AMS Update
TFRSAC Fall Meeting
Desert Research Institute
23 October 2014
USDA Forest Service, Remote Sensing Applications Center,
FSWeb: http://fsweb.rsac.fs.fed.us
WWW: http://www.fs.fed.us/eng/rsac/
Outline
• AMS sensor review
• USFS Citation Bravo (N144Z) review
• 2014 AMS tech transfer and support
operations
• Ongoing AMS Activities
Autonomous Modular Sensor (AMS)
• 16 band multispectral
scanner
• Multi-mission capability
• Developed by NASA Ames
and UC Santa Cruz
• Used extensively since
2006 for wildfire mapping
& cal/val activities
– Western States Fire Missions
– Targeted active fire/post-fire
incident support
– USFS tactical fire support
operations
AMS Timeline
First Test Flight Data
From AMS on
Citation, March 2013
AMS integrated on Altair;
flies Esperanza Fire, Oct
2006
2006
2007
AMS integrated on
Ikhana; flies four
Western States Fire
Missions covering
eight states and +20
fires, summer 2007
AMS flies No. CA
Lightning Storm Wildfires,
Summer 2008
2008
AMS flies So. CA Firestorm
missions; Oct. 2007
AMS flies Station Fire
Post-Fire Assessment,
Nov 2009
2009
2010
AMS Integrated on
NASA B200 KA,
December 2010
2011
AMS flies Los Conches
NM Wildfire & 2 So. CA
Wildfires
2012
2013
AMS Integrated on
USFS Citation jet
Courtesy of V. Ambrosia
USFS N144Z Specifications
Cessna Citation Bravo
• Primary Mission – Infrared
Fire Mapping (April –
October)
AirCell Datalink
• Average 204 Kbs downlink
• Continuous coverage
CONUS at 10,000 AGL
Flight Rate - $1710 per hour
Contact Dan Johnson
dejohnson@fs.fed.us
Sensor Bay
• Port Side blister
• Opening 18 in long 15
wide
• Sensor bay 24 in long 17
wide
Citation Specifications
• Cruise Speed
• Max Altitude
• Min Safe Acquisition
380 kts
45,000 ft
120 kts
– This creates limitations with using the AMS
– Max AMS Height/Velocity= 11.1
– Minimum 10,000 ft. AGL
– 7.6 meter pixel
– 3.07 nautical mile swath width (3.5 statute
miles)
144Z AMS Installation
Inter-Agency AMS Tech Transfer Activities 2014
• Acquisition of new ground station laptop
• Updates/refinements of the On-Board
Processing System (OBP)
– User interface, mission planning software and
documentation (users guide)
• USFS IR Technician training
– Simulations of imagery acquisition and
processing workflow
• AMS installed in N144Z in late March
– Initial bore site and integration test missions
– Refinement of imagery ortho-rectification
2014 AMS Testing/Integration
• Conducted test flights from March through
late May
– Flew 10 target areas, including 2 wildfire
incidents (multiple days)
• Significant test objectives/goals:
– Technician training
– Test OBP system for NRT data production and
delivery
– Remote control of sensor from the ground
Completed Spring 2014 AMS Missions
Crooked Boundary
Rx Fire
Pole Mill Rx
Fire – April 8
Rapid River Rx
Fire – April 11
Payette Rx Fire
– April 11
Rocky Canyon Rx
Fire – April 11
2013 Pony-Elk
Cmplx Fire – April 8
U/W/C Forest
Health/Fuel
Treatments
Prescribed Fire: Rocky Canyon, Boise NF
•
•
•
•
•
~3km
April 11, 2014
Planned ~1,500ac/600ha burn
AMS fire product (CCRS)
CIR visual image (bands 7,5,3)
AMS hot spots enhanced for
visualization
Prescribed Fire: Rocky Canyon, Boise NF
•
•
•
•
•
April 11, 2014
Planned ~1,500ac/600ha burn
AMS fire product (CCRS)
CIR visual image (bands 7,5,3)
AMS hot spots enhanced for
visualization
AMS Overflight at ~1945 UTC
VIIRS Overpass at ~2046 UTC
VIIRS I-Band 375m Product (Schroeder)
VIIRS-AF 750m Product (NASA-Direct
Readout Lab)
Post-Fire: Elk Complex
Pony Complex
•
•
•
•
~130,000 acres
Fuels: brush, grass, timber
Landsat 7 (August 25, 2013)
False color composite (bands
7, 4 ,3)
Post-Fire: Elk Complex
• Landsat 8 - April 14, 2014
• False color composite
− Bands 7, 5 ,4
Post-Fire: Elk Complex
• AMS (April 8, 2014)
• 8 flight lines
• AMS false color composite
− Bands 10, 7, 9
Post-Fire: Elk Complex
• AMS (April 8, 2014)
• AMS continuous Normalized
Burn Ratio (NBR) image
• NBR = AMS bands (7-10/7+10) *
1000 + 3000
Wildland Fire Support
• Brown Fire, AZ
– Coronado NF
– SW of Sierra Vista, AZ
• Same area impacted by
Monument Fire in 2011
– ~250 acres
– Type 1 IMT assigned
• Acquired AMS data on
two nights
– April 15 & 16
Wildland Fire Support
• Signal Fire, NM
– Gila NF
– NE of Silver City, NM
– ~5,400 acres
– Type 2 IMT assigned
• Acquired AMS data on
three nights
– May 12, 13, 14
Signal Fire – May 12, 2014
• AMS Night Fire Product
• Bands 11, 12 for hot spots
• Band 12 visual image
Signal Fire – May 13, 2014
• AMS Night Fire Product Mosaic
• Bands 11, 12 for hot spots
• Band 12 visual image
Signal Fire – May 13, 2014
•
•
•
•
AMS Night Fire Product
Bands 11, 12 for hot spots
Band 12 visual image
AMS fire product (CCRS)
(yellow) enhanced for visual
purposes
USDA Forest Service, Remote Sensing Applications Center, http://fsweb.rsac.fs.fed.us
Ongoing AMS Activities
• Test command/control of AMS from ground
– Finalize and test AirCell/AMS configuration
• Need fixed IP for ground station and access through
BLM/FS firewall
– Plan to conduct flight tests late CY2014/early
CY2015
– Provide options to increase safety and efficiency
Ongoing AMS Activities
• Identify designated USFS platform for the AMS
– Proposal to F&AM for N182Z
• Address requisite platform upgrades
– Sensor port configuration or pod installation
– AirCell data link installation
• Demonstrate value to provide multi-mission support
–
–
–
–
Tactical fire support “surge” aircraft; daytime fire missions
Post-fire/post-storm assessment
Forest health monitoring
Cal/Val of satellite products
Thanks
Comments/Questions?
USDA Forest Service, Remote Sensing Applications Center,
FSWeb: http://fsweb.rsac.fs.fed.us
WWW: http://www.fs.fed.us/eng/rsac/