Application of UAV BVLOS remote sensing data for multi-faceted analysis of Antarctic ecosystem

Abstract

A photogrammetric flight was performed in December 2016 as BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) operation over Penguin Island (South Shetland Islands, Western Antarctica). Images were taken by the PW-ZOOM fixed-wing UAV equipped with a digital SLR Canon 700D camera. The flight was performed at 550 m ASL and covered a total distance of 231.58 km.The plane take-off and landing site was near the H. Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station (Arctowski) on King George Island, South Shetlands. The main aim of the mission was to collect environmental data to estimate the size of penguin and pinniped breeding populations and to map vegetation cover and landforms. The plane returned to Arctowski with 1630 images of Penguin Island with the ground sample distance (GSD) lower than 0.07 m. The images allowed us to locate and identify individuals of two penguin species (Adélie and chinstrap), and individuals of two species of pinnipeds (Southern elephant seal and Weddell seal). Three types of tundra communities were mapped together with numerous landforms such as: volcanic, mass movement, fluvial, coastal and aeolian ones. The UAV BVLOS photogrammetric operation proved to be very robust in gathering valuable qualitative and quantitative data necessary for monitoring distant and isolated polar environments.

Mapping Glacier Forelands Based on UAV BVLOS Operation in Antarctica

“…In recent years, due to developments in remote sensing, mainly unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology and terrestrial laser scanning, several geomorphological studies were performed in this area. They focused on periglacial landforms on Demay Point peninsula [17], glacial dynamics and foreland development of Ecology Glacier [18] and Baranowski Glacier [13], and volcanic landforms on Penguin Island [19]. Recession of all of the glaciers in the area since 1979 was well documented by Pudełko et al [8], but an overall geomorphological study of contemporary glacial forelands in ASPA 128 has been lacking.…”

“…We used aerial photographic images taken by a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during the Beyond Visual The BVLOS fixed-wing UAV operations allow us to cover a significantly larger surface and gather high-resolution images (with a higher resolution for KGI area than available with commercial satellite images) in one flight in comparison with the Visual Line of Sight operations that usually utilise rotary-wing UAVs. In remote, difficult-to-access polar locations, BVLOS UAV operations allow for multifaceted environmental analyses far away from a polar station, saving time and logistic efforts [19,20]. Recent developments in polar UAV operations, including Antarctic missions, are described in Zmarz et al [19] and Bhardwaj et al [21].…”

“…In remote, difficult-to-access polar locations, BVLOS UAV operations allow for multifaceted environmental analyses far away from a polar station, saving time and logistic efforts [19,20]. Recent developments in polar UAV operations, including Antarctic missions, are described in Zmarz et al [19] and Bhardwaj et al [21].…”

“…The Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights were performed using the PW-ZOOM fixed-wing UAV [19,42] designed, manufactured and tested at the Warsaw University of Technology in Poland. The airplane was equipped with an automatic control system (autopilot) linked with a telemetry module.…”

Some Dynamic Aspects of Photogrammetry Missions Performed by “PW-ZOOM” – The UAV of Warsaw University of Technology

“…The results of the calculations made on the basis of aerial photos were positively verified with the traditional method (consisting in field expeditions organized by groups of biologists who collected field data by taking photos of penguin colonies at close range using small natural elevations) [2][3][4]. …”