UAS Applications at WA DNRAn Overview

Justin SchmalSilviculture Section – Forest Resources Division

Where do Drones Fit at DNR?

• “Drone-scale” versus Existing Remotely Sensed Data• Faster acquisition and finer resolution than LiDAR and NAIP• But, covering smaller areas

• Filling in the gaps, spatially and temporally• Jobs where drones can improve operational safety• Efficient survey tool• Ad hoc surveys

In Practice

• Off-the-shelf equipment, with a few exceptions• Most of our platforms cost $1k - $3k• Flight control uses free software on a tablet or smartphone

• Straightforward, easy to learn workflows that integrate easily with current practices

Workflow:

• Mission Planning• Draw a polygon around your area on a simple map interface• Enter other parameters like image overlap and flight altitude

Workflow:

Drones fly a grid and collect overlapping images

Each point is a camera location

Workflow:

Hundreds of images like this

Workflow:

Images stitched into a3D point cloud (like LIDAR)

Not a photo!

Post-processing Workflow:

• Point cloud is processed using LiDAR tools to create metrics like:• Density• Height• Crown size• Percent Cover

• Metrics are refined into usable and familiar decision-making tools

• Decision-making tools are sent directly to the forester

Case Study: Variety Timber Sale

From Data to Decision Making Tools:

Drone Phodar versus LIDAR

Cost and efficiency

• Faster and less expensive than on-the-ground survey methods• Efficiency scales with unit size and difficulty:

• UAS surveys for 500-600 acre units average $0.59 per acre• Compare to traditional surveys $12-15 per acre

• Value of collecting population data vs. sampling plots

Other Data-centric Use Cases:

• Stream and Wetland Assessment• Cultural Resources• Incident Response• Geology & Engineering• Compliance Monitoring• Structure Inspections and Energy Audits• Wildlife Surveys• Seedling/Crop Health

Post-TreatmentPre-Treatment

Future Progress

UAS infrastructure is alreadyin place, so focusing on:• Exploring new use cases• Incident response including wildland fire• Widespread implementation• More DNR pilots

Questions?