Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) research in California State Parks focuses on evaluating the safety, accuracy, and efficiency of UAS for collecting field data to support land surveys and facilities management. A successful test was conducted in November 2013 at Prairie City State Vehicular Recreation Area, where a UAS surveyed 60 acres with 16 targets in 15 minutes of flight time and achieved 1-inch accuracy after 4 hours of post-processing. Additional UAS research is planned at Prairie City SVRA in June 2014 to further assess the technology.

1. Unmanned&Aircrai&Systems&Research&
in&
California&State&Parks&
&
prepared&for&the&
&
sUSB&Expo&
San&Francisco&May&8th&O&9th&2014&
&&

2. UAS&research&in&California&State&Parks&focuses&on&
safety,&accuracy,&and&efficiency&of&UAS&field&data&
collec2on&for&land&surveys&and&facili2es&management.&
&
Priority&sites&are&‘approvable’&sites:&rela2vely&remote&
areas,&with&controlled&access,&and&diversity&of&terrain&
eleva2ons&and&cover&types.&
&
Re:&COA:&Dot&every&I&and&cross&every&T&about&the&
aircrai&and&the&mission.&&
&
And&have&lots&of&pa2ence.&
&&

4. Start:&CA&State&Park&Director’s&Ac2on&Request,&Fall,&2012&&
&
California&State&Aqorney&General&leqer&to&FAA&vouching&for&Parks&as&a&State&&
State&Parks&Chief&Counsel&leqer&to&FAA:&no&UAS&for&commercial&purposes,&only&public&
&
With&Leqers&1&and&2&on&file,&Parks&became&eligible&to&apply&for&an&FAA&COA&
&
CA&State&Parks&Surveys&agreed&to&conduct&a&full&land&survey&(some&16&photo&targets&
over&a&60Oacre&area)&&in&Prairie&City&SVRA&(Rancho&Cordova,&CA)&
&
Trimble&Naviga2on&agreed&to&a&noOcost&demo.&
&
The&Prairie&City&Chief&Ranger&allowed&use&of&the&Park&(a&closed&area,&under&mine&
rehabilita2on).&
&
California&Surveying&&&Draiing&Supplies,&Inc&coordinated&postOprocessing&facili2es&and&
provided&carpool&transporta2on&and&ameni2es&for&some&36&people.&
&
The&November,&2013&flight&was&a&text&book&success:&15&minutes&air2me,&60&acres&with&
16&surveyed&targets;&4&hours&post&process;&1Oi&accuracy&ortho&and&DSM.&
&
Another&Prairie&City&flight,&under&a&separate&COA&for&the&Trimble&UXO5,&is&planned&for&
June,&2014.&
&&&

16. Take&Home&Points&
&
UAS&research&in&California&State&Parks:&
&
safety&
accuracy&
efficiency&&
&
for&land&survey&and&facili2es&management&
&
And&have&lots&of&pa2ence.&
&&

17. Thank&you&
&
Acknowledgments&
CA&State&Parks,&Park&Opera2ons,&Land&Surveys,&FAA&COA&Review&Teams,&Trimble&
Naviga2on,&California&Surveying&&&Draiing&Supplies&Inc,&CalTrans&Photogrammetry,&
Towill&Inc,&and&Prairie&City&SVRA&Park&Rangers.&
&&&
Author&
&
Paul&Veisze&
Geographic&Informa2on&Officer&
California&State&Parks&
Paul.Veisze@parks.ca.gov&
916O949O3327&
&