Capstone Project Planning and Strategy Sessions

       During the past few weeks, our class has collectively decided that it would be most effective if all eight of us were to work together on our capstone project. First we had to figure out a location that would allow us to make frequent unrestricted flights. The Tippecanoe County Amphitheater Park located in West Lafayette, Indiana is a very dynamic area with a lot of interesting features and it was determined that this would be the focus of our collective project. We agreed upon the location after discussing it's many different features that will allow us to map out and acquire data. There are many different terrain elements in the vicinity of the park including a river, the amphitheater, a parking lot, large grass fields, and even sections of forest. With the park butting up against a section of the Wabash River, it has an area that is a flood plain during the end of winter and spring time. The park is mostly empty during the week due to the there only being performances on the weekend which works out quite well for us. Making frequent flights will be essential to gathering data to track the impact of flooding over time. We will be using an array of different platforms including a C-Astral Bramor ppX, DJI Matrice 100, DJI Matrice 600 as well as different sensors like a multispectral, thermal, and LiDAR. 

       Allocating permanent and rotating roles for this project was an extremely important element to these planning sessions. As a group, we discussed what we would like to get out of this project and what elements interest us most. This step was especially important when determining permanent roles enabling us to cater to each person's specific goals. The roles we established included two operations managers, a data manager, a lead author, a ground control lead, a flight engineer lead, and two system integration specialists. 

Annotated Bibliography Assignment

Source

Anon, P. (2018). Aviation leaders harris corporation and PrecisionHawk launch LATAS with live manned aircraft alerts to help drone operators fly safer. (2016, Sep 08). PR Newswire

PR Newswire elucidated in this article how PrecisionHawk, a leader in the drone industry, has devised a safety system to integrate unmanned aerial vehicles into the National Airspace. PrecisionHawk has done a great amount of testing and finally launched their low altitude traffic and airspace safety platform which they call LATAS. The system was created to allow drone operators to ensure that the area they are flying in is safe and alerts them to changes or hazards within the airspace and environment in real time. LATAS provides traffic notifications to both manned and unmanned pilots allowing them to interpret each other’s location to prevent accidents from occurring. Being partnered with Harris Corporation, who provides system integration for the FAA covering the whole National Airspace, allows LATAS to notify traffic hazards to pilots with no delay based on trusted airspace data. This system could not only revolutionize the public’s outlook on commercial drone operations but proves to be reliable tool that could drastically improve safety when it comes to beyond visual line of sight operations.

Source

Singh, K., & Frazier, A. (2018). A meta-analysis and review of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) imagery for terrestrial applications. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 39(15-16), 5078-5098.

         The application of unmanned aerial systems instead of traditional means like satellite imagery and manned aircraft have provided an easily accessible and cost efficient method for researchers to collect data. This article evaluates the different procedures and techniques in collecting and processing data for terrestrial remote sensing. The findings presented conclude that there is a pressing need for standardization of procedures when working with unmanned aerial systems and the data they collect. It would have been useful if the study recommended ways that the community could better utilize this technology in terms of creating workflows and procedures. By taking a closer look into the methods of capturing data, processing data, and analyzing data this study highlights the importance of determining proper techniques to improve accuracy.

Source

Han, Y. G., Kwon, O. H., & Jung, S. (2017). How to utilize vegetation survey using drone image and image analysis software. Journal of Ecology and Environment, 41(1).

This study by the Journal of Ecology and Environment compared the resolution and accuracy of traditional aerial images to images using an unmanned aircraft system. They were able to conclude, from this study, that images taken with the quadcopter were far more precise. It is necessary to correct the image taken by the unmanned aircraft system by accounting for interior and exterior orientation distortion which makes it possible to acquire multicenimeter spatial resolution. This study created an actual vegetation map to analyze vegetation information such as strand patterns. The use of an unmanned aircraft system allowed them to acquire detailed analytics while continuously capturing images.

Source

Perea-Moreno, A., Aguilera-Ureña, M., Larriva, J., & Manzano-Agugliaro, F. (2016). Assessment of the Potential of UAV Video Image Analysis for Planning Irrigation Needs of Golf Courses. Water, 8(12), 584.

