VPlease see the attached files for additional information regarding this assignment.

The writer must have extended Knowledge writing in APA format 6th edition. And also be knowledgeable in UAV’s for comparison 

Dear Student

This paper is backsliding, where you have changed aspects of the paper that do not follow guidance and feedback I gave you that led to your proposal being approved.

You cannot change the problem, purpose, intent, research question, hypothesis, and data collection/analysis plan now that the proposal is approved.

In your proposal in the objective section, you mentioned “This study will compare mishap rates for the MQ-8B Fire Scout and the human operated MH-60 Sea Hawk in such instances. As such, the analysis will evaluate which between manned aircraft and UAVs are the most effective in timely provision of humanitarian aid during natural disasters as a means of preventing loss of human lives.” You need to focus on this issue.

Also, in the Scope section you mentioned “The research will be in reference to the rates of mishaps of the MQ-8B compared to the MH-60” that’s good topic, continue on that subject as well.

Make the changes required in your Chapter 1 so it reflects the approved elements from your proposal. There are typos and grammar errors throughout. Proofread and correct. Paragraphs should be 3-7 sentences.
You took out the explicit problem statement.!!

You have changed one research question into a “yes/no” question.

Your literature review is ok, but will need expansion to ensure you have covered all of the program outcome areas and your specialization(s). You need to cover Aviation Aerospace Safety systems & Unmanned Aerospace Systems into your literature review paper.

Make sure to develop your lit review to include those elements from your program outcomes that you may have missed.

In week 4’s submission, you need to demonstrate exactly your data collection, analysis, statistical test, and conclusion on your hypothesis.

Make the changes for Chapters 1 and 2 of your paper and resubmit, then move on to Module 4. You are falling behind on your project. You really need to concentrate on your project if you want to succeed in this course.!!

Runninghead: EXPLORING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MQ-8B FIRE SCOUT 1

EXPLORING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF UNMANNED AERIEL VEHICLES 16

Exploring the Effectiveness of the MQ-8B Fire Scout to provision Humanitarian Efforts Post Natural Disasters

Henry Vascones

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

ASCI 691 Graduate Capstone Project Proposal

Submitted to the Worldwide Campus

in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of

Master of Science in Aeronautics

February 2020

Abstract

In this study, the effectiveness of the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) in the provision of humanitarian aid during natural disasters will be evaluated. The viability of using UAVs will be studied by looking at the ability to access areas affected by natural disasters unreachable by traditional means as well as the costs incurred in the endeavor. The viability will be evaluated by comparing the abilities and costs of using UAVs and disaster response utility trucks that are typically used in disaster management. The research will attempt to determine if UAVs can provide humanitarian aid in areas affected by natural disasters while simultaneously realizing an economic benefit. UAVs will be compared to traditional delivery methods such as manned flight and emergency response utility vehicles. A model depicting the advantages and costs of using UAVs and emergency response vehicles in humanitarian aid delivery will be developed. The study will use quantitative data collected from existing literature from the Insurance Information Institute, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Transportation Research Board on UAVs and manned systems as a means of obtaining a solution to the research problem above.

Keywords: UAVs, natural disasters, earthquakes

Proposal

The research presented in this proposal will be an analysis use of Unmanned Aerial MQ-8B Fire Scout for delivery of humanitarian aid during natural disasters. The graduate capstone proposal (GCP) will cover applicable concepts in the Aeronautical Science field as well as concepts for Aviation Aerospace Safety Systems and Unmanned Aerospace Systems specializations.

Objective

The problem to be addressed in this study is loss of human life during natural disasters which could possibly be prevented or reduced through enhance delivery of humanitarian aid. According to Luo et al. (2017), the earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010 claimed about 160,000 lives. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami left about 360,000 people dead and more than 1,300,000 others displaced (Luo et al., 2017). While there were efforts taken to deliver humanitarian aid in both instances, the use of manned systems proved to be limited to areas that presented less risk to the rescue teams and was marred with breakdowns. This study will compare mishap rates for the MQ-8B Fire Scout and the human operated MH-60 Sea Hawk in such instances. As such, the analysis will evaluate which between manned aircraft and UAVs are the most effective in timely provision of humanitarian aid during natural disasters as a means of preventing loss of human lives.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles were initially designed and used for specific military missions. Their use has expanded. It is now used in such fields as: surveillance, research, agriculture, and more. The use of UAVs has been instrumental in enabling access to areas too dangerous to deploy human beings (Valavanis & Vachtsevanos, 2015).

