How much does a man cost? A dirty, dull, and dangerous application

Thesis (M.A.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2017This study illuminates the many abilities of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). One area of importance includes the UAV's capability to assist in the development, implementation, and execution of crisis management. This research focuses on UAV uses in pre and post crisis planning and accomplishments. The accompaniment of unmanned vehicles with base teams can make crisis management plans more reliable for the general public and teams faced with tasks such as search and rescue and firefighting. In the fight for mass acceptance of UAV integration, knowledge and attitude inventories were collected and analyzed. Methodology includes mixed method research collected by interviews and questionnaires available to experts and ground teams in the UAV fields, mining industry, firefighting and police force career field, and general city planning crisis management members. This information was compiled to assist professionals in creation of general guidelines and recommendations for how to utilize UAVs in crisis management planning and implementation as well as integration of UAVs into the educational system. The results from this study show the benefits and disadvantages of strategically giving UAVs a role in the construction and implementation of crisis management plans and other areas of interest. The results also show that the general public is lacking information and education on the abilities of UAVs. This education gap shows a correlation with negative attitudes towards UAVs. Educational programs to teach the public benefits of UAV integration should be implemented

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for inspection in construction and building industry

Digital data capture is a key component of Industry 4.0 practices. In the past few decades Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have entered the construction industry to capture site data and to cover topographic as well as different types of inspection matters. Photographs, live video, photogrammetric digital elevation models and 3D point clouds can be generated using different photogrammetry facilities, cameras and lasers attached to either a fixed wing or rotorcraft UAVs. UAVs have the ability to deliver information by monitoring, 3Dmaping, measuring, analysing, as well as recording on-site activities. This paper presents the state of art of UAVs usage in construction and building industry and evaluates their applications by experimental case studies. The challenges of using UAVs and their links to BIM will be also discussed. This study found that visual imaging is currently the most popular use of UAVs on construction sites to ensure integrity of structural inspection, however, 3D models derived from LiDAR and photogrammetry techniques are surpassing more traditional methods as they are still significantly cheaper and faster to use. UAVs is also used to monitor workers on site to identify what resources they need in order to carry out their tasks more efficiently and also for the purposes of their health and safety. Despite the approved efficiency of using UAVs on sites to provide better visualization of the working environment, there are still key issues to be tackled such as: the limited flight time of UAVs and its weight. Structural/site investigations have shown that there are some defects on the use of aerial vehicles, with the most important to be the cost along with the precision of the results which may vary depending on the technologies used. There is further study required into the combination of UAVs derived data and its inclusion into BIM, as barriers remain regarding translatable data platforms. There are also some ethical concerns of surveying workers on site and how to protect their privacy

Scour detection with monitoring methods and machine learning algorithms - a critical review

Foundation scour is a widespread reason for the collapse of bridges worldwide. However, assessing bridges is a complex task, which requires a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon. This literature review first presents recent scour detection techniques and approaches. Direct and indirect monitoring and machine learning algorithm-based studies are investigated in detail in the following sections. The approaches, models, characteristics of data, and other input properties are outlined. The outcomes are given with their advantages and limitations. Finally, assessments are provided at the synthesis of the research.This research was funded by FCT (Portuguese national funding agency for science, research, and technology)/MCTES through national funds (PIDDAC) under the R&D Unit Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE), under reference UIDB/04029/2020 and trough the doctoral Grant 2021.06162.BD. This work has also been partly financed within the European Horizon 2020 Joint Technology Initiative Shift2Rail through contract no. 101012456 (IN2TRACK3)

Análisis aerodinámico de un vehículo aéreo no tripulado con forma de halcón para monitoreo de fugas de hidrocarburos

The oil pipeline network requires periodic monitoring to detect pipeline damages, which may cause oil leakage with severe environmental contamination. These damages can be generated by interference from third parties such as construction works, sabotage, vandalism, excavations, and illegal oil theft. To detect the oil pipeline damages, it can be used aerodynamic aerial vehicles (UAVs) with infrared cameras and image processing systems. This paper presents the aerodynamic analysis of a UAV with a hawk shape (wingspan of 2.20 m and length of 1.49 m) for potential application in the detection of oil pipeline failures. A 1:6.5 scale prototype of the UAV is fabricated using a 3D printer. The aerodynamic coefficients of UAV are determined using computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations and experimental testing with a subsonic wind tunnel. In addition, the lift and drag coefficients of UAVs are obtained as a function of Reynolds number and angle of attack. Also, the air velocity profile around UAV is estimated with the CFD model. The proposed UAV could decrease the inspection costs of pipeline networks in comparison with the use of helicopters or light aircraft.La red de oleoductos requiere monitoreo periódico para detectar daños que puedan causar fugas de hidrocarburos con severo daño ambiental. Estos daños pueden generarse por interferencia de terceros, tales como trabajos de construcción, sabotaje, vandalismo, excavaciones y sustracción ilegal de hidrocarburos. Para detectar daños en oleoductos pueden utilizarse vehículos aéreos no tripulados (UAVs) con cámaras infrarrojas y sistemas de procesamiento de imágenes. Este trabajo presenta el análisis aerodinámico de un UAV con forma de halcón (envergadura de 2,20 m y longitud de 1,49 m) para aplicación potencial en la detección de fallas de oleoductos. Un prototipo a escala de 1:6,5 es fabricado usando una impresora 3D. Los coeficientes aerodinámicos del UAV son determinados usando simulaciones de dinámica de fluidos computacionales (CFD) y pruebas experimentales con un túnel de viento subsónico. Además, los coeficientes de sustentación y arrastre del UAV son obtenidos como función del número de Reynolds y el ángulo de ataque. También, el perfil de velocidad del aire alrededor del UAV es estimado con el modelo CFD. El UAV propuesto podría disminuir los costos de inspección de oleoductos en comparación con el uso de helicópteros o vehículos aéreos ligeros

