The impact of small unmanned airborne platforms on passive optical remote sensing: a conceptual perspective

ABSTRACT

Unmanned airborne systems (UAS), particularly the class of UAS referred to as small-unmanned airborne systems (S-UAS), have the potential to revolutionize the science, practice, and role of remote sensing. S-UAS-collected remote sensing data differ from that acquired from larger airborne and space-borne platforms in myriad ways. To provide an indication of the novel remote sensing capabilities that S-UAS are poised to enable and identify research priorities for realizing the full potential of remote sensing from these novel platforms, characteristics of S-UAS platforms and their impact on data and information products are analysed in the context of remote sensing model and the remote sensing communication model. Results indicate that S-UAS will not only enable a range of novel remote sensing capabilities but also present clear challenges to the remote sensing community. These challenges, including increased data volume, a paucity of appropriate analysis approaches, and restrictions on autonomous operation (both regulatory and technological), point towards several near-term research priorities.

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the National Science Foundation Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation (Award number 1360041).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI) division of the National Science Foundation (USA) [1360041].