Aerial Survey of the San Miguel Mission Website utilizing the IF800 Tomcat – sUAS Information

This white paper presents the outcomes of an aerial survey of the historic San Miguel Mission web site in California, carried out utilizing the IF800 Tomcat drone geared up with a Sony ILX-LR1 digicam and a 35 mm lens. The mission’s goal was to create an orthomosaic map of the positioning, capturing high-resolution imagery that may very well be used for historic documentation, conservation, and potential restoration efforts. The drone accomplished the mission with 490 photographs captured at 61 megapixels at an altitude of 60 meters, producing a high-quality dataset for post-processing. The whole flight length was 34 minutes, touchdown with a 20% battery reserve. The info obtained on this survey will function an important software for preserving the integrity of this traditionally vital web site.

Introduction

The Mission San Miguel Arcángel, based in 1797, is a major cultural and historic landmark situated in San Luis Obispo County, California. Its preservation and documentation are essential for future generations to grasp the architectural and cultural heritage of early Californian settlements. Leveraging fashionable drone expertise offers an environment friendly and non-invasive technique to seize detailed, high-resolution knowledge that may support archaeologists, conservators, and historians of their efforts to safeguard this web site.

On this mission, a sophisticated aerial survey was carried out utilizing the IF800 Tomcat drone. This platform, mixed with a Sony ILX-LR1 digicam, was chosen for its capacity to hold heavier payloads and preserve secure flight in mission-critical environments.

Mission San Miguel Arcángel from the southeast, circa 1904

Aims

The first goal of this mission was to:

• Seize high-resolution aerial imagery of the San Miguel Mission web site for the aim of making an orthomosaic map.
• Doc the present situation of the positioning utilizing non-invasive aerial strategies.
• Present correct spatial knowledge that might help future archaeological and preservation tasks.

Mission Particulars

Gear Used

• Drone Platform: IF800 Tomcat
• Digital camera: Sony ILX-LR1 with a 35 mm lens
• Altitude: 60 meters above floor stage (AGL)
• Picture Depend: 490 photographs
• Picture Decision: 61 megapixels
• Flight Time: 34 minutes (touchdown with 20% battery reserve)

Floor Pattern Distance (GSD)

The Floor Pattern Distance (GSD) is a vital metric in aerial mapping because it defines the spatial decision of the photographs captured. For this mission:

• The 35 mm lens and 61-megapixel sensor, flown at an altitude of 60 meters, supplied a GSD of roughly 0.9 cm/pixel.
• This excessive stage of element is appropriate for producing an especially correct orthomosaic map, able to distinguishing tremendous options on the bottom, equivalent to cracks, weathering, and structural particulars of the positioning.

Flight and Picture Seize

The mission was flown with cautious pre-flight planning to make sure full protection of the positioning. The drone adopted a grid sample with 80% overlap between photographs, making certain that each one areas of the positioning have been well-documented with sufficient redundancy for correct 3D reconstruction and photogrammetry. The IF800 Tomcat carried out effectively, offering secure flight, and finishing the mission with a 20% battery reserve, showcasing the endurance of the drone and its suitability for long-duration flights in mission-critical operations.

Information Processing

The 490 photographs have been stitched collectively utilizing superior photogrammetry software program to create a high-resolution orthomosaic map of the positioning. This map offers an correct, geo-referenced visible of all the space, appropriate for detailed evaluation and record-keeping.

Aerial snapshot from the mission revealing weathered roof tiles in want of care

The Significance of Documenting Historic Websites with Drone Know-how

Historic websites equivalent to Mission San Miguel Arcángel are susceptible to pure degradation, human interference, and environmental components. Documenting these websites with aerial survey strategies gives a number of benefits:

1. Non-invasive Information Assortment: Drone surveys scale back the danger of disturbing fragile websites by eliminating the necessity for bodily interplay with the positioning.
2. Excessive Precision: The high-resolution imagery and exact mapping strategies present detailed views that may help in monitoring adjustments over time, serving to to detect early indicators of decay.
3. Value-effective: In comparison with conventional strategies, aerial surveys utilizing drones are extra inexpensive and might cowl massive areas in a short while.
4. Scalability: The collected knowledge may be scaled to be used in several functions, equivalent to 3D modeling, conservation planning, and even digital web site excursions.

Within the case of Mission San Miguel, the high-resolution orthomosaic map serves as a digital archive of the positioning’s present situation. This permits historians and conservators to trace adjustments, make knowledgeable selections about preservation, and prioritize areas which will require extra consideration.

Conclusion

The aerial survey of the San Miguel Mission utilizing the IF800 Tomcat drone and Sony ILX-LR1 digicam was a convincing success, capturing 490 high-resolution photographs and creating an correct orthomosaic map of the positioning. The info collected shall be instrumental within the ongoing efforts to protect this vital historic landmark. The success of this mission demonstrates the worth of drones in archaeology and historic documentation, permitting for environment friendly and exact knowledge assortment that ensures the long-term preservation of culturally essential websites.

The IF800 Tomcat is a extremely succesful drone platform, with the endurance, stability, and payload capability essential for conducting thorough aerial surveys in advanced environments.

Obtain the RAW knowledge set from this mission right here.

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