Advisory Report: Unmanned Aerial Systems as Tools for Scientific Data Collection

Introduction:

This report seeks to simplify the prospect of using unmanned aerial systems (UAS) as innovative tools for cutting-edge science.  Biologists, geophysicists, and environmental scientists, in particular, show great potential to benefit from the versatility of UAS operations and represent this report’s main anticipated audience. These different thematic fields encompass a wide variety of mission profiles, nonetheless, they confront a similar challenge. A challenge that stems from the fact that information on UAS operational constraints is elusive and ill-defined, often mixed in with large amounts of misinformation.

This hinders scientist’s ability to coordinate the use of this new remote sensing tool, as the effective integration of UAS technology into any data collection proposal demands a firm understanding of the instrument’s corresponding operational limitations. Furthermore, scientists are busy and lack time to read lengthy agency documentation. To address these needs, the reader will find the following document to be a concise but comprehensive review of UAS implementation considerations. By illustrating regulatory and technical pitfalls, and compiling essential reference material in the appendices, this report hopes to help inform scientists of solutions to common problems in this emerging industry.