Externally mounted commercial-off-the-shelf cameras were used for the first time during a September mission to evaluate UAS identification and mapping of abandoned mine land features. This utilization of a GoPro Hero 2 camera mounted on a Raven UAS platform allowed for the collection of higher-resolution imagery, which was later proven to better support structure from motion photogrammetric modeling. Also demonstrated during this mission was the ability to safely fly UAS at elevations about 10,000 feet, a vital requirement for supporting data collection at the DOI’s many high elevation lands in the western United States.
Monitor River Impacts During the Removal of the Elwha and Glines Dams in the Olympic National Park
As a collaborative effort between the USGS, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the National Park Service (NPS), the NUSO conducted repeated UAS surveys in June and September of 2012 along the Elwha River to help monitor river impacts and provide much-needed data about the rates and patterns of change that occurred during the removal of the Elwha and Glines dams.
The Elwha River Restoration Project, led by the NPS, was established to produce a scientifically sound technical narrative describing what happened to the fish, reservoir sediment, reservoir topography, and vegetation during and following dam removal. This restoration project is unique since the removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams represents the largest controlled release of sediment in the history of North America and encompasses an entire watershed. This entire area includes 320 square miles, from Olympic Mountains to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, of predominantly pristine wilderness that is also historically home to all runs of Pacific Northwest salmon. Fully understanding the physical and biological responses of this river system to dam removal will provide invaluable information for other dam removal river restoration projects, as well as any dam operations undergoing Federal Energy Regulatory Commission relicensing.
As part of this restoration effort UAS missions were performed along the Elwha River to acquire data that, once orthorectified, would provide information about the rates and patterns of change that occur during this large-scale river restoration. Since this is the first dam removal on such a large scale, there are uncertainties about how rapidly, and in what patterns, sediment will erode from the reservoirs and move downstream. The hope was that many of these uncertainties could be addressed by using remotely sensed data to monitor changes in the reservoirs and river channel. It was believed that the resolution of imagery, and if available Ku band radar imagery, collected from UAS technology would be highly valuable for monitoring sediment volumes eroded from the reservoir and deposited downstream, where the mobile sediment can potentially affect salmon habitat and flood-stage elevation.
After the imagery data was acquired in June and September, it was used in a systematic process of geometric correction and three-dimensional reconstruction to generate a river model over the Lake Aldwell area. Specific data processing steps included selecting, loading and aligning the images, point cloud creation with horizontal and vertical derivations, elevation modeling and draping of the images, and export of the geographic products. As a result of this processing an orthorectified imagery base of the reservoir, showing the restored river basin with the rapid change in sediment movement and infill, was created. Combining this base imagery with other remotely sensed data types, provides a multi-layered historical collection of data over the area that can be used to evaluate sediment movements. Documenting this information will also benefit future efforts since what is learned from the Elwha River changes can be used as a guide during other dam removal projects in the Pacific Northwest and nationwide.
Study Points of Contact:
Douglas R. Clark, Ph.D.
Bureau of Reclamation, TSC
Andrew Ritchie
U.S. Geological Survey
Additional Information:
National Park Service Elwha River Webcams
USGS science supporting the Elwha River Restoration Project (USGS Website)
Elwha River Dam Removal - Rebirth of a River (USGS Fact Sheet)
USGS UAS Supporting Elwha River Restoration (USGS YouTube Video)
Abandoned Mine Lands Inspections at the Colorado Coal Basin Mine
In September 2012 the NUSO, working with the Office of Surface Mining and the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology, performed a mission to determine if UAS-captured video could identify and map abandoned mine land (AML) features, such as portals and other dangerous openings, from a safe distance.
Abandoned mines can pose serious health and safety hazards, such as landslides, erosion, surface instability, and burning coal refuse, which is why the government is required to inspect AML sites and identify any needed remediation. Performing these inspections often means that State and Federal AML departments must spend significant amounts of time and money driving to remote sites located in rough terrain. For example, the Coal Basin mining operation, located in Pitkin County Colorado, covers over 236 acres along the divide that separates the North Fork of the Gunnison watershed from the Crystal River watershed, and drainage from the east side of Huntsman Ridge flows through several tributaries into Coal Creek.
Mining of the Coal Basin deposits began in 1895 and continued until 1908, and then in 1956 the Mid-Continent Resources began producing coking coal at this location. The Coal Basin Mine consists of five adjacent underground mines, a rock tunnel entry, a preparation plant, two coal waste piles, one development waste pile, an extensive road system and numerous ancillary facilities. There were five drift mines, driven from the outcrop down-dip through the western flank of Coal Basin and under Huntsman Ridge, that were all interconnected. Coal, men and equipment were brought to the surface through one bore of the rock tunnel. The Coal Basin area also has diverse climate characteristics caused by its precipitous rise in elevation, the lowest point was the coal preparation plant at 8,000 feet, while the highest point is along Huntsman Ridge at 11,852 feet. As a result, temperature, precipitation, and wind conditions are quite variable throughout the disturbed area.
