Field Activity #13: GPS Navigation Activity

Introduction

The final two activities are combined together because it was a two week process.  This activities involved  the class going back to the priory, see field activity #11 under study area, to navigate the entire 15 point course with a GPS.  The purpose of this activity was to create a map with of the points, a path, and the priory area to be downloaded onto the GPS to be used when navigating.  Again the class was split into groups of three and the goal was to finish the fastest.  This time the navigation came with a twist as paintball guns were provided for us to use and shoot opposing teams when they came close.  The paintball guns were provided by the geography department and Joe Hupy of the University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire. 

Methods

As I mentioned above the first week of the activity involved the groups to create a map of all 15 points to use on the GPS when navigating.  This is a very important step because without a clean map the naviagtion could become difficult when out in the woods.  The goal was to draw lines between each point to come up with the quickest path.  When choosing this path it was important to take into account of distance between points and elevation, figure 1 below, to find the fastest and easiest path.  

Figure 1: This is a map showing the elevations of the priory using contour lines.
We did not include the contour lines when uploading it the GPS because we thought it
would look really messy on a small screen. 

Above it can be seen that the highest elevation is located in the center of the map and the priory building at 310.  And the lowest point located at around 255 in the East and one in the West.  Our beginning point is highlighted in blue and we traveled northwest to our first point.  From there follow the black line as it loops entirely around the area and reaching the beginning blue dot. 

Seen below in figure 2, point 3 is located in a deep ravine so it was decided to knock that one out quickly so we would have a lot of energy to complete the rest of the course.  Points 6b to 2b are all located ontop of the hill, therefore staying up there was key when navigation to save time.  Then points 6a to 6 were located down the hill and back up again.  Our path utilized both the distance between points and elevation between the points trying to stay on lower ground and higher ground when possible, instead of running up and down the hill to save energy.  

Figure 2: Image of the points with labels to help show what I was describing above. 

After creating a path the final image, figure 3, was loaded onto the GPS to be used next week.  The purple areas indicate a no shooting zone because of the chance people not involved in the activity could be located there. 

Figure 3: The final map uploaded onto our GPS, we did not include the contour
elevating lines because we thought it was look clustered on a small
GPS screen. 

The navigation itself was rather easy using the GPS.  Our group would look at the GPS and follow the line until we saw the flag marking the point.  The hard part of the activity was carrying the paint ball gun and watching for opposing teams.  Drew was holding using the GPS and collecting a marker at each point, while Andrew and I would keep guard in case any one was close.  The rules with the paint ball gun were simple; if anyone in your group was shot you must stop moving and wait a 1 minute until proceeding again.  This would slow the navigation down and cost a team vital time.  The other tricky part of the exercise was being paranoid of other groups and becoming very hot because of the heavy and thick clothing that is usually worn during paintball.  During the end of the navigation our group constantly had to stop, remove our masks, and take a breather to cool off.  Even with all these factors our group managed to not get hit with a paint ball and finish the activity 1st out of six groups. 

Discussion/Conclusion

Navigating through the woods is more difficult then I thought.  However, using a GPS rather than a compass and a map is much easier.  Simply by looking at a computer screen and walking towards a point can be easy.  However, I would highly recommend becoming familiar with the map and where you are in relation to it.  If this would have been the first time our class would have been in the woods around the priory this activity would have been much more difficult.  Invloving paint ball guns was a brilliant idea.  It made me think I was apart of a mission team, and our goal was to reach an objective with out being seen or shot.  As a guy that lives to compete and finish first this activity was a blast.  However, I wish we would have ran into opposing teams more often for a mini battle to occur but, because of the larger area and thickness of the woods seeing other teams was uncommon. 

Field Activity #12: Traditional Navigation Activity

Introduction

The purpose of this activity was to teach students how to navigate to different objectives using only a compass and a map.  This was done at the priory in Eau Claire, see study area below, and the goal was to navigate to 5 different points located in the woods.  The coordinates of the points were given before the activity started and by using the map and compass the objectives were marked on the map.  Using the points on the map and the compass the points were found in the woods using a very careful process.  The class was split into groups of 3, one controlling the compass, one counting using their pace, and one used as a marker to keep on the correct line.  

Study Area

Figure 1: This is a screen screen of the priory.  As you can see it is a very
'woodsy' area making the navigation at times somewhat difficult

The priory is owned by the University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire and has 112 acres of mostly wooded areas of land.  It is used for outdoor activities for students to learn and is also home to a children's center where students volunteer or work for educational experiences.

Methods

Learning how to use a compass to navigate on a map was done previously in the semester, and can be seen here for a recap.  Before we got started a geography student Zach Hilgendorf gave us a recap of how to use the compass when navigating.  The first step of the process was to map out the 5 points given to us by our professor.  The course was divided into 3 courses and each team was to navigate one course or 5 points.  Each x and y coordinates were given and by using the map created in field activity 5, the points were plotted (figure 2 below).

