What is the Current Status of Atmospheric Research using Unmanned Aircraft Systems? Results of a Community Survey

In 2016 the Earth Observing Laboratory (EOL) at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) deployed a survey to those in the atmospheric research community who are using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in their research.  The goal of this survey is to investigate and better understand the capabilities and needs of the observational atmospheric science community that is using UAS.  EOL’s mission is to provide community resources for observational science, and the information collected will be used to make informed decisions about how the laboratory can help meet these needs.

The survey queried the respondent's experience with UAS, measurements being taken by UAS, research highlights and challenges, and needs to improve UAS data collection, instrumentation, and operations.  It was sent to representatives at University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) member universities as well as scientists and engineers who are currently involved with UAS as a research platform or have been in the past.  Those who received the survey were encouraged to circulate it both inside and outside of their institution to increase the visibility of the survey and capture more responses.

An overview of the survey results will be presented along with thoughts about current developments and EOL’s role in support of the UAS atmospheric research community.

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See more of: Special Session: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Atmospheric Research and Field Programs
See more of: Special Symposium on Meteorological Observations and Instrumentation

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