UAVs have been involved in search and rescue missions during disasters (Polka et al., 2017). The primary reason UAVs are preferred for search and rescue missions is the life of the pilot is not put at risk while the mission is conducted. The invention of UAV technology has demonstrated positive results in both the military and civilian sectors, and has bridged an existing gap that could not be filled by pre-existing technology (Kimchi et al., 2017). In cases of natural disasters such as floods, mud slides, and avalanches, search and rescue teams face continual challenges accessing the unstable areas to deliver the much-needed assistance and aid. It has been shown to be most difficult accessing affected people in the rural and mountainous areas not easily accessible by land-based vehicles. The research aims at analyzing how to reduce the risk of manned air crew and effectively provide humanitarian aid during natural disasters with UAVs.

Scope

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of using the MQ-8B Fire Scout in the provisioning of humanitarian aid in areas that have been hit by disasters. The research will be in reference to the rates of mishaps of the MQ-8B compared to the MH-60. When disasters strike, deployment of human rescuers may be curtailed by hazards that are associated with the disasters. (Gomez & Purdie, 2017). The hazards caused by disasters necessitate the use of UAVs. Apart from providing humanitarian aid in a timelier manner compared to other means, UAVs ensure rescuers are not exposed to the hazards associated with rescue work. The main focus of this research will be the Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout which has a track record of successful military missions (Grumman, 2015). The research will look at how the Fire Scout can be used mutually for military operations as well its capacity for provisioning humanitarian aid. Given their available speed and ability to access high risk places, MQ-8B Fire Scout can offer a solution to the existing problem (Gomez & Purdie, 2017).

This research is aimed at answering the following research questions: How viable is the deployment of the MQ-8B Fire Scout for a more expedient and cost-effective solution to delivering humanitarian aid? The research will analyze the advantages and disadvantages that could be associated with the use of the MQ-8B Fire Scout for identifying victims, water drops for wildfire hotspots, and first aid drops for survivors post natural disaster. If the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, then it would be considered effective and vice versa. The research can be seen as an analysis of the effectiveness of the MQ-8B Fire Scout as an additional method to delivering humanitarian aid (Gomez & Purdie, 2017).

The hypothesis below is to be tested using the t-test hypothesis testing method to evaluate the effectiveness of the MQ-8B Fire Scout in areas affected by disasters. The effectiveness will be measured in terms of the UAVs delays as caused by accident rates during provision of services in disaster-stricken areas (Malandrino et al., 2019).

H0: There is no statistical difference in safety when using the Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout when compared to manned vehicles to provision humanitarian aid in areas affected by a disaster.

H1: There is a statistical difference in safety when using the Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout when compared to manned vehicles to provision humanitarian aid in areas affected by a disaster.

Methodology

In the proposed study, quantitative research methods will be used to analyze existing data on the usability of UAVs in disaster-stricken areas. A mathematical model will be developed to replicate mishaps which may occur during the logistics process in humanitarian aid. This method will provide objective, data-based evidence regarding the prospects of employing UAVs in disaster-stricken areas. (Gomez & Purdie, 2017). A qualitative study would be insufficient to satisfy the hypothesis given its subjectivity and inability to sufficiently answer the research questions outlined above.

Developing the Model

Data provided by a model created by Choudhury et al. (2017) will be used in this study. The model replicates the mishap rates to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of the MQ-8B compared to the MH-60 in disaster-stricken areas, several guidelines will be followed. The logistics network is expressed in the form of smooth continuous functions. The logistics network is represented in a two-dimensional space with demand points represented by discrete points within the service area in the two-dimensional space (Gomez & Purdie, 2017). The demand for humanitarian aid in the demand points will be modelled as Poisson processes. Using the model created by Gomez and Purdie, different scenarios will be simulated to obtain the said data.

The model will incorporate the rates of mishaps for both the MQ-8B and the MH-60 in different types of disasters and landscapes. More specifically, the two modes of delivery will be compared in terms of mishap rates in mountainous landscapes, shrub lands, coasts and wetlands. The rates are encountered in such disasters as hurricanes, tsunamis, fires and earthquakes will also be integrated in the model to ensure it depicts the real-world mishaps rates.

Such factors as speed and ability to access the disaster-stricken areas will be incorporated into the model. UAVs are faster and have the ability to be deployed in areas that may be inaccessible to disaster response utility trucks. As such, these factors will be given weights, with UAVs expected to have higher scores in the weights compared to disaster response utility trucks (Gomez & Purdie, 2017).

