Proposal

Narrative

Remote Sensing involves the collection & analysis of reflected, emitted, or back-scattered energy from an object or an area of interest in multiple bands of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum. This data is often gathered by government agencies but can be costly to obtain, especially for high-resolution needs. As such, students working on relevant class projects or engaging in remote sensing research increasingly seek to acquire their own data utilizing drones. To enhance our capabilities and offer more remote sensing research and teaching opportunities, we plan to acquire additional sensors for our professional grade surveying drone. The first requested sensor will enable oblique imagery collection, facilitating the creation of high-resolution 3D models ("Digital Twins"). The second requested sensor will capture non-visible light, aiding in improved object identification and plant species evaluation. Students seeking to study the progress of Everglades restoration, or the spread of algal blooms, for example, rely heavily upon such data. Agencies that are hiring graduates of geoscience programs increasingly seek these skills, which means that our graduates will be highly sought after in the job market. Students will be able to employ these sensors and their derivatives both as part of their curriculum as well as in their Graduate and Undergraduate research. This aligns with the following pillars of FAU’s strategic plan: “Ocean Science and Engineering/Environmental Sciences”, “Sensing and Smart Systems”, and “Undergraduate Research and Inquiry”. It also supports the University’s QEP by increasing exposure of students to research inquiry and the scientific methods in the Geosciences' curriculum, and enhances “student knowledge, skills, behaviors, and/or values.” This will impact, directly and indirectly, approximately 200 students per year, via the following classes: GIS4035/5038, GIS4037/5033, GIS4021/GIS 6028, GIS4138, GIS4043/5051, GIS4048/5051, & GIS4140.

Facilities

N/A

Hardware Requirements

The following hardware/sensor products shall be acquired: Micasense RedEdge-P Payload Kit Gen II: $10,900 Oblique Sony a6100 Payload Kit: $4,500

Software Requirements

The following software shall be acquired: Pix4Dfields Educational Classroom Perpetual 25 Seats: $1,800

Personnel Costs

N/A

Other Costs

Shipping: $50

Timeline

Integration of this sensor suite will begin immediately upon acquisition.

Sustainability

Equipment has an estimated 5-year life expectancy as is, and it has the ability to be further extended through the acquisition of additional spare parts. All software is licensed on a permanent basis.

Resource Matching

The Department of Geosciences has secured an educational discount for the desired software that will save the University $1,700. Additionally, the Department of Geosciences/Charles E. Schmidt College of Science contributes approximately $7,000 annually towards the ESRI/FAU annual GIS site license agreement supplying most of the additional software to operate the GIS component of this system. The Department of Geosciences maintains teaching and research computer labs with approximately 100 computers that support current desktop GIS for educational and research activities.

Implementing Organization

Department of Geosciences, Charles E Schmidt College of Science. Faculty: James Gammack-Clark, Caiyun Zhang, Weibo Liu