1
LEVERAGING LOW COST UAVs, GPS ENABLED CAMERAS & SMART PHONES FOR ENHANCING SITUATIONAL AWARENESS IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT Muhammad Munir Afsar1 , Shahid Iqbal2 , Dr Ejaz Hussain3
ABSTRACT: Disaster management in all its phases is essentially pivoted on decision making requiring situational awareness and updated information from the field. Floods of 2010-2012 and Awaran Earthquake have highlighted that information from the field remained unstructured with delayed availability to the relevant decision makers. Resultantly, response in all phases of disaster management was adversely affected. Based on the lessons learnt while providing geospatial support to these disasters, authors have designed and implemented ‘gAWARE’, a system composed of low cost UAVs, GPS enabled cameras, smart phones and associated information and communication technologies to overcome the identified information shortfalls and bottlenecks. The system enables the field operators to capture the geo-coded imagery, annotate it, fill the structured data collection forms and pass to Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs) in near real-time. At EOCs this information can be associated with other sources, collated, analysed and disseminated for informed decision making enabling proactive responses at various tiers. While few system components such as GPS enabled cameras were fielded during floods and Awaran Earthquake, current addition of low cost UAVs capable of generating geo-spatial data and associated smart phone based application have lent new capabilities. It is envisaged that adoption of this cost effective field deployable capability would enhance disaster management capacity of concerned institutions in Pakistan. INTRODUCTION Context and Motivation Disasters are inherently spatio-temporal phenomenon where timely decision making enabled by reliable situational awareness is of the premium to optimally mitigate, prepare, respond and recover.i Recent advancements and symbiosis of erstwhile
1
Institute of Geographic Information Systems (IGIS), NUST (
[email protected]) Punjab University Lahore (
[email protected]) 3 IGIS, NUST (
[email protected]) 2
2
standalone technologies especially in the field of geographic information systems, remote sensing, communication, computing, imaging, electronics, telemetry, navigation and above all miniaturisation have opened new avenues for information collection and transmission from the field under the constantly evolving disaster management frameworks attuned to region and nation specific geophysical, meteorological and socio-economic environment ii While manifestation of these frameworks may vary, above mentioned technologies are now accepted as fundamental enablers in the ‘Disaster Management Cycle’ to meet the informational requirements in a prompt, collaborative and efficient manner. iii With information being pivotal, ‘information cycle’ of acquisition, collation, analysis, and dissemination integrates it into the decision making. iv However, at the onset of disaster, intensive information requirements related to command, control, coordination and cooperation usually exceed available information v Positive impact of above mentioned enablers and technologies to mitigate the information gap in disaster management context is graphically illustrated at Figure 1.vi
Figure 1 : Positive Impact of Information Technologies on Information Availability
The promise of these technologies notwithstanding, these are intrinsically complex in implementation, and most of the developing countries fail to optimally implement these. vii Contributing factors abound ranging from organizational incoherence viii , inadequate human resource capacity ix , technological challenges relating to lack of National Spatial Data Infrastructure x , intrinsic satellite based remote sensing, telemetry, automated weather stations and communication capabilities xi, update data sets, field deployable capacities, standardized reporting formats etc. Pakistan proved no exception and despite being at the cusp of a cellular technology led information permeation in the society, recent natural and manmade disasters brought to fore less than optimal implementation of information enablers for disaster management. xii Authors’ association with provision of geo-spatial support to rescue, relief and
3
