U.S. Department of the Interior
Enceladus has active eruptions of water ice that create and sustain the famous rings of Saturn. The jets of water are fed from a global ocean hidden underneath a thick shell of ice. Further studies of the interior of this fascinating "ocean world" will need to better combine data from the various instruments on the now defunct Cassini spacecraft.
Geographers and remote sensing specialists at OSMRE use unmanned aircraft systems (UAS; drones) to capture images and create mathematically correct 2D and 3D models of active and abandoned coal mining sites and features.
The OSMRE Western Region worked with the State of Utah Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining to monitor reclamation efforts at Cottonwood-Wilberg Mine in Emery County, Utah, using remote sensing change detection of historical photography and land use records. OSMRE purchased high-resolution lidar and orthophotography from Juniper Unmanned of the site before major earthw
BOR Population at Risk studies are used to determine the possible magnitude of loss of life in the event of a dam failure. Inundation extent, population at risk, and life loss estimation are the three components commonly considered in failure consequences. Remotely sensed data play a major role in determining population locations and densities.
Dam safety is an ongoing concern for the BOR. In the interests of maintaining modern dam safety monitoring, BOR has started to investigate the use of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) to improve safety, reduce costs, and increase effectiveness.
The Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (AMAPPS) II is the continuation of a study to assess the abundance, distribution, ecology, and behavior of marine mammals, sea turtles, and seabirds throughout the U.S.
In summer 2017, the BLM National Operations Center (NOC) participated in a BLM Washington, D.C., Office pilot program to use imagery from unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to characterize important cultural, archaeological, and paleontological sites on BLM land. As part of this program, the BLM NOC spent a week in June 2017 at the Farmington Field Office (FFO), Farmi
The BLM National Operations Center (NOC), as part of an ongoing pilot project with the Royal Gorge Field Office (RGFO) in Canon City, Colorado, is using remotely sensed imagery from unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for mine site production verification (PV). The current PV process is labor-intensive, includes extensive field work, and is cost prohibitive, which resu
Across vast areas of BLM-managed western lands, prehistoric surficial rock features such as tipi rings, medicine wheels, cairns, and other ambiguous rock arrangements have lain in situ, undisturbed for hundreds or thousands of years.
The BLM National Operations Center (NOC) has partnered with the BLM Arizona State Office and the Safford Field Office to document and measure the impacts of the HX Dam failure, which occurred in June 2014. This is a multi-year effort, which has comprised the use of both Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and spaceborne imaging systems. Original efforts focused on the use of UAS and WorldView imaging systems for the identification of structural impacts and environmental effects following the earthen dam’s failure.