Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or simply drones, comprise a diverse array of technology consisting of platforms, navigation control, and sensors. Researchers identified the potential of UAS-sourced imagery more than thirty years ago; however, it has only been recently that UAS has evolved from a niche area into a practical surveying tool for wide spread application. By integrating off-the-shelf, low-cost sensors with sophisticated computer vision algorithms, robotics and geomatics engineering, UAS are transforming traditional methods of photogrammetry and remote sensing. The results are image products at hyper spatial resolutions (e.g. sub-cm) with high geodetic fidelity generated from cameras costing a few hundred dollars or less. The flexibility and capability provided by UAS to acquire geospatial data (2D and 3D) and spectral information at local to regional scales has revolutionary implications for resource monitoring. This presentation will provide an overview on the current state-of-the-art in UAS technology for photogrammetry and remote sensing. Recent developments in platforms, sensing, and data processing will be presented with emphasis on small UAS (< 55 lbs) for resource monitoring applications. Example data products from a UAS photogrammetric survey of Welder Wildlife Refuge in South Texas will also be presented.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.