CO-Pandemus - Space Apps Challenge

CO-Pandemus | A New Perspective

A New Perspective

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, protected areas and other forms of wilderness areas (e.g., arboretums, beaches, parks, marine monuments) have been closed worldwide. Your challenge is to lead the effort to examine any potential impacts of reduced human traffic in such local protected natural environments.

Co-Pendrone

Summary

Design and development of a unique methodology based 800 multi scanning drones charged with solar PV panels to be incorporated on a largest African reserve of 55 000 km². The ultimate aim is to first study animals change of behaviour in direct correlation to the Nasa resources related to the pandemic , detect intruders and invaders potentially willing to illegally hunt, capture wild animals, or deforest green areas as a direct social and environmental impact of Covid-19, and further report to the operators though a novel mobile application that would alert any potential breach and further enable taking necessary actions based on the nature of the breach.

How We Addressed This Challenge

Due to the scale of this particular project that extends over an entire continent, it is unfeasible to compile relevant data related to each impact (Social - Economic - Environmental and climate impacts) and develop bespoke solutions. This is one of the main reasons why the focus will be only narrowed towards the environment and climate impacts that were mostly a consequence of an inefficient monitoring aspect of wildlife and protected animals as well as trees and green regions in Africa. In fact, the conventional approach for such procedure would be to conduct ground-based surveys alongside extensive investigations to provide accurate data. Although this traditional method enables the collection of thousands of samples across a wide range, the process remains laborious, time consuming and relatively costly when taking into account the limited financial resources allocated for the monitoring aspect of the wildlife overall.

A particular tool has been found in the state of the art, showcasing ARDC Africa Regional Data Cube, a tool used to harness the latest earth observation data and satellite technology to help African countries (Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Tanzania) detect and further address various issues relating to agriculture, food security, deforestation, urbanization…

In fact the demand for satellite data by African countries in increasing on a high level and even international organizations engaged to help rolling out a continental wide data cube in 2020 through the Digital Earth Africa initiative are incapable of detecting individuals that would offense the African Ecosystem. No further high tech solutions have been elaborated for this particular purpose in Africa, pushing the Co-Pandemus team to design and further develop a unique methodology for the detection and further reporting of deforestation of green parks in rural area and difficult to access regions, mitigating in the process further damages to the ecosystem in Africa. The ultimate aim for such initiative would be to detect and further monitor illegal activities (hunting of endangered species, extensive cutting of trees …).

How We Developed This Project

The idea was mostly designing and further incorporating drones in such particular African climate. The drones’ task would be to inspect a defined region and further report data to the operator. In this context, a remote control system would be implemented within the drones in order to change the drones directions depending on the motions detected on the ground, weather conditions…

Project Demo

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12FtGzfZLHVUkPD0JyJDFjQtEpjdC97fU?usp=sharing

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From a technical perspective, the drone would be energised by the mean of four rotors, and three distinct batteries (lithium battery packs LIPO, exclusively chosen for their linear discharge and there monitoring flexibility, alongside a converter, to convert the voltage given by the batteries to the 4 motors and well the installed camera on centre axis of the drones, in order to provide a equilibrated weight distribution). The drone would be able to communicate with the operators by the mean of transmitters that would convey the information through multiple 2.4GHz frequency signals and further transfer video feed to and from the drone camera. Once date is received and processed, the operator would further provide the drone with commands depending on the data sent (either move on to another area if no movement has been detected, or further get close to the intruders and determine if further actions should be taken proactively based on the movement and body language sequencing. The operator would be able to have a clear vision in real time scenario of the region scanned by the drone, through a novel mobile application developed on a bespoke manner for this undertaking. Nonetheless, Drone systems are limited by their operational time of approximately 40 minutes. To mitigate this particular challenge, Co-pandemus team thought of implementing multiple sub charging platforms in key locations of the scattered landscape (calculated based on the probability for a drone to travel at minimum speed in a 40 minutes time in 4 distinct direction). This novel platform would enable the landing of the drone unit and further recharging through multiple PV panels installed in secure locations. Since the operators won’t necessarily be present in those distinct key charging locations, a wireless charging methodology has been adopted, based on the simple concept of Faraday’s law of Electromagnetic induction. The platform would be characterised by multiple coils electrically supplied by the PV panels, this would enable the production of varying magnetic fields that would induce an electrical current inside the lithium-ion batteries enabling a sufficient wireless charging. The charging status would be further transferred to the operator again, since it would connected to the mobile network global coverage there. Through this undertaking, each drone would operate at a speed of 10m/s, meaning covering a maximum passage of 24km/approximate surface of 12 km2 each 40 minutes. in an approximate, the drone would functioning at a 5 hour basis each day ( taking into account the necessary time to charge the drone), covering around 7.5 times the 12 km2 previously calculated for one single drone. If we extrapolates these results on wider range, and if we can implement over 600 drones alongside 1200 charging points across a case study region, we will be able to cover 54 000 km² in one single day ( the surface of a country). This would enable covering the biggest reserve in entire African continent (Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania of 55 000 km2).

Consequently, the demand for satellite data by governments in low income settings will decrease, enabling a proper cover by the mean of a multi functional procedure based on two systems, one by satellite to detect wide range damages, and drone systems that would focus more on the medium to low range damages and highlight more the individuals .

Project Code

Data & Resources

Global Judging

This project was submitted for consideration during the Space Apps Global Judging process.