The model, therefore, will be used to compare the rates of mishaps in a simulated scenario. The viability of the use of UAVs in provision will be evaluated by using this method. The rates of mishaps for MQ-8B Fire Scout will be compared with those of the MH-60. A t-test will be carried out on the independent means of mishap rates for both aircraft systems. If the P-value that will be obtained during the hypothesis will be less than the chosen alpha value, the null hypothesis (H0) will be rejected. If the P-value is greater than the chosen alpha value, then the null hypothesis will be upheld.

To ensure the model is consistent with real-world scenarios, the costs of providing humanitarian aid will be tested using a real-world scenario where an area has a high prevalence of disasters will be chosen. In this study, data collected from the Mississippi of Hancock, Jackson, and Harrison which were struck by a hurricane for two days in 2005 will be used (Gomez & Purdie, 2017). The assumptions stated above will be maintained and the results will be compared against those of getting from the simulation and the consistency levels will be recorded.

A major limitation of this study is the fact the costs of using UAVs are drawn from the use of the Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout UAV. However, different UAV models have different costs which make this research to lose generalizability. However, the model in the proposed research will mitigate this limitation by allowing flexibility in the parameters so that costs for different models can be inculcated and the effectiveness estimated (Wang et al., 2019).

The proposed study will follow the ethical guidelines regarding the use of data from MQ-8B Fire Scout manufacturer to the letter. If there is information whose authority to publish is not provided, the proposed research will not use it as such. The information that will be used for manned systems will as well be retrieved from trusted databases.

Summary

The proposed study’s quantitative analysis of data will enable the development of a model to estimate the effectiveness of using UAVs in the provisioning of humanitarian aid in disaster-stricken areas. The model will be instrumental in determining if the Fire Scout is suitable to conduct humanitarian aid mission’s comparative to manned systems. Such factors as the speed of deployment as well as the ability of the selected mode of deployment aid will be effectively incorporated into the model.

Statement of How Capstone Outcomes Will Be Met

1. Demonstrate problem-solving skills using scientific research methods.

Problem-solving skills using scientific research methods will be demonstrated by the application of the basic scientific approach to solving problems. This problem-solving approach occurs in five different stages (Çaparlar, & Dönmez, 2016) The first stage involves identifying and analyzing a problem. The proposed research identifies the problem of supplying humanitarian aid in areas affected by such natural disasters as floods and fires among others. The problem is deeply analyzed and it is realized conventional methods of deploying aid in such areas may be rendered ineffective. It is ineffective because most transport systems in these areas are ground-based and become affected by the disasters making it almost impossible to access them. Where accessible, the risks to human life that are associated with the disasters make it even more difficult to deploy manned vehicles or planes to these areas. This risk requires coming up with a solution to this problem scientifically (Çaparlar, & Dönmez, 2016).

The second step is the formation of a hypothesis. The proposed study details a hypothesis that UAVs could be used to solve the problem of inaccessibility in areas stricken by disasters. The research will be built around this hypothesis. It will attempt to evaluate if the proposed solution can indeed be used to solve the identified problem (Çaparlar, & Dönmez, 2016).

The last step in problem-solving is reporting the results of the research (Çaparlar, & Dönmez, 2016). In the proposed study, the findings of the study will be inculcated in the research report. Once the above steps are effectively completed, problem-solving skills using scientific research methods are shown will be demonstrated.

2. Demonstrate Graduate Level Writing Ability in APA Format.

Graduate-level writing ability in APA format will be demonstrated by proper writing mechanics and formatting. The research report will be tailored in such a manner the used text consists of fluid information, free from grammatical and spelling mistakes. The paper will be formatted according to the current APA format. Citations will be provided for ideas that are sourced from other people’s publications and references will be provided at the end of the report. The citations and references will be formatted according to the APA format.

3. Demonstrate Professional Communication and Oral Presentation Skills.

A professional tone will be used throughout the report to demonstrate professional communication skills (Çaparlar, & Dönmez, 2016). At no point will first-person pronouns be used in the research. Neither will be possessive language be used to describe anything in the research. The research will represent as a professional piece of work expected at the graduate level.

4. Demonstrate Ability to Evaluate Current Industry Issues Using Critical Thinking skills.

The proposed study will address disaster management within the realms of aviation aerospace. Disaster management is an area currently being considered to shape disaster management more efficiently and practically. Governments and humanitarian aid organizations are constantly looking at UAVs as the best approach to be used for addressing the problems brought about by disasters.

The research will also demonstrate critical thinking skills by detailing a solution to the problems brought about by disasters and by the adoption of advanced technology (Çaparlar, & Dönmez, 2016). The objective of the proposed research is to come up with a solution to the elevated number of deaths associated natural disasters. The research will integrate critical thinking skills as a means of getting a solution to the proposed problem.

