Drones and global navigation satellite systems: current evidence from polar scientists

Aerial unmanned vehicles, so-called drones, present a paradigm shift away from the long term use by scientists of manned airplanes and helicopters. This is evident from the number of research articles that focus on data obtained with drones. This article examines the use of aerial drones for scientific research in cryospheric regions, especially Antarctica and the Arctic. Specifically it aims to provide insights into the choices and performance of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) use for drones, including augmentation systems. Data on drone GNSS navigation and positioning in the context of scientific polar research has been scarce. Drone survey data obtained from polar scientists in April 2019 is the first representative sample from this close-knit global community across the specialisms of climatology, ecology, geology, geomorphology, geophysics and oceanography. The survey results derived from 16 countries revealed that 14.71% of scientists used GALILEO, 27.94% used GLONASS ...空中无人飞行器，即所谓的无人机（drones），引发了范式变革，颠覆了科学家长期以来依赖载人飞机与直升机开展科研工作的传统模式。这一点从大量以无人机获取的数据为研究对象的学术论文中可见一斑。本文聚焦于空中无人机在冰冻圈区域的科研应用，尤其是南极与北极地区。具体而言，本文旨在深入剖析无人机搭载的全球导航卫星系统（Global Navigation Satellite Systems, GNSS）的选型与性能表现，包括其增强系统。此前针对极地科研场景下无人机全球导航卫星系统导航与定位的相关数据较为匮乏。2019年4月向极地科研人员征集的无人机调研数据，是来自这个紧密协作的全球跨专业科研共同体的首个代表性样本，其覆盖的专业领域包括气候学、生态学、地质学、地貌学、地球物理学与海洋学。这项覆盖16个国家的调研结果显示，14.71%的科研人员使用伽利略（GALILEO）卫星系统，27.94%的科研人员使用格洛纳斯（GLONASS）卫星系统……