These challenging access and environmental conditions made the Coal Basin Mine the ideal location for determining if UAS sensors could be used to safely record the area and identify any AML features, such as portals and other dangerous openings. During the mission NUSO pilots also tested the use of externally mounted commercial-off-the-shelf cameras for the first time. Use of an externally mounted GoPro Hero 2 camera on the Raven UAS platform allowed for the collection of higher-resolution imagery. After successfully acquiring this imagery, it was later evaluated for use in 3D photogrammetric modeling software which determined that this type of image data provided a better way to use structure from motion techniques. Another technical advance showcased during this mission was the ability to fly at elevations above 10,000 feet, which is very important to support the many high elevation DOI lands in the western United States.
This mission successfully demonstrated the value of UAS technology with mounted cameras to assist in the extremely vast and difficult job of monitoring and inspecting AML areas. Use of UAS-collected data to perform thorough site inspections would not only significantly decrease the time and expense required but would also help inspectors collect the high-resolution data needed to determine the best course for any needed remediation.
Study Point of Contact:
Sandy Brown, Senior Environmental Protection Specialist
Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology
Park Boundary Fence Inspections at Hawaii’s Haleakala National Park
NUSO remote pilots worked with the NPS in May 2012 to test UAS’ ability to map invasive plants and inspect fence lines in remote inaccessible areas of the Haleakala National Park.
The Haleakala Resource Management Division is responsible for the preservation and restoration of the resources in the Haleakala National Park. As a result, work crews can spend hours in rough terrain trying to find the location of invasive plants and inspecting a 50-mile barrier fence for holes, damage, and maintenance issues. To potentially mitigate staff safety issues, the NUSO evaluated the use of UAS sensors for real-time monitoring over these remote inaccessible areas. During test flights use of the Ravens full motion video allowed fence line inspection to occur in real-time and supported the collection of the GPS coordinates needed to easily map areas that required repair or further inspection. Operation of the Raven was also shown to pose little risk to native birds and emitted much less noise than a typical manned aircraft, which further limited disruptions to wildlife.
Study Point of Contact:
Matt Brown, Chief of Resources Management
Haleakala National Park
Externally mounted commercial-off-the-shelf cameras were used for the first time during a September mission to evaluate UAS identification and mapping of abandoned mine land features. This utilization of a GoPro Hero 2 camera mounted on a Raven UAS platform allowed for the collection of higher-resolution imagery, which was later proven to better support structure from motion photogrammetric modeling. Also demonstrated during this mission was the ability to safely fly UAS at elevations about 10,000 feet, a vital requirement for supporting data collection at the DOI’s many high elevation lands in the western United States.
Monitor River Impacts During the Removal of the Elwha and Glines Dams in the Olympic National Park
As a collaborative effort between the USGS, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the National Park Service (NPS), the NUSO conducted repeated UAS surveys in June and September of 2012 along the Elwha River to help monitor river impacts and provide much-needed data about the rates and patterns of change that occurred during the removal of the Elwha and Glines dams.
The Elwha River Restoration Project, led by the NPS, was established to produce a scientifically sound technical narrative describing what happened to the fish, reservoir sediment, reservoir topography, and vegetation during and following dam removal. This restoration project is unique since the removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams represents the largest controlled release of sediment in the history of North America and encompasses an entire watershed. This entire area includes 320 square miles, from Olympic Mountains to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, of predominantly pristine wilderness that is also historically home to all runs of Pacific Northwest salmon. Fully understanding the physical and biological responses of this river system to dam removal will provide invaluable information for other dam removal river restoration projects, as well as any dam operations undergoing Federal Energy Regulatory Commission relicensing.
As part of this restoration effort UAS missions were performed along the Elwha River to acquire data that, once orthorectified, would provide information about the rates and patterns of change that occur during this large-scale river restoration. Since this is the first dam removal on such a large scale, there are uncertainties about how rapidly, and in what patterns, sediment will erode from the reservoirs and move downstream. The hope was that many of these uncertainties could be addressed by using remotely sensed data to monitor changes in the reservoirs and river channel. It was believed that the resolution of imagery, and if available Ku band radar imagery, collected from UAS technology would be highly valuable for monitoring sediment volumes eroded from the reservoir and deposited downstream, where the mobile sediment can potentially affect salmon habitat and flood-stage elevation.
