- 2022-09-15
How can you use a gamma- ray spectrometer under a drone?
The Medusa gamma-ray spectrometers have become the standard for drone-borne mapping soil and geology. For a successful application of these gamma-ray spectrometers, it is important that the sensor gives absolute values concentrations of the radionuclides in the soil.
Our most recent research paper describes how drone-borne gamma-ray measurements can be corrected for the height of measurement.
Downloaded the full article.
It is well known that the footprint, which is the area that is being measured by a spectrometer, of a gamma-ray measurement increases with measurement height and determines the obtainable spatial resolution of an airborne survey. In this research, a model that characterizes the origin of radiation as a function of spatial position in the ground is presented to more accurately predict what parts of the ground contribute to the signal in the detector.
It is recommended that the flying height of a UAV-based gamma-ray survey is determined by a footprint that includes between 65 and 95% of the radiation. This information gives researchers who prepare a survey plan for UAV-borne gamma-ray measurements a guideline that they can follow to determine the survey height once the desired spatial resolution is known.
The PhD thesis dedicated to outlining guidelines for UAV-borne radioelement mapping incorporates the research presented in this article. Additionally, it features a user-friendly reference table that compiles measurement footprints corresponding to frequently employed measurement heights in often used in UAV-borne gamma-ray measurements that have a geophysical applications.
This PhD thesis is a first effort towards a guideline for UAV-borne radiolement mapping and can be downloaded by using the link below.
Download thesis
