Design and First Results of an UAV-Borne L-Band Radiometer for Multiple Monitoring Purposes

Autor: Rene Acevo-Herrera, Albert Aguasca, Xavier Bosch-Lluis, Adriano Camps, José Martínez-Fernández, Nilda Sánchez-Martín, Carlos Pérez-Gutiérrez
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2010
Předmět:
Zdroj: Remote Sensing, Vol 2, Iss 7, Pp 1662-1679 (2010)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2072-4292
DOI: 10.3390/rs2071662
Popis: UAV (unmanned Aerial Vehicle) platforms represent a challenging opportunity for the deployment of a number of remote sensors. These vehicles are a cost-effective option in front of manned aerial vehicles (planes and helicopters), are easy to deploy due to the short runways needed, and they allow users to meet the critical requirements of the spatial and temporal resolutions imposed by the instruments. L-band radiometers are an interesting option for obtaining soil moisture maps over local areas with relatively high spatial resolution for precision agriculture, coastal monitoring, estimation of the risk of fires, flood prevention, etc. This paper presents the design of a light-weight, airborne L-band radiometer for deployment in a small UAV, including the hardware and specific software developed for calibration, geo-referencing, and soil moisture retrieval. First results and soil moisture retrievals from different field experiments are presented.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals