Request For Proposal

The occurrence of a disaster threatens the lives of people and animals as well as causes the destruction of property. During the management and prevention of a disaster, it is important that the decision makers have access to extensive information regarding the situation so as to respond effectively (Apvrille, Roudier, & Tanzi, 2015). Information regarding the state of the disaster should be delivered as swiftly and as accurately as possible to ensure that a proper analysis of the situation is made. Constantly updated visual images are crucial during the planning of the response as it informs the search and rescue team on the progress of the disaster. For these requirements, unmanned aerial systems promise to deliver more effectively as compared to manned aircraft or other photogrammetric options such as satellites. The setbacks of these other options were experienced during the occurrence of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 whereby thousands of people lost their lives due to delays in the assessment of the situation as it unfolded (Francis, 2012). Application of unmanned aerial systems in the prevention and management of disaster could potentially lead to the saving of many lives in the future.

Baseline Requirements

Transportability

The entire system (all elements) shall be transportable (in a hardened case) and weight less than 50 lbs (one-person lift).

•    Transportation case shall provide a cutout for air vehicle element.

•    Transportation case shall provide cutout enabling ground control equipment.

•    Transportation case shall provide a cutout for power equipment.

•    Transportation case shall be able to withstand a drop from a height of five feet with minimal damage to the surface.

•    Transportation case shall have a weight that is less than 50 pounds when filled with UAS components.

Cost

The cost of equipment shall be less than $100,000 (equipment cost only)

Air vehicle element

•    Shall be capable of flying up to 500 feet altitude above the ground level (AGL)

•    Shall be capable of sustaining flight for more than one hour (at loiter speed)

•    Shall be capable of flying over an operational radius that is at least one mile

•    Shall be deployable and in position over the area of the mission in less than 15 minutes

•    Shall be capable of manual operation as well as autonomous operation

•    Shall be capable of capturing telemetry such as the altitude, magnetic heading, position of latitude and longitude, and the orientation

•    Shall provide power to the payload, telemetry sensors, and the data-link

•    Shall be capable of orbiting (i.e., fly in circular pattern around) or hover over an area or object of interest

Command & Control (C2)

•    Shall be capable of both manual and autonomous operation

•    Shall provide flight control that is redundant so as to prevent flyaway

•    Shall be capable of depicting the telemetry of air vehicle element

•    Shall visually depict the views of payload sensors

Payload

•    Shall be capable of recording color video during the day at the height of 500 feet AGL

•    Shall be capable of operating infrared (IR) video up to 500 feet AGL

•    Shall be interoperable with command and control as well as the data-link

•    Shall employ power made available by the air vehicle element

Data-link (communications)

•    Shall be capable of a communication range that exceeds a visual line of site of two miles

•    Shall provide a redundant communication capability as backup for the command and control

•    Shall employ power made available by the air vehicle element

Support equipment

The design shall identify any support equipment that is required to support and enhance operation

The Mission

A high altitude long endurance (HALE) UAV was chosen for the development of an unmanned aerial system that is cost and time efficient during search and rescue missions. This UAV was developed by using a selection of commercial off the shelf equipment. This UAV will be of great importance during disaster management and search and rescue missions by fire and police departments. Deploying a UAV to take detailed photographs and photogrammetric data obtained from various sensors and cameras can tremendously accelerate rescue efforts (Barnhart, 2012). It is also important that the UAV can be transported easily while also being capable of having a payload comprising a command and control system that is reliable. The development of the UAV will be done in 3 years.

Derived Requirements

Command and control station

•    Shall have waterproofing and dust proofing

•    Shall have redundant flight control during flight

•    Shall have encrypted hardware and firmware

•    Shall have a global positioning system (GPS) for location during manual or autonomous flights

•    Shall have a network system to distribute collected information to the web

•    Shall incorporate geo-correction and redistribution of information.

•    Shall have upload plans using multiple communication paths

Payload

•    Shall be capable of carrying a payload of 10 pounds

•    Shall have infrared and thermal cameras for capturing photographs and video

•    Shall have an audio transmission system

•    Shall have a payload capable of carrying the power source 

Air vehicle element

•    Shall be capable of flying up to 5000 feet from the ground level

•    Shall be capable of maintaining flight for more than two hours

•    Shall be capable of manual and autonomous operation

•    Shall have power capable of operating payload, sensors and communication systems

Development Process

The development process of choice will be the 10-phase waterfall method.

1.    Concept design                1 month

2.    Concept research              2 months

3.    Preliminary design           2 months

4.    Detail design                    6 months

5.    Specimen test                   3 months

6.    Prototype build and test   7 months

7.    Development                    5 months

8.    Certification                     1 month

9.    Production                       4 months

10.    Support                          5 months

Additional time will be spent on the detailed design phase to ensure that the command and control station is in proper working condition. The most crucial phase is the prototype and build test as all components of the UAV are effectively operational.

