Measuring Glacier Thickness With a Drone

Robert Delleske is a geographer and UAV manager at GeoResearch Austria, where his team monitors some of the most extreme environments in the Alps - from actively moving landslides to rapidly disappearing glaciers.In this episode, Robert walks us through how his team uses drone-mounted ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to measure glacier thickness for the first time at full scale - something traditional ground-based radar operators said couldn't be done from the air. He shares results from 15 mapped glaciers across 10 square kilometers, explains why flying at 50 meters actually produces better data than flying close to the ice, and previews an upcoming expedition to Greenland pushing the limits of how deep the system can see.0:00 Who is Robert and how he uses drones for monitoring glaciers2:40 What drones does Robert use?3:08 Robert walks us through his first complex photogrammetry project4:35 What recent drones has Robert used?5:03 How Robert implemented UgCS in his workflow6:28 What payloads does Robert use7:27 How Robert monitors glaciers16:47 How does GPR sensor work22:46 What does flight planning in UgCS look like for GPR missions29:13 Landslide case35:34 Tracking rock debris-flow39:42 Outro🔗 GeoResearch Austria: https://www.georesearch.ac.at/en/home-en/🔗 Episode 1 — Drone Search & Rescue: https://youtu.be/J_E-ihxxAFQ?si=ZRrF9vVgegE1jOLk🔗 Episode 2 — Wildfire Detection: https://youtu.be/6bZq6QZjm0I?si=0W_-mdBsOllZwEzU👉 Visit our website and try out UgCS for FREE:https://www.ugcs.com👥 Join our UgCS User Facebook Community for regular support and news:https://www.facebook.com/groups/ugcsusers🔔 Subscribe for more tips on drone surveys and flight planning. Simplify your drone operations with UgCS!