Figure 2: This is an image of our map used when navigating the course.
It is very hard to see but when looking close enough the black line can be
seen going from one dot to the next.  This represents the straight line
distance from one point to the other.  

After plotting each point the next step is to start navigating.  Each member of the group was given a job when navigating.  I had the job of using the compass to find the azimuth and straight line of where we should be going.  Andrew had the job of counting the pace between each point.  This job is very difficult because when counting your pass going up and down and over sticks in the woods it can be easy to lose track or count too high.  However, Andrew did an excellent job of navigating through the woods while keeping his pace.  Drew had the task of walking ahead of me and standing at a point of reference.  This step is very important when counting pace and navigating.  In the woods there is not a lot of room to see, therefore Drew would run up to a tree or a specific land mark where my compass was pointing too.  From there I would run walk towards him keeping my compass pointing in the right direction until I reached him.  Andrew would also use this as a tool when counting pace he would walk from me to Drew and just add the paces us at the end.  When I reached Drew we would start the process over ago from landmark to landmark until we reached the 5 points desired.  

Part of my job was to use the compass on the map and find the azimuth of where we were going next.  For example from points 1 to 2, I would place the compass facing 1 to 2 and line up with the north arrow.  From here the I would rotate the compass so it is directly facing north.  To do this you can align the compass with the grid on the map.  After it is facing north the azimuth is now found.  Then by keeping 'red in the shed' see figure 3 below, when walking the point can be found.  This is where Drew would come in handy, by keeping red in the shed I could walk towards Drew and keep a straight line.  I also could tell Drew where to stand by looking at where the arrow was pointing.  This step was done for all the points until they were reached and the marking was selecting at each point.  

Figure 3: when walking to the the desired point it is
important to keep 'red in the shed' seen above the red
arrow in the compass and also the red arrow on the compass,
when those two are lined up it is called 'red in the shed'

Figure 4: This is a photo of me, blue hat, figuring out the azimuth for the next point.
Finding the azimuth in the woods is difficult because it is hard to find a flat surface.
Andrew in the green shirt, is doing the math of his counted pace step.   

Figure 5: This is a photo of point 2, one of our objectives.
Navigating to this point was very difficult because it was
located in a deep ravine, climbing in an out while keep a
straight line or keeping pace was challenging.

Figure 6: This is an image of Andrew, green shirt, walking and counting pace
and Drew, blue shirt, standing at a tree for an landmark.  It is difficult to see Drew,
but by looking way in the distance you can see the color blue, or Drew. 

Discussion/Conclusion

Our group worked really well together by keeping the same job through out.  We found each point in a timely fashion and our navigation skills greatly improved. The most difficult thing about navigating was the terrain.  Walking through the thick woods with fallen over trees and branches in your way it became very difficult to walk in a straight line.  Also the elevation changes really wore our group down, if we were too do a longer activity it would have became more difficult.  The next activity will involve us using a GPS to navigate, this will be much easier but it will be nice to be familiar with the area.  

Field Activity #10 and #11: Aerial Mapping with a UAS

Introduction

Field activity's 10 and 11 were both combined together because they both dealt with Unmanned Aerial Systems.  Field activity 10 involved the class going out to our study area (see below) and capturing photos using a helium balloon that was raised hundreds of feet in the air.  The photos were then to put together a process called, image mosaic, using Photoscan.  The mosaic images were then georefrenced in ArcMap and placed on a map to see the results.  Field activity 11 involved our Professor, Dr. Joe Hupy, showing us the process of planning and flying a roto copter using a computer programmed to fly the copter, to capture images.  

Study Area

The study area chosen for these two activities was located at the Eau Claire Sports Center about 5 minutes from upper campus at the University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire. The reason we chose this area is because it is an open field soccer with not many trees or other features that might disrupt the UAS.  If the balloon or roto copter were to hit a tree it could damage it greatly and ruin the project.  

Figure 1: Image of the study area chosen by Joe Hupy, located
at the Eau Claire Sports Center

Methods

First I will explain with pictures the process Joe Hupy explained to us about planning and flying a roto copter because it does not involve as big a process as field activity 10.  

Figure 2: This is an image of the flight plan made by the computer program flying the roto copter

Seen above in figure 1 is a yellow line flying to 9 different checkpoints, the green dots.  After finding the study area on the program the checkpoints can be placed and the computer will run a flight plan finding the shortest distance to complete the point.  One thing Joe noted was to make sure to end the plan where it began other wise the roto copter will stay at the final point.  The copter flies around using a GPS it has installed to navigate through the area.  When flying the copter will collect images using a camera added to the copter.  Sometimes the GPS or roto copter will fail, therefore making it CRITICAL  to not perform this activity on your own.  If the roto copter gets destroyed that is valuable money being wasted.  Joe recommended one person at the computer controlling or monitoring the flight plan and the other watching the roto copter fly around to make sure no problems occur.  To see what the roto copter looks like, see my previous blog post field activity #7.

