Flying Verticals With The Garmin Virb

[etodd]

I'm not seeing many threads here on the Virb system. Are not many using it yet? More localized?

How are you flying it? I just flew a drill mission for the State's EMA simulating us photographing a couple of 30 mile stretches of two highways that would be hurricane evac routes. Cessna 172 with camera under the right wingtip. 1500 agl at 90kts and photos every 5 seconds. So the big question is how to keep the highway semi-centered in the photos? If its very long straight stretches of Interstate, the pilot, seeing 2-3 miles ahead can pick a point on the cowl and do a fair job of it. But once the road starts turning there is just no way. We came up with two solutions.

A) Ours is a G1000 and with me as AP in the right front seat (I'm also a pilot). If I'm looking nearly straight down out the right widow and can just barely see the edge of road, its centered in the photo. If I try to talk the pilot through it we wind up with early or late turns and not at rates needed. So ... the pilot puts in Heading mode ... and I then fly the road using the heading knob on the MFD while looking down. The PIC is watching all else, including traffic and making sure the auto-pilot is keeping us at 90 kts and 1500 agl. This system worked very well 90% of the time. The hardest part being the smaller two lane highway that has much tighter turns than Interstate of course.

B) I brought along my GoPro with strut mount pointed straight down. Using the GoPro app on my iPad and yoke mounted in front of the pilot gave us a live view, very closely approximating what the Garmin Virb was seeing. Made it all so much easier.

Bottom line  imho - We need two Garmin Virbs mounted side by side. One taking photos and the other for live view to fly by.  Or .... switch altogether to GoPros and use a live view system like even cheap drones have.

Maybe others have developed better ideas?

[JeffDG]

Here are some that were flown this weekend:  http://arcg.is/1U7FYMD

The roads/rivers were the pilots free-flying them.  The other way is to go and grid out an area and fly a grid-search pattern or run a route parallel track search between some points with 1/2nm spacking

[etodd]

Here are some that were flown this weekend:  http://arcg.is/1U7FYMD

The roads/rivers were the pilots free-flying them.  The other way is to go and grid out an area and fly a grid-search pattern or run a route parallel track search between some points with 1/2nm spacking

Is that the ones passing though Chattanooga and Cleveland?   The grid work or straight tracks would be easy.  Its following the winding curves of a small road or river's edge thats more challenging. Your track over I-75 is similar to our first ones. Sometimes to the right of the road, sometimes to the left. Almost losing it at some points.  Thats when we started using solution (A) above to fine tune it better.  The second camera of course is now making it much better.

You can see ours coming out of Tuscaloosa, but that is method (A). I haven't uploaded anything with the second camera method yet.

[grunt82abn]

As a Geography major/GIS minor student, how did you incorporate the data into ArcGIS to use point data? Just curious if you hand jacked the data or you uploaded it from a device?

[JeffDG]

As a Geography major/GIS minor student, how did you incorporate the data into ArcGIS to use point data? Just curious if you hand jacked the data or you uploaded it from a device?

It's done via the FEMA Uploader tool (talk to your ES folks for training on this).

Basically, we download the photos from the device and put them into a folder.  One of the benefits the Virb has over the GoPro is integrated GPS, so once you have your photos in a folder, you use the uploader tool to select the folder, and click "Upload".  Then go get a cup of coffee while it uploads 360 photos per hour taken (the Virb profile specifies every 10 seconds) to the ArcGIS website.

Watch some of the national training sessions on Virb for more details:  http://www.capmembers.com/emergency_services/operations_support/education_and_training/operations-training-webinars/

[etodd]

.... the ArcGIS website.

Am I missing a way you can pull up one photo and then click Next, Next like a slide show?  Really clunky having to open each marker and then click the link in the popup box. Seems the photos uploaded together as a session would be linked somehow.

[JeffDG]

.... the ArcGIS website.

Am I missing a way you can pull up one photo and then click Next, Next like a slide show?  Really clunky having to open each marker and then click the link in the popup box. Seems the photos uploaded together as a session would be linked somehow.

You'd think, wouldn't you?

I have the same issue.  If you zoom out, then you can pull up several that overlap because of the zoom level, but that's all I've seen.

[grunt82abn]

As a Geography major/GIS minor student, how did you incorporate the data into ArcGIS to use point data? Just curious if you hand jacked the data or you uploaded it from a device?

It's done via the FEMA Uploader tool (talk to your ES folks for training on this).

Basically, we download the photos from the device and put them into a folder.  One of the benefits the Virb has over the GoPro is integrated GPS, so once you have your photos in a folder, you use the uploader tool to select the folder, and click "Upload".  Then go get a cup of coffee while it uploads 360 photos per hour taken (the Virb profile specifies every 10 seconds) to the ArcGIS website.

Watch some of the national training sessions on Virb for more details:  http://www.capmembers.com/emergency_services/operations_support/education_and_training/operations-training-webinars/

That's awesome!!! I will have to ask at Thursdays meeting. I have completed 2 major mapping products so far, one as a semester final, and one for a internship with a fire department. I used ArcGIS for both, but had to hand jack all my own data to create layers for each map. I will check out the links. Thanks for the information!!!

[etodd]

On another point ... who is seeing the huge inaccuracies in Virb altitude data? Coordinates seem accurate, but altitude on my last flight where we flew at 1500 feet, the Virb was reporting 500 feet in the embedded data. Didn't affect the mission at all as altitude data isn't really necessary, but looking at flights by others and different cameras, I'm seeing errors there also.

A Google search for Virb altitude problems gives  many results of others seeing it as well.  I'm not sure what type of mission we might would fly where the embedded altitude would be important, but if that day comes, we will need to upgrade to a better camera system.

[Brad]

We used it during the October flooding response.

Also for those of you who didn't see, NHQ/DO sent out an email to stop using the temporary wing mounts until permanent mounts can be procured and distributed.

[jdh]

This email just came out from the National Director of Operations about the Garmin Virb.

Commanders and Staff, we appreciate your continued support of our fielding of new technologies and procedures.  As you may know, there have been some recent issues with some of the Garmin Virb temporary adhesive mounts.  Though we have had many successful training and actual missions and sorties with these, it is simply not prudent to continue flying with these temporary adhesive mounts at this time.  Please discontinue the use of these temporary adhesive mounts immediately, and carefully remove them from all CAP aircraft.  Do not dispose of the camera or mounts as parts of the temporary mounting bracket will be needed for use with permanent mounts in the near future.  We anticipate approval of the permanent mounts by the FAA at any time for use in our existing 172s and 182s, and will work other aircraft models after that.  This mount kit will be installed by your local A&P mechanic via an inspection plate installed near the leading edge of the wing.  Pictures of the inspection plate mount and installation are below.

As soon as we have approval from the FAA we will work with CAP/LG to begin installation of these permanent mounts in conjunction with your regularly scheduled aircraft maintenance.

Please use traditional handheld cameras and the FEMA uploader in the interim for airborne imagery collection operations.

Should you have any questions, please reach out to me or Lt Col Eric Templeton at etempleton@nesa.cap.gov.

[etodd]

This email just came out from the National Director of Operations about the Garmin Virb.

Commanders and Staff, we appreciate your continued support of our fielding of new technologies and procedures.  As you may know, there have been some recent issues with some of the Garmin Virb temporary adhesive mounts.  Though we have had many successful training and actual missions and sorties with these, it is simply not prudent to continue flying with these temporary adhesive mounts at this time.  Please discontinue the use of these temporary adhesive mounts immediately, and carefully remove them from all CAP aircraft.  Do not dispose of the camera or mounts as parts of the temporary mounting bracket will be needed for use with permanent mounts in the near future.  We anticipate approval of the permanent mounts by the FAA at any time for use in our existing 172s and 182s, and will work other aircraft models after that.  This mount kit will be installed by your local A&P mechanic via an inspection plate installed near the leading edge of the wing.  Pictures of the inspection plate mount and installation are below.

As soon as we have approval from the FAA we will work with CAP/LG to begin installation of these permanent mounts in conjunction with your regularly scheduled aircraft maintenance.

Please use traditional handheld cameras and the FEMA uploader in the interim for airborne imagery collection operations.

Should you have any questions, please reach out to me or Lt Col Eric Templeton at etempleton@nesa.cap.gov.

See this other thread for solutions some are already doing in the interim:

http://captalk.net/index.php?topic=21090.0

[Check Pilot/Tow Pilot]

etodd, I and my Squadron aircrew have flown a bunch of missions using the Virb for DR and customer driven grids. We found that using the MP to completely focus on flying the track either via the GFC700 or handraulicly and having the MO be the eyes for other traffic and ensure that pilot is on track worked best. We also have either an AP or MS in the back to record stuff and utilize the InReach.

IMO, having a GoPro to view a live stream is too complicated (but cool). I recommend that the MP or MO use  ForeFlight Streets or Google Maps on an iPad.

I know that does not work for a flooded shoreline but through a combination of the Mark 1 eyeball and the wide angle of the Virb you should be successful.

[etodd]

IMO, having a GoPro to view a live stream is too complicated (but cool).

Folks differ ..... but having a live view on an iPad yoke mounted in front of the pilot is very simple, uncomplicated and 'does' free up the Mission Observer from having to worry about cameras at all. 

I'm thinking roads will be a small percentage of our use, so maps will often be of little use. I'm in tornado alley where the path of a tornado is rarely along a road. Also near many rivers that flood and close to the coast where Hurricane damage may need to be flown.

Live view will be great for all of the above.

But yes I know ... different strokes for different folks.  Its all good.