         The importance of water conservation for golf courses is of the upmost importance and just about equal to the standard of appearance upkeep when it comes to the turfgrass. The goal for a greenkeeper is to be able to reuse the water so they do not pull from the natural water sources in the vicinity. This goal of the study in this article is to develop a method to maximize water conservation through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. This case study developed a new algorithm that analyzed geometric data gathered from the unmanned aircraft system. This system seems very promising due to it’s maximum overall accuracy being 98.28%. By automating the turfgrass analysis, golf courses would be able to efficiently plan their water use.

Source

Caturegli L, Corniglia M, Gaetani M, Grossi N, Magni S, Migliazzi M, Volterrani M. (2016). Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to Estimate Nitrogen Status of Turfgrasses. PLoS One, 11(6), E0158268.

         This research article evaluates spectral reflectance data obtained from an unmanned aerial system to monitor nitrogen levels and plant health. Unmanned aerial vehicles can optimize turfgrass management through the use of a multispectral camera to come up with the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index. For smaller areas a hand held crop sensor would be more practical but for larger areas such as a golf course, the use of an unmanned aircraft vehicle would be best suited. Using this method, golf courses could detect problems before they affect a larger area saving them time and money.

Source

S. Jung, H. Cho, D. Kim, K. Kim, J. Han and H. Myung . (2017). Development of Algal Bloom Removal System Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and Surface Vehicle. Access, IEEE, 5, 22166-22176.

         This research article explains the dangers of cyanobacterial algae blooms and provides a solution to this issue using autonomous vehicles. The purpose for this study was to detect algal blooms utilizing an unmanned aerial vehicle to detect algae blooms. An autonomous algal bloom removal robotic system was deployed using the data collected from the unmanned aerial system to follow a given path. This catamaran inspired unmanned surface vehicle is equipped with an electrocoagulation and floatation reactor on the underside to remove harmful algae blooms. The field tests done at Daecheong Dam in South Korea demonstrated that 98.53% of the algae was removed but leaving even a small percentage of the algae could prove to be a problem considering that it reproduces very quickly. This method, although it is not perfect, presents an ecofriendly and inexpensive way to remove harmful substance from the water.

Source

Scott Xiang Fang, Siu O’young, & Luc Rolland. (2018). Development of Small UAS Beyond-Visual-Line-of-Sight (BVLOS) Flight Operations: System Requirements and Procedures. Drones, 2(2), 13.

         Memorial University in St. John’s, Canada has a research project under the name of RAVEN. The objective of the RAVEN project is to figure out a way to reach the same level of safety as seen in manned general aviation and apply it to integrating drones into the National Airspace. This article discusses the results of the project through testing a small unmanned aircraft system with detect and avoid safety features. These tests will be crucial for the future of integration for drones. The project goes beyond sense and avoid measures introducing additional features required for beyond visual line of sight operations. Some of these features proposed for beyond visual line of sight operations included a flight termination system, Geo-fencing functions, extended communication links, and return to launch functions. This RAVEN safety system was implemented and successfully proved that when integrated into a beyond visual line of sight operation can immensely improve safety for manned and unmanned traffic.  

Source

Wienhold, K., & Fang, Nick Z. (2017). A Thermal Inertia Approach to Precision Irrigation Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Coupled with High-Resolution Multispectral Imagery, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.

         The study presented in this article was conducted at a golf course in Arlington, Texas to test the feasibility of using a remote sensing system to analyze soil moisture by considering thermal inertia. Precision Irrigation Soil Mapper is what they are calling this system and they claim that it allows for unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution and can save millions of gallons of water each year. A small unmanned aircraft system equipped with a multispectral sensor was used to measure volumetric water content. This study admitted to not being able to take into account the anomaly of variety in subsoils and the effect it would have on uneven heating. If golf courses were to incorporate this, they could adjust specific sprinkler heads to optimize water allocation.

Source

Husson, Eva, Ecke, Frauke, & Reese, Heather. (2016). Comparison of Manual Mapping and Automated Object-Based Image Analysis of Non-Submerged Aquatic Vegetation from Very-High-Resolution UAS Images. Remote Sensing, 8(9), 724-724.

