Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Plant and Weed Management Art Hirsch & Chris Rice January 7, 2015

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs/Drones) Fixed Wing Gas and electric powered Long flight duration High altitude Higher payload Space for landing

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs/Drones) Multicopter VTOL Vertical Take Off & Landing Gas or electric powered Lower altitude operation Platforms for detectors Manual or autonomous Distance:Time:Payload:Power

MicroUAS 4.4 pounds or less 20 minute flight time.5 pounds

Detectors Still visible-light *Near Infrared/thermal sensors *Multi-spectral Hyper-spectral Color imagery High definition video LIDAR *weed application

Regulatory Constraints Commercial Applications –Aircraft certified and registered by FAA –Licensed pilot –Line of sight –Not within 5 miles of an airport –500 feet from non participant COA (Certificate of Operation)-Public 333 Exemption-Private New regulations coming in 2016

Current & Potential Applications MappingWeed Management WetlandsHabitat Restoration Construction MonitoringErosion Control RevegetationEnviro Compliance Flood MonitoringRaptor Nesting Aerial photographyAvalanche Detection

General Information Process Objective Flight plan and ROW coordination GIS and spatial Detectors and calibration Flight and data collection Information download Orthorectification/mosaicking Mapping Information utilization/product development

UAV Utilization International –Australia –Japan –Europe (Spain, Netherlands) –Canada United States DOTs –Georgia DOT –Washington DOT –Michigan DOT –Minnesota DOT –FHWA- Volpe Institute

UAV Utilization Universities –University of Colorado-Boulder –University of Michigan –University of Florida –Georgia-Tech –Ohio State University –University of Washington

Potential DOT Weed Management Applications Early Season Site Specific Weed Management Weed mapping Efficient mobilization of equipment Reduction in herbicide usage Spot spraying Identification/monitoring of revegetation areas Cost savings

University of Adelaide Australia Early Season Site Specific Weed Management Sunflowers fields 30/60/100m heights Visible and multi spectral sensors and alignments Safer than manned aerial flights Weed/plant/soil separation

Institute of Sustainable Agriculture-Spain Early Season Site Specific Weed Management Weed map development Broadcast to spot spraying Altitude:date (phenological stage);sensor type

UAV Advantages Cheaper than manned vehicles Faster mobilization Faster product generation No immediate threat to life Increased flexibility –Change out sensors in field –Smaller defined areas Multiple sensors Cost savings than manned vehicles

UAV Future Direction New FAA regulations Improvements in detectors Increased automation and fail-safe More practical research and development projects –Volpe Center FHWA More identified applications

Art Hirsch TerraLogic Chris Rice-Colorado Cartographics, LLC