DC-3 Flying Laboratory - Navigation Sensor and Remote Sensing Flight Test Results

Jacob L. Campbell, Maarten Uijt de Haag, Frank van Graas, Tom Arthur and T. Jeff Dickman

Abstract:	At the Ohio University Avionics Engineering Center (AEC), research in the area of electronic navigation has given countless students the opportunity for hands on learning and has provided many public and private entities with a flexible research tool. Acquired knowledge in the area of electronic navigation and guidance systems has expanded AEC research into topics such as remote sensing and aviation safety systems. This paper explores the current breadth and depth of the AEC flight test capabilities through an evaluation of several research, prototype, and Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) systems which were flown on one combined mission flight test. The evaluation of the attitude and position systems is performed in the context of their use as components in an airborne LIght Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) remote sensing system. In its basic form, a LIDAR consists of a laser scanner, a precise positioning system, an attitude measurement system, and a data collection system capable of timetagging and storing the data generated by above three sensors. An evaluation of attitude measurements for use in a LIDAR system will be made for a standalone Honeywell® HG1150 Inertial Reference Unit (IRU). An evaluation of the following positioning sensors for use in a LIDAR system will be made with respect to postprocessed kinematic GPS position solutions: dual frequency Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) Global Positioning System (GPS) position solutions provided by a Navcom StarFire GPS receiver, and Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) corrected GPS position solutions provided by a NovAtel OEM4 GPS Receiver. Results will not only include comparisons of the above mentioned systems, but also a comparison of the LIDAR performance with respect to a terrain database created by the Ohio Department Of Transportation (ODOT) by use of photogrammetry and point surveying. Data in this paper were collected on a February 12th flight test. It should be noted that the primary objective of this flight test was not to develop a LIDAR terrain mapping system. The focus of this paper is on the capabilities of the Ohio University AEC to perform equipment flight testing- providing a service to sponsors as well as a unique and invaluable learning tool to undergraduate and graduate level college education.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 17th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2004) September 21 - 24, 2004 Long Beach Convention Center Long Beach, CA
Pages:	285 - 295
Cite this article:	Campbell, Jacob L., de Haag, Maarten Uijt, van Graas, Frank, Arthur, Tom, Dickman, T. Jeff, "DC-3 Flying Laboratory - Navigation Sensor and Remote Sensing Flight Test Results," Proceedings of the 17th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2004), Long Beach, CA, September 2004, pp. 285-295.
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