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
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