Introduction to 无人机s
这 new course exposes students to the fundamental concepts and geo-spatial use of 无人驾驶飞机.
As technology advances, so does UNC’s faculty expertise. Two summers ago, Professor of Geography and GIS Jim Doerner, Ph.D., began the process of learning to fly 无人驾驶飞机 and becoming Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-certified as a drone pilot. 这 fall, those preparations led to a new course, GEOG 185: Introduction to 无人机s. 一年级 Geography and GIS students who take the course will continue to build on the concepts they learn throughout their coursework at UNC. Students from other disciplines can sample geography via the course, as well.
“Students will learn to fly 无人驾驶飞机 safely and ethically,” Doerner said before the 课程开始. “Whether they fly their 无人驾驶飞机 recreationally or professionally, they’ll benefit from this course. They’ll use image-processing software and mapping technologies to create maps that can be used to analyze societal problems.”
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Doerner had to move the lecture portion of the course online and split the 24 students between the two class days for labs. 结果是 being a win: Rather than working in groups of two, students in each cohort got to fly a drone solo each time they flew the 无人驾驶飞机.
The first time they took the 无人驾驶飞机 to the skies, Doerner said some students new to 无人驾驶飞机 were enthusiastic, yet hesitant about the potential for crashing an expensive piece of equipment. But their confidence quickly grew. Some discovered the “fast mode” setting in the drone software. Doerner calls drone-flying fun and empowering.
“It’s a sense of, ‘Wow, I did something I was a little nervous about doing,’” Doerner 说.
无人机说话
The recreational drone model used by the class, the Ryze Tello, rings in around $100 and weighs less than half a pound, which allows UNC to use 无人驾驶飞机 for class without registering them with the FAA.
The Geography, GIS and 可持续性 Department also has three additional 无人驾驶飞机: two DJI Mavic 2 Pros used for general mapping, and a Parrot 蓝色的grass Fields drone, used for vegetation mapping and other applications that require the Parrot’s multispectral 扫描仪.
In addition to learning the content needed to pass the FAA test to become certified as a commercial drone pilot, students gain skills for a variety of industries — Doerner quotes a projection that by 2025, there will be 100,000 new jobs in the unmanned aircraft 行业. And 无人驾驶飞机 aren’t just useful for geography and GIS mapping. 无人机 technology, with thermal sensors, cameras and other add-ons, can be used to monitor crop health, look at heat loss of buildings, find lost hikers in search and rescue efforts, take cinematic footage for ad campaigns, survey damage for insurance companies, track natural disaster damage, aid in conservation efforts, track animal migration, monitor crowd safety, ensure fires are extinguished and more.
Because of the ubiquity of drone technology, several UNC faculty and staff across disciplines have their FAA licenses. On the academic side, they include Geography and GIS’ Jess Salo, Ph.D.李洁芸博士.D., and Chelsie Romulo, Ph.D.; Anthropology’s Andy Creekmore, Ph.D.; and Earth and Atmospheric Sciences’ Sharon Bywater-Reyes, Ph.D.
Students also learn about ethical issues: Be safe (don’t fly over roads or crowds), respect privacy (use the 黄金en Rule) and don’t abuse the power of aerial surveillance. In other words, mind your own business, make sure you have the rights to be flying where you’re flying and have fun.
丽贝卡·戴尔
