Digital Commons Network^™

Involuntary Signal-Based Grounding Of Civilian Unmanned Aerial Systems (Uas) In Civilian Airspace, Keith Conley

Master's Theses

This thesis investigates the involuntary signal-based grounding of civilian unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in unauthorized air spaces. The technique proposed here will forcibly land unauthorized UAS in a given area in such a way that the UAS will not be harmed, and the pilot cannot stop the landing. The technique will not involuntarily ground authorized drones which will be determined prior to the landing. Unauthorized airspaces include military bases, university campuses, areas affected by a natural disaster, and stadiums for public events. This thesis proposes an early prototype of a hardware-based signal based involuntary grounding technique to handle the problem …

Multirotor Uas Sense And Avoid With Sensor Fusion, Jonathan Mark Buchholz

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

In this thesis, the key concepts of independent autonomous Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) are explored including obstacle detection, dynamic obstacle state estimation, and avoidance strategy. This area is explored in pursuit of determining the viability of UAS Sense and Avoid (SAA) in static and dynamic operational environments. This exploration is driven by dynamic simulation and post-processing of real-world data. A sensor suite comprised of a 3D Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) sensor, visual camera, and 9 Degree of Freedom (DOF) Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) was found to be beneficial to autonomous UAS SAA in urban environments. Promising results are based …

Adaptive Learning Terrain Estimation For Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Applications, Pedro L. Vergara Garcia

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

For the past decade, terrain mapping research has focused on ground robots using occupancy grids and tree-like data structures, like Octomap and Quadtrees. Since flight vehicles have different constraints, ground-based terrain mapping research may not be directly applicable to the aerospace industry. To address this issue, Adaptive Learning Terrain Estimation algorithms have been developed with an aim towards aerospace applications. This thesis develops and tests Adaptive Learning Terrain Estimation algorithms using a custom test benchmark on representative aerospace cases: autonomous UAV landing and UAV flight through 3D urban environments. The fundamental objective of this thesis is to investigate the use …

Photogrammetric Measurement Of Hardwood Species At A Stand Level Using Rgb Images From Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Uav), Aishwarya Chandrasekaran

Purdue GIS Day

Nowadays, for many remote sensing applications, drones are employed for gathering data, as it provides low cost image acquisition with minimal human intervention. Drone remote sensing has an extensive use in forestry for maintaining inventories, mapping canopy structure and monitoring forest fires. Maintaining a Forest inventory database is a crucial task as it is the only means of keeping a record of the trees. This study aims to explore UAV based image acquisition (consumer-grade sensor) and analysis for forest studies using structure from motion technique.The main objective is to derive a methodology for computing tree parameters such as tree height, …

Drones As A Tool To Monitor Human Impacts And Vegetation Changes In Parks And Protected Areas, Francisco Javier Ancin-Murguzur, Lorena Munoz, Christopher Monz, Vera H. Hausner

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Increased visitation to protected areas could have adverse impacts on the conservation values in the protected areas, and therefore effective visitor monitoring methods are needed to meet the complex management challenges that arise. Collecting data on human impacts is highly time consuming, thus requiring more effective tools that allow for high-quality and long-term measurements. In this study, we show how unmanned aerial vehicles (i.e. UAV or drones) could be used to monitor tourism impacts in protected areas. Tourism has boomed in national parks in Norway in recent years, such as in Jotunheimen National Park for which this study applies. We …

Mobile Media Beyond Mobile Phones, Jordan Frith, Didem Özkul

Publications

In this introduction, we argue for an expanded focus in mobile media and communication studies (MMCS) that accounts for the many types of mobile media that affect our lives. We begin by pointing out that mobile phone/smartphone research has dominated MMCS as a field. That focus makes sense, but it runs the risk of MMCS essentially turning into “smartphone studies,” which we argue would limit our impact. To make that case, we identify a few examples of the types of oft-ignored technologies that could add to the depth and breadth of MMCS research (e.g., RFID [radio frequency identification] tags, the …

