Taming Drones for Forestry - CIF-IFC · Taming Drones for Forestry 1 ... No over-flight of persons...

Denis Cormier, Research Manager

Udaya Vepakomma, Remote Sensing Scientist

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Unmanned Aerial Systems in the

Natural Resources Sector Workshop

Corner Brook, Nfld, 24 February , 2017

Taming Drones for Forestry

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Remote sensing niche

Validation trials

Taming implementation (workflow and post-

treatment automation for regeneration

assessments)

Taming costs

Untamed challenges

Outline

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A shoe for a tighter fit?

3 Time

Sca

le

Forest operations – Data needs

Operational

Strategic

Tactical

• Monitoring

• Control

• Decision

• Automation

Drone / Unmanned aerial vehicle

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A new degree of freedom: Drone

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Reso

luti

on

/ d

eta

ils

Unrestricted views

Forested area

Conifer stand

Regeneration

Inexpensive

Simple logistics - deployment

Quick turnaround

Centimetric imaging

Multi-view, variable altitudes

Live video streaming

Multiple sensors

Vehicles off the shelf

Overview – 120m

Nadir – 60m

Oblique -20m

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Dispersed small blocks

Varying and changing

conditions

Sampling vs census

Safety, inaccessibility

Time and cost inefficient

Data challenges

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Roadside pile burning

Herbicide treatment

Regeneration assessment

Preharvest assessment Image interpretation Sample survey

Vis

ua

l A

rea

ba

se

d

De

taile

d

Post harvest assessment

Data needs

Conventional means

Visual assessment

Details Frequency, Coverage

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FPInnovations focus

• Niche (feasibility)

• Accuracy

• ROI

• Best practices

• New applications

• Partnership

7 http://donextension.e-monsite.com/

Potential applications

Visual Inspections

• Live video feed on tablet/computer

Replace helicopter flyovers for inspection, compliance, control, prescription, hazard detection

Area Based

• From orthomosaic

Planimetric estimations

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Potential applications (2)

3-D Point Cloud Analysis

• Heights and volumetric estimations

Multi spectral

• Health, species

Thermal analysis (IR)

• Hot spots: wildfire; post slash piles burning; hogfuel piles

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3.5m

Taming implementation – Workflow

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ROI

Applications

Planning

Flights

Post processing

Training

Permits

Validation trials

Standard workflow - Planning

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• Environment

• Safety

• Accessibility

• …..

SFOC

Trial / Application Site selection

Vehicle /Sensors

Constraints

Prelim. plan Exemptions / Permission

Transport Canada

Regulation

UAV Exemptions

Two (2) exemptions approved to permit lower-risk UAV operations without an SFOC

o 2kg or less has 37 conditions

o 2kg - 25kg has 58 conditions

SFOC

Applications evaluated on a case-by-case basis based on associated risks of the mission

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Examples of Safety Conditions

At least 5nm away from any aerodrome or built-up area

Below 300 feet

Daylight only

Only in Class G airspace (no forest fire, restricted airspace, air shows)

Maintain visual contact – No First Person View

Always give way to manned aircraft

Safe distances from people, buildings, vehicles etc.

No over-flight of persons

Weather limits

Notification requirements before flight

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FUTURE Regulatory approach

UAVs 25kgs or less, operated within visual line-of-sight

Define Categories

o Small – Complex

o Small – Limited

o Very Small

o Micro

SFOC process remains for operations not covered by the amendment (larger than 25kg, BVLOS, etc)

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Validation trials (application features)

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3D point cloud

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Unprecedented details

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Species classification

Canopy height

Height class

% T

ree

s p

er

sp

ecie

s

0 28 m

Image mosaic – 2.2 cm GSD

200 X 100m

Poplar Spruce Fir Tamarack

Pre-harvest assessment

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Quick turnaround

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Harvested block

Temporary bridge

Stream network

Disturbance : 15%

Disturbed area

Post-harvest assessment

20 ha

Altitude: 100 m; RGB images

Visual inspection – live streaming: 5 mins

HR image + mosaic: 2-3 hours

Image interpretation: 1 hour

Additional details

Slash pile

Height: 4m; Volume: 182.5m3

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Realistic 3D structure – visualisation

