Monday 27 July 2015

AutoDesk

I've mentioned this to a few 3D Modellers and builders that I know recently so it is as good a time as any to post. AutoDESK have a great approach to student training - anyone with a college email address (including staff) can get access to almost the whole of the AutoDESK suite for four years. 



Not only does that include AutoCAD but also 3DMax (you might remember the 3D model of the Chapel I tried to get printed) or for people working on models and animation for the computer industry you can download MAYA for realistic environments. I wouldn't fancy trying to draw this in AutoCAD!



All available for free here


Wednesday 22 July 2015

Sentinel 2a imagery

While I am waiting to see if we get any Sentinel 2a imagery from the POLWET survey in Poland, here is a link to a GIM International article with some early data from ESA.


Free, multispectral, 10m spatial resolution imagery will be very welcome to the RS community. May there be many more!

Tuesday 21 July 2015

POLWET

Just back from 2 weeks in Poland at SWAMP:  the 6th EUFAR-OPTIMISE Training Course for spectroscopy in wetlands using aerial, satellite and UAV imagery. OPTIMISE, you might remember is the EU COST Action that I am a part of so this was particularly relevant to me. Here is an orthomosaic of the test-site with some of our sample locations.





I applied for a place on the course and was awarded full funding for the two weeks. From what I hear only 25% of the applicants received places so I was lucky to get one. You might think there would be alot of down-time in a course that long but it was almost non-stop from 9am till 11pm at night, particularly towards the end getting the results finalised.

Lots of great hardware/data collected on the survey -

- At least 4 UAVs, some were  really heavy-lifter VTOLs (no fixed wings, they were deemed not steady enough for spectral measurements - quite a few of the things I learned challenged our assumptions and have made me think about the path we are moving down). The Falcon was the man-of-the-match in many cases due the the gimble and its ability to calculate BRDF for the hemisphere above and around a point without obscuring any illumination.

- Two large aerial platforms - a Dornier carrying the 'APEX' sensor and a second aircraft with 'HYPLANT'.

APEX

HYPLANT

- More field units than you could sneeze at. Here is a nice photo I took of us using an Ocean Optics HR4000 and the Falcon operating in the background.


- A flux tower for eddy-covariance measurements.

- They had even tasked a Sentinel 2a overpass and there is talk of using our field and aerial measurements for calibration.

Lots of hard work but also lots of very interesting people. Some great BBQs, bonfires and beer for less than 1 euro.

I need a holiday!




About Me

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My name is Conor. I am a Lecturer at the Department of Geography at Maynooth University. These few lines will (hopefully) chart my progress through academia and the world of research.