#17 SUSB Expo 2014 NOAA UAS Program

1. Challenges & Successes of using
small Unmanned Aerial Systems
(sUAS) for Marine Resource
Management
Todd Jacobs
NOAA UAS Program
8 May2014

2. NOAA UAS Marine Monitoring
Overview
– NOAA and UAS – A Brief History
– Small UAS for Marine Resource Monitoring & Enforcement
– Successes and Challenges
– Looking Forward
– Discussion

3. NOAA Requirements for UAS
Missions that are:
• Dirty
• Dull
• Dangerous (Threat assessments)
• Denied or Impossible to get to and/or impossible to use a
manned aircraft (Low ceilings, etc.):
– Remote
– Unique mission requirements:
o Smaller and quieter UAS don t disturb animals as much as
a manned aircraft would
o Stealth provides advantages for surveillance and
enforcement
o Persistence
o Better data resolution
o Can be quickly deployed and positioned

4. NOAA and UAS
• NASA Ikhana
• ScanEagle
• Manta

5. NOAA/NASA Aerosonde Hurricane Tests
Launching into Hurricane Ophelia 2005

6. Manta in foreground and Silver
Fox on Launcher

7. Insitu A-20 Scan Eagle Recovery

8. 62
62
Platform: ScanEagle (Boeing/Insitu)
Studying ice seals using
a UAS 2009

9. Md4h1000& AQ1&
Quadrocopters

10. Marine Resource Monitoring
• NOAA acquires 2 Puma UAS
• Development of protocols and procedures
• Missions:
• Living Marine Resource Surveys
• Enforcement
• Habitat Mapping and Characterization
• Emergency Response
• Marine Debris
• USCG Arctic Support

11. AeroVironment Puma
All Environment (AE)

12. Video data out to large monitor

13. Puma recovery

14. 25 knot winds during recent exercise

15. Simulated seal and turtle

16. Hawaii Marine Debris testing 6/12

17. Marine Resource Monitoring
Blue Whale Tagging Support

18. Marine Resource Monitoring
Living Marine Resource Surveys
• Seabird Surveys

19. Marine Resource Monitoring
Living Marine Resource Surveys
• Pinnipeds

20. Marine Resource Monitoring
Habitat Mapping

21. Marine Resource Monitoring
• Emergency Response
• Marine Debris

22. Marine Resource Monitoring
• Arctic Support

23. Marine Resource Monitoring
Enforcement

24. Successes
• Vessel launch and recovery
• Flight and data collection protocols
• Shallow water recovery
• Small boat ops
• Ship integration and ops
• Beach launch and recovery
• FAA COAs
• FAA MOU
NOAA has established itself as a leader in utilizing small UAS
for Marine Resource Monitoring

25. Channel Islands Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
with Shipping Lanes,W-289 and W-412 Overlay

26. Today
Questions to ask before committing to use a UAS?
• Should I just rent a Cessna? (Cost, spontaneity, access)
• Should I just bring binoculars? (Can I fly beyond VLOS)
There are significant costs and time associated with planning
and process for COAs, etc. It was taking us ~80 hours of
planning and teleconference time before flying our first hour of
sUAS missions just last year. This is getting better with FAA MOA
and established COAs (no flying BVLOS).
sUAS is not better, faster or cheaper yet!

27. What do I want as a customer?
Missions vs. data buys
• If I am buying equipment and operating myself:
• Systems that are certified, reliable, adaptable, durable, easy
to operate & repair
• Training and support
• Repair services and high availability of spares
• If I am doing a data buy :
• Services that are competent and affordable
• Data and products that meet my specifications

28. Military business model vs. commercial model for R&D and
manufacturing:
• Documentation and certifications (engineering and
airworthiness)
• Single operator (Personnel costs)
• Simple user interfaces
• Development of generic payloads on spec.:
• high resolution optical
• Lidar
• multi-spectral, etc.
• Real-time data needs (not a movie of the data, but the FMV
and metadata in real-time)
Requirements for scientific & commercial market

29. eBee & Altavian
Special purpose
UAS

30. Technological areas for development:
• Simplified user interfaces
• Easy button interfaces to quickly ingest data into
GIS systems to make maps and products
• Advances in compression technology to allow higher
resolution imagery to stream with limited bandwidth,
or the development of new schemes to aid in the
transmission of data from point to point or to the
Internet from remote locations

31. Data requirements and post processing
Latency and utility of data:
• Real time – Streaming Video and IR WITH
telemetry required for queuing personnel and best for
incident commanders (This goes back to data
transmission and system architecture…)
• Recorded on board for characterization and post
processing
• Near-real time for populating maps such as
ERMA, the COP for oil spills that USCG, NOAA &
BSEE now use.
• Post processing after the fact to make maps,
mosaics & data analysis

32. Challenges
• The technology is ahead of the rules
• Current lack of spontaneity in deployment reduces
utility
• Lack of dedicated non-DoD bandwidth for domestic
operations
• Expanding bureaucracy domestically
• FAA airspace limits and uncertainty associated with
when and what the new sUAS rules will allow
• Political concerns/public perceptions
• Policies

33. • Potential obsolescence of today s state of the art
equipment while waiting for the dam to break with the
FAA sUAS rules
• Volume and sales margin vs. rate of return.
• It is easier to leapfrog someone else s innovation
Concerns & Business Risk

34. After FAA sUAS rules open up the commercial space
for sUAS operations and services will become more
competitive:
• Market forces will be at play
• Consolidation in the industry
• There may not be enough demand for all of the overlapping
offerings to make it.
• Some sUAS manufacturers may be acquired for an algorithm,
a piece of software or an interface…
• Big potential rewards for those in the right place at the right
time
The view from below 1,200 AGL