Training in the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (i.e. drones) for the collection and processing of environmental data

Project Title: Training in the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (i.e. drones) for the collection and processing of environmental data

Project Lead's Name: Jason A Rech

Project Lead's Email: rechja@MiamiOH.edu

Project Lead's Phone: 513-529-1935

Project Lead's Division: CAS

Primary Department: Geology and Environmental Earth Science

Other Team Members:

Amelie Davis
Bart Grudzinski
Robbyn Abbitt
Brian Currie

List Departments Benefiting or Affected by this proposal:

Department of Geology and Environmental Earth Science
Department of Geography
Institute for the Environment and Sustainability

Estimated Number of Under-Graduate students affected per year (should be number who will actually use solution, not just who is it available to): 1,250

Estimated Number of Graduate students affected per year (should be number who will actually use solution, not just who is it available to): 50

Describe the problem you are attempting to solve and your approach for solving that problem:

Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, or drones, are revolutionizing the field of remote sensing and are being used increasingly in the environmental industry. Drones are utilized to assess environmental restoration projects, monitor remote field settings, and map a wide array of landscape features and job sites. This proposal by the departments of Geology & Environmental Earth Science (Geology/EES), Geography, and the Institute for the Environment and Sustainability (IES) is to obtain technology to broadly incorporate drones and the mapping of imagery acquired by drones into our curriculum, thereby preparing Miami University graduates for entering the environmental workforce.

Although drones have become an industry standard in the environmental sciences until only recently has it been feasible to incorporate this innovative technology into the curriculum. Previously, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations prohibited the flying of drones by uncertified pilots due to potentially dangerous interactions with the public, infrastructure, and other aircraft. Recent changes in FAA regulations, however, now allow for drones to be flown by non-certified pilots in safe places and under the supervision of a certified instructor. Additionally, advances in drone technology (e.g., altitude and peripheral sensors and object avoidance programs) have greatly improved in-flight stability and crash avoidance.

We propose to train students in the flying of drones and capturing data in field-based courses such as GEO 221 Regional Physical Environments, GLG 311 Geoenvironmental Field Methods, IES 411/511 Environmental Protocols, and GLG 419/519 Geology of Streams, as well as in classes with a strong field-laboratory emphasis such as GLG 301 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy, GLG 322 Structural Geology, and GLG 354 Geomorphology (in total ~150 students per year impacted). We also plan to use requested funds to obtain industry-standard mapping software for use by students in the above courses as well as environmental courses that focus on the use of remotely sensed data including GEO 242 Mapping a Changing World, GEO 441 Geographic Information Systems, and GEO 442 Advanced Geographic Information Systems (impacting another ~100 students per year). Drone imagery data interpreted in the upper-level courses will also provide materials that will be incorporated into Introductory Geology (GLG 115L) and Geography labs (GEO 121) with a total impact of ~1,000 students per year. Importantly, the utilization of drones and interpretation software in numerous courses across the curriculum will provide the majors in our departments with the experience and expertise necessary to seamlessly integrate these tools into independent student research projects.

How would you describe the innovation and/or the significance of your project:

Drones and data acquisition from drones is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy. Many recent graduates in the environmental and geoscience sectors are actively using drones, and many environmental firms now have branches devoted exclusively to collecting data using drones. This proposal is innovative as it is a combined effort from multiple departments (Geology/EES, Geography, IES) to prepare students at Miami University for the use of drones to collect a wide array of environmental data.

This project is also innovative in that it aims to bring the geoscience and environmental fields to a broader audience. Traditionally, the Earth Sciences have been limited to those that possessed the physical abilities to access remote areas and the stamina to work outside, often in difficult environments. Data collected from drones will be used for virtual field trips and exercises, allowing exposure to groups that typically do not have access to distant and remote field sites.

The ultimate significance of our proposed drone project is the opportunities it will generate for our students. The utilization of drones and interpretation software in numerous courses across the curriculum will provide the majors in our departments with a level of expertise that is currently underdeveloped. The proposed project will allow students to collect and interpret drone data using industry-standard equipment and techniques that they can apply to both coursework and independent research. Collectively, this will provide our students with the hands-on experience desired by future internship supervisors, graduate-school advisors, and environmental/geospatial-industry employers.

How will you assess the success of the project?

We see four specific outcomes:

Students will learn the proper and safe usage of drones.
Students will use data collected by drones in experience-based learning and research.
Students will have access to more authentic virtual field trips through the use of imagery captured by drones.
Students will be better prepared to use drones and the various types of data they capture when they enter the job market. Regardless of whether students use drones in the future, the topics that will be broached when covering drones in class, especially data collection, curation, and analysis will be helpful to students regardless of the field(s) they enter after graduation.

To assess these outcomes, we will annually track the number of students utilizing both drones and drone-generated teaching materials in lecture/lab courses. Because our courses currently utilize only limited drone-related content, we will consider one measure of project success to be if each of our target courses incorporates at least one drone-related mapping exercise or laboratory component into their syllabus. We will also document the number of students utilizing the drones to conduct independent research, as well as their associated conference presentations, undergraduate/graduate theses, and peer-reviewed publications.

Does this proposal create continuing costs which will need to be funded? If so, how do you plan to fund those continuing costs?

Financial Information

Total Amount Requested: $23,926.84

Budget Details:

This proposal seeks funding for four Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 quadcopter drones with accessories and four iPad Pro 11’ tablets for controlling the drones. We also include three desktop computers that will be used exclusively for downloading, storing and processing data from the drones. One computer will be housed in the IES Project Room, one in the Geology/EES Geomorphology lab, and one in the Remote Sensing Lab in the Department of Geography. The proposal also includes the one-time cost of a 25-user site license for PIX 4D mapper software for installation in both the Geology/EES Computer Lab (SHD 51) and Geospatial Analysis Lab (SHD 132). Finally, funding is included to allow four faculty members to complete the coursework and testing necessary for FAA drone pilot certification. The total amount of the proposed budget is $29,426.84. However, the departments of Geology/EES, Geography, and IES can contribute a cost share of $5,500, so the total Tech Fee request is $23,926.84.

Please address how, if at all, this project aligns with University, Divisional, Departmental or Center strategic goals:
The proposed aerial drone project aligns with multiple strategic goals outlined by Miami University stakeholders. For example, the entire project is focused on experienced-based learning through the application of real-world technologies. It is also a prime example of interdepartmental collaboration in teaching and research. Furthermore, the project is an example of how teaching opportunities and learning outcomes can be formulated to align with the demonstrated/communicated needs of aligned industries.