Airborne Remote Sensing at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore: A 15 Year History.

Remote sensing projects from various airborne platforms have been ongoing  at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) for more than 15 years. Much of this effort has been focused on supporting and enhancing precision agriculture efforts on the campus. One of the first projects included remote aerial imaging from platforms such as helium blimps with support from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s(GSFC) Wallops Flight Facility(WFF) on a project titled UMESAIR: Undergraduate Multidisciplinary Earth Science Airborne Imaging Research . The NASA GSFC’S WFF is about 25 miles from campus and this made active participation of some NASA engineers and scientists possible in this experiential learning endeavor. Engineering and Engineering Technology majors led the project efforts but the participation was open to all students from other STEM disciplines (Nagchaudhuri, et al., 2002). Continued efforts led to the development of “AIRSPACES”: Aerial Imaging and Remote Sensing for Precision Agriculture and Environmental Stewardship, that was supported by Maryland Space Grant Consortium (MDSGC). The AIRSPACES project served as a catalyst to involve the faculty and students in the Aviation program at UMES and develop the capability of aerial imaging from manned airplanes (Cessna 172) using color infrared (CIR) digital cameras, as well as smaller remotely operated model airplanes (Nagchaudhuri, et al., 2006; Ladd, et al.,2006 Nagchaudhuri, et al., 2007; Nagchaudhuri, et. al, 2008; Nagchaudhuri, et. al, 2011). In 2007, UMES researchers and their collaborators began exploring kites for acquiring airborne remote sensing data, greatly easing training requirements. This led to the development of the Aeropod, a NASA technology developed specifically for kite based remote sensing and in-situ observations. This poster will describe the evolution of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) activities, their multidisciplinary nature, and the involment of the Aviation Sciences program for the support of operations in precision agriculture at UMES. The most current efforts, which include a 3dRobotics Multicopter, will also be discussed.