(= A GOG 307) Geospatial Applications of Drones

Catalog description

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), or drones, have been developing very fast lately. More such systems will be acquired by government and non-government agencies in the near future. The acquisition of a drone may be an easy thing to do but running and managing the system may prove to be challenging for an ordinary user without prior knowledge in this field. There is quite a large amount of information now available on the UAS. However, most of such information focuses on either the engineering aspect of the aircraft or its army applications. Very little information is available on the geo-spatial utilization of UAS. This course is designed as a guide to UAS. It provides an introduction to the technology and operations made possible by it. In the course students will learn about the history, anatomy, applications, and future trends in UAS. Students will walk through the entire process of running an UAS which includes selection of the platform and payload for aerial mapping, complying with current and anticipated rules for UAS operation, conducting an aerial survey and post-processing the acquired imagery.