The ability to accurately measure tibiofemoral angles during various dynamic activities is of clinical interest. The purpose of this study was to determine if inertial measurement units (IMUs) can provide accurate and reliable angle estimates during dynamic actions. A tuned quaternion conversion (TQC) method tuned to dynamics actions was used to calculate Euler angles based on IMU data, and these calculated angles were compared to a motion capture system (our “gold” standard) and a commercially available sensor fusion algorithm. Nine healthy athletes were instrumented with APDM Opal IMUs and asked to perform nine dynamic actions; five participants were used in training the parameters of the TQC method, with the remaining four being used to test validity. Accuracy was based on the root mean square error (RMSE) and reliability was based on the Bland–Altman limits of agreement (LoA). Improvement across all three orthogonal angles was observed as the TQC method was able to more accurately (lower RMSE) and more reliably (smaller LoA) estimate an angle than the commercially available algorithm. No significant difference was observed between the TQC method and the motion capture system in any of the three angles (p < 0.05). It may be feasible to use this method to track tibiofemoral angles with higher accuracy and reliability than the commercially available sensor fusion algorithm. 
                        more » 
                        « less   
                    
                            
                            AUTOMATIC EXTRACTION OF SOLAR AND SENSOR IMAGING GEOMETRY FROM UAV-BORNE PUSH-BROOM HYPERSPECTRAL CAMERA
                        
                    
    
            Abstract. Calculating solar-sensor zenith and azimuth angles for hyperspectral images collected by UAVs are important in terms of conducting bi-directional reflectance function (BRDF) correction or radiative transfer modeling-based applications in remote sensing. These applications are even more necessary to perform high-throughput phenotyping and precision agriculture tasks. This study demonstrates an automated Python framework that can calculate the solar-sensor zenith and azimuth angles for a push-broom hyperspectral camera equipped in a UAV. First, the hyperspectral images were radiometrically and geometrically corrected. Second, the high-precision Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) data for the flight path was extracted and corresponding UAV points for each pixel were identified. Finally, the angles were calculated using spherical trigonometry and linear algebra. The results show that the solar zenith angle (SZA) and solar azimuth angle (SAA) calculated by our method provided higher precision angular values compared to other available tools. The viewing zenith angle (VZA) was lower near the flight path and higher near the edge of the images. The viewing azimuth angle (VAA) pattern showed higher values to the left and lower values to the right side of the flight line. The methods described in this study is easily reproducible to other study areas and applications. 
        more » 
        « less   
        
    
                            - Award ID(s):
- 1733606
- PAR ID:
- 10359235
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences
- Volume:
- V-3-2022
- ISSN:
- 2194-9050
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 131 to 137
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
- 
            
- 
            null (Ed.)Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) often lack the size, weight, and power to support large antenna arrays or a large number of radio chains. Despite such limitations, emerging applications that require the use of swarms, where UAVs form a pattern and coordinate towards a common goal, must have the capability to transmit in any direction in three-dimensional (3D) space from moment to moment. In this work, we design a measurement study to evaluate the role of antenna polarization diversity on UAV systems communicating in arbitrary 3D space. To do so, we construct flight patterns where one transmitting UAV is hovering at a high altitude (80 m) and a receiving UAV hovers at 114 different positions that span 3D space at a radial distance of approximately 20 m along equally-spaced elevation and azimuth angles. To understand the role of diverse antenna polarizations, both UAVs have a horizontally-mounted antenna and a vertically-mounted antenna-each attached to a dedicated radio chain-creating four wireless channels. With this measurement campaign, we seek to understand how to optimally select an antenna orientation and quantify the gains in such selections.more » « less
- 
            As part of the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC), the HELiX uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) was deployed over the sea ice in the central Arctic Ocean during summer 2020. Albedo measurements were obtained with stabilized pyranometers, and melt pond fraction was calculated from orthomosaic imagery from a surface-imaging multispectral camera. This study analyzed HELiX flight data to provide insights on the temporal and spatial evolution of albedo and melt pond fraction of the MOSAiC floe during the melt season as it drifted south through Fram Strait. The surface albedo distributions showed peak values changing from high albedo (0.55–0.6) to lower values (0.3) as the season advanced. Inspired by methods developed for satellite data, an algorithm was established to retrieve melt pond fraction from the orthomosaic images. We demonstrate that the near-surface observations of melt pond fraction were highly dependent on sample area, offering insight into the influence of subgrid scale features and spatial heterogeneity in satellite observations. Vertical observations conducted with the HELiX were used to quantify the influence of melt pond scales on observed surface albedo as a function of sensor footprint. These scaling results were used to link surface-based measurements collected during MOSAiC to broader-scale satellite data to investigate the influence of surface features on observed albedo. Albedo values blend underlying features within the sensor footprint, as determined by the melt pond size and concentration. This study framed the downscaling (upscaling) problem related to the airborne (surface) observations of surface albedo across a variety of spatial scales.more » « less
- 
            Orthorectified flight line hyperspectral cubes retiled for publication. Collectively, the tiled hyperspectral cubes cover the footprint of the flux tower and established long-term study plots at Thompson Farm Observatory, Durham, NH. Data were acquired using a Headwall Photonics, Inc. Nano VNIR hyperspectral line scanning imager with 273 bands from 400-1000 nm. The sensor was flown on board a DJI M600 hexacopter at an altitude of ~80 m above the forest canopy, yielding ~6 cm GSD. Flight lines were converted from raw sensor observations to upwelling radiance a using a vendor-supplied radiometric calibration file for the sensor, then converted to reflectance using a calibration tarp with known reflectance. Finally, cubes were orthorectified using a 1m DSM in Headwall’s SpectralView software, mosaicked to individual flight line cubes, then subsequently tiled for publication.more » « less
- 
            Snow albedo, a measure of the amount of solar radiation that is reflected at the snow surface, plays a critical role in Earth’s climate and in regional hydrology because it is a primary driver of snowmelt timing. Satellite multi-spectral remote sensing provides a multi-decade record of land surface reflectance, from which snow albedo can be retrieved. However, this observational record is challenging to assess because discretein situobservations are not well suited for validation of snow properties at the spatial resolution of satellites (tens to hundreds of meters). For example, snow grain size, a primary driver of snow albedo, can vary at the sub-meter scale driven by changes in aspect, elevation, and vegetation. Here, we present a new uncrewed aerial vehicle hyperspectral imaging (UAV-HSI) method for mapping snow surface properties at high resolution (20 cm). A Resonon near-infrared HSI was flown on a DJI Matrice 600 Pro over the meadow encompassing Swamp Angel Study Plot in Senator Beck Basin, Colorado. Using a radiative transfer forward modeling approach, effective snow grain size and albedo maps were produced from measured surface reflectance. Coincident ground observations were used for validation; relative to retrievals from a field spectrometer the mean grain size difference was 2 μm, with an RMSE of 12 μm, and the mean broadband albedo was within 1% of that measured near the center of the flight area. Even though the snow surface was visually homogenous, the maps showed spatial variability and coherent patterns in the freshly fallen snow. To demonstrate the potential for UAV-HSI to be used to improve validation of satellite retrievals, the high-resolution maps were used to assess grain size and albedo retrievals, and subpixel variability, across 17 Landsat 9 OLI pixels from a satellite overpass with similar conditions two days following the flight. Although Landsat 9 did not capture the same range of values and spatial variability as the UAV-HSI, on average the comparison showed good agreement, with a mean grain size difference of 9 μm and the same broadband albedo (86%).more » « less
 An official website of the United States government
An official website of the United States government 
				
			 
					 
					
 
                                    