T E C H N O L O G I E S

WHITE PAPER

SOIL MOISTURE
MAPPING WITH
UNMANNED
AIRCRAFT
SYSTEMS (UAS)
Designing an Advanced UAS for
Environmental Monitoring
THE ISSUE AT HAND

Water is a critical resource,

especially when it comes to the
world’s food supply. The ability
to accurately and quickly map
soil moisture on the scale of
individual farms will go a long
CONTENTS
way to conserving this precious
resource. NASA’s Soil
Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) * 3 INTRODUCTION
mission uses satellite technology
to monitor drought, predict
flooding, and assist in crop
* 4 BACKGROUND
productivity. However, the
nuances of the Earth’s surface
can easily be missed by satellite.
Obtaining high resolution data in * 8 UNDERSTANDING SOIL INTEGRITY
addition to the satellite images
would greatly improve NASA’s
ability to track soil moisture * 10 THE BLACK SWIFT S2 UAS
along with providing valuable
data to tomorrow’s growers.

Beyond satellite calibration,

* 12 SWIFTCORE AVIONICS
several disciplines including
agriculture, land management,
emergency management, and * 13 ABOUT BLACK SWIFT TECHNOLOGIES
military planning can benefit
from the ability to determine
the soil moisture content at high
resolution. When provided with
timely and accurate information,
water is conserved and crop
health is improved, land is more
effectively used, and crises such
as flash floods can be more
accurately predicted and their
effects mitigated. Current remote
sensing methods for sampling
soil moisture often fail to provide
measurements with adequate
spatial and temporal resolution,
or any indication of moisture
content at typical root depths.

2 soil moisture mapping with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)

 INT R O D U CT I O N

Black Swift Technologies (BST), a specialized engineering firm located

in Boulder, Colorado, and the Center for Environmental Technology
(CET) have developed an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) with a
unique sensor payload designed to provide both spatial and temporal
resolution to diagnose problems and get a better understanding of
the dynamics of soil drainage and moisture retention at typical root
depths. Key to the demonstrated effectiveness of this technology is a
unique L-band radiometer developed and tested under NASA’s Small
Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. Using the soil moisture
mapping UAS, scientists, agronomists, crop consultants, and farmers
alike can gather low altitude measurements from the on-board passive
microwave radiometer with a higher revisit frequency. This can greatly
improve satellite calibration by providing localized, high resolution data
of areas of interest, even under dense canopy crops.

BST has been working with several agriculture research groups at the
University level along with commercial entities to look into utilizing
this unique data to reduce water usage on farms. Two years of flight
campaigns have been conducted at a precision agriculture research site
with flights of the instrument over various crop types throughout the
growing season. This technology is a key attribute for complete systems
that take advantage of variable rate irrigation to reduce water usage.

The soil moisture mapping UAS provides a novel

platform for conducting Earth science research.
This purpose-built system is capable of mapping soil
moisture content at critical depths in a low cost, easy
to operate package.

soil moisture mapping with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) 3

 BAC KG R OUND
MAPPING OUR RESOURCES

WATER IS A CRITICAL RESOURCE, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES

TO THE WORLD’S FOOD SUPPLY.

According to the World Resources Institute, water stress will

increase in many agricultural areas by 2025 due to growing
water use and higher temperatures.

Source: World Resources Institute (http://ow.ly/rpfMN

4 soil moisture mapping with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)

Beyond satellite calibration, several disciplines including agriculture, land management, emergency management,
and military planning can benefit from the ability to determine the soil moisture content at high resolution. When
provided with timely and accurate information, water is conserved and crop health is improved, land is more
effectively used, and crises such as flash floods can be more accurately predicted and their effects mitigated.
Current remote sensing methods for sampling soil moisture often fail to provide measurements with adequate
spatial and temporal resolution, or any indication of moisture content at typical root depths.

PURPOSE-BUILT DESIGN

BST’s soil moisture UAS solution consists of the Black Swift S2™ airframe, avionics, radiometer, and supporting
sensors specifically designed for the task of accurately measuring soil moisture content, even under dense
canopy crops. The primary instrument is a passive microwave radiometer that provides full coverage soil moisture
measurements over an area of up to 600 acres per flight. Tight integration of the sensor with the avionics and
airframe will enable precise flight control for low altitude missions in the range of 15m-30m above ground level
(AGL) required for the sensor to accurately map soil moisture down to 5cm in depth at up to a 15m resolution.

