1A Satelites and drones for hydraulic and environmental monitoring
Introduction to workshop:
New satellite missions, emerging light-weight unmanned airborne vehicles and advances in sensor technology offer unprecedented opportunities for spatio-temporally resolved hydraulic and environmental mapping. Examples include (i) monitoring of river and lake water levels using satellite radar altimetry, (ii) airborne river velocimetry and water level measurements from drones, (iii) water sampling from drones, among many others. Such data need to be combined with simulation models to produce reliable and sharp predictions for decision support and management. This workshop will explore the potential of these technological advances in the water sector.
Output from workshop:
The purpose of the workshop was to briefly review recent advances in satellite and airborne remote sensing for hydrological and environmental applications. Three seed presentations on drones (Jakob Jakobsen), satellite remote sensing (Karina Nielsen) and multi-spectral image processing and classification (Allan Nielsen) were given. This was followed by a 1-hour open brainstorming discussion to develop collaborative project ideas that go beyond what is being done today. A list of ideas, in no particular order:
• Automatic air and water sampling from UAVs
• Underwater sonar deployment from UAVs
• Windmill surveillance and maintenance using UAVs
• River surface velocity fields from airborne video footage
• Opportunities in UAV swarming applications: Gradient surveys, spectroscopy etc.
• Opportunities for combined use of UAV and satellites for upscaling/downscaling studies
• Cryosat/Sentinel/SWOT data may be used to map Danish streams (vandløb); relevant for climate adaptation studies
• GRACE Follow-on mission soon to be launched. Opportunities for hydrology.
• Opportunities in multi-angular thermal and multispectral imaging
• Opportunities in multi- and hyperthermal imaging
• Image registration: autonomous methods vs methods based on ground control points. Drone could be used to establish its own GCPs