a small Ohio company called UAVision.They were flying UAVs that on first glance looked like toys, but the composite skins and advanced electronics quickly shattered that first impression. The vehicles are battery powered and almost silent in flight with loiter times of about 30 minutes. Weighing 4-8 pounds, they were easily hand launched and fly autonomously once in the air.

The operator programs the flight path into a GIS display and the aircraft follows the programed path, ultimately doing a soft landing on to the grass next to the operator. Shown here is the live video feed from the camera on the UAV overlaid with the programed flight path (orange polygon). The resolution of the video was excellent and the image was surprisingly stable. They were also testing the ability to locate, identify, and track RFID tags from the air.

This vehicle is designed to ultimately meet new UAS standards that are included in a recent FAA Bill. The bill, signed by the President February 14, includes important provisions regarding the integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the national airspace system. One provision could have a very rapid impact on the GIS community. It allows government agencies and first responders to fly very small UAS (4.4lbs or less) within 90 days if they meet certain requirements. The goal is to permit law enforcement and firefighters immediate access to these small systems for lifesaving purposes and to increase public safety. Some believe that this technology may be readily available for surveying and mapping within three years.

Although 4.4 pounds doesn’t sound like a lot, UAVision’s current aircraft already has shown the ability to capture and geo-reference the imagery. 4.4 pounds seems to be a safety benchmark that puts the UAV in the same category as birds. Statistically, most manned aircraft can survive a collision with birds up to 4.4 pounds, so the low-flying UAV would pose a minimal hazard to manned aircraft. Unlike current big UAVs that have six- and seven-figure price tags, a complete UAVision system can come in as cheap as $30,000. I could easily envision GIS operations using these systems for surveillance or even low-cost imagery capture.

The second vehicle that caught my attention was a hybrid air system from Sofcoast. Sofcoast created an aerostat the combines the benefits of a tethered balloon with the stability and directionality of an aircraft with control surfaces. This could be the most elegantly simple and low=cost solution to persistent aerial surveillance I’ve seen.

The operator launches the aerostat silently using a modified fishing rod and reel. Once in position, the clear vehicle is very unobtrusive. It silently monitors the area below and has the added benefit of being almost invisible at night. I can easily see this being used for security during large public events or in response to natural disasters as a survivor search tool or to catch or deter would-be looters. To get an idea of the quality and stability of the video feed from the system, click on the following video:

Future Systems

There are numerous articles on the Internet that explain some rather exotic UAVs in development.

The Propulsive Wing is a new patented aerodynamic platform that integrates an embedded, distributed cross-flow fan propulsion system within a thick wing. It looks like a fat flying wing but has the potential to carry very heavy payloads with very stable flight characteristics and short takeoff and landing.

The Nano Hummingbird or Nano Air Vehicle (NAV) is a tiny remote-controled aircraft built to resemble and fly like a hummingbird, developed under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The Hummingbird is equipped with a small video camera for surveillance and reconnaissance purposes and, for now, operates in the air for up to 11 minutes. It can fly outdoors, or enter a doorway to investigate indoor environments.

Honeywell completed delivery of an initial order for 90 RQ-16 T-Hawk “hover and stare” micro air vehicle (MAV) systems to the U.S. Navy in December 2011, for use in detecting roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Zephyr is a lightweight solar-powered UAV which was originally designed and built by the United Kingdom defense firm Qinetiq. The carbon-fiber aircraft uses sunlight to charge a lithium sulfur battery during the day, which powers the aircraft at night. It holds the current UAV endurance record with an 82-hour flight at an altitude of 61,000 feet.

On the really creepy side are rumors of Nano UAVs the size of insects. Following is a video clip from the University of Pennsylvania showing a swarm of UAV quad copters flying in formation and showing an almost collective intelligence.

The “fly on the wall” may soon be a reality, controlled by your GIS technician.

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