At the core of the system is the S2 airframe and SwiftCore flight management system. The pair provides a
highly capable UAS platform specifically designed to accommodate the next generation of scientific payloads.
It has passed NASA’s rigorous flight safety review, and contains a level of autonomy and redundancy to ensure
data collection can be done routinely and safely. The aircraft limits electromagnetic interference from sub-
systems and is capable of low altitude, terrain following flight. In addition, the S2 is designed around a modular
architecture, allowing rapid development to accommodate new instruments with the aircraft. Through this
innovation, BST is able to rapidly develop solutions to meet the needs of the data gathering mission and each
customer’s unique requirements.

soil moisture mapping with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) 5

 B ST HAS B E E N
WOR K I NG W I TH
S E V E RA L AG R I CULTUR E
RES E A R CH G R OUPS
AT THE UNI V E R S I TY
L E V E L A LONG W I TH
COM ME R CI A L E NTI TI ES
TO LOOK I NTO
U T I L I Z I NG THI S UNI QUE
DATA TO R E DUCE WATE R
U SAG E ON FA R M S .

6 soil moisture mapping with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)

THE SOIL MOISTURE MAPPING UAS PROVIDES A NOVEL
PLATFORM FOR CONDUCTING EARTH SCIENCE RESEARCH.
This system is capable of mapping soil moisture content at critical
depths in a low cost, easy to operate package.

01 02 03
BST has been working with several The soil moisture mapping UAS provides The system will also have the ability to
agriculture research groups at the a novel platform for conducting Earth support FEMA in better understanding
University level along with commercial science research. This system is capable flash flood vulnerability. This utility was
entities to look into utilizing this of mapping soil moisture content at demonstrated in 2007 where CET led
unique data to reduce water usage on critical depths in a low cost, easy to a NASA funded research effort to map
farms. Two years of flight campaigns operate package. It can be employed soil moisture in a region of North Texas
have been conducted at a precision by current NASA projects to provide and Oklahoma that suffered from severe
agriculture research site with flights valuable localized high resolution flooding. This data was used to provide
of the instrument over various crop data to compare with satellites such alerts and warnings to areas susceptible
types throughout the growing season. as the AMSR-E radiometers mounted to flash flooding. The S2 UAS could
This technology is a key attribute for on the EOS Aqua satellite and the provide this data at a fraction of the cost
complete systems that take advantage of radiometers specified for the HYDROS and thus improve predictions for flooding
variable rate irrigation to reduce water mission. Beyond NASA projects, its events in vulnerable watersheds around
usage. It can be further expanded to unique capabilities can also potentially the country.
the application of nutrients and result in benefit other federal agencies such as
lowering the amount of fertilizer used agricultural extension service offices, Providing information on vegetation

based on the exact water content of who can deploy the system to provide density and soil moisture has a

the soil which will reduce the ecological farmers with data that can improve the potentially powerful application in

effects of fertilizer runoff. productivity of their crops. support of state and federal agencies
seeking to understand, monitor, and fight
wildfires. As the soil moisture mapping
UAS matures this technology will benefit
forecasting for wildfires.

soil moisture mapping with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) 7

 U ND E R STA NDI NG S OI L
I NTEG R I TY

TH E M E ASU R E M E N T The ability to asses soil integrity is currently

OF S O IL M O I ST U R E hindered by a dearth of high spatial resolution
data, with scales usually on the order of
IS A K E Y VA R I A B L E
kilometers. The S2 with its soil moisture mapping
TO U NDE R STA N D I N G payload can provide up to 15m resolution data.
A ND M A PP I N G S O I L The measurement of soil moisture is also a key variable to understanding
INTEGR IT Y. AS S O I L and mapping soil integrity. As soil moisture increases, the soil increases
in slipperiness and stickiness while decreasing in strength. One particular
M OISTU R E I N C R E ASES , consumer of this information, the Army Corps of Engineers currently makes
TH E S O IL I N C R E ASES use of soil moisture information to assess soil conditions for heavy vehicle
tracking and aircraft landing operations. The distribution of moisture within a
IN S L IP P ER I N ES S A N D soil determines the traffic that can be supported on the land surface. For off-
road movement there is a specific maximum loading that soil can support. The
STICK INES S W H I L E
strength of a soil is determined by soil type and soil moisture and can be used
D ECR E AS I N G I N to determine the load.

STR E NGT H .

The S2 with its soil moisture mapping payload can provide up to 15m
resolution data, allowing for the models to make use of data on a per vehicle
scale. Additionally, the low latency determination of the ability of the soil to
support the movement of a vehicle directly will greatly enhance the ability of
the armed forces to operate in potentially unstable areas such as terrain in
and around rivers, wetlands and coastal regions as well as in regions that are
susceptible to thunderstorms and heavy precipitation.

