Friday Forums Series, 2013

Journeys in the creation of knowledge

Friday 27 September

Rise of the Drones: how Unmanned Aircraft Systems

(UAS) create new opportunities for environmental

remote sensing

Dr Arko Lucieer

Lecture Theatre 211, University of Tasmania, Clarke Road, Sandy Bay,

4-5pm

Friday Forum is traditionally followed by wine and cheese. Recent changes to legislation make this a very expensive
proposition. We wish to continue the tradition, and invite gold coin donations to defray costs.
Rise of the Drones: how Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) create new
opportunities for environmental remote sensing
Dr Arko Lucieer

Abstract:

Recently, the increased use of drones in civilian applications has received negative coverage in the
media. Many find the thought of flying robots that invade peoples lives intimidating and unacceptable.
However, this Friday Forum presentation will show that drones (preferably termed Unmanned Aircraft
Systems or UAS) fill a novel and exciting niche when it comes to observing, mapping, and monitoring the
environment at unprecedented levels of detail. The TerraLuma research project in the School of
Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Tasmania has developed novel tools and
algorithms for environmental remote sensing applications and aerial surveys using UAS. Up-to-date and
accurate spatial data are of crucial importance for sustainable management of our eco- and agro-
systems. During the last four years, we have been working on UAS and the integration of specialised
earth observation sensors, such as multispectral and hyperspectral sensors, thermal cameras, and laser
scanners, to map and monitor different aspects of the environment at ultra-high resolutions on-
demand. This presentation will provide an overview of the UAS technology, the sensors, and their
application in a range of case studies, including precision agriculture and viticulture; mapping and
monitoring vegetation in remote locations such as Antarctica; deriving 3D tree structure for forest
inventories; landslide mapping and deformation monitoring; 3D stock pile and quarry surveys and
volume estimations; assessment of coastal erosion; mapping of geological structures; and mapping of
natural vegetation communities such as saltmarshes.

Dr Arko Lucieer is the founder and team leader of the TerraLuma research group. He
is a Senior Lecturer in Remote Sensing and GIS in the Surveying and Spatial Sciences
group at UTAS. His area of expertise is in environmental remote sensing focusing on
the analysis of satellite and airborne imagery, in particular image texture measures,
image classification, object-based image analysis, change detection, and terrain
analysis techniques. Since 2009, his research focus has shifted from satellite image
analysis to the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for environmental remote
sensing and aerial surveying applications. His current research focus is on Antarctic
moss bed mapping using UAS and development of a hyperspectral UAS for a wide
range of applications.