Development of simulation-supported long range B-VLOS RPAS mission planning for remote sensing in alpine disaster operations management

摘要

Mainly due to population growth and subsequently, due to increased settlement of exposed areas, and possibly also because of climate change an increasing number of disasters is registered over the past decades. In this paper we present an approach devised for the purpose of planning beyond visual line of sight long- and small range RPAS missions in varying airspaces. The developed method comprises the calculation of site-scale flight paths for the efficient use of the RPAS sensors, and the computation of suitable flight plans and transition points in controlled airspace. It takes the identified remote sensing area of interest, sensor characteristics, airspace structure, relevant terrain, and aircraft performance into account in order to produce a safe, efficient and mission-optimized flight route. For long range B-VLOS RPAS mission planning, we combine and adapt proven tools developed by the authors, namely a photogrammetric remote sensing target calculation tool, an IFR mission planning tool, and a VFR track generator. We utilize a fast-time air traffic simulation to verify that the generated mission plan satisfies the mission objectives through the prediction and 3D visualization of the flight path as well as individually configurable simulated survey camera views. The simulated views are augmented with up-to-date, historic or thematic analysis data relevant to the mission to support domain experts in disaster management operations. During the execution of the mission the simulated flight track shall provide a nominal-actual comparison guiding the operation. Selected results are presented and discussed on the basis of a case study in long-range B-VLOS RPAS mission planning for landslide events in the Austrian Alps.