Advances in Aerial Surveillance Expanding Scope for UAVs

, PALO ALTO: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are the wave of the future when it comes to aerial surveillance and are finding increasing applications across both the civil and military fields. The military uses for UAVs are pretty obvious as they provide an enormous amount of intelligence without putting a human in harm's way and also render the additional advantage of eliminating human fatigue. Illustrating this, UAV operators on long flights can simply hand over control to other operators, something impossible on surveillance aircraft such as the U.S. Air Force's venerable U2 spy plane. 
 
Frost & Sullivan's latest study, Advances in Aerial Surveillance, provides an overview of aerial surveillance over the years, developments that could shape its future and key market drivers, challenges, restraints, and analysis of this mature yet changing field. In this research, Frost & Sullivan's expert analysts thoroughly examine the following technologies: emerging developments in manned and unmanned surveillance platforms. 
 
“In addition to the military applications, there are a number of civilian applications where UAVs or 'drones' as they are referred to are invaluable,” notes Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Sivam Sabesan. “The applications list is quite extensive and includes the likes of being used to test for chemical and biological pollution checking without exposing humans to danger, to periodically check oil pipelines for cracks, or even helping fishermen locate and monitor large schools of fish.” 
 
Notable advances in the field of aerial surveillance include the development of an automatic high-resolution remote sensor by researchers at the computer science department of University of Massachusetts, Amherst (UMass). This high-resolution, automatic and three dimensional (3D) mapping system claims to be more cost-effective and simplistic compared to traditional airborne remote sensing techniques. Very little technical knowledge is required to operate the UMass model and allows installation portability as it simply bolts on the aircraft, a feature rarely seen in contrast to other airborne remote sensing systems. 
 
Moreover, hyperspectral imaging has currently emerged as a powerful means to continuously sample broad intervals of the spectrum. Inherent characteristics of hyperspectral imaging such as better characterization and superior identification of targets are achieved by using hyperspectral sensors on board aircraft, satellites. These sensors capture the reflected radiation from the object using the spectral detecting system consisting of charge- coupled devices and produce spectral signatures with no wavelength omissions. 
 
Not withstanding these advances, the military also expressed concern over the frequency of crashes among the current generation of UAVs. Although the crashes are less deadly because they have no pilots on board, their frequency still shows that bugs need to be worked out or that operators need more training. 
 
“Furthermore, the high cost of these platforms is still a barrier to their adoption, especially for the civilian adoption,” says Sabesan. “While the cost of UAVs is generally lower than that of a manned platform, in some cases, it is quite close to the manned equivalent.” 
 
Powering aerial surveillance platforms has been an area of concern as it relates directly to endurance and can also influence the effectiveness of the platform. While manned platforms have always been powered by fossil fuels, unmanned platforms have seen a variety of choices ranging from fossil fuel engines to electric motors and fuel cells. Solar power is emerging as a viable option and fuel cells, as they become more efficient, represent a good choice since they combine the silence of an electric power train with the endurance of fossil fuels.  
 
Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting company, has been partnering with clients to support the development of innovative strategies for more than 40 years. The company's industry expertise integrates growth consulting, growth partnership services, and corporate management training to identify and develop opportunities.