A Workflow for End Users to Ensure UAV Imagery Products are Fit-For-Purpose

1. Program 2 - Rapid Spatial Analytics
QA4UAV
A Workflow for End Users to Ensure UAV
Imagery Products are Fit-For-Purpose
Dr Nathan Quadros, Program Manager
www.qa4lab.com

2. Research partners… Government partners…

4. Source: https://hbr.org/cover-story/2017/05/drones-go-to-work
Drone Trends & Overview

5. Drone Trends & Overview
Source: https://hbr.org/cover-story/2017/05/drones-go-to-work

6. Drone Trends & Overview
Source: https://hbr.org/cover-story/2017/05/drones-go-to-work

7. Drone Trends & Overview
Source: https://hbr.org/cover-story/2017/05/drones-go-to-work

8. UAV Data Issues
Point density

9. UAV Data Issues
Image resolution is
not necessarily a
good measure of
quality: exposure,
shadowing etc.

10. UAV Data Issues
Flight line coverage
and internal voids

11. UAV Data Issues
Classification: class 12 overlap points

12. UAV Data Issues
Point source ID (PSID) representing flight lines

13. QA4LAB
QA4LiDAR QA4MOBiLE
QA4UAV
www.qa4lab.com

14. Project Background
• Problem
– Many providers, some with little knowledge of spatial
– High risk of data not being fit-for-purpose
– No standard workflow for specifications or quality assurance
• Solution
– Automated tool to manage acquisition workflow from the procurement end
– Standard specifications generated based on application and intuitive questions
– Quality assurance of imagery and photogrammetric products
• Impact
– Streamline and standardise acquisition and quality assurance
– Ensure products meet a minimum quality standard and are fit-for-purpose

15. Boundaries of Project
• Focus on imagery and photogrammetric products for spatial
applications
– i.e. coastal erosion, mining volumes, forestry tree measurements, fire mapping etc.
• Not relevant to imagery or video used for promotion or leisure
– i.e. wedding videos, real estate imagery, sporting imagery

16. QA4UAV
https://qa4lab.com/qa4uav/
Partnering with the
Minerals Research Institute WA and
the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

17. Understanding User Needs

18. Project Requirements

19. Quality Assurance Results

20. User Needs Analysis Questionnaire
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QA4UAV

21. How Do You Determine Project Requirements?

22. Features of Interest

23. UAV Application Sample Projects

24. Interactions with UAV Data

25. Problems with UAV Data

26. Importance of Quality Checks

27. Following Steps
• User Needs Analysis Report
• Functional Requirements document
• Phase 1: Develop online Tender Form questions to
automatically generate the specifications
• Phase 2: Develop online Flight Plan checks
• Phase 3: Develop Standard Checks
• Phase 4: Develop UAV Photogrammetric Checks
• Phase 5: Develop online QA Report & supporting information
• Release product

28. For More Information
• Please fill in our questionnaire at
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QA4UAV
• Workshops planned (see Eventbrite):
– ANDS workshop at Melbourne Uni on 9th October
– Brisbane workshop at QUT on 11th October
– WA workshop at FLUX on 24th October
– NZ workshop in Christchurch on 2nd November
• To join the QA4UAV project or find out more contact
Nathan Quadros nquadros@crcsi.com.au