         This article compared the manual mapping techniques to automated mapping using an unmanned aircraft system. The findings presented not only discussed the differences in accuracy but also in time efficiency when analyzing aquatic vegetation growth. Automated mapping using an unmanned aircraft system proves to be valuable when covering a large area. Considering detail and accuracy, manual mapping methods still hold an increased level of precision when dealing with a small area. This article also acknowledges that using LIDAR sensors in the future will allow for the height data to be included potentially improving accuracy.

Source

Manfreda, S., M. E. McCabe, P. E. Miller, R. Lucas, V. P. Madrigal, G. Mallinis, E. Dor, D. Helman, L. Estes, G. Ciraolo, J. Mullerova, F. Tauro, M. I. de Lima, Jlmp del Lima, A. Maltese, F. Frances, K. Caylor, M. Kohv, M. Perks, G. Ruiz-Perez, Z. Su, G. Vico, and B. Toth.  Faculty of Geo-Information Science Earth Observation. (2018). On the use of unmanned aerial systems for environmental monitoring. Remote Sensing, 10(4), 1-28.

This paper discusses the ways in which unmanned aircraft systems can be utilized to drastically improve environmental monitoring. The standard ways of doing this combines ground surveying and satellite images which can be time consuming and has a decreased level of accuracy. Several problems with the data attained by unmanned aircraft systems were discussed including radiometric calibration and sensor calibration which makes them difficult to use. To optimize data collection when using unmanned aircraft systems there needs to be clear procedures and workflows that layout the methodology of planning flights and interpreting the data. Although utilizing these systems in environmental monitoring is relatively new, they promise to be a flexible and versatile tool to acquire high spatial and temporal resolution.

McCormick Park Field Outing

         

         For this field outing, the main focus was to think about crew resource management. The purpose for going out was to map a part of McCormick woods using the Yuneec platform. We were positioned on the Ackerman-Allen Golf course which butted up against the woods we were mapping. Approval was needed and granted since we were a little less than two miles away from the Purdue University Airport to ensure safe integration and coordination with manned traffic. The Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources needed to monitor the woods and our operation assisted them. In doing this mapping mission, the gathered data should be able to analyze the treetop structure and identify different species within the woods. This data was collected using RGB imagery that was well suited for the mission.

         The class was split up into three groups during this outing. The first group was the flight control group and they were responsible for the control of the aircraft as well as making initial radio calls and provided mission organization. The other two groups were for visual observation and were given a handheld radio to report when they had visual contact with the unmanned aerial vehicle. Personally, I was involved with one of the visual observation groups and our objective was to radio out when we had gained sight of the unmanned aerial vehicle and to radio call again when we had lost sight of the aircraft. This created a daisy chain that allowed this flight to remain compliant Part 107’s visual line of sight rules. Not only did this assure that we weren’t breaking the visual line of sight rule but it also allowed the flight control group to have an understanding of the positioning of the aircraft and any other traffic at all times. The mission was successful being that we did everything in our power to ensure safety procedures were being met.

          

         The image at the beginning of this post shows the Yunnec Platform. The two images at the bottom of this post display the view point of the furthest visual observation group. The image on the left side of the page displays the unmanned aerial vehicle over the section of McCormick Park that we were surveying with the Yuneec platform shown inside the red circle. The image on the right gives a look into the crucial communication element of this mission following Part 107 visual line of sight guidelines by maintaining radio contact with the flight control group. Kyle Sheehan is shown on the right side of the picture as well as myself making a radio call on the left side of the image.

Open Source GIS

In the previous lab we learned how to work with ArcGIS where we created a digital surface map that you can find in the post below. Building off that, we were given the opportunity to learn from Dr. Christina Hupy about open source QGIS software. The following questions and answers outline what we did during our tutorial and how proprietary software in GIS differentiates from open source QGIS software.

