Welcome to Lesson 3! In this lesson, you will become familiar with the concept of operating a UAS and how to design a Concept of Operation (CONOP). The CONOP subject focuses on the pre-flight description of the mission that a UAS operation will go through. You will also learn how to analyze risks surrounding UAS operations and to how to assess and mitigate the impact of such risks.
At the successful completion of this lesson, you should be able to:
The term CONOP means a complete description of the mission that a UAS operation goes through from launch to recovery. The CONOP includes a procedure for the mission to be carried out to achieve the mission objectives. The procedure depends on the system configuration and capabilities. UAS capabilities determined by its components such as sensors, guidance, endurance (in time), weather limitations (ceilings, wind speeds, etc.), navigation and control play key role in defining the CONOP. CONOP may also depend on other factors such as safety considerations for the UAS as well as to lives and properties along the flying path of the mission. The procedure will also include weather condition such as wind speed and visibility, as the mission may be halted or terminated if the favorable weather condition is not reached.
The FAA expectations from the provided CONOP are:
There are many ways to design CONOP one of which is described in the final report published by the ITS Research Institute of the University of Minnesota entitled “Analysis of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Concept of Operations in ITS Applications”. In that report, the process describes the following main elements of the design:
Figure 3.1 illustrates a flow chart for small UAS concept of operation (CONOP) design process.
Many details need to be identified to complete CONOP development. Information such as:
The block diagram in Figure 3.2 illustrates the components that make up most of the UASs available in the market today. Such a diagram is very beneficial to CONOP analysis and development, as it lists all the sub-systems included in a UAS. As you can see below, the main components that concern us in this course are the mission sensor payload, airborne data link, and navigation and control sensors. The mission sensor payload represents the highest priority for geospatial data users. Types and quality of sensors within the mission sensor payload block are directly linked to the end user's needs and expectations. The other two blocks, the airborne data link and navigation and control sensors, mainly concern the FAA and its regulations. Main FAA concerns lie in the quality of the communications and the navigational systems that steer and control the aircraft.
At the center of this schematic drawing is a rectangle containing the words “Flight Computer.” Arrows leave the Flight Computer from the left, the right, and from its top and bottom.
From the right, an arrow points to a smaller rectangle with rounded corners that contains the words “Motor Controller.” A subsequent arrow leaves the left side of the Motor Controller and points to a labeled drawing of the engine.
From the right of the Flight Computer, an arrow points to a smaller rectangle with rounded corners that contains the words “Control Servo.” The Control Servo is attached with a thin line to a drawing of an aircraft, which is labeled “Control Surface.”
From the bottom of the Flight Computer, an arrow points to a rectangle entitled “Airborne Data Link Tranceiver.” From the Airborne Data Link Tranceiver, an arrow points back to the Flight Computer. The Airborne Data Link Tranceiver has a small “Data Link Antenna” attached.
One arrow leaves the top of the Flight Computer. It points to a rectangle entitled “Mission Sensor Payload.” In addition, an arrow flows from the Mission Sensor Payload back to the Flight Computer.
A second arrow points to the top of the Flight Computer. This arrow originates in a rectangle labeled “Navigation and Control Sensors.”
The report "Analysis of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Concept of Operations in ITS Applications, [1]" which discusses in detail the Concept of Operation for the UAS.
Review the FAA document “Integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems into the National Airspace System Concept of Operations [2]”. When reading through the FAA document, focus on the components that the FAA considered when developing these Concepts of Operations. These considerations are key and beneficial to the development of your CONOP and Risk Assessment analysis that follows later in this lesson.
In this section, you will explore potential risks surrounding UAS operations. The block diagram provided in section 3.1 illustrates UAS system components, each of which carries its own operational risk. In addition, there are many external risks surrounding the operational environment, such as weather and other aircraft sharing the same airspace. Review the document assigned for this section to stand on the different types of risk associated with the UAS operations.
Read chapter 7 of textbook 1 Introduction to Unmanned Aircraft Systems, 2nd edition. While you are reading through the chapter, focus on the hazard recognition and risk assessment, as you will need it for the section "Concept of Operation (CONOP) and Risk Assessment for UAS.
Review the report "Analysis of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Concept of Operations in ITS Applications [1]" that was provided to you in the section "CONOP Elements." Focus on the discussions concerning risk assessment.
It's time to develop your own CONOP and Risk Assessment methodology for the UAS you selected for the SWOT analysis in Lesson 2, by doing the following:
Your document, at minimum, should include the following sections:
Submit your report in a word document, NOT a pdf, to the drop box. The report should not exceed 3500 words or 15 pages (single line spacing). You will have 3 weeks to complete this assignment. (7 points or 7%)
Deadline for this assignment is at the end of lesson 5.
Congratulations! You have finished Lesson 3, CONOP and Risk Assessment for UAS. As you may have noticed from reading the different materials provided in this lesson, the development and completion of CONOP is an important milestone that needs to be achieved for the successful operation of UASs, especially here in the United States where the FAA has strong rules and regulation against operating UASs. Without a CONOP, the operation may end up with chaotic operations and disastrous results. You also noticed that recognizing the risks surrounding a UAS operation and mitigating them not only results in a safe operation, but it will also please the FAA and encourage them to issue the required permissions to operate a UAS in the National Air Space (NAS).
1 | Study lesson 3 materials on CANVAS/Drupal and the text books chapters assigned to the lesson |
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2 | Complete the Lesson 3 Quiz. |
3 | Submit preliminary project idea/proposal in the "Preliminary project idea" dropbox. |
4 | Start UAS Data Processing Using Pix4D for exercise 1. Pix4D is the data processing software you will use to process UAS imagery. Follow the instructions in Canvas. |
5 | Download and practice Mission Planner Software, following these instructions. [5] |
6 | Start working on your CONOP and Risk assessment analysis. Submit your completed MS Word document to the drop box in Lesson 5. (7 points) |
7 | Start your first post for the discussion on "SWOT Analysis. |
Links
[1] https://www.e-education.psu.edu/geog892/sites/www.e-education.psu.edu.geog892/files/UAS-for-ITS-CTS11-06_Risk-and-CONOP.pdf
[2] https://www.e-education.psu.edu/geog892/sites/www.e-education.psu.edu.geog892/files/FAA-UAS-Conops-Version-2-0-1.pdf
[3] http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/usaf/conops_uav/toc.htm
[4] https://www.e-education.psu.edu/geog892/sites/www.e-education.psu.edu.geog892/files/NOAA_CONOPS.pdf
[5] https://www.e-education.psu.edu/geog892/sites/www.e-education.psu.edu.geog892/files/Mission_planner_v2.pdf