Future-Proofing Students In Higher Education With Uav Technology: A Km Case Study, Thomas Menkhoff, Siew Ning Kan, Eugene K. B. Tan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In this paper we report experiences in implementing a new course ‘Understanding Drone & Robotics Technology – History, Usage, Ethics & Legal Issues’ at the Singapore Management University (SMU) framed as a strategic knowledge management initiative in an institution of higher learning aimed at capturing, sharing and creating new knowledge about disruptive technologies such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). We posit the new course as a knowledge innovation initiative (similar to a KM-enabled business case in a corporate setting) in support of the university’s mission and vision so as to deliver new value to students and to stay ahead of …

Drones On The Rise: Societal Misperceptions Of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Renee Keilman

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

Throughout the past decade, small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) have been on the rise in both the civilian and military sectors. It is forecasted that in the near future they will create thousands of jobs and billions in tax revenue due to their ability to execute difficult and hazardous tasks safely, efficiently, and cost-effectively. However, one current issue with the proliferation of the technology is a shortage of skilled employees due to a lack of education and common negative public misperceptions associated with them.

To investigate this, responses from a mixed-methods survey will be analyzed. Within the survey, questions such …

Smart City Investments: A Rapid Decison Framework For Public Private Partnerships, Paul Sujith Rayi, Murali Venkatesh, Stephen Wallace, Rishie Lavendra Bothra

School of Information Studies - Post-doc and Student Scholarship

The city of Syracuse in New York announced an ambitious smart city plan which, when fully implemented, promises to make it the most connected city in the northeastern US. Thanks to a strategic investment by the State of New York, the city is home to what is billed as the world’s first Drone Corridor for R&D. We outline a decision framework (The Syracuse Wheel) for public private partnership to help city leaders and private investors navigate the exciting implications stemming from these two strategic developments and the city’s environment to augment the priority areas of Autonomous Mobility and Connectivity. The …

Monitoring Tropospheric Gases With Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (Suas) During The Second Cloudmap Flight Campaign, Travis J. Schuyler, Sean C. C. Bailey, Marcelo I. Guzman

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) are a promising technology for atmospheric monitoring of trace atmospheric gases. While sUAS can be navigated to provide information with higher spatiotemporal resolution than tethered balloons, they can also bridge the gap between the regions of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) sampled by ground stations and manned aircraft. Additionally, sUAS can be effectively employed in the petroleum industry, e.g., to constrain leaking regions of hydrocarbons from long gasoducts. Herein, sUAS are demonstrated to be a valuable technology for studying the concentration of important trace tropospheric gases in the ABL. The successful detection and quantification of …

Drones On The Rise: Societal Misperceptions Of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Suas), Renee Keilman

Purdue Undergraduate Research Conference

Throughout the past decade, Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) have been on the rise in both the civilian and military sectors. It is forecasted that in the near future they will create thousands of jobs and billions in tax revenue due to their ability to execute difficult and hazardous tasks safely, efficiently, and cost effectively. However, one current issue with the proliferation of the technology is a shortage of skilled employees due to a lack of education and common negative public misperceptions associated with them. To investigate this, responses from a mixed methods survey will be analyzed. Within the survey, …

Evaluating The Variability Of Urban Land Surface Temperatures Using Drone Observations, Joseph Naughton, Walter M. Mcdonald

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Urbanization and climate change are driving increases in urban land surface temperatures that pose a threat to human and environmental health. To address this challenge, we must be able to observe land surface temperatures within spatially complex urban environments. However, many existing remote sensing studies are based upon satellite or aerial imagery that capture temperature at coarse resolutions that fail to capture the spatial complexities of urban land surfaces that can change at a sub-meter resolution. This study seeks to fill this gap by evaluating the spatial variability of land surface temperatures through drone thermal imagery captured at high-resolutions (13 …

Analysis Of Flood Patterns In Adams County, Pennsylvania Utilizing Drone Technology And Computer Simulations, Alyssa J. Kaewwilai

