| Title | Developing Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) for High-Resolution Aeromagnetic Mapping Applications in the Geosciences |
|---|---|
| Authors | Leon KAUB, Jonathan GLEN, Claire BOULIGAND, Andrew LAMB, Brent RITZINGER, Mircea TEODORESCU, Kevin HURLEY, Richard HAM and Malcolm WILLIAMSON |
| Year | 2020 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | geophysics, magnetism, aeromagnetic mapping, small uas, magnetic compensation |
| Abstract | We are developing a fixed-frame system employing a small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS) for performing low elevation, fast and affordable aeromagnetic surveys over geothermal or volcanic areas. We tested two different magnetometer systems (scalar and vector) that are both designed for sUAS surveys. The sensor systems are each fixed on a frame at a distance of 0.5 m below the sUAS. Magnetic signals originating from the sUAS that interfere with the intended measurements of geologic features must be removed from the recordings, a process typically referred to as magnetic compensation. This correction requires performing specific maneuvers in a magnetically low gradient area at the beginning of each survey. We employed different compensation methods for the two systems which we applied to data collected during field experiments where we flew a grid pattern over a ~5000m2 area. We compare the different magnetometer systems and their compensation methods. Both sensors yield relatively small differences in their flightline-tieline crossings, and results that are in close agreement with each other and with a ground-based survey. The sUAS performed very stable flights with our system, and yielded results from the scalar magnetometer, that were of comparable precision to a setup using 2.8 m tethers – a configuration suggested by the manufacturer. The configuration we developed, employing a fixed frame combined with the use of compensation algorithms, allows for a small system that is easy to fly in a wide range of conditions (terrain, vegetation, low-altitude, wind), that provides advantages over previous applications using tethers, while yielding similar accuracy. |