Figure 3: This is an image of the roto copter in the air, flying
around and capturing aerial photographs of the area desired.
The copter has an air time of about 15 minutes before it runs out of power.  

Figure 4: Here, our professor, Joe is describing where the copter is in
relation to the computer map.  The computer was placed on the garbage can
 in front of the study area to easily view the copter and computer. 

From here on out the process of capturing aerial images by a helium balloon will be explained followed by results and a conclusion. 

The first step of this activity was to fill up the balloon with helium so it can rise high in the air to take photographs.  The balloon is rather large, I would estimate about 10 feet high and very round.  After the balloon was filled the next step was to attach the handle and camera, seen in figure 5 and 6 below. 

Figure 5: What the man in the blue hat is holding is a device to lower or raise
the balloon, like you would use for a kite.  This is very important to focus on
as it controls the height of the balloon. 

Figure 6: Our professor, Joe Hupy, is attaching to cameras to the string of the
balloon with a device that keeps them flat.  The cameras were
 set to take pictures automatically every 5 seconds. 

After the camera was attached the balloon was lifted high into the air, figure 7, to let it capture aerial images.  The class took turns carrying the balloon, and it was made sure the entire area was captured.  

Figure 7: The balloon high in the air holding the cameras,
it was rather windy that day but the pictures turned out just fine.
It there would have been a little stronger wind the balloon might have failed.

Figure 8: The class walking on the edge of the field, one
person holding the balloon making sure the string does not hit a tree. 

After the entire field is captured the next step is to mosaic the images to create one clean image.  This is done with a program called Photoscan.  In Photoscan click on the Workflow tab and then Add Photos.  This will open up a new window will open and the aerial images can be added to the function.  After adding the photos, hit Workflow again and Align Photos.  This will run the photos for them to combined together but the picture will not be clear yet, seen figure 9 below.  Blake Johnson, a classmate, and I decided to work together to make our own mosaic.  We decided to only use around 40 photos to speed the process.  Drew Briski was the first one too run the system and his directions were followed precisely. 

Figure 9: Image of the photos aligned together, you can see the photos
lined up together but no real image yet. 

The next step is to build a mesh. Select Build Mesh under workflow.  This will create a TIN from the point cloud.  After the mesh was complete and the next step is to export the results as a TIN. Because the photos appeared darker than expected they were brought into Photoshop and the brightness values were played around with until the image desired was found. 

The next step is to export the photo as a TIFF so it can be georeferenced in ArcMap.  This is done by clicking File> Export Orthophoto>Export TIFF.  The below image of the Tiff can be seen if figure 10 below. 

Figure 10: The TIFF image created by Photoscan after the images
were mosaicked together. 

The final step to create the product desired is to georeference the image because the TIFF file is not correct and has no reference map or coordinate system.  The first step was to bring in the TIFF image and then the World Imagery from Arc Base Maps online.  Then zooming into the same area as the image so it can be referenced.   Georeferencing can be found by clicking: Customize> Toolbars> and Georeferencing.  Then in the Georeference tool bar click the viewer tool and bring in the tiff raster area of Eau Claire Sports Center.  Then click Add Control Points to start georeferencing the image.  To do this first find a location that can be found easily on both images and click there on the TIFF image first.  Then in the basemap find that exact same location.  Keep adding points first on the TIFF and then on the same exact location until the TIFF image is similar to the base map.  

Results

Below is the finished product lined up with surrounding features.  The image fits well in the base map except for the black edges around the image.  A total of 6 georeferencing points were added to both images to correct the TIFF file.   As you can see below the TIFF image is in black and white and somewhat blurry on the edges.  Maybe if more goereferencing points were too be added it would be fixed.  I am not sure how to fix the color though, that is how they resulted when using PhotoScan.  Drew Briski the master of the this assignment has a better outcome than me and his image is in color seen here. 

Figure 11: The final product from the balloon the ArcMap the photos are spatially
correct and match up with the surrounding features. 

Conclusion 

Capturing the aerial images from a balloon and then creating a TIFF is a long process.  It could have not been done with out our classmates Drew Briski and his knowledge with the PhotoScan program.  He set up directions of how to mosaic the images and create a TIFF file.  Without him this process could have not been done.  The result photo was decent, I would have liked it to be in color but I really have no idea how to change that because of my inexperience in PhotoScan.