**NOAA NOS NMSP Silver Fox & Manta UAS Evaluation Project**

February 13-19, 2006

Upulo Point Airport, Hawi, Hawaii

**Background**

These activities were conducted under the auspices of the NOAA UAS
Program, which is composed of the NOAA UAS Steering Committee and
Working Group. The NOAA UAS Steering Committee and Working Group are
formal bodies that serve as NOAA\'s focal point for collaboration and
information regarding the application of UAS technology in the
accomplishment of NOAA mission. The Mission of the Steering Committee
and Working Group is to make recommendations to NOAA\'s Line Offices
(LO), Goal Teams, and Programs on the applications of UAS technology to
fulfill critical research and operational gaps. CAPT. Craig McLean is
the NOAA UAS Steering Committee representative for National Ocean
Service (NOS). Todd Jacobs serves as the NOS Working Group
Representative.

This project was the vision of Dan Basta, the Director of the NOS
National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) and Admiral Jay Cohen, the
former director of the United States Navy's Office of Naval Research and
Tony Mulligan, CEO of Advanced Ceramics Research (ACR), the
manufacturers of the Silver Fox and Manta UASs. Special thanks go to
Chief Scott Keough of the United States Navy Naval Special Clearance
Team One (NSCT1) for making the project a success and to Steve Gittings
of the NMSP for his crucial role in planning and support.

This demonstration was accomplished at virtually cost to NOAA. The only
costs NOAA incurred were for travel and staff coordination time.

This project was underwritten by ACR and NSCT1. They graciously allowed
NOAA to use their Silver Fox and Manta vehicles as well as their
valuable training time to provide us this opportunity. The Hawaii
District of the State of Hawaii\'s Department of Transportation
generously provided the use of the Upulo Point Airport at no cost. The
United States Coast Guard (USCG) made the 110' Cutter ASSATEAGUE
available to us for test and evaluation.

This project supports the following DOC strategic goal:

1.  Develop tools and capabilities that improve the productivity,
    quality, dissemination, and efficiency of research.

The Silver Fox is a small and relatively simple Unmanned Aerial System
(UAS) that was developed with Office of Naval Research (ONR) funding to
function primarily as an \"expendable over the horizon surveillance
tool\" that could be launched and/or recovered from ships and/or from
land. It carries optical and infrared camera systems and sends real-time
images to the command console. It is controlled via line of sight
communication and has an effective operating range of 20 plus nautical
miles.

The Manta UAS is a larger sibling to the Silver Fox. Manta has a larger
payload capacity. Current instrumentation packages for Manta include a
hyperspectral camera.

A series of flights Silver Fox and Manta were conducted from February 13
to February 19, 2006 at the Upulo Point Airport near Haw, Hawaii. The
project was originally planned for the Pacific Missile Range Facility
(PMRF), Kauai. The last minute nature of project's funding being
realized ultimately led to Upulo Point Airport on the Big Island of
Hawaii being the venue.

The purpose of Silver Fox and Manta trials was to demonstrate the use of
a Low Altitude Short Endurance (LASE) UAS to support NOAA, NOS and NMSP
scientific and operational needs. The Silver Fox payload consists of
optical and infrared surveillance systems. Several mission flights were
planned to evaluate the Silver Fox and Manta's abilities to perform the
following missions:

-   tracking small vessels;

-   identifying and documenting the activities and locations of
    individual vessels; and

-   locating and tracking whales and entangled whales.

Future trials are envisioned to evaluate the Silver Fox and Manta's
abilities to:

-   Detection, observation, and identification of vessels, including
    determination of their activities (fishing, pleasure boating, etc);

-   Detection, observing, and geo-locating shallow underwater features
    such as coral bleaching and groundings;

-   Detection, observation, and tracking of oil spills, algae blooms,
    and other surface features; and

-   Detection, observation, and tracking surface dwelling living
    resources, such as marine mammals.

**NMSP Operational and Science Missions**

The National Marine Sanctuary Program was created in 1972 and is
administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA). Currently, these sanctuaries include over 18,000 square miles of
water and marine habitats. There are plans to create a new sanctuary in
the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, currently the Northwestern Hawaiian
Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, encompassing nearly 120,000 square
miles. Patrolling this large an area for illegal fishing and other
activities presents many challenges.

