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Sara Summers, NOAA UAS Deputy Project ManagerSara Summers, NOAA UAS Deputy Project ManagerEarth Systems Research Laboratory, Boulder ColoradoEarth Systems Research Laboratory, Boulder Colorado
To understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment and conserve and manage coastal, marine, and Great Lakes’ resources to meet our nation’s economic, social, and environmental needs.
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Vision for UAS Vision for UAS Applications in Applications in
NOAANOAA
Vision for UAS Vision for UAS Applications in Applications in
NOAANOAAUnmanned Aircraft Systems will
revolutionize monitoring of the Earth system, much as radar and satellite technology
have done in the past. Critical environmental monitoring needs and requirements remain unmet NOAA will: - accelerate the exploration of this technology for civilian applications - benefit society by improving NOAA’s ability to meet its mission requirements, and - by strengthening US Global Economic Competitiveness in this key emerging technology
GAP between satellites and surface- based sensorsUAS have great potential to fill this gap and take observations to complement our existing platforms
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NOAA Is Looking At A Broad Range Of Platforms For Global Information to Fill this Gap
NOAA Is Looking At A Broad Range Of Platforms For Global Information to Fill this Gap
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Proposed TestsProposed TestsVision – integrated suite of platforms Vision – integrated suite of platforms
NOAA is planning to test low level and high level UAS over the next few years from the three testbed regions:
2008 - LALE Demonstrations2009 - LALE/HALE Demonstrations2010 - HALE Demonstrations2011 - Go-no-go decision for acquisition based upon testsIf a go, thenHALE acquisitions will be operated by NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO)LALE acquisitions will be operated either by OMAO or field programs
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Gulf Testbed Applications
Dead Zone(harmful algal blooms)
Oil Platforms
Hurricane Forecasting
Hurricane aftermath Katrina (New Orleans)
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2008 Gulf Tests2008 Gulf Tests
Data gap: winds data at low levels of hurricane environment: if NOAA can do a better job improving hurricane intensity forecasts, we can potentially save lives and property. Platform: AerosondeLocation: TBD (this year’s was based out of Key West and Wallops)Partners: - NASA Suborbital Space Group located at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia - Navy: Naval Air Station in Key West, FL (NASKW) - NOAA National Hurricane Center (Miami) - NOAA Key West Weather Forecast Office - AAI/Aerosonde Corporation (WFF)Measurements: low level hurricane windsSensors: IR sensor; Mini BAT probe to measure turbulence
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Aerosonde was launched from the NASA Wallops Research Range at 14:08 EST on Friday November 2, 2007.
The mission lasted 17 hours 27 minutes and resulted in approximately 7.5 hours of data collection in the core of the hurricane.
NOAA/NASA Noel Aerosonde UAS mission
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NOAA/NASA Noel Aerosonde UAS mission coordinated
with NOAA P-3A NASA chase aircraft escorted the Aerosonde for the first three hours of the mission at a nominal altitude of 4,000 ft. until well offshore, and returned to Wallops when weather conditions deteriorated in closer proximity of the hurricane. The mission continued overnight with Aerosonde being drawn into the core of the hurricane and measuring winds as high as 80 mph.
The Aerosonde UAS approached the center of Noel from the north (black), at around 400 m altitude. At the same time, the P-3 (red) was making a penetration from east to west at around 3500 m altitude. GPS dropwindsondes (blue) were deployed from the P-3.
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AerosondeP-3 (3500 m)
Take-off from Wallops Flight Facility
Rendezvous with P-3 at storm center 0525 UTC
KMCF
“Eye” loitering with vertical
soundings (100-1500 m)
Nominal altitude for the Aerosondewas 500 to 2,000 feet.
Data gap: Arctic observations (satellite and surface) are sparse; improved observations of sea ice and Arctic mammal counts, e.g. ice seals, will give us a clearer indication of rate of ice melt and climate change.Platform: Aerosonde (AAI), Scan Eagle (In Situ)Location:The restricted airspace at Oliktok Point, AK Partners: - NOAA Fisheries, National Marine Mammal Laboratory - University of Alaska, Fairbanks - University of Colorado, Boulder, - Sandia National Laboratories (DOE ARM Program)Measurements: Ice Seals distribution; Sea Ice characteristicsSensors: - Digital still camera (Nikon D2X or D3X)
- Infrared video camera (Helitronics KT11 and TBD ) - Up- and down-looking spectrometers (Ocean Optics USB2000) - laser height measurement system (U. of Colorado UAS Laser Profiling System)
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1979
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2003
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Arctic ice seal abundance and Arctic ice seal abundance and distributiondistributionArctic ice seal abundance and Arctic ice seal abundance and distributiondistribution
Mission justificationDetailed, fine scale measurements of sea ice qualities are needed
to inform climate models to better predict what effects changes in sea ice will have on the Arctic climate
Four species of seals depend on sea ice for resting or breeding; almost nothing is known about these four species, and changes in sea ice will have dramatic effects on their abundance and distribution
Why UAS required? Sea ice: Satellite obs do not provide necessary detailIce seals: Occur throughout the Arctic Ocean; manned aerial
surveys cannot cover the entire range of the four species
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2008 Pacific Tests2008 Pacific Tests
Data gap: NOAA wants to improve its understanding of the characteristics of and moisture transport within atmospheric rivers to help improve precipitation
and flood forecasts along the west coast of the US. Platform: Manta (Advanced Ceramics Research)Location: Barking Sands (PMRF), Hawaii Partners: - NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory - NOAA Ocean Service - Scripps Institute of Oceanography Measurements: Water Vapor Sensors: - Advanced aircraft motion package: High rate aircraft attitude required for flux measurement
- KH20 Krypton Hygrometer: fast measurements of water vapor fluctuations - Met package: high rate temperature and pressure - Gust probe - Condensation particle counter: aerosol concentration for measurement of aerosol flux
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Pacific Testbed Applications (35% of earth’s surface)
Northwest Hawaiian Islands National Monument: world’s largest marine sanctuary and one of the most pristine marine ecosystems in the world, nearly untouched by humans. 1,400 long and home to more than 7,000 species, many seen nowhere else in the world