Student Publications

Drone imagery and photogrammetry models of the Gettysburg College campus and the terrain at Boyer Nurseries and Orchards were utilized to study flood patterns in Adams County, Pennsylvania. Gettysburg College has lower-sloped land and moderately built infrastructure while Boyer Orchards has drastically sloped land with many patches of abundant vegetation. The two locations were selected due to the fact that they have starkly different surface features, while the bedrock geology of the areas are very similar. The terrain of the models was isolated before a 3D carver and 3D printer were used to construct physical models to further analyze potential …

Drone Invasion: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles And The Right To Privacy, Rebecca L. Scharf

Indiana Law Journal

Since the birth of the concept of a legally recognized right to privacy in Samuel D. Warren and Louis D. Brandeis’ influential 1890 law review article, “The Right to Privacy,” common law—with the aid of influential scholars—has massaged the concept of privacy torts into actionable claims. But now, one of the most innovative technological advancements in recent years, the unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone, has created difficult challenges for plaintiffs and courts navigating common law privacy tort claims.

This Article explores the challenges of prosecution of the specific privacy tort of intrusion upon seclusion involving nongovernmental use of drone technology. …

Phased Array Digital Beamforming Algorithms And Applications, David Moyle Marsh

Theses and Dissertations

With the expansion of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) technologies, there is a growing need for UAS Traffic Management (UTM) systems to promote safe operation and development. To be successful, these UTM systems must be able to detect and track multiple drones in the presence of clutter. This paper examines the implementation of different algorithms on a compact, X-band, frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar in an effort to enable more accurate detection and estimation of drones. Several algorithms were tested through post processing on actual radar data to determine their accuracy and usefulness for this system. A promising result was …

Malicious Digital Penetration Of United States Weaponized Military Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems: A National Security Perspective Concerning The Complexity Of Military Uavs And Hacking, Edwin Bell

Mathematics and Computer Science Capstones

The United States’ (US) military unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has seen increased usage under the post 9/11 military engagements in the Middle East, Afghanistan, and within American borders. However, the very digital networks controlling these aircrafts are now enduring malicious intrusions (hacking) by America’s enemies. .

The digital intrusions serve as a presage over the very digital networks the US relies upon to safeguard its national security and interests and domestic territory. The complexity surrounding the hacking of US military UAVs appears to be increasing, given the advancements in digital networks and the seemingly inauspicious nature of artificial intelligence and …

Using Drones For Precision Agriculture, Jiyul Chang, Madhav P. Nepal

Madhav Nepal

In this teaching module, students will learn what Precision Agriculture is and how to apply drone into Precision Agriculture practices. To use data (images) taken by drone, students will learn the basic theory of Remote Sensing. Using images, students learn how to make NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) maps and how to apply drone (remote sensing technique) in agriculture.

Design Of A Low-Cost, Open Source, And Open Hardware Educational Drone, Hyunjae Jeong, Xiangxu Lin, Alfred Shaker, Irvin Steve Cardenas, Jong-Hoon Kim, Jeremy Robins, Yong-Seok Chi

36th Florida Conference on Recent Advances in Robotics

In today’s technology-driven world, innovation is high-paced and the importance of learning the skills surrounding emerging technologies has become crucial. One of such emerging technologies are drones, and the need for drone education has become apparent. However, current educational drones are inaccessible to many individuals, and instead are aimed at collegiate education. Furthermore, drones are hazardous, difficult to manipulate, and costly. To address these issues, in this paper we present the ATR-Drone Project. We have developed a safe mechanical platform, composed of 3D printed components and a simple round metal rod that serves to adjust the balance of the drone …

Assessing The Applicability Of Christian Just War Theory To The U.S. Use Of Drones In North Waziristan, Pakistan, Seneca H. Forch