Introduction

• What is GIS? That is, is it just software. What did Dr. Christina Hupy stress when she spoke about what defines what exactly constitutes GIS?
• GIS Stands for geographic information system and provides structure to manage, convey, and analyze many forms of data. GIS allows the user to more effectively investigate different layers of information making use of maps and 3D models to help identify patterns and solve problems. 
• What makes open source GIS (QGIS) different than proprietary (ESRI) GIS?
• Any software that is open source is collaboratively built, developed, and tested by a large community of contributors. Open source GIS is able to grow a lot faster and more efficiently than proprietary GIS because there are no business related loops to jump through.
• What are advantages and disadvantages between the two?
• The main advantage of open source software as a whole is that it is able to be developed collectivley and quickly to meet a wide array of needs. Open source software allows the users to control the development of where their needs truly are. Using open source software in the drone industry is crucial because of the rate of technological advancements moving so rapidly. A disadvantage of open source software is that there are no true admins that can ensure that the software is running correctly. An advantage of ESRI GIS is that it is a lot smoother around the edges and allows for quick understanding of the software. A proprietary GIS would have problem solving teams to deal with any problems but this is also a disadvantage because the software has to generate revenue to be able to pay these people.
• Why is Open Source GIS important to the UAS industry? That is, speculate upon your own experiences and goals to relate how this software could open doors and markets where proprietary GIS keeps doors closed.
• Technology is always changing, evolving, and improving. Open source GIS follows the same path of this constant development which makes it extremely important to the industry as a whole. Proprietary GIS Software will always be one step behind the curve due to updates needing to be approved and implemented.

Method/Discussion

• The creation of a hill shaded digital surface map in QGIS had many steps. For example, at first we had to make sure the appropriate plug ins were enabled then we added the data into a new layer. Going into layer properties allowed us to select a color ramp and select the minimum and maximum values. We were able to adjust the transparency and create a hillshade effect. Dr. Christina Hupy patiently walked us through the creation of a false color image by stacking different layers and adjusting band numbers to create a false color infrared image.

Conclusions

• Draw upon the previous lab and compare your experience between Arc Desktop and QGIS.
• There are quite a few differences between the two programs. Personally I had an easier time getting through and creating the false color image with a few pointers. At first glance the proprietary software looks simple enough, but I ran into numerous problems with the tool box disappearing and commands simply taking way too much time to load or not even load at all. QGIS for the most part ran very smoothly and I was extremely impressed by a software built by people coming together from all over.
• Draw upon the lab examples, and some of the plug ins you were shown to link how this could relate to UAS data, and perhaps even your final project.
• My final project requires me to analyze data that I get from flying over ponds and I think I could utilize many of the tools and plug ins when creating a map for a potential customer, 

1. 1.       Prior to this activity, how would you rank yourself in knowledge about the topic. (1-No Knowledge at all, 2-Very Little Knowledge, 3-Some knowledge, 4-A good amount of knowledge, 5-I knew all about this)
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2. 2.       Following this activity, how would you rate the amount of knowledge you have on the topic (1- I don’t really know enough to talk about the topic, 2- I know enough to explain what I did, 3-I know enough to repeat what I did, 4-I know enough to teach someone else, 5- I am an expert)
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3. 3.       Did the hands-on approach to this activity add to how much you were able to learn (1-Strongly Disagree, 2-Disagree, 3-No real opinion, 4-Agree, 5-Strongly Agree)
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What types of learning strategies would you recommend to make the activity even better?
  Allow us to watch someone walk through the creation of one of these maps without having to constantly have our eyes flick from our computer to the presentation. At some points I fell behind and became lost because I had missed one of the steps.

Map Creation

Introduction

• Why are proper cartographic skills essential in working with UAS data?

• UAS data is meaningless without properly conveying it in a map to express a situation. It is critical to express UAS data in an accurate way making sure that it is both clear and organized. Cartographic skills are necessary to convert data into a meaningful map to show the true purpose.

• What are the fundamentals of turning either a drawing or an aerial image into a map?

• The fundamentals of turning a drawing or aerial image into a map stems from giving the audience a sense of what they are truly looking at in reference to symbols, scale, area of interest, and direction.

• What can spatial patterns of data tell the reader about UAS data? Provide several examples.

• Spacial patterns can allow the audience to uncover, dissect, and compare the data. Hill shading is one example that allows the reader to see different points of elevation as well as color mapping which allows the reader to pick up on specific areas of interest depending on what the cartographer is trying to show. Spacial patterns can show things like land erosion and even plant health.

• What are the objectives of this lab?

• The objectives of this lab were to familiarize the class with ArcGIS software such as ArcMap, ArcScene, and ArcCatalog. We learned as a class the tools required to effectively make a map using UAS data including the cartographic essentials needed to reference location and scale.

Methods

• What key characteristics should go into folder and file naming conventions?