The NMSP has numerous operational requirements that could be met using
UAS technology. Staff regularly responds to animals in distress, such as
whales that become entangled in fishing gear or marine debris. In such
cases, it is often difficult to monitor the location of the animal for
the extended period that may be required for response. The same is true
for hazardous spills. It is sometimes necessary to track and measure
sediment plumes caused by human activities, such as road construction
and repair and dredging. Harmful algal blooms must be assessed and
tracked to determine the threat they pose to resources and humans. The
extent of damage caused by coral bleaching or vessel groundings can also
be evaluated from the air. Vessel traffic monitoring is sometimes
necessary to limit threats to migrating or congregating animals.
Monitoring vessel activity, such as fishing, recreational boating,
diving, and cargo transit is necessary to understand uses and threats to
sanctuary resources.

The NMSP also has scientific needs in a number of areas that can be
addressed by UAS flights with camera payloads. Resource characterization
needs include:

-   identification and measurement of shallow water habitat types;

-   survey and identification of submerged cultural resources

-   documentation influences of watersheds and other inputs that affect
    water quality;

-   temporal and spatial patterns of habitat use by living resources
    (e.g., haul out areas); and

-   population assessments for large animals, such as birds and marine
    mammals.

Representative monitoring requirements for the NMSP include:

-   periodic collection of data along predetermined flight paths to
    count birds and marine mammals;

-   overflights of known haul out and bird nesting areas;

-   documenting changes in kelp canopy cover;

-   determining the location and extent of potentially productive
    convergence zones or upwelling areas;

-   determining spatial and temporal affects of runoff; and

-   counting vessels and assessing human use patterns.

**Observations**

The flight demonstration project with the Silver Fox and Manta included
instruments for observing and counting shallow subsurface features,
surface features, living resources, and vessels. Both UASs used an
Electro-Optical Infrared (EO/IR) Sensor to determine to what extent
these operational needs could be met in future UAS flights. The
demonstration focused on the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National
Marine Sanctuary off the coast of Upulo Point, on the Island of Hawaii,
HI. The EO/IR system was assessed for its ability to conduct fisheries
surveillance and enforcement as well as selected marine mammal surveys.
The UAS's sensor packages were as follows:

Silver Fox Sensor Package:

-   Optical Camera Systems mounted at a 20 degree angle in side of the
    fuselage

    -   CCD Video camera

    -   Electro-Optical Infrared sensor (EO/IR)

Manta Sensor Package:

-   Optical Camera Systems mounted in a 360 degree gimbaled turret in
    the bottom of the fuselage

    -   CCD Video camera

    -   Electro-Optical Infrared sensor (EO/IR)

    -   Auto-tracking and "lock on target" software

Understanding that it would be impractical to attempt to address all the
potential uses of this system in a demonstration project, the following
subset of capabilities were proposed for the initial effort:

-   documentation of number, location, and type of ships and boats at
    sea;

-   remote detection and counting of humpback whales on the ocean
    surface;

-   assessment of detection limits for marine debris (e.g., minimum size
    of entanglement on a marine mammal);

-   assessment of launch and control of UAS from a vessel at sea;

-   evaluate autonomous and remote operations;

-   mapping of shallow water habitats;

-   mapping of plumes at sea;

-   Provide opportunity for NMSP Research Coordinators (they were
    already meeting in HI) to observe and participate in trials; and

-   Explore potential platform & sensor enhancements.

Vessels:

Overflights of areas with vessels were be made in order to determine how
well the aircraft detects vessel number, size, and type from differing
altitudes. Shore-based and/or boat-based observers were put in place to
provide ground truthing. Unfortunately, the area that we were working
from is remote. No vessels of opportunity passed within our range during
the time we were operating. We did charter a 36' vessel for one half of
one day. We were able to successfully locate and identify the vessel
with the Manta's EO/IR. The effectiveness of the IR camera in detecting
vessels should continue to be evaluated.

