Experience Gained When Using the Yuneec E10T Thermal Camera in Environmental Research

Abstract

Thermal imaging is an important source of information for geographic information systems (GIS) in various aspects of environmental research. This work contains a variety of experiences related to the use of the Yuneec E10T thermal imaging camera with a 320 × 240 pixel matrix and 4.3 mm focal length dedicated to working with the Yuneec H520 UAV in obtaining data on the natural environment. Unfortunately, as a commercial product, the camera is available without radiometric characteristics. Using the heated bed of the Omni3d Factory 1.0 printer, radiometric calibration was performed in the range of 18–100 °C (high sensitivity range–high gain settings of the camera). The stability of the thermal camera operation was assessed using several sets of a large number of photos, acquired over three areas in the form of aerial blocks composed of parallel rows with a specific sidelap and longitudinal coverage. For these image sets, statistical parameters of thermal images such as the mean, minimum and maximum were calculated and then analyzed according to the order of registration. Analysis of photos taken every 10 m in vertical profiles up to 120 m above ground level (AGL) were also performed to show the changes in image temperature established within the reference surface. Using the established radiometric calibration, it was found that the camera maintains linearity between the observed temperature and the measured brightness temperature in the form of a digital number (DN). It was also found that the camera is sometimes unstable after being turned on, which indicates the necessity of adjusting the device’s operating conditions to external conditions for several minutes or taking photos over an area larger than the region of interest.

Attempt to Combine Physicochemical Data with Thermal Remote Sensing to Determine the Extent of Water Mixing between River and Lake

“…The Cybina River is about 1.5 m wide, and the pixel size is about 25 cm, which means that the vegetation on the riverbank and the bottom interfere with the measurement of the water temperature. Pixel is an average value observed on a given unit area [20,21]. The vegetation had a lower temperature, close to the air temperature, and by averaging the electromagnetic radiation of water and plants, lower readings on the thermal orthophotomap were obtained.…”

“…Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and thermal camera, it is possible to study water surface temperatures [13][14][15][16][17]. The most commonly used wavelength range is 8-14 µm [18] at resolutions of 640 × 512 pixels [19], and the final products are thermal orthophotos [20][21][22][23][24]. In particular, the use of thermal imaging in the study of surface waters and their monitoring relate to identifying the place of occurrence of warmer waters, including sewage, discharged into rivers and lakes [14] and estimation of heat emission in the area of geothermal lakes [11], imaging of thermal variability of the lake surface [21].…”

A Qualitative Analysis Using Thermography for Characterization of the Built Environment

“…For this investigation, thermograms of the same structure were obtained at different times of the day using the sun as a natural heating source [45]. Therefore, thermograms of the structures were obtained when the structure absorbed energy from the sun (temperatures increased) and subsequently lost energy to the environment (temperatures decreased).…”