UAS applications in high-resolution topographic change, land use classification, and sub-surface geophysical mapping

The use of unoccupied aerial systems (UAS) in geoscience has dramatically improved our ability to collect data at high resolution, minimal cost, and in rapid response to sudden events. The wide range of sensor and platform configurations gives scientists great flexibility in survey design and data collection. Satellite remote sensing data has exceptional spatial coverage and continues to increase its data acquisition to meter-level resolution. UAS data can image to the cm-level resolution but lacks the same spatial coverage as satellite. By combining and comparing UAS data with satellite and ground-based remote sensing data we can utilize the different strengths of these systems. Here we demonstrate various UAS applications in high-resolution topographic change, land use classification, and sub-surface geological mapping. We use UAS payloads such as RTK georeferenced RGB and multispectral images, lidar, and magnetic sensors to image surface changes and sub-surface structures. We demonstrate the need for post-processing (PPK) high precision GNSS rover locations over utilizing only RTK position information.

Florida, USA, is home to rapidly changing beaches and wetlands, which are highly susceptible to our changing climate and destructive storm events. We show examples from beaches and wetlands in Pinellas County, Florida, USA where we have a) imaged the emergence and development of a barrier island, b) developed automated land use classification using photogrammetry and multispectral data, c) evaluated the impacts of a major hurricane event on a recently renourished beach. Pacaya Volcano, Guatemala, is an active volcano with frequent lava flows and historical flank collapse events. Using a combination of satellite DEMs, ground-based Terrestrial Radar Interferometry data, and UAS RGB SfM-photogrammetry, we have imaged recent lava flows in high-resolution showing details of lava flow levees and other structures. By comparing our data to pre-eruption satellite DEMs we can evaluate the volume and morphology of recently emplaced lava flows. In addition, we have collected magnetic data over recent lava flows that allows us to image the sub-surface structure of the lava flows and model lava flow properties. UASs are a powerful tool for remote sensing, geodetic, and geophysical data collection. They augment satellite and ground-based methodologies and by combining multidisciplinary data from these platforms we can image the earth in greater spatial and temporal detail than ever before.