1. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles as
Mobile Multi-sensor Platforms
Matthes Rieke,
Theodor Foerster, Arne Broering
Institute for Geoinformatics – University of Muenster
AGILE 2011 Conference, Utrecht, 2011-04-19
http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

2. Overview
1. Introduction
2. Sensor platforms
3. Framework Approach
4. Integration into the Sensor Web
5. Future Work and Impressions
2 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

3. Introduction
● Use case from landscape ecology
● Determine
meteorological
inversions in the
Prandtl-Layer
3 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

4. Introduction
● Mobile Multi-sensor Platform
● Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) as base
● Extended with several sensors
● Problems raised from this approach
● Different UAVs - different data encodings
● Varying sensors with specific low-level protocols
● How to integrate gathered data into the
Sensor Web?
4 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

5. Introduction
● Quick answer
● Abstract the integration layer from protocol
specifics
● Framework Approach – described
later on
5 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

6. Overview
1. Introduction
2. Sensor platforms
3. Framework Approach
4. Integration into the Sensor Web
5. Future Work and Impressions
6 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

7. Sensor platforms
● Several UAVs available in the civilian domain
● Community Projects - e.g.
● Mikrokopter
● ArduCopter
● Commercial Projects - e.g.
● Microdrone
● AscTec
7 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

8. Sensor platforms
● Basis is a building kit by www.mikrokopter.de
● Wireless downlink included
8 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

9. Sensor platforms
● How to measure phenomena?
● Integrate independent computing unit
● Actual sensors are operated
● Independent wireless downlink
9 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

10. Sensor platforms
● System summary
● Mikrokopter UAV with downlink for GPS tracking
● Independent „Sensor Board“ for phenomena
measurement
→ Two separated data streams
New problem: How to fuse streams to
enable real-time data provision?
10 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

11. Overview
1. Introduction
2. Sensor platforms
3. Framework Approach
4. Integration into the Sensor Web
5. Future Work and Impressions
11 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

12. Framework Approach
● Requirement summary
● Support for different UAV platforms
● Synchronization of multiple data streams to enable
real-time measurement capabilities
● Sensor Web integration mechanism
● Realized using Software Framework
12 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

13. Framework Approach
● Architecture
13 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

14. Framework Approach
● Basis is description of Plugin Behaviour
● Input/Output phenomena using SensorML
● When to create Output?
14 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

15. Framework Approach
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<spf:plugin xmlns:spf=http://ifgi.uni-muenster.de/~m_riek02/spf/0.1
name="urn:ifgi:id:ifgicopter2">
<spf:output>
<spf:AvailabilityBehaviour>
<spf:outputProperties>
<spf:property>temperature</spf:property>
<spf:property>humidity</spf:property>
</spf:outputProperties>
</spf:AvailabilityBehaviour>
<spf:mandatoryProperties>
<spf:property>position</spf:property>
</spf:mandatoryProperties>
</spf:output>
<SensorML />
</spf:plugin>
15 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

16. Framework Approach
● Synchronization of sensor streams
● Why synchronize streams?
● Have geotagged observations in real-time
● e.g. used by Complex Event Processing
● Overcome bandwidth issues (details later)
● Use of interpolation mechanism
● Abstract – easily adjustable for application
● Additional processing capabilities
16 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

17. Framework Approach
● Called once internal output is created
Reminder:
● Functionality only triggered by framework
● No limitations
17 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

18. Overview
1. Introduction
2. Sensor platforms
3. Framework Approach
4. Integration into the Sensor Web
5. Future Work and Impressions
18 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

19. Integration into the Sensor Web
19 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

20. Integration into the Sensor Web
● achieved using Output-Plugin for the so-called
Sensor Bus
• communication infrastructure which underlies the
different Sensor Web services (SOS, SES, SPS,
etc.)
• Well-defined communication protocol
20 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

21. Integration into the Sensor Web
● Establish connection to Sensor Bus → integration
into connected SWE services
21 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

22. Integration into the Sensor Web
Test evaluations
22 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

23. Overview
1. Introduction
2. Sensor platforms
3. Framework Approach
4. Integration into the Sensor Web
5. Future Work and Impressions
23 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

24. Future Work
● Differential GPS: Orthophotos without Ground
Control Points
● Exterior Orientation
● Position (GPS)
● Rotation (IMU)
● Interior Orientation
● Principal point and distance
(Camera calibration file)
● Terrain Model
● → Orthophoto
24 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

25. Future Work
● Visualization
● Additional sensors
● Fine dust
● Gas sensors
● Digital elevation models
● Autonomic flight (security and surveillance)
25 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

26. Source Code available at:
26 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter

27. Thank you for your kind attention!
Questions?
http://purl.net/ifgi/copter
→ UAV Workshop @ Geoinformatik 2011
27 http://purl.net/ifgi/copter