UAV Based LANDCOVER ANALYSIS Using Remote Sensing

For the extraction of land cover a huge number of data sources are available. The requirements for these apps are; accurate and comprehensive land-screening maps and also keeping the lowest cost possible while producing these maps. Land cover mapping can use many types of data sources that are provi

Project Title

UAV Based LANDCOVER ANALYSIS Using Remote Sensing

Project Area of Specialization

Augmented and Virtual Reality

Project Summary

For the extraction of land cover a huge number of data sources are available. The requirements for these apps are; accurate and comprehensive land-screening maps and also keeping the lowest cost possible while producing these maps. Land cover mapping can use many types of data sources that are provided in the market. Some of these sources are unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) also known as drones, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), airborne laser scanning data and optical satellite images. Slow and data acquisition depending on weather, limited flight time, high cost, restricted maneuverability and low geospatial resolution are the limitation of remote sensing through manned aircraft and satellites. In accession, although for land cover mapping airborne laser scanning data is suitable but for small projects they are too costly. On the other hand, UAV images as compared to other techniques are low in cost and also have a very high spatial resolution. In the former decade, for different types of feature extraction and land cover mapping UAV images have been widely used. UAV-based remote sensing enables user-controlled image acquisition and bridges the gap in scale and resolution between ground observations and imagery acquired from conventional satellite sensors. The best possible spatial and temporal resolutions can be produced using UAV based remote sensing for the respective research or application. We propose a novel SOC (System On Chip) based survey module that can be integrated with UAVs, to retrieve information during field surveys. This system can be used in surveys conducted by urban planning departments, agricultural departments and also during real time disaster monitoring. The images or videos obtained during surveys with the help of this module equipped UAVs can be transmitted to any computer or server in real time with help of a SOCs known as the Raspberry Pi. Raspberry Pi is a low cost, credit-card sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor or TV, and uses a standard keyboard and mouse. It is a capable little device that can be programmed to perform multiple tasks. In order to transmit a live stream from the field to any desired server, the Raspberry Pi our proposed system will perform real time video streaming. We will design and develop algorithm for automatic geo registration of the captured image or video stream, using raspberry pie. Using an on tablet or screen the user of the system will be able to select diverse polygons, polylines or point. The collected data will be in the form of vectors and shape files. The module will have the capability to acquire data in real time for further processing or decision making. One of the biggest use of this technology is in the field of machine learning. The data collected using the module can be used for training of machine learning algorithms for land cover mapping or classification.

Project Objectives

The main objectives of the proposed system are as under:

1. Implementation of a UAV based surveying system .
2. The camera mounted on the UAV must be carefully calibrated for accurate results.
3. The implemented system must be able to transmit a live stream from the field to a designated server.
4. The footage transmitted from the UAV must be high resolution and have minimal delay.
5. The image or video stream will be geo referenced.
6. Design and development of auto georeferencing algorithm to capture and intelligently geo reference the image or video stream.
7. The design and development of the surveying application ot be deployed in the module and a web based terminal to video data.

Project Implementation Method

The UAV used in the project first has to be properly calibrated with the help of a flight controller to make its movements more stable. It should also be equipped with a GPS for easily tracking it and to be able to deploy it at specific co-ordinates. The UAV uses a Raspberry Pi microcomputer and a camera to record and transmit data to a server. The software used to send a live stream from the UAV to the server is an open source P2P video streaming software called STAMP. In order to make sure the video obtained during flight is clear and covers all the area, the camera mounted on the UAV has to be carefully calibrated and the Angle of View (AOV) of the camera is calculated.

1. Implementation:

The hardware required to implement this project is described as follows:

• UAV:

An unmanned aerial vehicle is an aircraft without a human pilot on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system; which include a UAV, a ground-based controller, and a system of communications between the two.

• Pixhawk 2.4.8:

Pixhawk 2.4.8 is an advanced autopilot system. It comes with a 32-bit ARM Cortex M4 Processor and also includes various sensors. It delivers incredible performance, flexibility, and reliability for controlling any autonomous vehicle.  

• GPS Module:

A GPS navigation device is a device that is capable of receiving information from GPS satellites and then to calculate the device's geographical position.

• Radio Transmitter and Receiver:

A radio control system is made up of two elements, the transmitter and the receiver. The user controls the transmitter and the receiver is mounted on the UAV. The transmitter sends signals through the air to the receiver in near real time. Once the receiver has this information it passes it on to the flight controller which makes the UAV move accordingly.

• Raspberry Pi 4 Model B:

Raspberry Pi is a single board computer than can be programmed in multiple ways to perform different tasks. It includes four USB 3.0 ports, HDMI port, micro SD card slot for loading an OS and camera port for connecting the Pi Camera. 

• Go Pro for capturing data:

The Go Pro is a state of the art recording and streaming camera with thte capability to capture images in 4k resoution.

The designed algorithm for auto geo-referencing and survey application for the collection of survey data will be deployed in the raspberry pie and tested in the field.

• Varification of the designed algorhtim:

The step will include the verification of the retrived data with respect to the existing satellite data.

Benefits of the Project

Conducting field survey like agricultural surveys require a lot of manpower and time. It is a slow and expensive process and may take up hours to cover even a handful of fields moreover some areas are not easily accessible for humans on foot. Satellite images are also helpful in these surveys but free or inexpensive satellite images available are usually out dated or unusable because of their low resolution.

 The benefits of the project are as under:

1. The time and cost of the filed surveys can be minimised.
2. This proposed system will reduce the cost of conducting surveys, save time and increase productivity.
3. This project will use a UAV for  surveys that can obtain high resolution images and videos and transmit them to any server or personal computer in real time.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

The technichal details of the final deliverable is as under:

The final deliverable will be in the form of a Hardware combined software system with the follwing capabilitie;

• Auto Geo-referencing feature
• Live video streaming and image caputing 
• Field based results on survey conducted by the developed system.
• Detailed FYP Report.

Final Deliverable of the Project

HW/SW integrated system

Core Industry

IT

Other Industries

Media , Telecommunication

Core Technology

Artificial Intelligence(AI)

Other Technologies

Internet of Things (IoT), Augmented & Virtual Reality, Big Data

Sustainable Development Goals

Affordable and Clean Energy, Climate Action

Required Resources

If you need this project, please contact me on contact@adikhanofficial.com