5. Demonstrate of Use Technology Appropriate to Industry Requirements.

The proposed study will be dealing with a wide margin of UAV operations. More specifically, the study will be focusing on Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout. The estimated costs of using UAVs in disaster management will be based on a real-life application of the MQ-8B Fire Scout. The battery and fuel requirements for the UAV will be used to calculate the costs of operation. At every stage of UAV flight, the costs will be used in the overall estimation process are the ones provided by its manufacturer (Çaparlar, & Dönmez, 2016). By using the manufacturer data, the technology being used to solve the identified problem will be tailored to reflect the industry requirements of a typical Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout.

6. Apply an Ethical and Professional Framework in Decision Making.

Professional framework in decision making will be demonstrated by following a universally accepted decision-making process. The professional framework follows five steps whose successful completion indicates the decision has been made professionally (Çaparlar, & Dönmez, 2016). The first step involves defining the problem. As such, the proposed research will effectively define the problem at hand which is evaluating the viability of the use of UAVs in the provisioning of humanitarian aid.

The second step in demonstrating a professional decision-making framework is gathering information regarding the problem. The proposed research will undertake a literature review on the topic of the use of UAVs in the provisioning of humanitarian aid. The review will provide the required information to guide the researcher as they undertake the research. The information collected in the literature review will be objectively analyzed as a means of drawing different insights from the same facts that have been collected. Once information is analyzed, different options for solving the problem at hand will be developed. As such, this research will present both the use of response vehicles and UAVs as solutions to the problems brought about by disasters.

The delays caused by mishaps in both options will be compared, and the better option will be chosen using the developed model. Lastly, professional decision-making frameworks demand that the results that are obtained from a decision-making process are tested to ensure that indeed the solution is the best out of the developed options (Çaparlar, & Dönmez, 2016). In this study, the model that will be evaluated will be tested in a real-world situation to ensure that the results of the model simulation are consistent with the results of the hypothesis testing process.

Ethical frameworks will be adhered to by reporting data for which authority to use has been issued. Any information that will be used regarding the MQ-8B Fire Scout from Northrop Grumman will be obtained from their databases by requesting the authority to use them where necessary (Çaparlar, & Dönmez, 2016). As well, data and ideas that will be obtained from other people’s work will be designated as such.

Specialization Outcomes

The proposed study will ensure that the capstone specialization outcomes will be met in the following specializations.

Aviation Aerospace Safety Systems

The proposed study will provide ways in which different perils exist in the use of UAVs. While there are fewer risks to human life when using UAVs, the use of UAVs in congested aerospace is risky (Valavanis & Vachtsevanos, 2015). As well, high-density air is also a risk factor in the safety of UAVs. As such, the proposed study will delve into information regarding their use in the provisioning of humanitarian aid in areas where the disasters themselves create risks in the usage of UAVs.

Unmanned Aerospace Systems

The proposed research is based on the application of unmanned aerospace vehicles. More specifically, it aims at evaluating how effective it would be to deploy UAVs to provide humanitarian aid in areas that have been hit by disasters. The research will evaluate how UAVs have been used in the past for military purposes. However, their use has now been extended to such fields as, surveillance, research, and agriculture among many more. The research will also describe how UAVs can be instrumental in enhancing access to areas that are too dangerous to deploy human beings (Valavanis & Vachtsevanos, 2015).

References

Bruzzone, A., Longo, F., Massei, M., Nicoletti, L., Agresta, M., Di Matteo, R. & Padovano, A. (2016, June). Disasters and emergency management in chemical and industrial plants: drones simulation for education and training. In International Workshop on Modelling and Simulation for Autonomous Systems (pp. 301-308). Springer, Cham. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-47605-6_25

Çaparlar, C. Ö., & Dönmez, A. (2016). What is scientific research and how can it be done? Turkish journal of anesthesiology and reanimation, 44(4), 212. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5019873/

Chowdhury, S., Emelogu, A., Marufuzzaman, M., Nurre, S. G., & Bian, L. (2017). Drones for disaster response and relief operations: A continuous approximation model. International Journal of Production Economics, 188, 167-184. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925527317301172

Dodge, J. (2015). MQ-8 Fire Scout Unmanned Aircraft System (MQ-8 Fire Scout). US Navy Patuxent River United States. Retrieved from https://apps.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD1019503

Gomez, C., & Purdie, H. (2016). UAV-based photogrammetry and geocomputing for hazards and disaster risk monitoring–a review. Geoenvironmental Disasters, 3(1), 23. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40677-016-0060-y

