Map research would inform this project.
Regarding the proposed Avalon Peninsula Discovery Channel Expedition. In 1994 TIGHAR deployed remote sensing equipment at Goose-Gull Pond. An EM-31 manufactured by Geonics Limited in Canada was utilized there and on Nikumaroro, Island. The EM-31 is an effective metal detector with a wing-span of 10 feet give or take. It covers a wide swath. A "hot" rock was located in the Goose-Gull pond. An EM-31 is not the tool for the proposed mission. However, Geonics has other equipment that can be deployed from the air including from drones. In the 1990s I visited the Geonics headquarters in Canada to be trained on the EM-31 and EM-38. These guys and gals know remote sensing inside and out. In particular they are experts at detecting ferrous and non-ferrous targets and often times both with the same instrument.
In 2007 TIGHAR member Veryl Fenalson (God Rest His Soul) consulted with me on again deploying remote sensing in search of the White Bird. The prior year (2006) Veryl and his team hiked into the English Pond on the Avalon Peninsula. Veryl was planning another expedition. Given my previous experience operating Geonics equipment, I called their office. They offered various options. Since then drones have arrived on the scene.
For example, the Geonics EM61-MK2A metal detector sensor is a high sensitivity, high resolution, time domain metal detector that is mounted on a drone. It can be utilized to detect both ferrous and non-ferrous metal. Typical target response is a single, sharply defined anomaly peak which facilitates determination of the target location. The depth of detection is dependent on many factors to include surface area and orientation of the target. A 55 gallon drum can be detected at depths greater than three meters (9.8 ft). The UgCS SkyHub enables the drone to fly in True Terrain Following (TTF) mode with the help of the radar altimeter. A RTK/PPK GNSS receiver on the drone can geotag the data with centimeter-level precision (half inch or so).
Thank you,
Kenton Spading, PE, FRGS 20, FN ’20
1586 Grotto Street North
St. Paul, MN 55117-3460
Voice/Text: 651-272-7970
KSpading@Comcast.net