PUTTING UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS TO WORK FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH - THE USGS NATIONAL UAS PROJECT OFFICE

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) National Project Office is helping lead the implementation of UAS technology and data acquisition in anticipation of transforming remote sensing research methods employed across the Department of the Interior. UAS technology is being made available to monitor environmental conditions, respond to natural hazards, understand landscape change rates, support related land management missions and conduct wildlife inventories.

Significant progress for the use of UAS is being made by the Dept. of the Interior by integrating policies, platforms and sensors into real-world work as seen through many proof-of-concept projects for the USGS and other government agencies. Results from the previous five years of research work has shown great potential for the possibilities of using UAS technology and utilizing these new approaches of data acquisition by governmental agencies, with the overall goal of integrating the technology into a commonly use tool by researchers and land managers for reduced costs, increased safety and better scientific data.