Honors College Theses

Just War Theory offers a three-tiered framework of criterion to determine whether or not conduct in various stages of war is rightly observed by state and non-state actors. These criterion are defined under Jus ad Bellum (pre-war), Jus in Bello (during war) and Jus Post Bellum (after the war). Various cultural and religious traditions have outlined its own views on just war theory, and have applied it to the use and development and of advanced war technologies. Using the Christian lens of Just War Theory, this paper seeks to find out whether or not it is a sin to use …

Environmental Monitoring Using A Drone-Enabled Wireless Sensor Network, Gina Valentino, Laura Yates, Brooke Potter

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Water quality monitoring traditionally occurs via resource intensive field surveys, such as when a researcher manually collects data in a stream. Limiting factors such as time, money, and accessibility often result in less oversight of impaired water bodies, significantly threatening ecosystemic health and related ecosystem services. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, 84% of rivers and streams within the United States remain unassessed, resulting in significant lapses in available data. Such lapses prohibit efficient and effective monitoring, restoration, and conservation efforts throughout the United States. The objective of this project was to employ an unmanned aerial vehicle to …

Perceptions Of Drones, Digital Adherence Monitoring Technologies And Educational Videos For Tuberculosis Control In Remote Madagascar: A Mixed-Method Study Protocol, Elysée Nouvet, Astrid M. Knoblauch, Ian Passe, Andry Andriamiadanarivo, Manualdo Ravelona, Faniry Ainanomena Ramtariharisoa, Kimmerling Razafimdriana, Patricia C. Wright, Jesse Mckinney, Peter M. Small, Niaina Rakotosamimanana, Simon Grandjean Lapierre

Health Studies Publications

© 2019 Author(s). Introduction Poor road and communication infrastructure pose major challenges to tuberculosis (TB) control in many regions of the world. TB surveillance and patient support often fall to community health workers (CHWs) who may lack the time or knowledge needed for this work. To meet the End TB Strategy goal of reducing TB incidence by 90% by 2035, the WHO calls for intensified research and innovation including the rapid uptake of new tools, interventions and strategies. Technologies that â € leapfrog' infrastructure challenges and support CHWs in TB control responsibilities have the potential to dramatically change TB outcomes …

The Changing Face Of Airmanship And Safety Culture Operating Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Tracy Lamb

Student Works

The notion of using drones for commercial purposes has evolved in the past 5 years from the initial “boom” of excitement around this, somewhat of a novelty and curiosity, to more calculated and sophisticated use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones. In the hands of true professionals, drones can offer highly efficient and profitable solutions for industrial, and commercial inspections and other data capturing tasks. The appetite for safe and efficient collection of data is a changing face of safety cultures and how teams and individuals apply airmanship principles, and how inspection crew and UAS crew interact. UAS are …

A Biotelemetric Study Comparing Diving Behavior And Brumation Sites Of Translocated And Resident Northern Map Turtles (Graptemys Geographica) And Their Response To Replica Model Turtles On Artificial Basking/Nesting Platforms In The Upper Niagara River, Jesse M. Karcher

Biology Theses

Anthropogenic shoreline development leading to a lack of access to terrestrial nesting sites is one of the causes for northern map turtle decline in the upper Niagara River. Translocation of adult map turtles and the development of floating basking/nesting platforms were proposed as possible remedies for this population decline. Biotelemetry along with aerial and underwater drones were used to assess habitat preferences between resident and translocated turtles. It was expected that the platforms would be used for basking and nesting and that a platform located in a natural location would be more successful than one in a developed area, due …

Drones In The Desert: Augmenting Hma And Socio-Economic Activities In Chad, John Fardoulis, Xavier Depreytere, Emmanuel Sauvage, Pierre Gallien

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Funded by the Belgian Directorate-General for Development and led by Humanity & Inclusion (HI) under the auspices of the National Mine Action Centre, Haut Commissariat National au Déminage (HCND) in Chad, the Odyssey2025 Project explores ways to accelerate land release for the local population with the combined use of small consumer drones, new survey methods, and mobile data collection. Project partners include Mobility Robotics, Dynergie, InZentive, and Third Element Aviation. A practical, field-driven approach is being undertaken together with partners in the PRODECO project, Mines Advisory Group (MAG), and Fondation Suisse de Déminage (FSD).

