Peter Keum

WTD GIS Senior Specialist

Use of RPAS for Wastewater Treatment Division

October 27th, 2021

FAA Part 107 Certified Remote Pilot

Remotely Piloted Aircraft System

WTD GIS Team

• Shaun O'Neil
• Shari Cross
• Patrick Sowers
• Crystal Bach
• Jim MacLachlan

Shaun

Shari

Patrick

Crystal

Jim

• What are drones?
• What can they do?
• How can they be used in WTD?

Lunch and Learn

Short Back Story

Dr. David Shean "Ice Man"

CUGOS April 2014

• Price /Performance
• Easy to use
• Quality data collection
• FAA new regulation

Why Now?

Popularity & Advancement of Drone

Cell Phone Technology + Lower $$

• Electronic Control System (ECS)
• Accelerometer & Gyroscope Chip
• GPS Chip
• Lithium Polymer (LiPo) Battery
• Motors

It's just a toy...

It's just a toy...past examples of what used to be

It's just a toy...

So Where is it going...

RPAS - Remotely Piloted Aircraft System

FAA Definition: Remotely piloted Aircraft system operated by a pilot via ground control or on-board computer. 

Background Information

FAA Categories

Small  - $

• Size: 1 - 2 meters ( 3 ft - 6.5 ft), < 55 lbs.
• Control: Radio control
• $300 ~ $12 K

Medium

• Size: Equivalent to a car, ~ 1000 lbs.
• Control: Visual Line Of Sight (VLOS) & Beyond LOS, RC & Satellite ~ $$$

Large  

• Size: > 30,000 lbs.
• Control: Visual Line Of Sight (VLOS) & Beyond LOS, RC & Satellite ~ $$$$

RPAS as Platform

Multi-rotors

Fixed-wing & VTOL

• Shorter flight time (< 30 min)
• Cover smaller area
• Highly maneuverable
• Access to confined spaces
• Less expensive

• Long flight time (+ 40min)
• Covers large area
• Larger selection of sensors (used to be, not anymore)

(vertical take-off & land)

Multi-rotors examples

• Shorter flight time (< 35 min)

 Sensors Payload

Multi-spectral 

Thermal Infrared

Lidar Camera

High resolution digital camera (100 MP)

Methane Gas Detector

 Sensors Payload

High resolution digital camera

 Sensors Payload

LiDAR Sensor - aka Laser Scanning

Two Spaces for Drone

Outdoor

Indoor

• No GPS signal
• Limits on speed and motion
• Manual flight control
• Tight spaces

Outdoor

Indoor

DJI Air & Mavic 2 Pro < $1800

Aertos 120 $25,000 +

Eilos 2  $48,000 +

DJI Matrice 300 $12,000 +

1. Platform + Sensor (Data Collection)

2. Data Processing & Analyzing (GIS)

3. Information Products

Data Processing & Analyzing (GIS)

Mapping Apps and Processing Software Top 10 List

(Updated Jan 2020)

Airplane Orthophoto

Software processed Orthophoto from drone

Benefits

• High Temporal Resolution
• High Spatial Resolution

• Fly Same area many times

Benefits

• Higher Spatial Resolution
  • Monitor continuous changes
  • Higher Spatial resolution than Satellite, Airplane

Benefits

Give decision makers appropriate analytic information products

• Better Data -> More Knowledge -> Better Decision Making

Benefits

Drone

GIS

Great Combo?

&

Great combo !

GIS & DRONE

FAA Regulations - Where are we now?

Regulations

Commercial/Governmental

FAA Part 107 Rule, July 2016

• Need FAA Remote Pilot Certification (Pilot license NOT needed)

• ~250,000 - Remote pilots certified (2021)

• 441,709 - Commercial Drones Registered

• Fly under 400 feet above ground level

• Not to fly < 5 nautical miles around airport

• Aircraft < 55 lbs.

• Fly during daytime or night time operation with appropriate lighting

• Fly visual line of sight ( VLOS)

• No flight over non-participating people

FAA Part 107 Rule

King County WTD

August 2016: Approval to use 3rd party drone vendor

• Support  Mitigation & Monitoring Program 

June 2018: Implementation of simple contract method for 3rd party vendor

• 27 Successful Drone Flights

King County WTD

April 2021:  Approval from WTD Management for WTD staff to use drone technology

June 2021:  Purchase of Mavic Pro 2 Drone! 

• 5 Missions flown with in-house staff  June - October, 2021

WTD Projects

• West Point Treatment Plant Incident Feb, 2017

Seattle Times Headline

March 12, 2017

WTD Projects

• West Point Treatment Plant Incident Feb, 2017

Drone Flights (March, 2017) - Soil Run-off Real cause of plume, not overflow

WTD Projects

• Mitigation & Monitoring Group - 36 flights since 2017

• Denny Regulator Station Erosion Project - 3D Model

WTD Projects

• Mitigation & Monitoring Group - Sunset Hill PS for regulatory reporting

Why Use Drones?

1. Increase safety for staff

2. Avoid hazardous conditions

3. Precision data collection

4. Repeatable & recordable & searchable

5. Higher efficiency of data collection improves product development & analytical capabilities

Avoid Hazardous Conditions Like These

West Point TP - Digester

Manual Data Collection

Sample of Drone Data Collection

credit: Terra-inspectioneering.com

Text

Text

Text

Ultrasonic NDT 9 (Non-Destructive Testing)

Visual Inspection

Standard Drone Workflow

WTD PM Workflow

KC or Vendor

Memo Template

Simple Contract Template (3rd Party Use)

GIS Products

Where are we now?

Where are we heading?

People

+

Technology

+

Organization

=

Drone Program

Benefits

Drones, What are they Good for?

peter.keum@kingcounty.gov   

Just another tool in the toolbox

Let's Go collect the Data

&

Find Solutions

There's More!

Live Demo

M&M - Sites (Kenmore & Sunset Hill PS)

West Point - Clarifier Pano

BW BOC - Roof & Pano

BW - Digester 3D model 

Integration of 3D model with AGO 3D scene viewer

Questions?

peter.keum@kingcounty.gov