After the imagery data was acquired in June and September, it was used in a systematic process of geometric correction and three-dimensional reconstruction to generate a river model over the Lake Aldwell area. Specific data processing steps included selecting, loading and aligning the images, point cloud creation with horizontal and vertical derivations, elevation modeling and draping of the images, and export of the geographic products. As a result of this processing an orthorectified imagery base of the reservoir, showing the restored river basin with the rapid change in sediment movement and infill, was created. Combining this base imagery with other remotely sensed data types, provides a multi-layered historical collection of data over the area that can be used to evaluate sediment movements. Documenting this information will also benefit future efforts since what is learned from the Elwha River changes can be used as a guide during other dam removal projects in the Pacific Northwest and nationwide.
Study Points of Contact:
Douglas R. Clark, Ph.D.
Bureau of Reclamation, TSC
Andrew Ritchie
U.S. Geological Survey
Additional Information:
National Park Service Elwha River Webcams
USGS science supporting the Elwha River Restoration Project (USGS Website)
Elwha River Dam Removal - Rebirth of a River (USGS Fact Sheet)
USGS UAS Supporting Elwha River Restoration (USGS YouTube Video)
Abandoned Mine Lands Inspections at the Colorado Coal Basin Mine
In September 2012 the NUSO, working with the Office of Surface Mining and the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology, performed a mission to determine if UAS-captured video could identify and map abandoned mine land (AML) features, such as portals and other dangerous openings, from a safe distance.
Abandoned mines can pose serious health and safety hazards, such as landslides, erosion, surface instability, and burning coal refuse, which is why the government is required to inspect AML sites and identify any needed remediation. Performing these inspections often means that State and Federal AML departments must spend significant amounts of time and money driving to remote sites located in rough terrain. For example, the Coal Basin mining operation, located in Pitkin County Colorado, covers over 236 acres along the divide that separates the North Fork of the Gunnison watershed from the Crystal River watershed, and drainage from the east side of Huntsman Ridge flows through several tributaries into Coal Creek.
Mining of the Coal Basin deposits began in 1895 and continued until 1908, and then in 1956 the Mid-Continent Resources began producing coking coal at this location. The Coal Basin Mine consists of five adjacent underground mines, a rock tunnel entry, a preparation plant, two coal waste piles, one development waste pile, an extensive road system and numerous ancillary facilities. There were five drift mines, driven from the outcrop down-dip through the western flank of Coal Basin and under Huntsman Ridge, that were all interconnected. Coal, men and equipment were brought to the surface through one bore of the rock tunnel. The Coal Basin area also has diverse climate characteristics caused by its precipitous rise in elevation, the lowest point was the coal preparation plant at 8,000 feet, while the highest point is along Huntsman Ridge at 11,852 feet. As a result, temperature, precipitation, and wind conditions are quite variable throughout the disturbed area.
These challenging access and environmental conditions made the Coal Basin Mine the ideal location for determining if UAS sensors could be used to safely record the area and identify any AML features, such as portals and other dangerous openings. During the mission NUSO pilots also tested the use of externally mounted commercial-off-the-shelf cameras for the first time. Use of an externally mounted GoPro Hero 2 camera on the Raven UAS platform allowed for the collection of higher-resolution imagery. After successfully acquiring this imagery, it was later evaluated for use in 3D photogrammetric modeling software which determined that this type of image data provided a better way to use structure from motion techniques. Another technical advance showcased during this mission was the ability to fly at elevations above 10,000 feet, which is very important to support the many high elevation DOI lands in the western United States.
This mission successfully demonstrated the value of UAS technology with mounted cameras to assist in the extremely vast and difficult job of monitoring and inspecting AML areas. Use of UAS-collected data to perform thorough site inspections would not only significantly decrease the time and expense required but would also help inspectors collect the high-resolution data needed to determine the best course for any needed remediation.
Study Point of Contact:
Sandy Brown, Senior Environmental Protection Specialist
Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology
Park Boundary Fence Inspections at Hawaii’s Haleakala National Park
NUSO remote pilots worked with the NPS in May 2012 to test UAS’ ability to map invasive plants and inspect fence lines in remote inaccessible areas of the Haleakala National Park.
The Haleakala Resource Management Division is responsible for the preservation and restoration of the resources in the Haleakala National Park. As a result, work crews can spend hours in rough terrain trying to find the location of invasive plants and inspecting a 50-mile barrier fence for holes, damage, and maintenance issues. To potentially mitigate staff safety issues, the NUSO evaluated the use of UAS sensors for real-time monitoring over these remote inaccessible areas. During test flights use of the Ravens full motion video allowed fence line inspection to occur in real-time and supported the collection of the GPS coordinates needed to easily map areas that required repair or further inspection. Operation of the Raven was also shown to pose little risk to native birds and emitted much less noise than a typical manned aircraft, which further limited disruptions to wildlife.
Study Point of Contact:
Matt Brown, Chief of Resources Management
Haleakala National Park