Unmanned Aircraft Systems - Point Cloud Data

The USGS National Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Project Office utilizes UAS technology for collecting remote sensing data on a local scale. Typical UAS projects encompass areas that are too large to cover on foot and too small for traditional aircraft missions. The flexibility of operations and relative low cost of UAS allow scientists to support a range of activities including monitoring environmental conditions, analyzing the impacts of climate changes, responding to natural hazards, understanding landscape change rates and consequences, conducting fire assessments, tracking wildlife inventories, aiding search and rescue, and supporting related land management and emergency response missions. The USGS EROS Center manages and distributes data for the UAS Project Office.美国地质调查局（USGS）国家无人飞行器系统（Unmanned Aircraft Systems，UAS）项目办公室采用UAS技术，开展局域尺度的遥感数据采集工作。典型的UAS项目覆盖的区域范围，既无法通过徒步完成勘测，又因尺度过小不适用于传统航空器作业任务。UAS的作业灵活性与相对低廉的使用成本，使得科研人员能够开展多类研究与实践活动，包括环境状况监测、气候变化影响分析、自然灾害应急响应、解析景观变化速率与影响、火情评估、野生动物资源清查、搜救支援，以及支撑相关土地管理与应急响应任务。美国地质调查局地球资源观测与科学（EROS）中心负责为该UAS项目办公室管理并分发采集到的数据。