Employing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as an element of the Integrated Ocean Observing System

The Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) provides a framework to integrate environmental data with existing and new technologies resulting in information that will improve our use and management of oceanic and coastal areas. The coastal zone is a dynamic biological, chemical, physical, and geological environment that is rich with opportunities for commerce and in need of well thought out resource management and conservation. In order to maintain responsible stewardship of this delicate environment while sharing coastal resources for economic benefit, we must have a means to measure, monitor, and characterize processes, parameters, and habitats accurately, in a timely fashion, and cost-effectively. While in situ observations and measurements provide the most precise and accurate means of data collection, this method is limited by its coarse spatial and/or temporal resolution and the potentially high cost of increasing fidelity. Satellite remote sensing provides a means of collecting large geographic views of data, but the information available from satellites can be constrained by (1) the spatial and spectral resolution of the sensor, (2) atmospheric absorption and other effects, (3) data refresh time of sensor platforms, and (4) cost. Airborne remote sensing provides a mechanism for overcoming shortcomings of space-borne sensors but typically at a high cost and with restrictions on flight regulations and endurance. In some types of operations, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are less expensive and more flexible to operate than manned aircraft and continuing developments in the field are increasing the operational capabilities of these platforms and the variety of available sensors for data collection. Employment of UAV platforms and associated sensors, coordinated with in situ and other remote sensors, provides a powerful tool in characterizing the coastal ocean for habitat monitoring, hazard response and mitigation, resource management, and commercial use. UAVs can be a critically important element of the national coastal component of IOOS.