This panel discussion at the ND Geospatial Summit focused on UAS use by various state agencies and organizations. Panelists represented the ND Public Service Commission, Water Commission, Trust Lands Department, Geological Survey, State Historical Society, and Aeronautics Commission. They discussed how their organizations are using drones for tasks like abandoned mine reclamation surveys, infrastructure inspections, assessing rangeland and mining sites, archaeological research, and testing new UAS technologies. The panel highlighted North Dakota's leadership in the UAS industry through programs like the UAS Test Site and Grand Sky Business Park.

1. UAS PANEL DISCUSSION
ND Geospatial Summit, October 22, 2019
Jackie Lorentz/University of North Dakota

2. ▪ UAS continues to grow and evolve
▪ North Dakota is a leader in UAS
▪ There is growing use within state agencies
▪ Bring it all together by with this panel
▪ A range of experience
▪ A range of applications
▪ A range of spheres of influence
▪ In common: interest, drive, enthusiasm, efficiency
PURPOSE

3. ▪ Matt Fischer – ND Public Service Commission
▪ Steve Best – ND State Water Commission
▪ Joseph Stegmiller – ND Trust Lands
▪ Navin Thapa – ND Geological Survey
▪ Timothy Reed – State Historical Society of ND
▪ Kyle Wanner – ND Aeronautics Commission
▪ Russ Buchholz – ND Transportation
PANELISTS

4. Matt Fischer
PANELIST

5. ▪ The mission of the Abandoned Mine Lands Division
is to eliminate potential or existing hazards
associated with abandoned coal mines in North
Dakota for which there is no continuing liability
under state or federal law. The nature of this
mission is not regulatory but rather service-oriented.
▪ The AML Division designs and then contracts out
the work for both underground and surface mine
projects.
NORTH DAKOTA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION – AML DIVISION

6. ▪ What is a highwall?
▪ Workflow – Choose Site, Existing Conditions
Survey, Design, Competitive Bids,
Construction, Final Survey
DRONE USE IN AML SURFACE MINE RECLAMATION

7. PRE-RECLAMATION PROCESS

8. ▪ Autonomous Flight
▪ Overlapping Photos
▪ Settings
DRONE DEPLOY FLIGHT APP

9. VIDEO CAPTURE USING LITCHI APP
▪ Low cost
▪ Cinematic video for project
design and project narratives
▪ Flight paths/settings

11. ▪ Manual flight
▪ Look at specific areas
▪ Expect the unexpected
DJI GO APP

12. PIX 4DMAPPER
▪ Professional photogrammetry processing software
▪ $350 monthly subscription
▪ Time savings
▪ Works good for piles with no vegatation

13. ▪ Same workflow as
pre-reclamation
▪ RTK Survey vs
Drone DSM
▪ Use DSM because it
is bare earth
▪ Produces good as-
built
POST-RECLAMATION
Abandoned Coal Mine Sites Timpe Thiel Helm Flemmer Totals
RTK Surveys Compared 15,636 5,990 100,096 15,710 137,432
Pre-Construction Survey vs Drone Survey 14,979 5,957 95,966 14,832 131,734
Percent Difference in Final Survey Methods 4.20% 0.55% 4.13% 5.59% 4.15%
Project Area Size in Acres 4.10 2.00 15.05 3.71 24.86
Volume Analysis (in cubic yards)

14. Steve Best
PANELIST

15. ▪ Steve Best; Planner
▪ Planning & Education
Division
▪ Part 107 Drone Pilot
▪ Contact
▪ Phone: 701-328-4970
▪ Email: stevebest@nd.gov
WATER COMMISSION

16. ▪ Currently Have 1 UAS; Yuneec Typhoon H
▪ 1 Part 107 Pilot
▪ Looking Into More Pilots
▪ Possible GIS & Survey
▪ Flights Are Requested From Various Divisions Within The
Agency
▪ Have Helped Various Other Agencies With UAS Needs
▪ Flights, Demos
WATER COMMISSION UAS PROGRAM

17. ▪ Outreach & Education
▪ Regulatory Functions
▪ Construction Projects
▪ Sovereign Lands
▪ Most Of Its Use Is Over
Bodies Of Water
HOW DO WE USE UAS?