Monitoring opencast mine restorations using Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) imagery

Altres ajuts: Joan-Cristian Padró is a recipient of the FI-DGR scholarship grant (2016B_00410). Xavier Pons is a recipient of the ICREA Academia Excellence in Research Grant (2016-2020).Open-pit mine is still an unavoidable activity but can become unsustainable without the restoration of degraded sites. Monitoring the restoration after extractive activities is a legal requirement for mine companies and public administrations in many countries, involving financial provisions for environmental liabilities. The objective of this contribution is to present a rigorous, low-cost and easy-to-use application of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) for supporting opencast mining and restoration monitoring, complementing the inspections with very high (<10 cm) spatial resolution multispectral imagery, and improving any restoration documentation with detailed land cover maps. The potential of UAS as a tool to control restoration works is presented in a calcareous quarry that has undergone different post-mining restoration actions in the last 20 years, representing 4 reclaimed stages. We used a small (<2 kg) drone equipped with a multispectral sensor, along with field spectroradiometer measurements that were used to radiometrically correct the UAS sensor data. Imagery was processed with photogrammetric and Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems software, resulting in spectral information, vegetation and soil indices, structural information and land cover maps. Spectral data and land cover classification, which were validated through ground-truth plots, aided in the detection and quantification of mine waste dumping, bare soil and other land cover extension. Moreover, plant formations and vegetation development were evaluated, allowing a quantitative, but at the same time visual and intuitive comparison with the surrounding reference systems. The protocol resulting from this research constitutes a pipeline solution intended for the implementation by public administrations and privates companies for precisely evaluating restoration dynamics in an expedient manner at a very affordable budget. Furthermore, the proposed solution prevents subjective interpretations by providing objective data, which integrate new technologies at the service of scientists, environmental managers and decision makers

North Campus Open Space Restoration Project Restoration Plan

This Restoration Plan is the result of a collaborative effort between UCSB’s Cheadle Center for Biological Diversity and Ecological Restoration (CCBER) and a team of consultants lead by Environmental Science Associates (ESA). ESA conducted studies and prepared the design and construction documents for the earthwork to restore the landform of the project site to conditions suitable to support estuarine and transitional habitats, and to restore the South Parcel mesa to topography similar to its historic form. True Nature Design led the design of public access elements and designed the recycled water irrigation system to provide establishment irrigation to the restored native plant communities. Stantec provided civil engineering designs for the structural components of the project public access elements (crossing structures and finished trail surfaces). CCBER designed the plan for the matrix of aquatic, wetland, and upland habitats to be restored to the site, including species selection; planting methods; and habitat features to benefit wildlife. CCBER also lead the development  of the maintenance and monitoring methods and adaptive management strategy.The intent of this Restoration Plan is to describe the methodology for post grading restoration, enhancement, monitoring, and management of native habitats within the North Campus Open Space (NCOS) Restoration Project

Bridge Inspection: Human Performance, Unmanned Aerial Systems and Automation

Unmanned aerial systems (UASs) have become of considerable private and commercial interest for a variety of jobs and entertainment in the past 10 years. This paper is a literature review of the state of practice for the United States bridge inspection programs and outlines how automated and unmanned bridge inspections can be made suitable for present and future needs. At its best, current technology limits UAS use to an assistive tool for the inspector to perform a bridge inspection faster, safer, and without traffic closure. The major challenges for UASs are satisfying restrictive Federal Aviation Administration regulations, control issues in a GPS-denied environment, pilot expenses and availability, time and cost allocated to tuning, maintenance, post-processing time, and acceptance of the collected data by bridge owners. Using UASs with self-navigation abilities and improving image-processing algorithms to provide results near real-time could revolutionize the bridge inspection industry by providing accurate, multi-use, autonomous three-dimensional models and damage identification