rehabilitation of flood affected; and first-hand witnessing the technological gaps in national disaster management framework provided the necessary motivation to implement ‘gAWARE’ system which is an on-going and evolving research project. Objectives Basic objective of ‘gAWARE’ system is to provide a field deployable, cost effective standards-based information collection and bi-directional communication tool relying on dedicated field teams as well as crowd-sourced volunteered geographic information to assist in the disaster management cycle by enhancing situational awareness, easing information flow and increasing reliability of information from the field. METHODOLOGY System’s Evolution gAWARE is an evolving system since Floods of 2010. In its evolution, it has undergone these stages. Stage – I : Use of Geo-Tagged Photographs and Structured Reporting Formats During the floods, first lesson learnt was that the dearth of reliable, structured and timely information from the field was mainly attributable to the lack of standardized damage assessment and reporting formats, non-existent data sharing protocols and the breakdown of tele-communication infrastructure. Excessive cloud cover coupled with lack of national remote sensing capability resulted in delayed availability of the satellite images. Techniques and technologies used by foreign Rapid Mapping Teamsxiii and agencies such as UNOSAT xiv provided the necessary
Figure 2 : Geo-Tagged Imagery of Lal Pir Plant
4
insight. First step taken was to equip the field teams with GPS enabled cameras. This enabled taking of a photo in the field with locational and temporal information derived from the GPS embedded in the photo and automatically readable by a GIS software. Use of this technique to rapidly build a visual geo-spatial database is well documented. xv Based on the workflow outlined in the literature as guide xvi , comprehensive instructions were issued. As a result over 12,000 photographs were received from the field teams which were put in the basic flood GIS application. The spatio-temporal data embedded in the photographs gave not only a visual imprint of the situation and damage assessment but also proved to be of help in the recovery phase to direct the re-building effort. Figure 2 shows a geo-tagged picture of the inundated area and damages as reported by the field teams. Moreover, few of the field teams were equipped with Smart Phones with in-built GPS and cameras. A purpose built light foot print application developed in ESRI ArcPad was developed in order to collect on-site information. In this stage, major issues faced were the training of the field teams in use of GPS, GPS enabled cameras, smart phones, lack of standardized reporting formats and an overarching GIS based Flood Management Application. Hence, while lot of data from ground was collected and initially well received, it could not be wholly integrated into the decision making. Stage – II : Development of GIS based Flood Situation Reporting and Response Application Capitalising on the lessons learnt in Stage – I, a GIS based Flood Situation Reporting and Response Application was developed. Broad architecture of the application which used ESRI’s ArcGIS technologies is given at Figure 3.
Figure 3 : GIS based Flood Situation Reporting and Response Application
Application was developed mainly to monitor flood situation during the flood season with the facility to enter the observed or telemetry based flow data from various hydrological gauges along the river system. Application was made rich in
5
contextual data with number of data sources to include LandScan Population data, inundation maps for various flood return periods based on NESPAK’s developed Flood Early Warning System (FEWS), Flood Hazard Maps from international sources and historical flood extents of pervious major floods. While the application did prove to be a quantum improvement in handling the information flow, lack of nationally approved NSDI and NDMA’s mandated reporting formats proved to be its Achilles’ heel. Figure 4 gives a screenshot of the few analytical products from the developed application.
Figure 4 : Analytical Products
Stage – III : Shift to developing gAWARE Awaran Earthquake and inordinate delay in the availability of satellite imagery of desired spatio-temporal resolution made reliance on aerial photography from fixed wing aircraft and helicopters of paramount importance. While this method proved to be a good method of rapid damage and needs assessment, logistical difficulties entailed that field tentacles were left without a data collection platform of their own. This gave birth to the idea of using low cost commercial off the shelf UAVs. This use was also spurred by increasing capability of these UAVs as rapid imaging and situational awareness platforms. Utilising photogrammetry software, very high resolution geo-spatial products such as digital surface models (DSM) and orthorectified imagery could be generated. This also coincided with the availability of Android based Smart Phones with GPS, higher resolution camera and enough computation power to act as a substantive alternative to an erstwhile laptop.