Using A Balloon-Launched Unmanned Glider To Validate Real-Time Wrf Modeling, Travis J. Schuyler, S. M. Iman Gohari, Gary Pundsack, Donald Berchoff, Marcelo I. Guzman

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The use of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) for meteorological measurements has expanded significantly in recent years. SUAS are efficient platforms for collecting data with high resolution in both space and time, providing opportunities for enhanced atmospheric sampling. Furthermore, advances in mesoscale weather research and forecasting (WRF) modeling and graphical processing unit (GPU) computing have enabled high resolution weather modeling. In this manuscript, a balloon-launched unmanned glider, complete with a suite of sensors to measure atmospheric temperature, pressure, and relative humidity, is deployed for validation of real-time weather models. This work demonstrates the usefulness of sUAS for validating and improving …

Drones And Flying Robots, Beverly Jones

Children's Book and Media Review

Drones will never be able to take the place of human beings because they do not have thoughts and feelings. But drones have proven themselves to be able to do things that not even people can do. Behind every drone is the mind of a scientist. It takes knowledge in engineering, programming, electronics, and much more to be able to understand the inner workings of a drone. This book strives to inform the reader of the background and the future of drones. Surprisingly, the concept of robotics has been in the picture since the 1800s, and the technology will only …

The Disputed Territories: An Alternate History, Rasan Taher

Architecture Senior Theses

Architecture and the built environment are the mediums onto which political and physical events and forces are registered. This thesis explores the potential of Drones (UAVs) as a tool to launch a spatial investigation into disputed territories of the built environment. The objective of this specific work is to produce and represent spatiotemporal analysis and architectural evidence of the unlawful systematic destruction of Arab neighborhoods and villages in the disputed territories—here in relation to the continuous power shifts in the disputed internal boundaries between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Iraqi Federal Government in Iraq. The increasing availability and advancements …

License To Kill: An Analysis Of The Legality Of Fully Autonomous Drones In The Context Of International Use Of Force Law, Andrew Figueroa

Pace International Law Review

We live in a world of constant technological change; and with this change, comes unknown effects and consequences. This is even truer with weapons and warfare. Indeed, as the means and methods of warfare rapidly modify and transform, the effects and consequences on the laws of war are unknown. This Article addresses one such development in weapon and warfare technology—Fully Autonomous Weapons or “Killer Robots”—and discusses the inevitable use of these weapons within the current international law framework. Recognizing the current, inadequate legal framework, this Article proposes a regulation policy to mitigate the risks associated with Fully Autonomous Weapons. But …

Autopilot Programming And Operations Within An Unmanned Aerial Systems Course, Brian Kozak

ASEE IL-IN Section Conference

Students majoring in unmanned aerial systems (UAS), commonly known as drones, are expected to have a diverse background of hands-on and theoretical skills. Since the UAS industry is rapidly growing at approximately 30% per year, quality graduates are in high demand. A junior level course on autonomous aerial vehicles has been created to provide this blend of these essential skills required by the UAS industry. Concepts related to navigation, control, regulations, guidance, airspace, and autopilot programming are introduced during the twice weekly, one-hour lecture. These topics are reinforced during a once weekly, two-hour laboratory where students in groups of two …

From Gis To Uavs: Emerging Opportunities For Drone Support Services In Academic Libraries, Jessica Davila Greene, Warren Roberts

Library Staff Publications and Research

In 2015, The Claremont Colleges Library purchased a drone for its Emerging Technology Loan program. At the time, Federal Aviation Administration regulations were still in their infancy in regards to drone use in public and for teaching and research –lending wasn’t even a consideration. After three years of waiting for the regulations to catch up with the demand, The Claremont Colleges Library GIS Specialist was able to pilot a drone lending program that circulates both the drone and the GIS Specialist for course integration. This paper outlines the history of GIS at The Claremont Colleges Library, its evolution toward drone …