Testing and Evaluating Low Altitude Unmanned Aircraft System Technology for Maritime Domain Awareness and Oil Spill Response in the Arctic

2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd Jacobs ◽  
Michelle Jacobi ◽  
Mark Rogers ◽  
Jeremy Adams ◽  
John “JC” Coffey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft System ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Aircraft System ◽  
Real Time Information ◽  
Maritime Domain Awareness ◽  
Time Information

AbstractNational and international policies and treaties require the protection and exploration of the Arctic. The maritime services play a primary role in pursuing responsible Arctic stewardship by protecting the environment and the personnel conducting operations and research in this harsh environment. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is an important partner to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) in hazard response and mitigation (including oil spills and search and rescue). During Arctic Shield exercises, as part of the USCG Research and Development Center's Arctic Technology Evaluation, manned and unmanned systems including the AeroVironment Puma™ All Environment (AE) (Puma) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), were used to provide real-time information for maritime domain awareness and oil spill response in the Arctic. Real-time information distribution and maritime domain awareness are critical to prepare for and respond to potential environmental disasters in the Arctic. Additionally, the Puma was assessed for shipboard operations capabilities, Arctic air space coordination, deconfliction and safety issues, and real-time data visualization through the Arctic Environmental Response Management Application® as part of a larger data management plan. The results are provided from the successful Puma testing during the Arctic Shield 2013 and 2014 exercises aboard the USCG Cutter (USCGC; Icebreaker) Healy. An overview of these operations is given with recommendations for future testing and technology assessments of small UAS platforms for Arctic shipboard operational deployments. These findings are put into context for utilization in the field to support operations and decision making in the case of a real oil spill in the Arctic region.

A neurobiologically-inspired intelligent trajectory tracking control for unmanned aircraft systems with uncertain system dynamics and disturbance

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 417-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Jafari ◽  
Hao Xu ◽  
Luis Rodolfo Garcia Carrillo
Keyword(s):  
System Dynamics ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Uncertain System ◽  
Emotional Learning ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft Systems ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft System ◽  
Trajectory Tracking Control ◽  
Aircraft Systems ◽  
Aircraft System

In this paper, a novel neurobiologically-inspired intelligent tracking controller is developed and implemented for unmanned aircraft systems in the presence of uncertain system dynamics and disturbance. The methodology adopted, known as Brain Emotional Learning Based Intelligent Controller (BELBIC), is based on a novel computational model of emotional learning within brain limbic systems in mammals. Compared to conventional model-based control methods, BELBICs are more suitable for practical unmanned aircraft systems since they can maintain the real-time unmanned aircraft system performance without known system dynamics and disturbance. Furthermore, the learning capability and low computational complexity of BELBIC mean that it is very promising for implementation in complex real-time applications. Moreover, we proved that our proposed methodology guarantees convergence. To evaluate the practical performance of our proposed design, BELBIC has been implemented into a benchmark unmanned aircraft system. Numerical and experimental results demonstrated the applicability and satisfactory performance of the proposed BELBIC-inspired design.

A Field Evaluation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Oil Spill Response

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 (1) ◽  
pp. 373-387
Author(s):  
Brian Parscal ◽  
Matt Ziska ◽  
Jeff Williams
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Field Evaluation ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft Systems ◽  
Aircraft Systems ◽  
Flight Operations ◽  
Operational Capabilities ◽  
Manned Flight ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Aircraft System

ABSTRACT A key component of any oil spill response operation is the ability to identify and describe the characteristics of the spill and ultimately direct the resources necessary for clean up. Currently, this task is primarily performed by trained personnel in manned aircraft. With the recent advances in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) it may be possible to obtain the same high quality field reports and provide detailed guidance for surface assets without the high cost and risk associated with manned flight. In early March 2013 a group of interested parties convened in Astoria, Oregon to evaluate the feasibility of using a UAS as an observation, documentation, and control platform in an oil spill response environment. The test was conducted over three days and included participants from Chevron Shipping, AeroVironment, University of Alaska, and a wide variety of Oil Spill Response organizations. Operations were based out of the Clatsop Community College MERTS campus near Astoria, Oregon with flight operations conducted from a 34 ft vessel near Rice Island and Grassy Island on the lower Columbia River. The investigative team included a trained oil spill Aerial Observer, a UAS Technical Team, and an Oil Industry Environmental Compliance Manager. The primary goal of the test was to evaluate the feasibility of UAS technology as an oil spill response tool. The exercise not only provided an opportunity for the Oil Spill Response community to evaluate first-hand the technical and operational capabilities of the Unmanned Aircraft System, but it also helped introduce the UAS industry to the requirements and expectations of the Oil Spill Response community.

Aerial Application of Herding Agents can Enhance In-Situ Burning in Partial Ice Cover

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (1) ◽  
pp. 2955-2975
Author(s):  
Stephen Potter ◽  
Ian Buist ◽  
David Cooper ◽  
Srijan Aggarwal ◽  
William Schnabel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Aerial Application ◽  
Promising Tool ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Time Required

ABSTRACT In situ burning (ISB) aided by herding agents is a promising tool for oil spill response in Arctic waters. An advantageous aspect of the herder mediated ISB approach is that the application of herders as well as the subsequent ignition of the slick could potentially be carried out from aerial platforms. This could obviate the need for personnel to conduct operations on the surface near the burn, as well as reduce the response time required to mobilize the spill response equipment, especially in challenging Arctic conditions. In the last decade, several laboratory and field-scale tests have been conducted to prove the efficacy of herder-assisted ISB operations, sometimes achieving burn efficiencies greater than 90 %. However, there have been no field tests of aerial herder application followed by ignition. This paper presents results from a series of field experiments performed in a custom-built test basin 50 km northeast of Fairbanks, Alaska, in April 2015. A helicopter was employed to first apply herding agents (Siltech OP-40 or ThickSlick 6535) to Alaska North Slope crude oil slicks in simulated drift ice conditions, and then ignite the herded slicks using a Heli-torch. Two of five test burns yielded measurable outcomes, resulting in 70% - 85% removal of the test oil as it was drifting freely. Three of five test burns did not yield reliably measurable results, as wind action at the site prevented an accurate measurement of free-drifting burn efficiency. An unmanned aircraft, carrying prototypical payloads for herder spraying and in situ burn ignition was also tested. This is the first time successful aerial application of herders for ISB in the Arctic or elsewhere has been accomplished, and furthers the development of better tools for oil spill response in Arctic waters and beyond.

Real‐time compensation of magnetic data acquired by a single‐rotor unmanned aircraft system

2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (6) ◽  
pp. 1637-1651 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Tuck ◽  
C. Samson ◽  
C. Polowick ◽  
J. Laliberté
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Magnetic Data ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft System ◽  
Aircraft System
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