Abstract
Search and rescue (SAR) missions comprise search for, and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. Providing the best possible input for the planners and search teams, up-to-date information about the terrain is of essential importance because every additional hour needed to search a person decreases probability of success. Therefore, availability of aerial images and updated terrain maps as a basis for planning and monitoring SAR missions in real-time is very important for rescuers. In this paper, we present a system for transmission of high-resolution images from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to the ground station (GS). We define and calculate data rate and transmission distance requirements between the UAV and GS in a mission scenario. Five tests were designed and carried out to confirm the viability of the proposed system architecture and modules. Test results present throughput measurements for various UAV and GS distances, antenna heights and UAV antenna yaw angles. Experimental results from the series of conducted outdoor tests show that the proposed solution using two pMDDL2450 datalinks at 2.4 GHz and a directional antenna on the receiving side can be used for a real-time transmission of high-resolution images acquired with a camera on a UAV. Achieved throughput at a UAV-GS distance of 5 km was 1.4 MB/s (11.2 Mbps). The limitations and possible improvements of the proposed system as well as future work are also discussed.
Highlights
Finding lost or injured people in the wild is, a frequent need that is not limited to particular regions or countries [1]
As explained in the previous section, the system is used for the transmission of highresolution images from a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to a ground station
It was necessary to test the real data rates of the used data links for various distances between the transmitter and receiver. This system consists of a laptop computer, a Raspberry Pi 3 single board computer (RPi3), two pMDLL2450 modules, a power supply and connection cables
Summary
Finding lost or injured people in the wild is, a frequent need that is not limited to particular regions or countries [1]. The registered number of cases may be higher during some seasons (for example, summer in touristic areas) and in certain terrain types, but it is not possible to exclude any scenario completely. Search and rescue (SAR) missions often require a large number of engaged searchers, dogs and technical support (sea and ground vehicles, planes, helicopters, etc.). A large percentage of missions last for more than one day, which makes these missions very expensive and logistically demanding. The speed and precision of the search is essential because every additional hour needed to search for a person decreases their probability of survival and increases the search area [2]. A longer-lasting mission is a more expensive mission. The standard tool for mission leaders is Geographic Information System (GIS)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