• Some key characteristics that should go into folder and file naming conventions include the date, the name, and any other important identifiers. Folders should be specific and organized.

• Why is file management so key in working with UAS data?

• File management is so key in working with UAS data because the files can look pretty close to the same thing but when you look deeper the files are indeed very different sets of data. Keeping files managed in an organized fashion will indefinitely help with avoiding mistakes and finding files in a timely manner. 

• What key forms of metadata should be associated with every UAS mission?

• Key forms of metadata that should be associated with every UAS mission includes but is not limited to pilot name, date, conditions, location, altitude, platform used, and sensor used.

• What basemap did you use? Why?

• The basemap that I used was the light gray canvas because it gave insight to the audience by allowing them to see major cites while not jumbling up the map with unnecessary information.

• What is the difference between a DSM and DEM?

• DSM stands for digital surface model and it includes everything on the surface like man made objects. DEM stands for digital elevation model and it does not include objects on the surface but shows the elevation of terrain in reference to sea level.

• Descriptive statistics include Cell Size, Units, Projection, Highest Elevation, Lowest Elevation. Why are these important?

• These statistics are important because they allow the audience to properly analyze what is shown in the map and understand the information.

• What does hillshading do towards being able to visualize relief and topography.

• Hillshading is a very valuable tool that allows for the exaggeration of terrain to show differences in elevation. Hillshading allows the audience to better interpret the map by showing how the differences in the sunlight interacting with the surface.
• How does the orthomosaic relate to what you see in the shaded relief of the DSM?

• The orthomosaic shows specific objects and vegetation more clearly while adding shaded relief of the DSM shows differences related to color more vividly.

• What is the purpose of vertical exaggeration? 

• The purpose of vertical exaggeration is that it allows the audience to really visualize differences in the elevation of the terrain.

• What settings do you have for your data?

• For my data the settings for my data are all multiplied by 1.5 to allow for added emphasis.

• What color ramp did you use? Why?

• The color ramp I used when creating my map was the green to red which I inverted so that green was displaying lower elevation and red showed places that were higher.

• What are the advantages of using ArcScene to view UAS DSM data vs. the overhead shaded relief in ArcMap. What are the disadvantages?

• An advantage of using ArcSene is that it allows you to rotate the map in all directions allowing for different views of the 3D map to make differences more apparent. 

• Is this export a map? Why or why not?

• This is not an export map because it does not include any essential references like scale, symbols, or metadata.

Conclusion

• Summarize what makes UAS data useful as a tool to the cartographer and GIS user

• An unmanned aerial system can allow you to cover a lot of area a lot quicker than a manned aircraft with great resolution that you cannot get with a satellite.

• What limitations does the data have? What should the user know about the data when working with it?

• Limitations the data has would be that it can only be as good as the global positioning system's accuracy.

• Speculate what other forms of data this data could be combined with to make it even more useful.

• Different maps showing changes over time would be extremely useful.

Make sure you answer the questions for your ‘Evaluation’ page:
1. 1. Prior to this activity, how would you rank yourself in knowledge about the topic. (1-No Knowledge at all, 2-Very Little Knowledge, 3-Some knowledge, 4-A good amount of knowledge, 5-I knew all about this)
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2. 2. Following this activity, how would you rate the amount of knowledge you have on the topic (1- I don’t really know enough to talk about the topic, 2- I know enough to explain what I did, 3-I know enough to repeat what I did, 4-I know enough to teach someone else, 5- I am an expert)
3
3. 3. Did the hands-on approach to this activity add to how much you were able to learn (1-Strongly Disagree, 2-Disagree, 3-No real opinion, 4-Agree, 5-Strongly Agree)
4
What types of learning strategies would you recommend to make the activity even better?
Possibly giving us different sets of data over time of an area would allow us to analyze changes.

