GIS is an acronym used for geographic information system. GIS is not just software, it involves the entire process of presenting geographical data. From how one captures it to processing it, storing it and presenting it involves GIS. Dr. Hupy stressed that GIS is not a software, but a group of people working together to process this data to a usable, readable form of data.
Proprietary GIS software generally involves a company that owns the rights and the intellectual property behind the software. The company within has its own employees that code and work the program so that people can use it, at a cost. This software is not free and generally very expensive. Open source GIS software is free and runs on the users of the program to make it better. The programmers who use open source can embed their own code to a version that can be made specifically for them, or their use. No one owns the foundational code, so anyone who wants to use it, is free to do so. But they cannot make their own modifications to see or copyright it, since it is owned by the users. Any modifications are freely made available to any user that might be interested in using it. This is one of the ways that open source GIS software is upgraded. Users make small or big improvements then it is sent to the users to be analyzed. If the upgrade is deemed useful to the program as a whole it can then be implemented into the core software.
Open source GIS software is particularly useful for UAS industry because the user can code their own form of software tailored to their specific need. They can also work with groups of people the ensure that the software will present the best form of data to the end consumer. If a company that processes data for farmers and crops wants a map, it will be drastically different than a company needing a map for mining operations. The software will be directed towards which map they need. In proprietary software if a user needed a certain tool that didn't previously exist, they would need to make a technical ticket and describe what they need. After that, if the company that has the software decides its useful, they will then have their software engineers create that tool. The user then has to buy the tool from the company, potentially costing a lot of money.
In QGIS, we were to make a hillshade map from data previously gathered. We took the color image and created a DSM, or digital surface model. From there, we did an analysis of the DSM to create a hillshade of the map. If we wanted, we could choose from different color presets available. Each color representing a change in elevation. The previous lab required us to use a different software called ArcMap, although I could not due to me being out of the state for an aviation related event.
Creating the false color IR image of the farm was another task. First, the color image was split up into different colors, red, blue, and green. Then the layers were stacked on top and assigned a different color. At first, setting the bands to different colors was difficult. The correct sequence was needed to be set before the image would display a false color IR image. After putting in different sequences the image was eventually displaying a false color IR image of the farm.
GIS software and data is very useful for the UAS industry. Most of the industry does most of its work with high tech sensors and displaying data. Farmers, miners, construction, and government projects all rely on software processing to put out useful data to solve a problem. This software is going to be prove very useful for the capstone project of tree species delineation. Asking whether or not a UAS can perform this task better than a manned plane from varying altitudes.
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