PHOTOGRAMMETRIC ENGINEERING & REMOTE SENSING
March 2019
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SECTOR
INSIGHT:
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Once planned, mission details must be shared with the air-
craft and/or operator. One benefit of using standardized en-
codings is the ability to share this content across multiple
platforms. Given that many UAS operators use multiple air-
craft from different manufacturers, the ability to use a single,
standardized tool or workflow to mission-plan for an entire
fleet of UAS is a massive boon. Such a tool is only possible
when a common standards-based format, such as OGC GML
or GeoJSON Geographic JavaScript Object Notation), is used
for exchanging flight-plans.
Similarly, restricted airspaces must also be delivered as posi-
tionally-accurate geofences. Geofences can be defined in two
or three dimensions and have temporal extents, either be-
ing valid for only certain times or moving with time. As with
flight plans, geofences should be available in a shareable,
standardized, and unequivocally-positioned format.
In-flight – flying, sensing, and communicating
UAS operations, whether by remote piloting or autonomous
control, are managed in much the same architectural para-
digm. Even with remotely-piloted aircraft, some adjustments
to flight characteristics to compensate for local conditions
may occur autonomously, and the implementation of these
capabilities is best left to the hardware manufacturer. How-
ever, the actual issue of instructions, return of feedback, and
adjustment of the operation is the essence of flight control.
UAS airframes and payloads include lightweight, low-pow-
er sensors that are best connected to the overarching com-
mand & control systems by IoT (Internet of Things) proto-
cols. OGC’s Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) standards, and
the related SensorThings API standard
3
facilitate develop-
ment of a networked environment for the operation, data
collection, data dissemination, processing, and application of
data captured from UAS – or any form of U
xS.
Such an open
standards-based environment has been demonstrated by nu-
merous implementations, including the OpenSensorHub
4
as
shown in Figure 1.
Post-flight – logging activity and using the data
The processing and dissemination of data can begin in-flight
or upon completion of the mission. Sensor payloads on the
aircraft may collect imagery, lidar point clouds, or some other
type of measurement. Ideally, the raw data includes some po-
sitioning information and is made available in formats such
as GeoTIFF or LAS.
5
The sensor data is combined with the
aircraft flight logs and operational data, and manipulated
and readied for dissemination. OGC web service standards,
such as Web Map Service or Web Feature Service, provide
the processed data and any derivative works to web-connect-
ed clients for further use.
What Next? Engaging the Community
While a strong set of useful standards are available to sup-
port UxS activities, there are some key areas that require ad-
ditional focus by the technology, policy, and standards com-
munities. Of particular interest to OGC are topics such as
privacy, security, and unattended or autonomous operations.
Another area of interest is weather. Today’s weather services
support civil and commercial airliner scale, but micro-climate
scale weather information will be required to best fulfill UAS
missions, specifications, and tolerances. Location accuracy is
also necessary for collision avoidance and to deliver observa-
tions and material to the intended point of interest.
OGC welcomes anyone, especially ASPRS members, interest-
ed in advancing solutions to these and other location-related
issues as we work with partners in the UxS community to
advance best practices for the safe, efficient, and effective op-
eration of unstaffed systems.
Authors
Mark Reichardt
is President and
Chief Executive Officer of the Open Geospatial Consortium
(OGC). Mr. Reichardt has responsibility for implementation
of Consortium strategic goals and objectives, overseeing the
development and promotion of OGC standards, and working
to ensure that OGC programs foster member success in ad-
dressing global interoperability needs.
Scott Simmons
) is the Exec-
utive Director of the OGC Standards Program. In this role, he
coordinates member-driven standards development activities
and ensures that all OGC standards progress through the or-
ganization’s consensus process to approval and publication.
1 ANSI: American National Standards Institute Unmanned
Aircraft Systems Collaborative
. Accessed
31 January 2019.
2 OGC Implementation Standard. 2019.
-
geospatial.org/docs/is. Accessed 8 Febraury 2019.
3 Liang S., C.-Y. Huang and T. Khalafbeige. 2016.OGC: OGC
SensorThings API Part 1: Sensing.
. Accessed 31 January
2019.
4 OpenSensorHub.
. Accessed 31
Janaury 2019.
5 The ASPRS LAS Working Group, a part of the ASPRS Li-
dar Division, has released LAS 1.4 Revision R14 for Public
Comment. [see
.
Accessed 8 February 2019].
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