Cyprus to use UAS to Monitor Soil

UAS Flies in Kotsiatis (Photo: Kjell Sture Johansen)

Last week, Cyprus Institute’s Energy, Environment and Water Research Centre (EEWRC) held a three day UAS workshop that ended with a flight demonstration. Director, Manfred Lange, said that recent technological advances made by his team could offer an economical ways to help farmers, climatologists and event archaeologists.

Four aircraft were showcased at the EEWRC’s demonstration in Kotsiatis : three propeller powered aeroplanes and a “quad-copter” which has four rotor blades and offers increased stability and manoeuvrability for functions like taking pictures.

Lange said: “These planes are very versatile, easy to fly and relatively cheap compared to manned planes. For example, if you put cameras on them you can monitor water in the soil and determine most efficient water use. The plane itself costs around €10,000, but with the additional implementation it adds up to between €40,000 and €50,000.”

The technology is a timely arrival for the Eastern Mediterranean region, which the EEWRC says is likely to suffer “disproportionally and adversely” from climate change in the coming years. And while the costs of UAS seem high, they are a cheaper alternative to manned planes. The centre said: “Using airplanes for monitoring and recording data helps to alleviate many of the limitations of both ground-based and satellite observations. However, their utilisation is usually restricted by extremely high costs per flight hour and constrained observing times.”

UAS offers a promising alternative. “Their small size and weight, in contrast to conventional systems currently in use, enable a relatively large range at moderate fuel demand. Being operated autonomously allows systematic surveys over long distances and over relatively long time periods.”

According to Lange, the EEWRC expects to be carrying out operational flights by the end of the year, although there are no plans yet to mass produce UAS for the civilian market, and that the EEWRC had made a conscious decision not to produce systems for the military.

Source: Cyprus Mail

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *