UAVs working in conjunction with unattended ground sensors

One approach that has been proposed to assist in the detection and tracking of sources of unexpected traffic in remote regions and those relatively inaccessible to ground vehicles is to combine a network of unattended ground sensors (UGS) where use of unmanned aircraft system(s) or UAS is incorporated along with the UGS platforms. Such integration of UAS with UGS as autonomous sentry and tracking stations was not feasible in the past. With the advent of inexpensive UAS technology that can provide real-time video feeds, the development of battery technology that can allow for useful patrol ranges and times, and advanced charging capabilities that allow for transfer of power through means other than an actual plug, an UGS/UAS autonomous monitoring station has become a practical solution to remote monitoring and tracking. In this paper, the analysis of the integration of fixed ground image tracking in coordination with an airborne imaging system is investigated. The performance of the tracking capabilities is analyzed to determine the effectivity of such a dual sensor system approach.