Winnfield Rotarians heard from NSU Assistant Professor of Biology J. D. Cox at its meeting on July 9 about the Advanced Remote and Geospatial Operations [ARGO] Lab at Northwestern. Cox is the coordinator of the program, teaches some of the classes offered and participates in providing services offered to the public by the University.
The lab integrates remote unmanned and uncrewed systems, most commonly known as “drone,” technology into education and the work force. Not only does the lab teach hands-on systems operations to NSU students and the public, it provides aerial imagery, data processing and training services to the public. Other services available include drone photography, videography, mapping, remote sensing, geospatial analysis and geodata hosting. “We offer customizable training on drone operation, geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing and preparation for the FAA drone licensing exam,” says Cox.
NSU’s certificate in Remote Systems Science and Technology (RSST) program consists of 12 credit hours of core classes which cover the fundamentals of unmanned systems operation including hands-on training with remote systems, laws, policy and ethics related to UAS operation and applications best practices. The remaining six hours of the certificate consist of specific course work from each student’s area of study. This approach creates an integrated approach to remote systems integration across disciplines and better prepares students to enter the workforce in their area of interest.
Classes include Geographical Information Systems, which involves using computer systems to capture, store, analyze and display geographic data, and create visual representation of the information, math skills, drone operations, as well as the legal and ethical rules of the Federal Aviation Administration. Anyone can take the university’s program to prepare for the FAA licensing exam as a drone operator.
ARGO systems technology can enhance the services of law enforcement and fire prevention and repression, particularly in the area of search and rescue. A drone’s thermal camera can be used for detection over a surface of 2000 acres before having to retrieve and relaunch it. It increases efficiency of the search as well as improving decision-making in the course of a search and rescue operation.
NSU performs ARGO training both on and off-campus. The lab also trains agencies to self-certify operators of the technology.