Conclusion

Due to the expected challenges during the management of a disaster, these requirements were chosen for the design of the UAV; command and control, payload and air vehicle element. The command and control station was considered due to its crucial role in providing an interface for interaction with the UAV as well as transmitting information. Waterproofing was necessary to ensure that components maintained operation even in extreme weather conditions (Li, Fabbri, & Zlatanova, 2007). The payload was also important as it needed to consider the sensors, cameras and communication systems that would be carried onboard. Designing the payload to accommodate more weight enhances the flexibility and capabilities of the UAV, hence enabling it to carry out different missions. Designing the vehicle element dictates factors such as the maximum altitude and the endurance of the UAV. An effective disaster management UAV should be capable of flying at high altitudes so as to capture sufficient photogrammetric data useful in the analysis of the disaster (Sarker, Hannan, Shahed, Rahman, & Sakib, 2016). The UAV should also be capable of flying for extended periods to enable it to gather as much information as possible during its flight. The use of UAVs in the management of disasters can significantly improve the success rate of rescue missions, thereby saving the lives of more people.

References

Apvrille, L., Roudier, Y., & Tanzi, T. (2015). Autonomous drones for disasters management: Safety and security verifications. Retrieved from  http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ursi-at-rasc.2015.7303086

Barnhart, R. (2012). Introduction to unmanned aircraft systems. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Francis, M. (2012). Unmanned Air Systems: Challenge and Opportunity. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/1.c031425

Li, J., Fabbri, A., & Zlatanova, S. (2007). Geomatics solutions for disaster management (1st ed.). New York: Springer.

Sarker, T., Hannan, P., Shahed, S., Rahman, N., & Sakib, S. (2016). Conceptual design of a low cost flight data acquisition system for analyzing flight behavior of small unmanned aerial vehicles. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/iccitechn.2016.7860261

UAS Mission

Unmanned Aerial Systems refer to aircraft that fly autonomously without the need of a human pilot operating it onboard. An operator situated on the ground controls an unmanned aircraft system. An unmanned aerial system employs the use of aerodynamic forces in the provision of vehicle lift (Fahlstrom & Gleason, 2013). The design of an unmanned aerial system mission is significantly different from that of a manned aircraft. During the design and implementation of an unmanned aerial system mission, it is vital that several factors are put into consideration. To attain success during the implementation of a mission, a tremendous amount of planning is necessary before the execution of the mission. Critical categories during the design and implementation of an unmanned aerial system mission include studying the maps of the area, the definition of the specifications of the products, planning of the aerial imagery, selection of the procedures and personnel, estimation of costs and development of a delivery schedule (Grace, 2013).

Unmanned aerial systems have undergone major developments over the years, thereby expanding their use to applications other than the military. For instance, unmanned aerial systems can be used in the prevention and management of disasters. UAS can be applied in the management of natural disasters such as forest fires, earthquakes, and floods (Austin, 2013). They are essential in observing and analyzing disasters, as well as conduction of search and rescue missions. An unmanned aircraft can be used in the searching for survivors of an earthquake. In addition to search and rescue missions, UAS can be used in the gathering of information during other types of disasters such as oil spills in the ocean. UAS platforms are based on four main characteristics which include the following; range, flight altitude, endurance and the maximum weight capable of the aircraft during take-off. A broad classification of unmanned aerial systems divides them into four categories; micro and mini unmanned aerial vehicles (MUAV), medium altitude long endurance UAVs (MALE), high altitude long endurance UAVs (HALE) and vertical take-off and landing UAVs (Grace, 2013).

During disaster prevention and management, micro and mini unmanned aerial vehicles can be used. In Britain, the fire service of West Midland has employed the use of an MUAV to make observations regarding the development of fires. The MUAV was used to provide vital information on the progress of fires through thermal imagery. High altitude long endurance UAVs are also used in disaster management. In January 2010, a HALE unmanned aerial vehicle was used during an earthquake in Haiti to capture high-resolution infrared photographs of the scale of the disaster (Grace, 2013). Medium altitude long endurance drones have been used in the management of disasters as well. In 2004, during the Tsunami a medium-altitude UAV was used to search for missing people (Austin, 2013). The prevention and management of disasters, the high endurance of the aircraft coupled with its ability to make observations over an expansive area, is important. This is especially important for rescue missions at sea. UAVs equipped with thermal cameras make it possible to locate victims buried in debris and avalanches.