8 soil moisture mapping with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)

 DELIVERING ACTIONABLE DATA
Provides both spatial and temporal resolution to diagnose
problems and get a better understanding of the dynamics of soil
drainage and moisture retention at typical root depths.

The S2 can map over 600 acres per flight. Flights with this specialized payload have been conducted by Colorado University at
Boulder over a number of test sites including the Canton, Oklahoma Soilscape Site, and the Irrigation Research Foundation (IRF) in
Yuma, Colorado. Preliminary results of these missions correlate with in situ probes, as well as a strong correlation for different soil
types further validating this unique UAS solution.

Maps generated from an actual flight of the S2 equipped with soil moisture mapping sensor suite. (a) Flight trajectories, (b) land
convert type, (c) soil type, and (d) volumetric water content (VWC).

soil moisture mapping with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) 9

 B L AC K SWI FT S 2 UAS
PAYLOAD-CENTRIC

THE S2 WAS DESIGNED AROUND THE PAYLOAD. THE NOSE

CONE CONTAINS A LARGE VOLUME TO EASILY INTEGRATE
NEW SYSTEMS AND ALLOW EASY ACCESS IN THE FIELD.

The S2 is capable of conducting fully autonomous flights The S2 is an aircraft system that was designed around
in unimproved areas. Take-off is fully autonomous and the payload. The nose cone contains a large volume to
the advanced landing algorithm provides for robust and easily integrate new systems and allow easy access in
precise autonomous belly landings utilizing the laser the field. A standard data and power interface makes
landing system. The S2 has a high operational ceiling, the different payloads field-swappable, allowing for
and has been designed for altitudes up to 20,000 ft for spare aircraft without the need for purchasing extra
NASA science missions. It has primarily been employed payloads, which can be quite expensive. It is actively
for complex science missions, but the overall system will being flown for four major scientific field campaigns in
perform well in surveying work, land management, crop both atmospheric science and remote sensing.
damage assessment, and large area ecological studies.
The specifications of the S2 are listed in the table below.

Specifications
Mission Capabilities
Ingress Protection (IP) IP42
Payload Wieght vs Launch 1.4 kg (3 lbs) hand launch
2.3 kg (5 lb) rail launch
Flight Ceiling 6000 m (20,000 ft)
Max. Winds Endured 15 m/s (30 kts)
Flight Characteristic (6,000 ft density alt)
Flight Speed 12 m/s (24 kts) stall, 18 m/s (35 kts) cruise
Flight Time 110 min max, 90 min nominal
Range 110 km (60 nm) max, 92 km (50 nm) nominal
Vehicle Characteristic
Weight 5.2 kg (11.5 lbs) nomoinal, 6.6 kg (14.5 lbs) max
Wingspan 3.0 m (10.0 ft) S2’s Modular Field-Swappable Payload System
Payload Capacities
Nose Cone Dimensions 20.3 cm (8 in) diameter
63.2 cm (24.9 in ) length
Power available for payload 50 W total The S2 utilizes the SwiftCore™ Flight Management
Payload weight 2.3 kg (5 lbs) max w/ rail launch
Geotagging Position Accuracy Typically < 4m in all directions System, comprised of the SwiftPilot, SwiftStation, and
Telemetry Data Rate Serial Stream, 9500 bps SwiftTab user interface, along with support electronics.
The entire system is designed for ease of use along
with accurate flight tracking, even in high winds. The
SwiftCore is designed by BST and is entirely made in
the USA. The SwiftCore has been approved and used
for major scientific missions by NASA, deployments by
NOAA, and by a growing list of commercial companies.

10 soil moisture mapping with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)

The Black Swift S2, has been employed in a wide variety of atmospheric research
application areas including:

• High-altitude, high-latitude atmospheric research studies in Greenland

operating in temperatures near -20°C at altitudes up to 14,000 feet analyzing
water vapor above the ice sheet to better understand how climate conditions
are impacting Greenland’s atmosphere.

• Nighttime in situ measurements of wildfire plumes and remote measurements

of wildfire properties utilizing multiple sensors capable of research-quality
measurements of CO2, CO, aerosol, RH, p, and T found in the wildfire plumes,
while also providing multispectral high-resolution maps of wildfires, advancing
fire weather modeling and forecasting.

• Volcano plume monitoring with sensors specifically designed to measure

selected gases and a nephelometer to assess volcanic particle size and
distribution, as well as atmospheric probes to analyze pressure, temperature,
humidity, and three-dimensional wind patterns, in order to improve air traffic
management systems and the accuracy of ashfall measurements.