Grumman, N. (2015). MQ-8B Fire Scout: Unmanned Air System. Retrieved from https://www.northropgrumman.com/air/fire-scout/

Kimchi, G., Buchmueller, D., Green, S. A., Beckman, B. C., Isaacs, S., Navot, A., … & Rault, S. S. J. M. (2017). U.S. Patent No. 9,573,684. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved from https://patents.google.com/patent/US9573684B2/en

Luo, C., Miao, W., Ullah, H., McClean, S., Parr, G., & Min, G. (2019). Unmanned aerial vehicles for disaster management. In Geological Disaster Monitoring Based on Sensor Networks (pp. 83-107). Springer, Singapore. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-13-0992-2_7

Malandrino, F., Rottondi, C., Chiasserini, C. F., Bianco, A., & Stavrakakis, I. (2019, July). Multiservice UAVs for Emergency Tasks in Post-disaster Scenarios. In Proceedings of the ACM MobiHoc workshop on innovative aerial communication solutions for FIrst REsponders network in emergency scenarios (pp. 18-23). Retrieved from https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3331053.3335032

Półka, M., Ptak, S., & Kuziora, Ł. (2017). The use of UAV’s for search and rescue operations. Procedia engineering, 192, 748-752. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877705817326759

Valavanis, K. P., & Vachtsevanos, G. J. (Eds.). (2015). Handbook of unmanned aerial vehicles (Vol. 1). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/978-90-481-9707-1

Wang, Y., Lei, T., Yang, H., Zhang, J., Wang, J., Zhao, C., & Li, X. (2019, August). The application of UAV remote sensing in natural disasters emergency monitoring and assessment. In Eleventh International Conference on Digital Image Processing (ICDIP 2019) (Vol. 11179, p. 1117919). International Society for Optics and Photonics. Retrieved from https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/conference-proceedings-of-spie/11179/1117919/The-application-of-UAV-remote-sensing-in-natural-disasters-emergency/10.1117/12.2539775.full?webSyncID=9a0ce46e-9e6e-c7a4-9dab-6a0cbad05932&sessionGUID=9ad883c9-d902-bc99-93ce-d268bead49a2

EXPLORING THE EFFECT

IV

ENESS OF THE MQ-8B FIRE SCOUT TO PROVISION HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS POST NATURAL DISASTERS

by

Henry Vascones

A Graduate Capstone Project Submitted to the College of Aeronautics,

Department of Graduate Studies, in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Master of Science in Aeronautics

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Worldwide Campus

March 2020

1

EXPLORING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MQ-8B FIRE SCOUT TO PROVISION HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS POST NATURAL DISASTERS
by
Henry Vascones

This Graduate Capstone Project was prepared under the direction of the candidate’s

Graduate Capstone Project Chair

, Dr. Jeremy Hodges,

Worldwide Campus, and has been approved. It was submitted to the

Department of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Science in Aeronautics

Graduate Capstone Project:

_________________________________________

Jeremy Hodges, PhD.

Graduate Capstone Project Chair

March 2020

II

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank those who assisted and guided me throughout my time in the master’s program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide.

III

Abstract

Scholar: Henry Vascones

Title: Exploring the Effectiveness of the MQ-8B Fire Scout to provision Humanitarian Efforts Post Natural Disasters

Institution: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Degree: Master of Science in Aeronautics

Year: 2020

This study will explore the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been increasingly used for providing humanitarian aid during natural disasters. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of the Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout in providing humanitarian aid after natural disasters have occurred. The ability to utilize the MQ-8B will be analyzed by determining their ability to conduct humanitarian in areas affected by natural disasters and are largely inaccessible using the existing traditional methods. The viability of using UAVs in such operations in terms of abilities and costs will be compared to using response utility trucks. The study will determine the viability of using UAVs in responding to natural disasters while at the same time providing economic benefits. The use of UAVs will be compared to existing response approaches such as the use of emergency response utility vehicles and manned flight. The study will also develop a model to show the costs and benefits of utilizing MQ-8B in responding to natural disasters. A quantitative approach will be used to collect data from existing literature. Information will be obtained from various sources including the Insurance Information Institute, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Transportation Research Board on UAVs and manned systems to help come up with a solution to these problems