6
System’s Components and Concept of Operation gAWARE represents the field component of an overall geo-spatial data collection and reporting chain. Its components and system design are described in succeeding paragraphs for a field team. Table 1 : System Components for the Field Team
Category Hardware
Nomenclature/ Specifications Remarks Laptop (Core i5 with Graphic Card) with GSM Modem GPS enabled Digital Camera (Canon SX260HS) for handheld as well as UAV based photography Android Based Smartphone (GPS + Camera) UAV (Fixed Wing/ Multi Rotor) with Depending on Ground Control for UAV mission requirement Software Laptop Basic OS, Office and GIS Software Photogrammetry & Photo Editing Software UAV Ground Control Software Video editing/ compression software Ushahidi/ Sahana/ Frontline SMS Software Camera Canon Hack Development Kit (CHDK) gAWARE Application Software Smartphone Satellite/ GSM/ Landline connection Communication Jeep/ Bike, Solar Panel, Charging As required Miscellaneous Equipment, Field Camping Equipment Other than the application available on the Field Team’s Smart Phone, same application would be available to the general public for crowd sourced volunteered geographic information. Concept of Operation of gAWARE is graphically explained at Figure 5. For example, the team has been called on to survey a specific area of Margallah Hills near Islamabad to report on the brush fire. Being the field deployable team, it reaches the scene/ area of interest by the fastest means possible and undertakes a quick survey of the location to opt for best method of data collection and reporting back. While one member of the team establishes rearward communication, second member carries out a quadcopter UAV flight recording the still photos as well motion imagery. As the photos being captured can directly be downloaded from the UAV, these are immediately sent back to the Forward Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) from where these can be shared
7
with local administration/ civil defense/ law enforcement. Meantime, civilian volunteers who have also downloaded a scaled down version of the gAWARE application can report in with their observations.
Figure 5 : Concept of Operation of gAWARE Application
IMPLEMENTATION AND RESULTS Implementation gAWARE application consists of three components. First component is an Android based application is deployed on smart phone. Application is developed and tested. It provides following features: Geographic SMS : SMS with location metadata built-in is sent to the EOC Server. Geo-Tagged Annotated Picture : Captures the image of the location on which certain annotation or remarks by the operator can be added. This is then sent over GSM Multimedia Message or through HTTP as part of an email attachment. Field Form Data/ Incident Report : Operator can select an appropriate reporting form contingent on situation/ requirement and then sends the data as formatted SMS using Frontline SMS software over GSM or through HTTP channel.
8
In case of communication breakdown all events/ inputs are logged locally and on establishment of communication can be synchronised with the EOC Server. Receive instructions/ input from EOC. Use cached maps for local situational awareness including data being sent by EOC as well as being reported by volunteers. Second component is local UAV which can have an attached cameras capable of live transmission to the field team. Camera can be programmed to take still photos after a specified interval or transmit live video while also recording it on-board. Field team depending on the requirement/ availability of the communication bandwidth can immediately share the data with EOC. For the purpose of Proof of Concept, two low cost multi-rotor UAVs have been procured and tested. Characteristics are as under:Table 2 : Low Cost UAV Characteristics
Characteristics
Built Endurance Altitude Speed Operating Radius Preprogrammed Missions Camera
3DR-Y6
DJI Phantom 2 Vision
Self assembled from kit 12 mins >1500 ft 15 m/s 2 kms
Already ready to fly 20 mins 600 ft 10 m/s 600 m
Yes
No
2-D stabilised camera 2-D stabilised camera for wide oblique & vertical photos in angle oblique photos same flight Optional Yes
Live Transmission Payload capacity 600 g Rs 185,000 Cost Survey Area in 500 m2 One Flight for Stereoscopic Coverage Imagery & DSM Less than 5 cm from 300 ft AGL Resolution
300 g Rs 160,000 500 m2
Less than 5 cm from 300 ft AGL
9
Workflow for undertaking a UAV flight is given at Figure 6.
