OIL SPILLS DETECTION by MEANS of UAS and LOW-COST AIRBORNE THERMAL SENSORS

A. Al-Shammari, E. Levin, R. Shults*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of oil spill scenarios and the remote sensing methods used for detection and mapping the spills. It also discusses the different kinds of thermal sensors used in oil spills detection. As UAS is becoming an important player in the oil and gas industry for the low operating costs involved, this research involved working with a cheap thermal airborne sensor mounted on DJI Phantom 4 system. Data were collected in two scenarios, first scenario is collecting data in Michigan's Upper Peninsula at a petroleum company location and the second scenario was an indoor experiment simulating an offshore spill. The aim of this research is to inspect the capability of Lepton LWIR inexpensive sensor to detect the areas contaminated with oil. Data processing to create classification maps involved using ArcGIS 10.5.1, ERDAS Imagine 2015 and ENVI 5.3. Depending accuracy assessment (confusion matrices) for the classified images and comparing classified images with ground truth, results shows the Lepton thermal sensor worked well in differentiating oil from water and was not a good option when there are many objects in the area of interest. Future research recommendations and conclusions are presented.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)293-301
Number of pages9
JournalISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences
Volume4
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 15 Nov 2018
Externally publishedYes
Event2018 ISPRS TC V Mid-Term Symposium on Geospatial Technology - Pixel to People - Dehradun, India
Duration: 20 Nov 201823 Nov 2018

Funding

FundersFunder number
Michigan Technological University

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