• February 15, 2021

    PacTrans Technology Transfer Success Story 2019 #3: Uncrewed Aircraft Systems in Transportation: Research-to-Operation Peer Exchange

    Over the course of PacTrans’ existence, we have funded a number of projects the explore various applications of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), or drones. One of these PIs, OSU Professor Christopher Parrish, has also taken the lead on facilitating a larger regional and national dialogue about unresolved challenges, best practices, and other aspects surround the implementation of UAS in DOT workflows. So, for example, using previous PacTrans Technology Transfer Success Story funding, Dr. Parrish hosted a UAS in Transportation workshop back in 2018.

    More recently, Dr. Parrish leveraged new PacTrans Technology Transfer Success Story funding, to host the 2020 Oregon UAS Summit, back in October of 2020. The event drew a total of 174 participants over the two-day period, including over 24 DOTs, 15 consultants, 3 vendors, and 3 universities. The Summit covered topics on:

    1. Best practices for starting a successful UAS program;
    2. Operational aspects of UAS for traffic network monitoring, including regulations, safety, planning, and operational procedures;
    3. Practical considerations when selecting a lidar or SfM based UAS platforms;
    4. Direct georeferencing via GNSS-aided insertional navigation systems (INS);
    5. Comparison of post-processed kinematic (PPK) and real-time kinematic (RTK) GNSS on drones;
    6. Qualitative and quantitative accuracies of point clouds created from UAS-acquired data; and
    7. Examples of state-of-the-art UAS platforms leveraging machine learning and artificial intelligence to increase safety and productivity for inspection and mapping applications.

    A recording of this peer exchange is available for free through the ODOT hosted 2020 Oregon UAS Summit website: https://www.oregon.gov/odot/ETA/Pages/2020-UAS-Summit.aspx.

    Dr. Parrish was also recently featured in a PacTrans hosted webinar on UAS Applications in Transportation where he did an excellent job outlining many of the PacTrans funded projects related to UAS over the years, as well as a lot of the outcomes from the 2020 Oregon UAS Summit.