Figure 6 : Workflow for UAV Flight
Third component of gAWARE application is the one which is housed in EOC. It accepts the field data coming from field teams and volunteers and parses it to appropriate situational awareness and reporting applications which display the data on the backdrop of a map of the area. Moreover, with enhanced computational power available imagery obtained by UAVs can be processed into geo-spatial products such as ortho-rectified imagery or DSM. Similarly, EOC provides digital connections to other agencies as per the Concept of Operation. Main applications running in EOC are: Backend Database and Communication Management o Sahana Server o SQL Server o UShahidi Server o Fronltine SMS Server o GIS Server o Database Machines o Communication Modems Front End Applications o Situation Monitoring Application o Tasking Application Stand Alone Application : Imagery and Video Processing Applications
10
Results Below are given few screen captures/ snapshots from the application. gAWARE application interface and geo-tagged photo application
Figure 7 : gAWARE Mobile Application
Few results from photogrammetry products derived from UAV flights are given at Figure 8.
Figure 8 : Products derived from UAV
11
CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS gAWARE application and its components represent an evolving research project to geo-spatially enable disaster management in Pakistan. To this end while much work has been done, following challenges are recommended to be overcome at priority:
Declaration of NSDI by Survey of Pakistan so that data creation, sharing and standardisation protocols are in place for efficient exchange of data to support complete disaster management cycle. Declaration of Disaster Reporting and Response Architecture by NDMA so that interoperability can be achieved in terms of software and tele-communication infrastructure can achieve continuity of operation even in disaster hit areas. Focussing on field deployable capacities such as demonstrated by gAWARE application and its system components. Integration of low cost UAVs as imagery platforms in conjunction with Civil Aviation Authority for data acquisition and situational awareness in natural and manmade disasters and to obtain data for mitigation and rehabilitation purposes as well.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Authors gratefully acknowledge the research grant by National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC) for purchase of UAV.
REFERENCES i
David E. Alexander, Principles of Emergency Planning and Management (Oxford University Press, 2002), 9. ii Damon P. Coppola, Introduction to International Disaster Management, Second Edition, 2nd ed. (Butterworth-Heinemann, 2011), 9. iii Chanuka Wattegama and Krasae Chanawongse, ICT for Disaster Management (UNDP-APDIP, 2007), 5. iv Abbas Rajabifard, Spatially Enabling Government, Industry and Citizens: Research and Development Perspectives (Needham, Ma.: GSDI Association Press, 2012), 286. v Dr Robert MacFarlane, A Guide to GIS Applications in Integrated Emergency Management (London: Emergency Planning College, Cabinet Office, 2005), 9. vi Milan Konecny, Geographic Information and Cartography for Risk and Crises Management (Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2010), 18. vii William E. Huxhold and Allan G. Levinsohn, Managing Geographic Information System Projects (Oxford University Press, 1995). viii Successful Response Starts with a Map: Improving Geospatial Support for Disaster Management (National Academy Press, 2007), 63. ix Jonathan Raper and Nick Green, “Teaching the Principles of GIS: Lessons from the GIS Tutor Project,” International Journal of Geographical Information Systems 6, no. 4 (July 1992): 279–90.
12
Luai Majdi Al-Kayyali, “Framework for Building GIS Control Center and Planner for Governments and Countries” (ESRI-NEA, January 31, 2013). xi Jochen Schanze, Evzen Zeman, and Jiři Maršálek, Flood Risk Management: Hazards, Vulnerability and Mitigation Measures (Springer, 2006), 129–31. xii WMO Fact-Finding and Needs-Assessment Mission to Pakistan (Islamabad: WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION, November 4, 2010), 22. xiii ICIMOD, Rapid Response Mapping on Pakistan Floods Overview of ICIMOD Efforts (ICIMOD, 2010). xiv “UNOSAT Maps Pakistani Floods as Relief Operations Reach Affected Populations | United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR),” accessed July 13, 2013, http://www.unitar.org/unosat-map-pakistani-floods-reliefoperations. xv Michael F. Goodchild, “Citizens as Sensors: The World of Volunteered Geography,” GeoJournal 69, no. 4 (2007): 211–21. xvi Myunghwa Hwang and Marissa Smith, “Integrating Publicly Available Web Mapping Tools for Cartographic Visualization of Community Food Insecurity: A Prototype,” GeoJournal 77, no. 1 (2012): 47–62. x