Humpback Whale Observations:

All observations were made from above 300m (1000 feet), except during
takeoff and landing, or when fortuitous encounters occurred during
operations not focused on humpbacks. Flyovers were conducted in areas
know to contain humpback whales. Initial operations involved determining
the quality of observations of individuals (adults and calves) from
these altitudes, and whether particular behaviors could be identified
and monitored (e.g., holding position over an active group.) In order to
locate whales offshore, shore-based observers with binoculars reported
the general locations of whales in order to direct the aircraft. Our
experience suggests that lower altitudes are required to make definitive
observations of whales and behaviors. Future efforts will be designed to
conduct such evaluations. The aircraft was flown over calm, choppy, and
wind-blown waters to assess its effectiveness under differing
conditions. Although ground truthing was not available, it was possible
to assess the certainty with which observations suggest whales and the
extent to which behaviors can be distinguished. Operations using the IR
camera were conducted in order to evaluate the possibility of detecting
warm-blooded animals at the sea surface. At this time, no definitive
statement can be made regarding the efficacy of the IR camera to
identify whales at the surface.

Marine Debris:

The mission plan stated that if a small boat was available, it should be
possible to secure a collection of marine debris in order to evaluate
the systems ability to detect various types and sizes of debris. The
plan called for the boat to simply trail the debris very slowly, or sit
idling, while the aircraft flies over at several altitudes. As part of
the test, a series of trailing lines in decreasing densities would allow
operators to judge how well entangled whales could be detected from the
air. Although we did secure representative samples of marine debris, due
to lack of vessel availability, there was not an opportunity to conduct
this evaluation. Samples of the marine debris were retained by ACR and
will be catalogued with their spectral signatures for future missions
with a Manta equipped with a hyperspectral imaging system.

Assessment of launch and control of UAS from a vessel at sea:

The mission plan called for the launch of a Silver Fox and control of a
Silver Fox and/or Manta UAS from a vessel. It was envisioned that the
110' USCG Cutter ASSATEAGUE would be the platform from which to
demonstrate this capability. Unfortunately, a complication with the
Certificate of Authorization (COA) from the Federal Aircraft
Administration (FAA) the morning of the scheduled operations precluded
this activity. ACR and NSCT1 have successfully demonstrated this
capability from vessels as small as an eleven-meter Rigid Hull
Inflatable Boat (RHIB). It is envisioned that this activity will be
demonstrated to NOAA and the USCG in August of 2006 as a component of
the "Safe Seas" oil spill drill off of the coast of San Francisco in the
Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. A marinized Silver Fox
UAS, capable of being recovered from the water will also be utilized.

Evaluation of autonomous and remote operations:

Both Silver fox and Manta were flown extensively in autonomous and
remote modes without any problems. (One training model Silver Fox was
damaged while being flown in radio-controlled mode. It was deemed
repairable for less than \$250 worth of parts.) The avionics, control
and interface systems are simple and reliable. The Ground Control
Stations (GCS) are touch screen activated and are contained in Panasonic
ToughBook weatherproof notebook computers. Metadata including the
aircraft's speed over ground (SOG), altitude, attitude and position
(latitude and longitude) are displayed on the GCS, as is the position of
the target. Large external LCD monitors were incorporated to enhance the
viewing for the demonstration.

Benthic habitat and plume mapping:

The additional objectives of attempting to delineate nearshore habitats
from several altitudes and in differing weather (wind), sea state and
water clarity conditions as well as any plumes from discharges, blooms,
convergence, or wind stress seen from the air or shore was not met
because the hyperspectral system was not yet available for the Manta
UAS. It has since become operational and will be evaluated as part of
the Safe Seas UAS operations.

Provide opportunity for NMSP Research Coordinators to observe UAS
technology and explore potential platform & sensor enhancements:

This experience was of value to all parties involved. The interaction
between the research coordinators, ACR and the ONR led to ideas for
future sensor capabilities and missions that had not yet been conceived.
Commitments were made to collaborate in the future and to follow up
immediately on the potential integration of new sensors to meet NOAA

**Lessons learned:**

-   Gryo-stabalized cameras with auto-lock are a must for surveillance,
    tracking and identification;

-   Partnering with well funded companies and agencies with overlapping
    objectives; is the way to go if you are not well funded; and

-   Coordination of COAs with the FAA for operation in the National
    Airspace is complicated and requires months of lead-time.