18. ▪ Very Effective For Quick Deployment
▪ Getting More Aerial Images Than In The
Past
▪ Very Efficient
▪ Agency Is Getting Aerial Images Quicker &
Cheaper Than Flying A Fixed Wing Aircraft
▪ Aerial Images Give A Different
Perspective
BENEFITS OF USING UAS AT THE WATER
COMMISSION

19. ▪ One Machine Can’t Do It All
▪ Tough To Educate People About
The Regulatory Aspect Of Being
A Part 107 Pilot
▪ Batteries Are Finicky
▪ Weather
LESSONS LEARNED

20. ▪ Would Be Nice To Add One Or
Two More Part 107 Pilots
▪ Might Require More Equipment
▪ Pilot Availability
▪ 3D Modeling
▪ Flight Overlays On Maps
FUTURE USE

21. Joseph Stegmiller
PANELIST

22. ▪ At Statehood in 1889, North Dakota
was granted section 16 & 36
▪ Original grant consisted of 3.2 Million Acres
▪ Land was granted for the sole purpose to
generate revenue for public schools
▪ Currently, 706,609 surface acres are
managed by DTL
▪ Land is leased as mostly pasture to
farmers/ranchers
▪ Revenue from Trust Lands currently
pays 13.9% of public school cost
DEPARTMENT OF TRUST LANDS (DTL)

23. ▪ DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0
▪ Sentera NDVI camera
▪ Captures NIR, Red wavelengths
▪ Still determining which software to use
▪ Free trial version of Pix4D
▪ ArcGIS Pro
▪ Sentera Field Agent
DEPARTMENT OF TRUST LANDS

24. DEPARTMENT OF TRUST LANDS

25. ▪ Determining Pasture
Health
▪ NDVI (Normalized
Difference
Vegetation Index)
DEPARTMENT OF TRUST LANDS
𝑁𝐷𝑉𝐼 =
(𝑁𝐼𝑅 − 𝑅𝑒𝑑)
(𝑁𝐼𝑅 + 𝑅𝑒𝑑)
High
Low

26. ▪ Inspecting
Aggregate Mines
▪ No ground control
points
DEPARTMENT OF TRUST LANDS

27. DEPARTMENT OF TRUST LANDS

28. Navin Thapa
PANELIST

29. ▪ NDGS began exploring the capabilities of
drones in Spring of 2017.
▪ To conduct reconnaissance of landslides and
hazard assessments
▪ Gather geological information about mine
sites/mineral resources surveys, Paleo dig
sites.
▪ NDGS recently acquired advanced image
processing software (Agisoft-Metashape) for
creating high-resolution orthomosaics and
DEMs.
▪ Fast and Flexible
▪ Mostly automated image processing, usually
requiring uploading the photos and few
tweaking of image processing settings.
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

30. ▪ UAS/Drones have revolutionized
study of geological processes
▪ in terms of better visualization of different
landforms, outcrops.
▪ evaluation and mitigation of geological
processes such as erosion, landslides.
▪ Cut-fill, volume calculations.
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Mud Buttes
No of Photos: 1229
Acquisition height: 200 feet

31. ▪ Drones map with similar accuracy as NAIP/LiDAR, but
with higher resolution.
▪ Small, light weight, highly mobile and easily deployable to
capture short lived events as debris flows or events occurring
repeatedly over long term events as Landslides.
▪ Overlapping photos can be used to make a 3D image and
DEM
▪ Recommended: 70% overlap/250-400 meters altitude
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

32. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
NAIP 2018 Orthomosaic DSM

33. ▪ Drones are becoming increasingly important for geological
applications
▪ Geologists at NDGS are continuously exploring the
possibilities and capabilities of drones as tools to meet the
diverse geological needs of our state.
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

34. Timothy Reed
PANELIST

35. AN EYE IN THE SKY FOR PRESERVATION:
AN OVERVIEW OF UAS @ SHSND
Timothy Reed – SHSND
2019 North Dakota Geospatial Summit
Bismarck Event Center
October 22-23, 2019

36. November 2013:
First UAS flights begin in support of SHSND mission “…to identify, preserve,
interpret and promote the heritage of North Dakota and its people”.
October 2019:
Flights at 16 prehistoric or historic archaeological sites.
9 state historic sites
2 on land managed by other state agency or political subdivision
3 on private land
1 on federally managed land
1 on tribally managed land
UAS @ SHSND: PROGRAM HISTORY

37. November 2013: BLADE 350 QX w/ integrated GPS
receiver. GoPro Hero3+ camera. 15 minute flight time
(max). Vulnerable to RF interference. No programmable
flight. No tablet. No gimbal. No image preview.
June 2017-present: DJI Phantom 4 Pro w/ integrated
GPS receiver. 3-axis gimbal. 20 MP camera w/ 4K
video. Obstacle avoidance sensors. 30 minute flight
time. Apple iPad Mini 5 tablet. Programmable / free flight
mission capable.
UAS @ SHSND: PROGRAM HISTORY

38. Fort Clark State Historic Site (32ME2)
July 2018February 2015
UAS @ SHSND: CHANGING TECHNOLOGY

39. Fort Mandan Overlook State Historic Site (32ML400)
UAS @ SHSND: DRONE MAPPING

40. Fort Buford Stage Road (32ML1347)
UAS @ SHSND: IDENTIFY
May 2019
October 2018

41. Double Ditch Indian Village State Historic Site (32BL8)
UAS @ SHSND: PRESERVE
November 2013
October 2015 October 2018

