AT 309: ArcGis Earth Intro

 Intro

ArcGIS Earth is a software that can be used to analyze, visualize, and evaluate data in a geospatial location. It can do many diffrent things from looking at the terrain in locations to comparing data collected from uas to satellites and many other sources of data. 

Remote sensing can use ArcGis earth for many diffrent tasks, such as analyzing a flight location or comparing data. For looking at flight locations ArcGIS Earth has diffrent features to help determine if the pilot will be able to keep the UAV they are operating within line of sight, and other terrain-based information. When analyzing data the ability to compare the data collected with many available sets allows for cross-checking the information. 

Methods


Preflight

Figure 1. Terrain data from West Lafayette

Figure 1 shows the terrain data from a flight line in West Lafayette. This can be beneficial for seeing how the terrain in a specific flight path changes, as that could cause the aircraft to hit the terrain in a pre-programmed mission or worse, like going above 400 feet agl. 


Figure 2 shows the use of the line of sight tool, this helps the pilot see if when flying in a direct line if they will have a visual line of sight or if there will be terrain obstructions in their way. 

Figure 3 shows the use of the Viewshed tool, and it aids the pilots in seeing if the terrain in a specific area changes. This could be helpful to the pilots as they need to know where they will need to climb the aircraft to gain the minimum obstacle clearance altitude. 

Figure 4 shows the view of the Purdue Acre Farm with an NVID satellite, this imagery can be used to determine plant health. Red colors are poor plant health and green is healthy plants. As you can see by this image the Acre farms are a mix of both due to them testing many diffrent phenotypes. 

Figure 5 shows the NAIP imagery from a satellite, this imagery can also be used to determine plant health. The redder the healthier the plants are and the blue is poor health, but also urban areas are blue. 
Figure 6 shows the current wildfires across the world, and this image is focused on North America. This could be useful information to uas pilots as they are not allowed to fly around wildfires as there may be aerial firefighting equipment in the area. 
Figure 7 focuses on the wildfires in California, and it also includes information about the various diffrent perimeters of the fires and forecast. This could be beneficial for uas pilots as the smoke in the air can affect equipment and visibility. 


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