**Next Steps:**

-   Observe Silver Fox vessel launch and recovery

-   Follow up projects to be possibly funded by ONR

-   Continue to explore new sensor and platform developments with ACR
    including:

    -   Hyperspectral equipped Manta

    -   Marinized Silver Fox and Manta

    -   Gimbaled, Auto-lock EO/IR equipped Silver Fox

    -   Other sensors???

**Conclusions:**

Both systems can be mobilized and operated relatively spontaneously
compared to HALE UAS's. Both systems are simple, durable, reliable,
adaptable and affordable small UAS systems.

**Addendum**

**Safe Seas 2006 Proposed Scenario and Safe Seas Potential UAS
Missions:**

**Safe Seas 2006 Proposed Scenario:**

-   The bulk freight cargo ship M/V Blue Harp in bound to San Francisco
    Bay from South America. The ship does not report to USCG until the
    VTS Area Reporting boundary, the ships AIS not reporting properly.
    (Raises suspicion of terrorism).

-   The tug American Pride has the tank barge RP51 in tow (out bound) to
    Los Angles.

-   At approximately 0300 on (August 7) the M/V Blue Harp strikes the
    Barge RP51 near mid-ships at 37.43 N, 122.40.5W. The barge sinks in
    about 17 fathoms of water. The M/V Blue Harp suffers damage to
    propeller/rudder, drops anchor near the collision site. Tug American
    Pride is undamaged, standing by near collision site. No serious
    injury to any crew.

**Safe Seas Potential UAS Missions:**

1\. Document location and extent of shoreline oiling. There are standard
protocols for field observation of shoreline oiling. It is often
difficult and time consuming to survey shorelines, document impacts, and
relay data back to the command post. A UAV could reduce logistical
problems with accessing certain shorelines and reduce time to return
data to the command post. Precedent exists for shoreline oiling surveys
from aircraft. When a real spill occurs, a UAV could also provide
real-time monitoring of shoreline cleanup crews to make sure they are
operating according to plan and environmental restrictions.

2\. Document the status of oil leaking from a vessel offshore. It is
often difficult to determine the extent of oil leaking from a vessel
with observation from a ship. Doing so from a helicopter is expensive
and has low time over target. The UAV could provide continuous
monitoring of oil releases from the vessel. During the exercise, we will
release 1000s of 4\"x6\" orange painted wood cards to simulate the oil
release. These would provide a target for the UAV. During a real spills,
a UAV might also be able to vector surface vessels to oil concentrations
to aid recovery.

3\. Determine whether marine mammals or birds are present in the
response area. Aerial application of dispersants to the oil slick will
be considered during the exercise. The decision to use these is in part
dependent on whether marine mammals or birds are present. The UAV could
be used to survey an area specified by pollution forecast models to
determine if marine mammals or concentrations of birds are present. Such
a survey might also be conducted along the shoreline of the Farallon
Islands. This is an area sensitive to disturbance by conventional
aircraft.

**Safe Seas 2006 ACR Proposal:**

The equipment and sensors for this project would include:

-   Silver Fox with EOIR for Missions 1 and 2.

-   Silver Fox with gimbaled gyro-stabilized camera for Mission 3.

-   Marinized Silver Fox

-   Manta with hyperspectral camera for Missions 1,2 and 3 (If COA and
    air space issues can be worked out.)

-   Manta equipped with communications repeater to enhance line of site
    radio communications for people working in remote areas (below
    coastal bluffs).

The Safe Seas oil spill drill provides the potential to demonstrate
Silver Fox vessel launch and recovery as well as the potential to
demonstrate Silver Fox and/or Manta pass off from land based GCS to
vessel and back. (Again, if COA and air space issues can be worked out.)

**Potential NMSP Future missions:**

-   Magnetometer Shipwreck survey at Thunder Bay National Marine
    Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve

-   Hyperspectral Corral Reef Mapping in Hawaii

-   Lidar survey of corral spawning event in Flower Garden Banks
    National Marine Sanctuary