IV

Table of Contents

Page

Graduate Capstone Project Committee…………………………….………………………………………ii
Acknowledgements………………………………………….…………………………………………….iii
Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………………iv
Chapter
I Introduction 1
Significance of the study 2
Statement of the Problem 2
Purpose Statement 3
Research Question and Hypothesis 3
Delimitations 4
Limitations and Assumptions 4
List of Acronyms 5
II Review of Relevant Literature 6
Origins of UAV and its Applications 6
Cargo Delivery with UAVs 7
Impacts of Weather 8
Operational Flexibility of UAVs 9
UAV legislation and regulation Environment 10
Human Factors 11
Sensing and Processing 12
Mobile Wireless Access Networks 13
Safety of UAVs 13
Summary 14

References

16

Chapter 1

Introduction

Preparation and response to natural disasters presents a significant logistical challenge. Considerable resources are used by intergovernmental, governmental and non-governmental organizations to prepare and respond to the effects of natural disasters. When a natural disaster occurs, such organizations mobilize their resources to respond. Recently, technological advancements in autonomous, semiautonomous and unmanned vehicles have increased their utility while reducing costs of use. The increased use of UAVs has created a new dimension to synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) operations. In real life, the use of UAVs can be beneficial in cases where rapid decisions are required or the use of manpower is limited (Boehm et al., 2017).

Natural disasters can cause significantly damage to transportation infrastructure including railways and roads. In addition, barrier lakes and landslides pose a serious threat to property and life in areas affected. When infrastructure is interfered with, heavy rescue equipment, rescue vehicles, suppliers and rescue teams face challenges to reach disaster-hit areas. As a result, efforts to provide humanitarian aid is hampered (Tatsidou et al., 2019). The traditional approaches of responding to natural disasters are unable to meet the requirements to support the process of disaster decision making. UAVs are well equipped to navigate areas affected by natural disasters and provide humanitarian aid.

This study aims to explore the viability of using the MQ-8B fire scout in providing humanitarian aid in areas affected by natural disasters. The document will also provide a literature review on the use of UAVs in providing humanitarian aids whenever such events occur. The study will also compare the viability of using MQ-8B to MH-60 in conducting rescue operations in area affected by disasters. The study will mainly focus on Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout which has an impressive record in conducting such missions.

Significance of the Study

The significance of this study is to discover the effectiveness of using UAVs in providing humanitarian aid in areas affected by natural disasters. The study will help in developing new knowledge and bridge the existing gap in providing humanitarian aid using UAVs. The findings of this study will increase knowledge on the effectiveness of UAVs in responding to natural disasters and provide more insights on useful ways to respond to affected areas. Ultimately, these insights could help develop more knowledge about the fate of UAVs associated with rescue operations. The findings of this study can be used as the basis for future studies by researchers interested in this topic.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to address the loss of life during natural disasters by evaluating how UAVs can be used to provide humanitarian aid in such situations. There are many people who have lost their lives due to a lack of effective approaches to providing humanitarian aid. One of the most notable cases is the earthquake that occurred in Haiti claiming more than 160,000 lives in 2010. Another notable case is the Indian Ocean tsunami that occurred in 2004 and claimed the lives of more than 360,000 people and left about 1,300,000 others displaced (Petrides et al., 2017). There were significant efforts to provide humanitarian aid in both cases but the destruction of infrastructure made it difficult to rescue people in the affected areas.

Different governmental and non-governmental organizations provided significant resources for the rescue and recovery mission. However, the nature of railroads and roads has made it impossible for response vehicles to reach the affected areas. Supplies could only reach a few people who were far away from the epicenter of the disaster. This shows the inefficiency associated with traditional methods of providing humanitarian aid in such situations. As a result, a more robust approach to responding to natural disasters need to be developed to avoid losing lives in the future. UAVs can be used to solve the problem and help response teams provide humanitarian help to affected areas in a cost-effective and timely manner.

Purpose Statement

The study aims to explore the effectiveness of using the MQ-8B Fire Scout in providing humanitarian aid in disaster-hit locations. The study will be written from the perspective that the use of traditional methods to provide rescue operations has been largely ineffective. The paper will also compare the viability of using MQ-8B to MH-60 in such operations.

Research Question and Hypothesis

This study will to answer the following research questions (RQ):

RQ1: Is the deployment of the MQ-8B Fire Scout more expedient and cost-effective to delivering humanitarian aid compared to using the MH-60 Sea Hawk?

RQ2: What are the advantages and disadvantages that could be associated with the use of the MQ-8B Fire Scout for identifying victims, water drops for wildfire hotspots, and first aid drops for survivors post-natural disaster?

The following hypothesis (H) has been formulated for the study:

H0: There is no statistical difference in safety when using the Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout when compared to the MH-60 Sea Hawk to provision humanitarian aid in areas affected by a disaster.