• Soil moisture mapping (up to 600 acres per flight) using multiple sensors
including an L-band radiometer capable of measuring soil moisture content up
to 10 cm below the ground, even under dense canopy crops.

• Airborne CO2 monitoring in volcanic regions to measure CO2 and plant

response around volcanoes in order to understand the ecosystem response in
the tropics, the lungs of the planet.

• Using a multispectral camera array for Landsat-8 OLI, and S-NPP VIIRS
instrument calibration with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

• Airborne measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2),

methane (CH4), and hydrogen sulfide (H2S), as well as generation of
orthomosaic, thermal and 3D data products.. Resulting data will help NASA/
JPL to better understand how volcanoes work, and improve volcano eruption
planning and warning capabilities.

• Using P-band reflective signals to measure SWE (Snow Water Equivalent) in

mountainous environments from an unmanned aerial platform.

• Integration of a thermal and hyperspectral payload for use in coastline

monitoring.

soil moisture mapping with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) 11

 SWIFTCORE AVIONICS
END-TO-END AVIONICS LETTING YOU CONTROL,
COMMUNICATE AND COMMAND YOUR UAS
FOR FULLY AUTONOMOUS FLIGHT

SwiftPilot™ SwiftTab™ SwiftStation™

SwiftPilot is an advanced high- With its intuitive user-focused interface, SwiftStation is a tripod-mounted,
performance autopilot system designed SwiftTab enables flight planning that intuitive ground station that is both
specifically for Unmanned Aerial System is both simple and easy to accomplish. highly portable and customizable to
(UAS). Enables fully autonomous flight Operators can program their BST UAS support application-specific sensor
from launch to landing. in minutes to calculate the area under integrations.
review and then begin collecting data for
• One of the smallest and most powerful • Incorporates both a 900MHz and a GPS
immediate analysis and decision-making.
autopilots commercially available antenna
• Runs on a handheld Android™ Tablet as
• Two dedicated 168 Mhz Cortex-M4 • Expandable functionality via custom
well as Android-based smart phones
CPUs with FPU for autonomous sUAS modules
functionality (core processors) and one
• Flight plans can be modified and
(optional) 1 GHz Cortex-A8 processor • Multiple radio options available based on
uploaded mid-flight
(payload processor) for customer use customer’s specific requirements
• Easily import maps and other geo-
• Modularized CAN-bus hardware • Seamlessly integrates with X-Plane Pro
referenced data points
architecture, enabling virtually an Flight Simulator
unlimited number of connectivity options
• Gesture-based controls enable users
for peripherals/payloads (UART, I2C, SPI,
to confidently deploy their UAS with
CAN, Ethernet, USB, GPIO, etc.
minimal training

12 soil moisture mapping with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)

 A B OU T B LACK SW I FT
T EC HNOLOG I ES

SINCE 2011

Black Swift Technologies (BST) is based in Boulder, CO and has been in operation since 2011. BST
is unique is than all UAS sold by BST are built upon it’s own SwiftCore\textsuperscript{TM} flight
management system (FMS) that includes the autopilot, ground station, user interface, and support
electronics. Unlike many competing systems that rely on open-source and low-quality avionics, BST is able
to guarantee quality, robustness, and supply of the most critical components of our systems. The SwiftCore
FMS was designed by BST from the ground up. This affords control of the critical parts of our products,
including the design of all electronics for both the avionics and ground systems, software, mechanical
assembly, and the detailed QC process for all outgoing systems. Furthermore, BST uniquely couples
avionics expertise with consulting services, and has delivered products and engineering services to many
government entities including NASA, NOAA, various universities along with commercial sales to end-users
and aircraft integrators.

JACK ELSTON MACIEJ STACHURA

CEO CTO

Dr. Elston received his Ph.D. from the Dr. Stachura received his M.S. and Ph.D.,
University of Colorado Boulder based on work both in aerospace engineering, from the
that developed a complex meshed network, University of Colorado Boulder. During his
unmanned aircraft system, and control time at CU, Dr. Stachura was involved in over
algorithms for in situ sampling of tornadic 300 fight experiments ranging from multi-
supercell thunderstorms. Dr. Elston is also aircraft cooperative flight experiments to the
the technical lead on all avionics work at BST VORTEX2 field campaign, which involved the
including the creation of the highly capable first-ever intercept of a tornadic supercell
autopilot system that anchors the SwiftCore thunderstorm.
Flight Management System.

soil moisture mapping with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) 13

 Black Swift Technologies
3200 Valmont Road, Suite 7 • Boulder, CO 80301
https://bst.aero
© 2019 Black Swift Technologies. All rights reserved.