NOAA partners with UMD UAS Test Site to investigate UAS in Satellite Data Validation

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In an effort to determine whether or not UAS can be used to validate satellite data more efficiently, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has partnered with the University of Maryland Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Test Site.

NOAA regularly measures temperatures and light wavelengths from earth, and compares those results with results sent down from space.

While this process helps make sure that weather forecasts aren’t manipulated by inaccurate data, it is labor intensive and hard to conduct over large regions, which limits how directly the two data sets can be compared.

Through this partnership, NOAA and the UAS Test Site will investigate the potential of UAS saving time and money while collecting more data over a wider region.

“The team at NOAA approached us in 2016 for help identifying the right vehicle and sensors and building a test procedure,” says Matt Scassero, director of the UAS Test Site.

“We jumped at the chance to bring our expertise in system integration and testing to better facilitate the effective use of UAS in data validation procedures.”

In January, a series of tests confirmed that the Phoenix ACE XL and Talon 120E UAS could “orbit a precise point and collect sensor data at exact altitudes,” both of which are considered crucial criteria to any validation effort.

The UAS were also tested to see whether or not they could hover stably and maneuver in a straight line while maintaining altitude. That test was successful.

In April, test site pilot Ryan Henderson and engineer Jacob Moschler worked with NOAA researchers again, this time to investigate effective flight paths. The quality of data collected was directly compared to information gathered on foot in Arizona’s Red Lake.

The tests showed the need for an “upgraded enclosure to protect sensitive sensors and dampen vibrations more effectively.”

This fall, flight testing with an upgrade designed by the UAS Test Site is expected to begin.