H1: There is a statistical difference in safety when using the Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout when compared to the MH-60 Sea Hawk to provision humanitarian aid in areas affected by a disaster.

Delimitations

This study will only focus on how UAV can be used in rescue operations to provide humanitarian aid to individuals in areas affected by natural disasters. As a result, the study will not provide a description of how the UAVs can be used in reconnaissance missions mostly conducted by military personnel. The study will also not describe how UAVs can be used to monitor riparian areas and pollution in marine areas.

Limitations and Assumptions

One of the major limitations of the research is that there are significant costs associated with the use of UAVs and more so with the MQ-8B fire scout. Various UAVs are needed to be purchased to facilitate this study. However, due to their high costs, the researchers settled to less efficient UAVs that could not provide very accurate information. The physical demand of the terrain, variation in weather conditions and less optimal use of machine tools are some of the other factors that affected the study. These factors have a significant impact on situational awareness and affect how data is interpreted from UAVs. The UAVs used in the study had shorter ranges and therefore could not conduct a lot of information as expected. Another key limitation of this study is observer bias that could have compromised the results.

List of Acronyms

FAA- Federal Aviation Administration

H- Hypothesis

RQ- research question

SAR-synthetic Aperture Radar

UAVs- Unmanned aerial vehicles

Chapter II

Review of the Relevant Literature

Providing humanitarian aid for people affected by natural disasters has become an issue of major concern not only to governments but also to other non-governmental organizations. Destruction of existing infrastructure by natural disasters has increased public interest in the development of effective tools to provide humanitarian aid to disaster-hit areas. According to (Macias, Angeloudis & Ochieng, 2018), unmanned aerial vehicles are the logical choice for providing responding to natural disasters. A review of relevant research will be conducted in this chapter to determine the underlying knowledge of the effectiveness of UAVs in providing humanitarian aids. This review will also delineate factors that may affect the optimum use of UAVs in areas affected by natural disasters.

Origins of UAV and its Applications

The first UAV was developed in World War I under the concept of cruise missiles to attack enemies from short distances. The first UAV was a wooden biplane with a range of 75 miles. This technology was focused on attacking a specific location with zero chance of return. However, by the 1850s the United States Air Force was able to develop a UAV that was able to return after attacking a particular point. During the World War II, the American soldiers were able to use UAVs to spy on their enemies. In the late 1960s, the United States Air Force engineers embarked on developing UAVs with better electric systems to observe activities of their enemies with better precision (Tatsidou et al., 2019).

The significant technological developments since that time have led to improved UAVs that can take part in more delicate and complex missions. The use of advanced electronic controlling systems, better radio systems, high-resolution digital cameras, sophisticated computers, and advanced global positing systems (GPS) allow AUVs to conduct recovery missions effectively during natural disasters. The quality of UAVs has significantly grown in the 2000s. UAVs are now used not only used by the military by private firms and individual owner operators. Their performance of modern UAVs allows them to provide humanitarian aid in areas that have been affected by disasters.

Cargo Delivery with UAVs

Multiple studies show that UAVs are very effective in delivering items to areas that have poor transportation infrastructure. From delivering important supplies to monitoring damage by the use of cameras, UAVs could play a significant role in providing humanitarian aid. When compared to traditional vehicles, UAVs are more sophisticated thanks to their improved flexibility and ease of use. It is more effective and safer to use a UAV to deliver suppliers in dangerous locations that sending a human being. However, they are unable to carry an excessively heavy load as a result of their size and mostly drop cargo on their way (D’Amato, Notaro & Mattei, 2018).

UAV designers choose to have them release cargo on air or land for a receiver to remove the cargo. However, for delivering humanitarian aid in disaster-hit areas, UAVs are designed to drop suppliers from the air. Based on the limited lifting capacity of UAVs, items must be parked in small containers (Petrides et al., 2017). Cargo for humanitarian UAVs normally consists of blood, bandages, syringes, water purifying tablets, and/medicine. Defibrillation attachments may also be included in the deliverables. These items are light in nature and can be packaged into small containers to be lifted by the UAVs. This allows the UAV to travel for long distances without losing its efficiency.

Impacts of Weather

The impact of weather on UAVs depends on the power, equipment, configuration, and size of the UAV as well as the exposure time and the severity of the weather being encountered. Most UAVs have characteristics and configurations which make them more vulnerable to extreme weather conditions compared to manned aircraft. In general, today’s UAVs are more fragile, lighter and slower as well as more sensitive to weather conditions when compared to manned aircraft. Small UAVs are very susceptible to extreme weather conditions. Similar to manned aircraft, larger UAVs can also be affected by certain weather conditions that can make them difficult to control them.

