The Evolution of UAS Platforms at USGS

The Department of the Interior (DOI) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) took an interest in uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) technologies in the early 2000s, when UAS were predominantly being used for military applications. USGS dedicated staff to coordinate the safe and cost-effective integration of UAS data collection into the scientific, monitoring, and resource management functions of DOI by establishing the National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO) in 2008. One of NUSO’s core responsibilities has been to test and evaluate UAS technologies, performing proof-of-concept missions to demonstrate their capabilities and value for science. This B-Roll video contains footage of various UAS platforms flown by USGS personnel during flight testing, training, and research missions between 2008 and 2024.  

Please note that this video is not an endorsement by NUSO, USGS, the Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government for any UAS companies or products; they are listed and described here for informational and educational purposes only. 

00:05 Failed launch during a UAS training class in Fort Bliss, Texas (2008). The AeroVironment RQ11-A was a military-surplused fixed-wing UAS that was launched by hand and crash landed after each flight.

00:12 Successfully hand-launching and landing the Raven UAS during Sandhill crane population surveys at Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado (2012).  

00:27 Successfully hand-launching the Raven UAS for elk population surveys in forested areas of Skagit Valley, Washington (2014). 

00:35 USGS personnel learning to start up the gasoline-powered T-Hawk UAS at a training class in Safford, Arizona (2015). The Honeywell RQ-16A T-Hawk, another military surplused aircraft, had a uniquely round form factor. 

00:56 T-Hawk UAS successfully taking flight in Las Cienegas, Arizona (2014).  

01:07 T-Hawk UAS crash landing due to storm outflow during a training class in Safford, Arizona, 2015). 

01:30 An MLB SuperBat UAS, obtained from the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), being catapult-launched into flight during training class at Jornada Experimental Range in New Mexico (2015). 

01:51 Launching a Falcon Fixed-Wing UAS using the bungee method during Borah Peak fault surveys in Idaho (2016). This aircraft utilized a parachute landing and recovery procedure. 

02:06 A 3D Robotics Solo UAS takes flight in both aquatic and terrestrial settings at Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge (2016). This quadcopter was small, agile, and one of the first UAS that USGS used to collect multispectral remote sensing data. 

02:32 A BirdsEyeView FireFLY6 Pro a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) fixed-wing UAS sits in the grass between data collection flights while Hawaii’s Kīlauea Volcano erupts in the background (2018).  

02:44 A DJI Mavic Pro quadcopter descends, lands, and is retrieved by its operator after a flight during the eruption of Kīlauea in Hawaii (2018). The Mavic has a built-in video camera and has been used for flight training, photography, mapping, and video footage capture.  

03:06 A DJI Matrice 600 Pro (M600) comes in for landing after a flight with an explosive lava fountain active in the distance (2018). The M600 hexacopter provided a variety of heavy-lift capabilities during the USGS response to the 2018 Kīlauea eruption including water sampling at the volcano’s crater, high-resolution photography of eruptive features, and volcanic gas concentration measurements.  

03:13 An M600 UAS with a lidar sensor takes off to collect topographic data around the Arrow Canyon Flood Control Dam in Nevada to support studies of historical sediment age and depositional rates (2022).  

03:20 An M600 UAS flies smoothly over research ponds while collecting hyperspectral data for harmful algal bloom research near Leetown, West Virginia (2023). 

03:31 An M600 UAS hovers low over radiation calibration pads for gamma ray spectrometer sensor testing at the Grand Junction Airport, Colorado (2023). 

03:42 Two M600 UASs, one completing a flight and the other sitting on a landing pad, being used to measure methane emissions over a wetland near Fairbanks, Alaska (2023). 

04:15 A WingtraOne Gen II VTOL fixed-wing UAS hovers and lands during a training class at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, Wisconsin (2024).  

04:27 A Skydio X2D UAS hovers and rotates over a grass field with the EROS Water Tower in the background in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (2023). This quadcopter has built-in natural color and thermal cameras for photography, mapping, and video footage capture.  

04:39 A Skydio X10 UAS ascends towards the top of Perry Victory and International Peace Memorial during autonomous 3D scans to document the exterior of the monument at Put-In-Bay, Ohio (2024).