Low-altitude aerial imagery from unmanned aerial systems (UAS) at select locations over the Potomac River, October 2019
Dates
Publication Date
2020-07-31
Start Date
2019-10-21
End Date
2019-10-24
Citation
Cashman, M.J., Brosnahan, S.M., Caldwell, S.H., Staub, L.E., DeWitt, J., Young, J., Duda, J., and Griese, A.J., 2020, Low-altitude aerial imagery from unmanned aerial systems (UAS) at select locations over the Potomac River, October 2019: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P970EQ7D.
Summary
These digital images were taken at select locations over the Potomac River using 3DR Solo unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in October 2019. These images were collected for the purpose of evaluating UAS assessment of river habitat data such as water depth, substrate type, and water clarity. Each UAS was equipped with a Ricoh GRII digital camera for natural color photos, used to produce digital elevation models and ortho images, a MicaSense RedEdge multi-spectral camera that captures five specific bands of the visible spectrum (blue, green, red, rededge, and near-infrared), which can be used to classify vegetation, or FLIR Vue Pro R 640 13mm radiometric thermal camera that provides temperature data embedded in every pixel. Some photographs [...]
Summary
These digital images were taken at select locations over the Potomac River using 3DR Solo unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in October 2019. These images were collected for the purpose of evaluating UAS assessment of river habitat data such as water depth, substrate type, and water clarity. Each UAS was equipped with a Ricoh GRII digital camera for natural color photos, used to produce digital elevation models and ortho images, a MicaSense RedEdge multi-spectral camera that captures five specific bands of the visible spectrum (blue, green, red, rededge, and near-infrared), which can be used to classify vegetation, or FLIR Vue Pro R 640 13mm radiometric thermal camera that provides temperature data embedded in every pixel. Some photographs contain black and white targets used as ground control points (GCPs), which were surveyed by a field crew with a high-precision (GNSS) Global Navigation Satellite System and/or containing internal post processing kinematic (PPK) GPS system. This data release includes the original images from all three cameras, as well as a csv file containing the latitude and longitude coordinates, in Universal Transverse Mercator Zone 18N referenced to the North American Datum of 1983 (2011), of the ground control points.
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Purpose
These images from an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) were collected to establish capabilities and limitations for using new technology for mapping and measuring riverine environments. This was one component of methodological comparison field campaign conducted in conjunction with a topobathymetric lidar collection of the Potomac River Corridor in late 2019. Imagery were collected for the purpose of evaluating UAS assessment of river habitat data such as water depth, substrate type, and water clarity. Color images were collected with resolution and overlap for photogrammetry and creation of digital elevation models and orthomosaics. Comparisons will be made to other data derived from topobathymetric lidar and more established technologies such as real-time-kinematic (RTK) GPS, acoustic doppler current profilers (ADCP), and multi-beam echo sounders.
