The Robotics Team
The Robotics Team
prsar.org/the-rpv-project.html
In many searches, helicopter support is unavailable — maintenance, fuel, weather, and cost all get in the way. Operating a Jet Ranger runs around $2,000 an hour, and most departments cannot afford much flight time on a budget that also has to cover everything else.
The mapping problem compounds it. Topographic maps are often years out of date, and Google Earth and GIS imagery are not refreshed on any schedule useful to a search. In a state with wet and dry seasons, ground that reads as dry on the map may be under several feet of water in the rainy season. A search manager planning off that map is planning off fiction.
In the spring of 2013, PRSAR began working with remotely piloted vehicles to close that gap.
What the aircraft do
PRSAR RPVs transmit still imagery and live video back to the base of operations. In practice, that means mapping ground ahead of searchers, identifying catching features where a lost person might take shelter, flagging hazards for searchers to avoid, holding station near trailheads to watch for movement, and patrolling high-probability areas during hasty searches.
Typical missions
The problem with drone imagery, and what we do about it
A search generates more imagery than any person can review reliably. That is not an opinion about effort — it is a measured limitation of human visual search.
Research on the gaze behavior of spotters during air-to-ground search found detection rates far below what most people assume. The study is Gaze Behavior of Spotters During an Air-to-Ground Search by Croft, Pittman, and Scialfa at the University of Calgary, published in Human Factors in 2007.
Given that the failure rate of human image reviewers is substantial, image recognition software is not a luxury. PRSAR uses advanced image recognition to quickly scan imagery and report the exact time and location of each anomaly, along with a written report, so the human reviewer checks only flagged candidates rather than reviewing everything.
Certification and compliance
PRSAR pilots hold or are working toward FAA Part 107 certification. All aircraft are registered and insured. PRSAR operates in accordance with Title 14 CFR Part 107 and uses best practices and test methods developed by NIST and ASTM — pilots demonstrate proficiency by evaluation against those methods and train continuously to hold mission-ready status.
Our data policy
PRSAR is not a repository for search imagery. All images are turned over to the agency having jurisdiction at the time of the search. PRSAR retains a copy for 30 days, after which the files are deleted.
Agencies should know this up front. Imagery from a search may become evidence, and where it lives and for how long is a question worth answering before it is asked in a deposition rather than after.
Water robotics
PRSAR watercraft carry side-scan and down-looking sonar. The unit maps and detects underwater targets and produces side-scan mosaics — overlaying sonar log data onto the map view by removing the water column from the raw return and placing the remaining image in its correct geographic position. The result is a detailed two-dimensional map of underwater structure and features, exportable as a KMZ file for Google Earth and GIS.
Sonar in the water recovery workflow is covered on our Water Recovery Team page.
Demonstrations
For a demonstration, contact us.
prsar.org/the-rpv-project.html
In many searches, helicopter support is unavailable — maintenance, fuel, weather, and cost all get in the way. Operating a Jet Ranger runs around $2,000 an hour, and most departments cannot afford much flight time on a budget that also has to cover everything else.
The mapping problem compounds it. Topographic maps are often years out of date, and Google Earth and GIS imagery are not refreshed on any schedule useful to a search. In a state with wet and dry seasons, ground that reads as dry on the map may be under several feet of water in the rainy season. A search manager planning off that map is planning off fiction.
In the spring of 2013, PRSAR began working with remotely piloted vehicles to close that gap.
What the aircraft do
PRSAR RPVs transmit still imagery and live video back to the base of operations. In practice, that means mapping ground ahead of searchers, identifying catching features where a lost person might take shelter, flagging hazards for searchers to avoid, holding station near trailheads to watch for movement, and patrolling high-probability areas during hasty searches.
Typical missions
- Situational awareness and reconnaissance — high-resolution composite imagery or ortho-mosaic suitable for map-making or Google Earth overlay, giving search managers real-time ground conditions.
- Search — fixed-wing or rotor-wing, producing geo-tagged video and still imagery. Targets of interest go to Command for team tasking.
- Flood assessment — real-time imagery or live video of flooding conditions, transmissible directly to the Emergency Operations Center.
- Debris estimation — geo-tagged imagery or video for disaster managers assigning recovery assets and estimating cleanup.
- Structural inspection — rotorcraft flown with a structural engineer directing viewing angle and altitude. FLIR and live video available.
The problem with drone imagery, and what we do about it
A search generates more imagery than any person can review reliably. That is not an opinion about effort — it is a measured limitation of human visual search.
Research on the gaze behavior of spotters during air-to-ground search found detection rates far below what most people assume. The study is Gaze Behavior of Spotters During an Air-to-Ground Search by Croft, Pittman, and Scialfa at the University of Calgary, published in Human Factors in 2007.
Given that the failure rate of human image reviewers is substantial, image recognition software is not a luxury. PRSAR uses advanced image recognition to quickly scan imagery and report the exact time and location of each anomaly, along with a written report, so the human reviewer checks only flagged candidates rather than reviewing everything.
Certification and compliance
PRSAR pilots hold or are working toward FAA Part 107 certification. All aircraft are registered and insured. PRSAR operates in accordance with Title 14 CFR Part 107 and uses best practices and test methods developed by NIST and ASTM — pilots demonstrate proficiency by evaluation against those methods and train continuously to hold mission-ready status.
Our data policy
PRSAR is not a repository for search imagery. All images are turned over to the agency having jurisdiction at the time of the search. PRSAR retains a copy for 30 days, after which the files are deleted.
Agencies should know this up front. Imagery from a search may become evidence, and where it lives and for how long is a question worth answering before it is asked in a deposition rather than after.
Water robotics
PRSAR watercraft carry side-scan and down-looking sonar. The unit maps and detects underwater targets and produces side-scan mosaics — overlaying sonar log data onto the map view by removing the water column from the raw return and placing the remaining image in its correct geographic position. The result is a detailed two-dimensional map of underwater structure and features, exportable as a KMZ file for Google Earth and GIS.
Sonar in the water recovery workflow is covered on our Water Recovery Team page.
Demonstrations
For a demonstration, contact us.
