An aeromagnetic survey system based on an unmanned autonomous helicopter: Development, experiment, and analysis

Abstract

ABSTRACTChina has very long coastline, but special surface conditions make it very difficult to conduct ground magnetic and marine geomagnetic surveys over beach–shallow sea transition areas such as mariculture areas, harbours, and wharfs; as a result, marine survey data cannot be linked to continental survey data, giving rise to missing data. To address this issue, an aeromagnetic survey technology based on an unmanned autonomous helicopter is proposed. Not only is an unmanned autonomous helicopter capable of aeromagnetic surveying the beach–shallow sea transition area inaccessible to vehicles and vessels but its high efficiency and low cost also enable it to be deployed on a vessel, thus making it suitable for aeromagnetic surveying oceanic islands, too. The setup of the aeromagnetic survey system based on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is introduced, and its trial flight information and processed and analysed magnetic survey data obtained in trial flights are discussed. The measurement accuracy of UAV aeromagnetic data is shown to be comparable to that of marine geomagnetic survey data, and the system effectively compensates for missing magnetic data from inshore and continent–ocean transition zones.