42. Molander Indian Village State Historic Site (32OL7)
UAS @ SHSND: INTERPRET
August
2018

43. Cannonball Stage (32GT189)
October 2018
August 2019
UAS @ SHSND: PROMOTE

44. UAS @ SHSND:
IDENTIFY/PRESERVE/INTERPRET/PROMOTE
Menoken (32BL2) September 2018 Fort Rice (32MO102) August 2018 Huff (32MO11) August 2018

45. https://www.history.nd.gov/
https://www.history.nd.gov/hp/index.html
http://blog.statemuseum.nd.gov/
http://blog.statemuseum.nd.gov/users/timothy-reed
UAS @ SHSND:
IDENTIFY/PRESERVE/INTERPRET/PROMOTE

46. Kyle Wanner
PANELIST

47. To serve the public by providing economic and technical
assistance for the aviation community while ensuring the safe
and cost effective advancement of aviation in North Dakota.
NORTH DAKOTA AERONAUTICS COMMISSION

48. 89 Public-Use Airports in North Dakota
▪ 71 airports are paved
▪ 18 airports maintain turf only runways
▪ Over 200 private airstrips also exist throughout
the state
NORTH DAKOTA’S AIRPORT SYSTEM

49. ▪ Multiple Designations set North Dakota apart
from other States:
• Northern Plains UAS Test Site
• Grand Sky UAS Park
• ND Pilot Integration Program
• University of North Dakota UAS degree program
• Grand Forks Air Force Base – UAS mission
NORTH DAKOTA AS A LEADER IN UAS

50. ▪ In 2013 – North Dakota was selected as
one of seven congressionally approved test
sites throughout the United States.
▪ Provides an avenue for the UAS industry to
conduct more advanced drone research and
operational concept validation.
▪ North Dakota’s UAS Test site – the
“Northern Plains UAS test site” is based in
Grand Forks, but has authority to provide
assistance and operate with companies
throughout the entire state and country.
UAS TEST SITES

51. NORTHERN PLAINS UNMANNED SYSTEMS AUTHORITY

52. • In 2015, construction began on the Grand
Sky UAS Business Park at the Grand
Forks Air Force Base.
• 1st of it’s kind - UAS Business park in U.S.
with the sole purpose of testing unmanned
aircraft systems
• Public/Public/Private Partnership
• Northrop Grumman and General Atomics
are base tenants and these companies
among others have and will continue to
create job opportunities in North Dakota.
GRAND SKY UAS BUSINESS PARK

53. ▪ In 2017 – North Dakota was selected as one
of nine nationally approved drone integration
pilot programs (IPP) throughout the United
States.
• The goal is for state, local, and tribal
governments to partner with private sector
entities, to accelerate the safe integration of
UAS into the National Airspace System
▪ Each IPP program has different goals
• North Dakota’s work will help to allow routine:
• BVLOS (beyond visual line of site
• Flight over people in an urban environment
• The approval process will allow companies to
utilize similar operations in North Dakota and
around the country.
DRONE INTEGRATION PILOT PROGRAM

54. ▪ Part 107 – Remote Pilot Certification *Began
in 2016
▪ North Dakota Remote Pilots Statistics
• 2016: 119 Remote Pilots
• 2017: 377 Remote Pilots
• 2018: 542 Remote Pilots
NORTH DAKOTA UAS PILOT STATISTICS

55. Kyle Wanner
Executive Director
North Dakota Aeronautics Commission
701-328-9651
kcwanner@nd.gov
Website: aero.nd.gov
CONTACT INFORMATION

56. Russ Buchholz
PANELIST

57. North Dakota
Department of Transportation

58. How does the DOT plan to
use UAS in their operations?
SURVEY WORK
INFRASTRUCTURE INSPECTIONS
EMERGENCY AND MEDIA RESPONSE

59. Survey Work

60. Infrastructure Inspection

61. Emergency Response

62. ▪ Questions from you to the panel and/or to panelist(s)
▪ Discussion amongst the panelists
DISCUSSION TIME

63. ▪ Matt Fischer – ND Public Service
Commission: mjfischer@nd.gov
▪ Steve Best – ND State Water
Commission: stevebest@nd.gov
▪ Joseph Stegmiller – ND Trust Lands:
jstegmiller@nd.gov
▪ Navin Thapa – ND Geological Survey:
nthapa@nd.gov
THANK YOU!
▪ Timothy Reed – State Historical
Society of ND: treed@nd.gov
▪ Kyle Wanner – ND Aeronautics
Commission: kcwanner@nd.gov
▪ Russ Buchholz – ND Transportation:
rjbuchholz@nd.gov
▪ Bob Nutsch – ND Information
Technology: bnutsch@nd.gov