Search results for " SENSING"

A Low-Cost Smartphone Sensor-Based UV Camera for Volcanic SO2 Emission Measurements

2017

Recently, we reported on the development of low-cost ultraviolet (UV) cameras, based on the modification of sensors designed for the smartphone market. These units are built around modified Raspberry Pi cameras (PiCams; ≈USD 25), and usable system sensitivity was demonstrated in the UVA and UVB spectral regions, of relevance to a number of application areas. Here, we report on the first deployment of PiCam devices in one such field: UV remote sensing of sulphur dioxide emissions from volcanoes; such data provide important insights into magmatic processes and are applied in hazard assessments. In particular, we report on field trials on Mt. Etna, where the utility of these devices in quantif…

Spatially resolved SO2 flux emissions from Mt Etna

2016

Abstract We report on a systematic record of SO2 flux emissions from individual vents of Etna volcano (Sicily), which we obtained using a permanent UV camera network. Observations were carried out in summer 2014, a period encompassing two eruptive episodes of the New South East Crater (NSEC) and a fissure‐fed eruption in the upper Valle del Bove. We demonstrate that our vent‐resolved SO2 flux time series allow capturing shifts in activity from one vent to another and contribute to our understanding of Etna's shallow plumbing system structure. We find that the fissure eruption contributed ~50,000 t of SO2 or ~30% of the SO2 emitted by the volcano during the 5 July to 10 August eruptive inter…

Lidar detection of carbon dioxide in volcanic plumes

2015

Volcanic gases give information on magmatic processes. In particular, anomalous releases of carbon dioxide precede volcanic eruptions. Up to now, this gas has been measured in volcanic plumes with conventional measurements that imply the severe risks of local sampling and can last many hours. For these reasons and for the great advantages of laser sensing, the thorough development of volcanic lidar has been undertaken at the Diagnostics and Metrology Laboratory (UTAPRAD-DIM) of the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA). In fact, lidar profiling allows one to scan remotely volcanic plumes in a fast and continuous way, and with high s…

Volcanic Plume CO2 Flux Measurements at Mount Etna by Mobile Differential Absorption Lidar

2017

Volcanic eruptions are often preceded by precursory increases in the volcanic carbon dioxide (CO2) flux. Unfortunately, the traditional techniques used to measure volcanic CO2 require near-vent, in situ plume measurements that are potentially hazardous for operators and expose instruments to extreme conditions. To overcome these limitations, the project BRIDGE (BRIDging the gap between Gas Emissions and geophysical observations at active volcanoes) received funding from the European Research Council, with the objective to develop a new generation of volcanic gas sensing instruments, including a novel DIAL-Lidar (Differential Absorption Light Detection and Ranging) for remote (e.g., distal) …

An automatic system for water quality assessment through MODIS L1B images

2008

Estimation of wind velocity over a complex terrain using the Generalized Mapping Regressor

2010

Abstract Wind energy evaluation is an important goal in the conversion of energy systems to more environmentally friendly solutions. In this paper, we present a novel approach to wind speed spatial estimation on the isle of Sicily (Italy): an incremental self-organizing neural network (Generalized Mapping Regressor – GMR) is coupled with exploratory data analysis techniques in order to obtain a map of the spatial distribution of the average wind speed over the entire region. First, the topographic surface of the island was modelled using two different neural techniques and by exploiting the information extracted from a digital elevation model of the region. Then, GMR was used for automatic …

"On-the-go" multispectral imaging system embedded on a track laying tractor to characterize the vine foliage

2015

Mutispectral imaging systems are widely used in remote sensing for Precision Viticulture. In this work, this technique was applied in the proximal sensing context to characterize vine foliage. A mobile terrestrial experimental system is presented, composed of a GPS receiver, a multi-spectral camera acquiring visible and near infrared images, and a Greenseeker RT-100 which measures the Normalized Difference Vegetative Index (NDVI). This optical system observes vine foliage in the trellis plan, in natural sunlight. The experimental field is planted with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier cultivars in a latin squared pattern. In 2013, six datasets were acquired at various phenological stages.S…