Читать книгу Urban Remote Sensing - Группа авторов - Страница 65

Operationally, accomplishing a UAS mission is no simple task. Implementing UAS missions in urban areas with intensive human activities takes efforts to address a host of issues, such as legal, safety, ethical procurement and partnerships, privacy and data protection, data transparency, informed consent, and community engagement for humanitarian purposes (Gilman, 2014). Major safety hazards of using UAS in urban areas may include bird strikes, collisions with other aircraft, and/or impacts with people or structures on the ground. Large structures like skyscrapers or transmission towers can impede the communication between the aircraft and the GCS, diminishing navigational performance by shielding the UAS from GPS satellites and increasing multipath reflection (Clothier and Walker, 2015). Low‐altitude UAS operations can be even more challenging under the presence of obstacles like trees, slopes, towers, and powerlines. Therefore, there is a need for UAS manufacturers to enrich the pool of obstacles that the safe autonomous mode can recognize and avoid in‐flight (Ippolito et al., 2016).

UAS can also cause a higher noise floor and unintentional jamming in an urban area (Watkins et al., 2020). In some countries, such as the United States, there are significant concerns from the public regarding personal privacy and one’s reasonable expectation of it. Therefore, legal and ethical issues need to be addressed in any UAS mission, especially those operating in higher risk areas, such as urban areas (Skrzypietz, 2012). Therefore, a proficient crew of knowledgeable personnel is always essential for the deployment of UAS in a safe, legal, and ethical manner. The skillsets for the UAS team to ensure safe operations generally include (but are not limited to) a strong understanding of situational awareness, proper assignment of roles, recognition of UAS pilot fatigue, the use of a risk mitigation procedure, knowledge of UAS and all related components, and effective communication with all other crew members.

Another important factor related to operational challenges is the necessity of good logistical planning for UAS missions. Good logistic planning is integral to any successful UAS mission, but it also takes a lot of input from the operators to ensure success. A good logistics plan should include mission‐specific information for the pilot, preparation of spare equipment and upkeep of regular maintenance, and plans for comprehensive operational support from other crew members. To make sure the UAS platform’s flight endurance is long enough to cover the study area, the size of on‐board storage and power to support data transmission should be considered in all mission planning. In case of unexpected situations, spare parts and repair tools are always needed. At least two sets of UAS are needed, so are other parts like propellers, landing gears, batteries, antennas, etc. It is also better to bring an extra number of pilots if possible. In terms of operational support, every aspect of the trip must be considered, including transportation, housing, safety and security, information technology, telecommunications, and power and infrastructure. In terms of safety and security, the team should be aware of local medical assistance and travel vaccinations. Information technology includes functioning computers, software, and supplies like converters and chargers to support data storage, indexing, and management. Telecommunications deal with how crew members communicate with each other and the local coverage of cellular data. Power and infrastructure concerns include local outlet type, the voltage, the accessibility of the mission site, and the requirements on vehicles.