Images

Flying UAS over Cossatot State Park, Arkansas. 

A BluMorpho tag secured on the arm of a Skydio X-10, the uncrewed aircraft system, or drone, being used for range testing. (Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.)

USGS scientists are using an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) to range-test technology for tracking monarch butterfly migration pathways. A UAS, also known as a drone, carrying BluMorpho ultra-lightweight radio tracking devices or tags sits on a landing pad at the Denver Federal Center.

An uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) hovers a radioelement calibration pad with known concentrations of naturally occurring radioactive materials at the Grand Junction Regional Airport (GJT) in Grand Junction, CO. These calibration pads, managed by the U.S.

An uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) carrying a gamma ray spectrometer sensor sits on a landing pad at the Grand Junction Regional Airport (GJT) in Grand Junction, CO. USGS conducted UAS flights at a variety of transect spacings, altitudes, and directions over radioelement calibration pads built into the tarmac at GJT in support of critical mineral research.

A USGS remote pilot secures a gamma ray spectrometer sensor onto an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) at the Grand Junction Regional Airport (GJT) in Grand Junction, CO. Concrete pads built into the tarmac at GJT contain known concentrations of naturally occurring radioactive materials including Potassium, Thorium, and Uranium for radiometric calibration.

An uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) flies over the open water at Willow Creek Reservoir during a harmful algae bloom research campaign.

An uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) flies over the open water at Willow Creek Reservoir during a harmful algae bloom research campaign.

USGS National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO) remote pilot prepares an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) for hyperspectral data collection at Willow Creek Reservoir near Granby, Colorado. This data collection supported harmful algae bloom and water quality research led by the Colorado Water Science Center.

Greyscale tarps and ground control points were placed on land during harmful algae mapping fieldwork at Willow Creek Reservoir near Granby, CO. These targets enable calibration and validation of hyperspectral data captured by uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) to study water quality and algae conditions across the reservoir. 

USGS remote pilots fly uncrewed aircraft systems to capture hyperspectral imagery and video footage at Willow Creek Reservoir in support of harmful algae bloom and water quality research led by the Colorado Water Science Center.

USGS National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO) remote pilot flies an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) carrying a hyperspectral imaging payload at Willow Creek Reservoir near Granby, Colorado. This data collection supported harmful algae bloom and water quality research led by the Colorado Water Science Center.

USGS National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO) remote pilot sets up a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) base station to enable geospatial positioning corrections of remote sensing data at Williams Fork Reservoir near Kremmling, Colorado.

USGS personnel hike through tall grasses and over fallen trees to access a launch site for uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) lidar data collection as part of the Ackerson Meadow restoration in Yosemite National Park, California.

Oblique natural color view of Ackerson Meadow in Yosemite National Park, California, taken using UAS.

An uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) with a mounted lidar sensor sits on an orange landing pad in a field of purple flowers at Ackerson Meadow in Yosemite National Park, California. Repeat lidar data scans were collected by the USGS National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO) to quantify vegetation and topographic changes during meadow restoration.

A USGS National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO) remote pilot flies an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) carrying a lidar sensor to map vegetation and topography during the Ackerson Meadow restoration in Yosemite National Park, California. 

USGS National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO) remote pilot Mark Bauer prepares an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) for lidar data collection at Ackerson Meadow in Yosemite National Park, California.

Uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) carrying a hyperspectral imaging payload with integrated lidar sensor during test and evaluation flights by the USGS National Uncrewed Systems Office.

Any use of trade, firm, logos, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

The new USGS Cooperative National Geologic Map web tool was designed to be mobile friendly, allowing users to explore geologic data easily from their smartphones or tablets. USGS image. 

The new USGS Cooperative National Geologic Map web tool was designed to also be mobile friendly, allowing users to explore geologic data from smartphones and tablets, in addition to larger devices. USGS image.