200

244 m

50 150 100 200 250 m

Harvested block

Log pile

Log pile

Regenerating stand

Hardwood stand

Height profile along a transect

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Accurate volumetric analysis

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C2A

C1A

3D model of a mill yard

Log piles Pile height Log stack volume

Mill inventory

0 6 m

Height : 13.2 m

Volume: 12 570 m3

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Stems of all height distinguishable

Ground Image DSM

Single stem identification

Single stem extraction Regular space 21.2 m

3 - 6 m 0.4 – 1.4 m

Tree height distribution

Irregular space

4 - 36 m

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Census not survey

Regeneration standards

Spruce

Pine 48 X 40 m Na

tura

l re

ge

ne

ration

Pla

nta

tion

20 X16 m

Stem density

Space occupancy

5000 5000 – 20,000 > 20,000 stems per ha

94 % stocked

Gap

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Situational awareness

Thermal IR Ground / Sol RGB

Mosaic - 85 images

300 cm2

In partial canopy – 120 m

Under full canopy – 120 m

Exposed - 120 m

Road side pile burn Hot spot detection

Altitude: 100 m; Area: 20 ha; IR scanning: 30 mins

Detection – in all directions Detection – up to 200 m

Taming implementation Post-treatment automation

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3D point cloud

Image size

Single image size:

Sunex (RGB) – JPEG 8 bit – 6.28 MB (32. 3 MB RAW)

(Acquired at nadir in a 22 ha. block at different altitudes)

Flying altitude (High to low)

Purple: Total Image size (MB)

Red: # of images

Green: Time of flight (min)

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Data processing (Photoscan, Pix4D)

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All images

Alignment

NFO (geotags)

Reference (Targets - GPS)

Image matching

Feature extraction

Bundle adjustment

Dense Point Cloud

DSM

DTM

Orthomosaics

Feature extraction

Height Volume Type

Outputs – Photogrammetry

Orthomosaic

3D Point cloud

DSM

Time to process (hrs)

Workstation – 16 GB RAM + 8 core

Photoscan photogrammetry s/w

Regeneration assessment

Ortho mosaic Conifer stand (Quesnel, BC)

Size: 19 ha

Display window: 5.3 ha

Age: 4 yrs since drag sip

3D rendering

Regeneration assessment

Stocking Stocking

& Density

2500 100000 / ha

Stem – height

0.3 m

0.3 - 0.4

0.4 - 0.5

0.5 - 0.1

Regeneration assessment

5000 5000 – 20,000 > 20,000

Extension to mixedwood stands

Free-to-grow assessment 10 year old block

43 ha

1 ha

Ortho

CIR mosaic

Single trees

Species group Free-to-Grow

Model

Canopy height

4 m 5 m

1

2 3

4

Ground

Regeneration assessment

Model

Free-to-Grow Single trees

Extension to larger spaces with high res. satellite

Pleiades – Multi spectral (2m) Pleiades – Panchromatic (50cm)

• Reconnaissance and inspection

Visual flyovers

Harvesting inspections

Safety audits and hazards

identification

Live streaming for onsite feedback

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Taming costs

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3D point cloud • Detailed Costing Analysis

UAV Pilot and support crew

Machine (Platform) hourly rate based on

depreciation

Travel and preparation

Data handling and processing

Local and out-of-region

Taming costs

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3D point cloud • Assumptions for Costing Analysis

Fixed wing and high-end VTOL UAVs for mapping and

3D model production (with 75% overlap)

More productive with fixed wing over larger area

Low-cost VTOL UAVs for reconnaissance and visual

inspection (video and images, no overlap needed)

Altitude 90m

Automated data treatment (i.e., unsupervised

processing time not included)

Taming costs

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3D point cloud

Taming costs

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3D point cloud

Untamed challenges

Clear ROI is needed

Constraints related to regulations

Data management strategy

Automate post-processing

Service provider to avoid pilot issues and specialized data processing

Disruptive technology with huge unexplored potential

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