BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT:
Title
Proposed Pilot Project for Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) in Land Surveying and Mapping Activities.
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
A. Receive information and discuss issues identified for using UAV in land surveying and mapping activities; and
B. Provide direction to staff.
Body
SUMMARY:
At the Board meeting on November 27, 2018, the Board discussed the proposed pilot project using UAV in land surveying and mapping for the District. The Board discussed the following concerns regarding use of UAV:
1. Types of land surveying and mapping activities that can be conducted by UAV;
2. Concerns with potential invasion of privacy;
3. Contents of the Draft Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Operations Manual; and
4. Estimated cost of using UAV.
1. Types of land surveying and mapping activities that can be conducted by UAV
The technology of UAV has advanced to the point that they can provide cost effective survey grade data. UAVs can provide high resolution photographic and video documentation for various District needs. Staff is planning to use UAV as an additional tool to obtain land surveying and mapping information for the following work:
• Planning, design and construction of operations or capital improvement projects.
• Documentation for operations and maintenance inspections.
• Information for vegetation management.
• Information for property appraisal or management.
• Information for evaluation of property encroachment and protection of water resources.
Additionally, UAV can also provide photographic information for the following work:
• Support District emergency services and security.
• Remote aerial condition assessment for employee and public safety.
• Spillway and embankment assessment.
• Evaluation and documentation of District building repairs.
• Documentation to support asset management.
• Information to support External Affairs functions.
2. Concerns with potential invasion of privacy
The Board discussed some concerns with the photographic and video activities. The methods used by the UAV for land surveying and mapping activities all begin with photographic techniques. For example, a project that is to be mapped for design and topographic mapping will start with aerial photography captured by either a UAV or conventional aircraft. These photographs will then be compiled into one large mosaic that is corrected for all horizontal and vertical error. This completed collage is called an orthomosaic. It is one large picture that is a true vertical photograph. This means that no matter where you view the image, you will always be looking straight down on the area in question. This type of image allows for various types of measurements and surface modeling to be created from the mosaic. Therefore, topographical surfaces, planimetric and design maps can be created.
All land surveying and mapping activities involving aerial imaging must begin with photos and then converted to the requested formats for delivery. LSMU will take the same precautions in gathering non-surveying photos and videos that it will for surveying and mapping photos. Photos and videos will only be taken of District property and facilities. Precautions will be taken under the supervision of the LSMU Manager to only include the necessary area of concern. The use of UAVs for documenting asset management, inspection of hard to access facilities, public outreach and events, will provide a unique, efficient, and desired perspective for all units at the District.
3. Contents of the Draft Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Operations Manual
The Draft UAS Operations Manual is included in Attachment 1. This comprehensive manual addresses all aspects of the proposed pilot program. The focus of the manual is to ensure the District and the public are protected while providing a method to efficiently track all field/office aspects of the pilot program.
During UAV operations, District personnel will adhere to all rules and regulations set forth in the document FAA Part 107 Commercial Act (Attachment 2). Part 107 states that small unmanned aircraft may not operate over any persons not directly participating in the operation, not under a covered structure, and not inside a covered stationary vehicle.
District personnel will only fly over District-owned facilities and will only be flown over private property with prior notice of the homeowner/resident. In the event of an emergency or giving way to manned aircraft, the UAV must land or return to the starting point, any data collected while passing over private property will be discarded. For example, if a situation occurred where the UAV must land or return to base, it will do so in the shortest possible route, which may take it over a private property. In this circumstance, the data collected during this portion of the flight would be discarded. Further steps to ensure the privacy and protection of the public and civil liberties are addressed in Section 3 of the LSMU UAS Flight Operations Manual (Attachment 1).
Public privacy is protected by adhering to requirements in the following documents:
1. FAA Part 107 Commercial Act
2. FAA Voluntary Best Practices for UAS Privacy, Transparency and Accountability prepared by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
3. Presidential Memorandum, February 15, 2015
4. American Civil Liberties (ACLU) Protecting Privacy from Aerial Surveillance, December 2011
5. University of California: UAS Operations Manual, November 2015
6. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Best Practices for Use of Unmanned Aerial Systems, February 2017
By following all regulations and guidelines, as well as the self-imposed practices listed in the LSMU UAS Operations Manual, Section 3, LSMU will ensure the privacy and safety of the public.
The data collected by UAVs, photographs and video, will require digital storage. To minimize the impact of this data on Information Technology servers, LSMU will only store competed/final footage and data. LSMU is required by the California Public Records act to archive all data and make it available to the public upon request. Storage of data will be treated like all other survey data and made available upon request.
LSMU will be in complete control of the UAV Pilot Program for all District activities. This will ensure all FAA rules are complied with, all aircraft are properly registered, maintained, all records regarding flights, locations, incidents and data storage are current and all pilots are certified and qualified on the aircraft.
4. Estimated cost of using UAV
The estimated cost for implementing the proposed pilot project is included below.
|
Item |
Units/Hours |
Unit Cost |
Total Cost |
Comments |
|
Unmanned Aerial System |
2 2 |
$5,000 |
$10,000 |
Purchase of two UAVs, batteries, chargers, cases |
|
Training |
16 |
$160 |
$2,560 |
Review of Manual for 4 pilots |
|
Research & Preparation of Manual |
200 |
$160 |
$32,000 |
Spent FY 15-18 |
|
Program Oversight & Evaluation |
80 |
$160 |
$12,800 |
6 Month Evaluation Report to the Board |
|
Software |
1 |
$2,500 |
$2,500 |
Purchased FY 18 |
|
Pilot FAA Training Hours |
54 |
$160 |
$8,640 |
Trained on personal time or with previous employer |
|
Pilot FAA Training |
4 |
$150 |
$600 |
Trained on personal time or with previous employer |
|
Pilot FAA Certification Exam |
4 |
$150 |
$600 |
Certified on personal time or with previous employer |
|
Insurance |
0.5 |
$14,000 |
$7,000 |
Insurance premium for 6 months |
|
|
|
Subtotal: |
$76,700 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Estimated Pilot Program Cost: |
$32,360 |
FY 19 funds |
Operating costs will be charged to the budget of individual projects as regular survey time. Use of this technology is expected to reduce hours needed for certain tasks.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Initial Startup Cost is estimated to be less than $10,000 with an estimated cost of $35,000 for the Pilot Program. There is adequate funding in Project No. 00074036 Survey Management and Technical Support for the development of the pilot project.
CEQA:
The recommended action is a ministerial action and thus is not subject to the requirements of CEQA.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Flight Operations Manual, UAV
Attachment 2: FAA Part 107 Commercial Act
Attachment 3: PowerPoint
Attachment 4: List of possible uses for UAVs
UNCLASSIFIED MANAGER:
Manager
Ngoc Nguyen, 408-630-2632