RPAS for a Changing World: Innovations in Environmental Monitoring and Infrastructure Inspection

Moderator : Geoff Fink, Associate Professor, Thompson Rivers University

From the Arctic tundra to mountainous energy landscapes and critical grid infrastructure, RPAS technologies are unlocking new possibilities for data-driven decision-making. This trio of presentations showcases how drones, edge AI, and advanced sensors are being deployed to tackle real-world challenges—from climate adaptation in northern communities to locating oil wells and automating powerline inspections.

RPAS Applications in Mapping and Monitoring Climate Driven Changes in the Arctic

By Garfield Cliff, Aurora College, Inuvik, NT

Climate change is accelerating in the Western Arctic, posing serious threats to communities through permafrost thaw, flooding, wildfires, and infrastructure instability. In this presentation, the Aurora Research Institute (ARI) highlights how its RPAS program is supporting adaptation efforts by generating high-resolution, geospatial data to monitor environmental change.

📡 What you’ll see:
– Technically detailed visuals from drone-based mapping and monitoring
– Applications in erosion tracking, greenhouse gas emissions, river ice dynamics, and snowpack analysis
– Operational insights and community-driven RPAS missions in remote northern environments

Join us to explore how RPAS technology is advancing climate research and resilience in Canada’s North.

 

Using RPAS and On-edge Processing to Identify and Assess Legacy Oil and Gas Assets in North America

By Neil Keown, Sawback Technologies

North America is home to over 3.6 million abandoned or undocumented oil and gas wells—many of which remain hidden and unmonitored. Sawback Technologies presents results from advanced RPAS surveys conducted in the U.S., showcasing how geophysical sensing, gas spectroscopy, and machine learning can be combined to locate legacy wells and detect methane emissions.

What you’ll learn:
– RPAS-enabled workflows for magnetic and gas surveys over complex terrain
– Edge processing and multi-payload integration for efficient data collection
– Field-verified results from 20+ km² of mountainous survey area
– Emerging capabilities in drone-based methane detection

Explore how RPAS and data-driven methods are advancing environmental monitoring in the energy landscapes.

 

Edge AI-Enabled Radar and Camera Integration for Real-Time Drone Detection, Tracking, and Classification

By Varun Mehta, NRC

Discover how cutting-edge computer vision and edge AI are transforming powerline inspections. This presentation introduces GridGuards, a deployable RPAS-based prototype designed to detect and classify insulator faults with high precision using deep learning models like YOLOv8 and MobileViT.

⚡ What you’ll learn:
– A multi-stage detection pipeline for insulators, clamps, and faults
– Real-time deployment on NVIDIA Jetson hardware with optimized inference
– Field-tested accuracy of 98% across diverse fault types
– Challenges and solutions for operating in variable conditions and low-resolution imagery

Join us to explore how autonomous aerial inspection is advancing smart grid monitoring and predictive maintenance.

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Speakers

• 

  Varunkumar Mehta

  Research Officer

  National Research Council Canada

• 

  Neil Keown

  CEO

  Sawback Technologies Inc.

• 

  Garfield Giff

  Manager GIS Programs

  Aurora College: Aurora Research Institute

• Celtie Ferguson

  Technical presenters