BlackMesa2022_Products

Project Name: Black Mesa Skydio 2+ Tests Project Location: Oklahoma, US Project Dates: 26-27 October 2022 Black Mesa Skydio Tests evaluated the utility of the Skydio 2+, an entry-level RBG drone, for applications in data documentation for archaeology and related field-based sciences. The Skydio 2+ has the built-in capability for object avoidance (greater than 1.27 cm) and autonomous flight planning of a user-defined volumetric study area. The project focused on testing the Skydio 2+ for basic photogrammetric documentation in remote, vegetated, and GPS-denied environments, using documentation scenarios carried out in Black Mesa, Oklahoma. The Black Mesa case study focused on a set of remote rock art sites situated around Black Mesa, located in the far western edge of the panhandle of Oklahoma. The goals of the test flights were to: 1) explore hazardously located, hard-to-document features where sUAS photogrammetry would be challenging, if not impossible; 2) attempt sUAS photogrammetry where handheld photographs would be too time-intensive to be deployed, and/or the overall context would be lost; and 3) to create and execute mission plans in the field without additional data or prior knowledge of the areas. We designed flights and built models of petroglyphs (carved rock art) that are located on freestanding boulders, along cliff faces, and within shallow caves, to explore a variety of scenarios and environments. We also captured an archaeological site that was located on a distant, hard-to access cliff promontory to explore the capabilities for a more remote launch site, with both flight planning and data acquisition conducted from a distance. The Black Mesa case study used the Skydio 2+, with a Sony IMX577 1/2.3” 12.3MP CMOS camera and 3.7 mm lens. Flight planning was conducted using 3D Scan. All flights used 80% overlap, 70% sidelap, and the 3D Capture Scan Mode for their settings. Flights took place on October 26-27, 2022 between the morning and early evening, during light-to-moderate (<20 mph) wind conditions in which flying is feasible. Between five and seven pillars were set for each flight, with flight times ranging from 10-16 minutes in length. Imagery was processed using Agisoft Metashape Professional 1.8.0. Parameters for the depth map generation included selecting a high-quality model with a mild filtering mode, and 16 set for the max number of neighbors. The sparse point cloud was cleaned up and reprocessed to remove extraneous points before building the dense point cloud.

Related archived materials can be found at: 10.5281/zenodo.8381415 (data collection and processing reports) and 10.5281/zenodo.8381408 (boulder images and products stripped of geolocation).