Carrying out UAV missions during disaster prevention and management offers several advantages. The flexibility of UAVs makes them more effective than manned aircraft, especially during an earthquake whereby the downdraft from a manned helicopter may be strong enough to collapse an unstable building. The diminutive sizes of UAVs enable them to be flown in proximity to the zone of disaster without endangering the lives of rescuers or survivors (Fahlstrom & Gleason, 2013). A legal challenge during a UAS disaster management mission is with regards to restricted airspace. If the disaster occurs within restricted airspace, it poses a legal challenge to operate the drone in that area. An ethical challenge is that using a UAV in a search and rescue mission is that if a rescued victim requires immediate medical attention, he or she would have to wait for medical assistance to arrive, which may lead to more fatalities.  

References

Austin, R. (2013). Unmanned aircraft systems (1st ed.). Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley.

Fahlstrom, P. & Gleason, T. (2013). Introduction to uav systems (1st ed.). Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley.

Grace, R. (2013). The Design and Planning of Monitoring, Reporting, and Fact-Finding Missions. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.2365435

4.4 - Research: UAS in the NAS

Monitoring and maintaining the unmanned aircraft in NAS (National Air Space)

 After its invention, the unmanned aircraft are still struggling to be accepted by the commercial aviation industry due to lack of security, monitoring and maintenance features.    One of the most discussed issues is the separation of the UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) in the national airspace for security reasons (Ramasamy, Sabatini & Gardi, 2014).   Till date, the use of the ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) is considered as the most efficient way to monitor the movement of the UAS in certain airspace. This system is developed with the collaborative effort of the NASA and Modern Technology Solutions, Inc. Use of this ADS-B system will enable unmanned aircraft to collect information about the airspace.  The system will analyze the collected data to maintain a safe distance from the other manned or unmanned aircraft in the same airspace.

Considerations need to be made based on variation of sizes and airframes of UAS

 In the case of the smaller UAS group (1&2), this kind of aircraft are able to fly under the line of sight which helps it, operators, to manage its flight path while maintaining safe distance with the other manned or unmanned vehicle (Jeannin et al., 2015).  However, the capacity of these aircraft is less compared to other groups with respect to the integration of the sensory technology for separation.  Hence the ability to avoid the obstacles in the path without operator’s interference is very low.

On the contrary, the higher group (i.e. 3& 5) have better ability and capacity to integrate the sensory system that are important for the separation from the other manned and unmanned aircraft like the ADS-B or ACAS. The mentioned systems are also not error-free, this kind of sensory systems are affected by the latencies which happen due to the control data uplinks of the operator. Again, as the larger unmanned aircraft have increased the operational speed at the high altitudes, therefore this factor reduces their ability separate itself from the other manned or unmanned aircraft.

Different Technologies currently employed by manned aircraft

ACAS (Airborne Collision Avoidance Systems):  This technology is mainly designed to integrate to the manned aircraft for making necessary path adjustment of the flight (Jeannin et al., 2015).  This technology is now under research so that this can be integrated to the UAS that operates in the national airspace of the country.

ASAS (Airborne Separation Assistance Systems):   It is considered as an automatic broadcasting and surveillance system. It helps the unmanned aircraft in the airspace to have situational awareness so that the separation between the unmanned and manned aircraft can be easily done.

Cameras:  In most of the cases it is seen that cameras are integrated with the unmanned aircraft to view and avoid the obstacles, other aircraft by analyzing and processing the captured image by the wide-angle camera. 

TCAS II: One of the widely-used separation technology used for the manned aircraft. The traffic alert and collision avoidance system provides overall safety to the vehicles by providing alert to the pilot of the aircraft in order to avoid the collision with other aircraft in the same airs space (Ramasamy, Sabatini & Gardi, 2014).     

References

Jeannin, J. B., Ghorbal, K., Kouskoulas, Y., Gardner, R., Schmidt, A., Zawadzki, E., & Platzer, A. (2015, April). A formally verified hybrid system for the next-generation airborne collision avoidance system. In International Conference on Tools and Algorithms for the Construction and Analysis of Systems (pp. 21-36). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

Sahawneh, L. R., Duffield, M. O., Beard, R. W., & McLain, T. W. (2015). Detect and Avoid for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Using ADS-B. Air Traffic Control Quarterly, 23(2-3), 203-240.

Ramasamy, S., Sabatini, R., & Gardi, A. (2014, May). Avionics sensor fusion for small size unmanned aircraft sense-and-avoid. In Metrology for Aerospace (MetroAeroSpace), 2014 IEEE (pp. 271-276). IEEE.

Zou, X., Alexander, R., & McDermid, J. (2016, June). On the Validation of a UAV Collision Avoidance System Developed by Model-Based Optimization: Challenges and a Tentative Partial Solution. In Dependable Systems and Networks Workshop, 2016 46th Annual IEEE/IFIP International Conference on (pp. 192-199). IEEE.