Ethics and Morality involving Drone Strikes

Ethics and Morality involving Drone Strikes

During the past years drones have slowly been incorporated into warfare most namely for strikes against terrorist organizations. There are many advantages to using this new technology over typical reconnaissance and weapons. Drones can observe from extremely high altitudes and carefully watch a target for hours or even days on end going unnoticed. Without a trace they can take immediate action should an opportunity present itself for a strike without putting a pilot in danger being that they are controlling the system from thousands of miles away. Before the United States was brutally attacked by Al Qaeda in a number of instances including the tragedy of 9/11, there was a ban on Assassinations in Executive Order 12333 Part 2.1. On September 17th, 2001 President George W. Bush signed a CIA Memorandum of Notification modifying the ban on assassinations to specifically empower the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to use lethal covert action to disrupt Al Qaeda. This memorandum authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to unleash the lethal General Atomics MQ-1 Predator armed with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles developed for precision strikes and have since been used in a number of targeted killings of high-profile individuals. While many of these attacks have gone on without casualties, the fact that it is possible to unintentionally have civilian casualties brings up the issue of morality. 

 In the book, “Predator: The Secret Origins of the Drone Revolution” by Richard Whittle, there are a number of issues brought up encompassing the idea of ethics involving targeted killings. Drones have been slowly adopted since the simple beginnings of radio controlled aircraft during World War II. The Army for years had been purchasing propeller driven remote control target drones even adding a film camera to them for photo reconnaissance and decoys to fool air defenses. The Air Force had shown no interest in drones until the Soviet Union shot down one of their U-2 reconnaissance jets. Another U-2 reconnaissance jet was shot down over Cuba but this was a lethal attack that killed the pilot. After these two spy planes were downed it sparked an interest in the United States Air Force to start looking into drones. While these fireflies were being used in great numbers more than half of them were shot down or crashed. With these remotely piloted vehicles being so unreliable it only further hardened the Air Force’s culture of holding aircraft with pilots aboard to the highest level of attention. 

Once Karem  developed a drone with a reasonable endurance time that was actually reliable, the military actually began to pay attention to unmanned aircraft. The Army was not doing so well in regards to Aquila drone so funding was added to help aid Karem with his Amber project. This promised to equip the amber with a number of different payloads including daylight and infrared cameras. Turning this project lethal, Karem also introduced an Amber with a missle shaped nose to carry a warhead to allow the military to recognize all of its potential. Even with the great feats in innovation that Karem developed with Leading Systems, the company went bankrupt. General Atomics acquired not only the assets of Leading Systems but also Karem himself setting up the company to make their mark in the drone revolution. When the Pentagon awarded General Atomics the contract to build the MQ-1 Predator a new era was started. After demonstrating the Predator’s capabilities it was commissioned to Afghanistan to hunt for Osama Bin Laden.

The first big win came when the Predator was successfully able to identify a tall man in white robes emerge from a building around Osama Bin Laden’s residence. With no question that this was the target the summer project was geared towards finding. With no cruise missiles deployed after spotting Osama Bin Laden a lot of people were upset that no action was made after the target was spotted. The Predator’s flights over Afghanistan proved it’s worth significantly in being a revolutionary eye in the sky but there were a number of calls for it to become more than that. Air Force General John Jumper was in the works to arm the Predator. 

While guided missiles have been around for awhile they have not been perfected. In April 1999 two guided missiles struck a passenger train killing many civilians and a need for a better alternative was introduced. A major legal issue encompassing the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was brought to Jumper’s attention. A uling came about stating that the Predator was acceptable and did not violate the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. After the CIA and NSC had been impressed by the the summer project’s Predator video of Osama Bin Laden they wanted to send armed Predators to Afghanistan. The attack on USS Cole had sparked a deep yearning for retaliation and now that they were learning of intelligence that predicted Al Qaeda was planning another attack on the United States made arming the Predator that much more Achievable. When the Predator spotted Osama Bin Laden at Tarnak farms, the failure to act in sending deadly forces sparked outrage with a number of people. It is a possibility that had they fired a missile from a Predator that was armed the soldiers killed on  the USS Cole may have lived to see another day.

Once the Hellfire missiles were integrated with the Predator there was one more thing that needed to be included. A toggle switch needed to be applied so that someone other than a military pilot could take legal responsibility for the strike. The toggle switched was connected to the Predator’s flight control console and was named the monkey switch. Even the name of this raised concerns because basically it was saying that a monkey could facilitate a lethal attack. Politically speaking this makes it extremely easy for commanders to order strikes. 

