Leveraging Realtime Data in Airborne Campaigns: From COMEX to Disaster Response

Abstract:

The COMEX (CO2 and Methane eXperiment) campaign leveraged real-time remote sensing and in situ data spanning multiple airborne and surface mobile platforms and interplatform communications to improve dramatically science outcomes. COMEX realtime remote sensing of strong methane plumes released from a producing oil field in Southern California by the non-imaging spectrometer MAMAP (Methane Airborne MAPper) were used to shift the survey strategy of the AVIRIS NG (Airborne Visual InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer-Next Generation) instrument on a separate airplane from an area of few plumes to an area of high activity. Concurrently, a ground team was re-directed to collect mobile surface validation data by the AMOG (AutoMObile gas) Surveyor in the new area. On all platforms, realtime analysis were used to adapt the survey patterns such as making tactical decisions to repeat certain swaths or flight lines by AVIRIS NG and by MAMAP and to adapt surface survey patterns.

The AVIRIS-NG realtime algorithms were developed for methane; however, oil exhibits spectral features that are similar, enabling their testing on AVIRIS-NG data acquired during the Santa Barbara Oil Spill. The effort determined that realtime oil mapping currently is feasible. For oil spill disaster response as well as other disaster response applications, the tactical advantages of realtime remote sensing for time-critical data collections will facilitate greater roles played by remote sensing in future disaster response.