ABSTRACT
The two main classes of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms, rotocopter versus fixed wing, operate very differently in the real world and thereby constrain their operation to specific applications. Like all tools, UAV platforms perform best when applied to tasks for which they are designed. Hyperspectral UAV characteristics such as the lens optics, imager frame rates, and UAV weight dictate the types of environments from which imagery can practically be acquired. Mismatches between the sensor and the UAV platform that degrades it value are not only plausible, but will occur if the adopter takes little care to understand how one component affects another. This chapter discusses how the UAV and hyperspectral sensor determine the characteristics of the acquired imagery, such as the ground sampling distance, with particular reference on how to achieve even sampling and correcting imagery for sensor movement. The components of a hyperspectral UAV are listed and the key performance indications are discussed. The key differences between the two types of UAV platforms are discussed in detail because this hardware choice influences all other hardware choices and dictates the size, resolution, and types of environments from which imagery can be acquired. These considerations will help early adopters make informed asset purchasing choices.