Drones like the Predator can give extremely useful information and intelligence. This intelligence is presumably the most important key element in deciding if drone strikes are ethical. The predator has an extremely high endurance time making it very capable of deciding with the utmost certainty the right target is identified and acquired. Even with this decent amount of certainty, the topic of civilian casualties needs to be addressed more thoroughly. In the Epilogue of the book, Whittle highlights President Obama’s speech at the National Defense University, in Washington, D.C., on May 23, 2013, saying, “This new technology raises profound questions about who is targeted, and why; about civilian casualties, and the risk of creating new 

enemies; about the legality of such strikes under U.S. and international law; about accountability and morality.” But he also defended the tactic, saying drone strikes were legal under America’s “legitimate claim of self-defense” against Al Qaeda and other terrorists and were being conducted under “clear guidelines, oversight and accountability.” The new guidance on “Use of Force in Counterterrorism Operations” stipulated, among other things, that “lethal force” (drones strikes) would be used only when there was no alternative means of preventing a terrorist posing a “continuing, imminent threat” to “U.S. persons” and when there was a “near certainty” that no “non-combatants” would be injured or killed. The process used to reach those conclusions, remains cloaked in government secrecy. It seems like if this “near certainty” is actually a reliable figure for this plan to not harm any civilians, then what he is saying could hold up to the ethical values of the population. 

The epilogue of the book also highlights where drone technology might go in a study, “Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Plan, 2009–2047”—even forecast that by the one hundredth anniversary of the independent Air Force in 2047, the service would have armed drones automated with artificial intelligence capable of deciding on their own when and whether to attack a target. The report admitted, however, that the development of such a capability would be “contingent upon political and military leaders resolving legal and ethical questions” about such “lethal autonomy,” and the Air Force later backed away from the concept. This raises major concerns with where this technology is going. Equipping an unmanned aerial system with not only lethal weapons but also the decision making capabilities of artificial intelligence seems like a recipe for disaster. The capabilities of armed drones have already detached the act of killing to mearley pressing a button. Once you get rid of the already subtle involvement humans have in taking this action, you get rid of the humanity and accountability for the decision in general.

Pond Management Capstone Proposal

Pond Management Capstone Proposal

            The use of unmanned aerial systems to facilitate inspections using sensors is very cost efficient when compared to traditional manual inspection methods. I have a particular interest in pond and lake management. I currently work for a company called Pond Life Consulting and we also deal with a lot of bodies of water for golf courses. I have recently came across a company called GreenSight Agronomics and they specialize in image analysis for the purpose of TurfGrass to help golf courses make better decisions about their property. My past experience in pond management could assist in going further into golf course management as a whole. The goal at Pond Life Consulting is to keep ponds under control without damaging the greens and turf on the course. The problem we have when going to check for algae growth is constant tire tracks from our trailer destroying their perfectly cut grass and traveling far distances to accounts only to get there to find no substantial growth. My plan is to use a small unmanned aircraft system to fly over the ponds while using a multispectral camera to identify issues with vegetation growth on top of and even underneath the water. Identifying invasive species of plants and algae with the use of a drone would make our job and the job of the greenskeeper a lot easier and more efficient. If I could incorporate pond care inspection into GreenSight's and my company's business model I think it would make the turf grass service even more worthwhile for golf courses and save Pond Life Consulting a lot of money. I would be able to help reduce the operation of maintenance costs by keeping the vegetation in check.

            The project I plan to do will include multiple flights over a pond using an unmanned platform most likely being a quadcopter equipped with a RedEdge-M sensor to determine the amount of algae or subsurface plants present. Once I have determined the amount of plant life present I will then determine the amount of chemicals needed to completely eradicate the growth. Following this I will utilize my companies spray boat to disperse the predicted amount of chemicals needed to fix the problem. Within a few days as the algae or plants start to turn brown and decay I will make another flight to analyze the percentage of plants killed. Also when doing this follow up flight I will look for any fish kills that are present. Within a week a final flight will be conducted showing that the body of water is clear of any unsightly plant life on the surface or subsurface. If this is successful I would like to try out this procedure on bigger bodies of water using a fixed wing platform capable of flying for a longer endurance time.

You can view a PowerPoint presentation which briefly goes over the project proposal by following the URL below.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1JbAeDkgVyU74XCf2bLdnRH0VfADSkiO3osUDVe_JgXQ/edit?usp=sharing