Thermal infrared imaging of geothermal environments by UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle)

Abstract

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly being used for aerial surveys and monitoring of geothermal environments. Advances in UAV technology have made it a valuable option for project and environmental managers to consider. The many advantages of UAVs are encouraging users to employ these platforms in many different and new applications. In this study, we use a small (<2 kg), affordable quadcopter to safely and accurately map heat patterns of cryptic geothermal fumaroles. An aerial thermal infrared camera is used to map heat signatures of a geothermal feature in the Wairakei–Tauhara geothermal field near Taupo, New Zealand. The platform consists of a battery-powered quadcopter mounted with a FLIR Tau 320 camera and sensor. The 700 m2 area was flown and images mosaicked and processed using Pix4D and ArcGIS 10.2. The orthorectified image with pixel size of 0.5 cm showed a warm to hot thermal anomaly. A high level of resolution was achieved by flying at altitudes unsafe for conventional manned aircraft. Despite the battery life, navigation capabilities, and flight regulations limiting UAV application, remote sensing using UAV can revolutionize the exploration of geothermal thermal energy sources and the unique ecosystems they create.