In March 2022, just more than two years ago, Dr Khotso Mokhele – the President of the Hans Merensky Foundation (HMF) – signed an R11 million five-year research grant agreement with the University of the Free State (UFS). This marked the opening of the Merensky Group for Aerial Geological Image Classification, better known as the MAGIC Lab.
Recently, Dr Martin Clark – Principal Investigator of MAGIC – reported on an exciting highlight in the lab’s short history. He demonstrated the WingtraOne Gen II fixed-wing drone to the South African Civil Aviation Authority and obtained approval to operate it up to 2 km away from the pilot, which is classified as beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). Commenting on this achievement, he stated, “Our WingtraOne Gen II is the first in South Africa to achieve this operating distance. This allows us to conduct surveys in compliance with civil aviation regulation, covering areas just under 4 km² (~400 ha) in a single flight for the vast open areas of South Africa. With various camera payloads, we can construct high-resolution 3D models of these areas and extract compositional information critical to numerous natural scientific applications.”
He further explained that the WingtraOne Gen II can take off and land vertically (VTOL), requiring only a small open space of approximately 2 m to operate. Once it takes off, after reaching a pilot-specified altitude, it transitions from a vertical mode to a horizontal mode where it begins to fly like a plane. These drones, known as ‘fixed-wing’ drones, offer much longer operational times than normal multi-rotors due to the lift effect of the wings. He added, “The WingtraOne Gen II can operate for up to 59 minutes (depending on flying conditions) at altitudes of up to 5 000 m above mean sea level.”
Surveying large swathes of land at a resolution and frequency seldom achieved
According to him, this equipment enables them to begin surveying large swathes of land at a resolution and frequency that is seldom achieved. “Generating imagery at 1-3 cm/pixel provides observational potential for features smaller than those to be perceived by generally available earth-oriented observational satellites, the primary tool for remote sensing scientists,” he remarks.
He says the equipment was specifically acquired to support projects in the lab. “One area where we are operating is mapping base metals (iron/manganese) in the Northern Cape. We aim to determine whether increased spatial resolution allows for better measurement of base metals distributions. Another area concerns the interaction of groundwater with geological structures. Understanding water-structure interactions is critical to identifying sites for productive boreholes near these features,” explains Dr Clark.
Due to the lengthy certification path for legal operation, he has not yet had the opportunity to use the equipment for research purposes. However, as a result of the successful demonstration, he is about to start using it. “I can comment on its ease of use. In test flights the platform operates exceptionally well, with ample safety measures; it’s simple to position the camera/sensor exactly where we need it. That is the key; collecting high-enough resolution imagery exactly where you need it, when you need it,” he says.
Advancing the ability to remotely observe various areas
According to Dr Clark, the MAGIC Lab of the Department of Geology is advancing its ability to remotely observe various areas. “As geologists, we aim to understand how rocks of variable composition and exposure can be better mapped, in the hope of answering questions pertaining to evolution, history, or their mineral content.”
Drones such as the WingtraOne Gen II, in conjunction with satellites, help them learn more about the composition of the earth on and near the surface.
This unique surveying drone was procured from Wingtra through Leica Geosystems in 2022, with support from the Hans Merensky Legacy Foundation. The WingtraOne Gen II operates under the operating certificate of UAV INDUSTRIES (PTY) Ltd.