Extreme weather conditions such as snow, humidity, temperature extremes, solar storms, rain, turbulence, and wind may diminish the aerodynamic performance of UAVs, cause loss of communication and control as well as negatively affect the operator. Most flight regulations that are being used at the moment do not address most of the weather hazards facing UAVs. Some of the current restrictions pertaining to weather include remaining 2000 feet away from ceiling and 500 feet below clouds, operating under the unaided visual line and maintaining visibility for 4.83km (Macias, Angeloudis & Ochieng, 2018). While this eliminates issues of poor visibility, it does not help to reduce safety hazards associated with clear skies. These hazards may include turbulence, glare, and wind.

Glare occurs in clear skies but may affect visibility in various ways. First, it hinders the direct observation of the UAV. On a sunny day, it may also be difficult to spot a UAV in the skies. As a result, operators must use sunglasses on a sunny day to be able to carry their missions effectively. Second, the operation of UAVs requires a user interface to be displayed on a tablet, phone, monitor or any other screen to allow the operator to track the UAV, change control derivatives or send commands while receiving telemetry updates. The LCD brightness can be overpowered by the reflection of the sun on these screens making it difficult for the operator to send the correct information to control the UAV.

Turbulence can also affect the stability of UAVs. Multiple studies show that wind accounted for more than 50% of manned aircrafts accidents. This percentage is also higher for small aircraft. This shows the impacts that turbulence may have on small unmanned vehicles. The primary ways wind affects UAVs includes reducing endurance, limiting control, and changing flight trajectory. Strong wind affects the path of a UAV. Wind speeds may also surpass the maximum speed of UAVs making them struggle in such environments. The impact of turbulence could make it difficult for the UAVs to deliver humanitarian aid to affected areas in a timely manner.

Turbulence, wind gusts, and wind shear all have the potential of affecting Control of UAV. UAV control is the ability to maneuver the UAV by use of roll, pitch, and yaw. Pitch changes the attack angle for the UAV, roll rotates the UAV, and yaw changes the direction of the UAV. This affects how the operator controls the UAV. When the speed of the wind increases suddenly, the yaw of the UAV is affected making it difficult for the operator to control it effectively. A horizontal gust can also roll the UAV and is most dangerous especially when it if flying in areas with obstructions.

Operational Flexibility of UAVs

UAVs have increased persistence in air operations compared to manned systems making them ideal for conducting humanitarian aid operations. While there are theoretical and practical limits, utilizing few vehicles allows for continuous surveillance for a long period of time. Their flexibility allows them to carry out operations when and where other manned aircraft are unable to operate. The long-endurance capabilities of these vehicles allow them to deliver humanitarian aid many hours into a flight which could otherwise be impossible with the traditional

approaches. As a result, people in areas experiencing natural disasters may receive supplies continuously.

While both unmanned and manned air operations can be coordinated by multiple people, not having a physical operator in the vehicle allows multiple operators to share direct controls. The user with the most immediate need or situational awareness may assume the full control of the UAV. This capability significantly reduces the timelines of coordination between the UAV and ground users. The dire need associated with response missions, UAVs are better suited to provide humanitarian aid when compared to the traditional methods which normally takes a significant amount of time to reach those affected.

UAV legislation and regulation Environment

The ability to use UAVs for disaster response in the United States is largely limited by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The current FAA policy for operating unmanned aerial vehicles in the United States requires specific authority to operate one. In general, any use of UAV requires airworthiness certification. However, potential users of UAVs face significant regulatory challenges in the United States. The law requires UAVs to include registration numbers in their markings. Operation circular 91-57 describes the differences between non-hobby use and hobby use of UAVs and operating restrictions. The FAA has implemented various orders to restrict the operation of UAVs.

Local governments have developed legislation that describes the potential use of UAVs in emergency situations. Also, various municipalities including Syracuse, New York, and Charlottesville, Virginia have implemented further restrictions like city purchases of UAVs. Serious concerns about data collection and privacy have erupted in the United States. The FAA developed a restriction for privacy in areas of UAVs operations. It is clear that until the private use, regulation and legislation issues surrounding the adoption of UAVs are not resolved it will be difficult to use them in first response situations. While these challenges exist, researchers need to explore ways in which UAVs can be used to provide humanitarian aid during natural disasters. Human Factors

In most cases, designers develop controls that work very well in labs but fail in a real-world situation. The expectation is through training and familiarization humans will be able to learn and adapt to the controls and displays. However, this approach is deemed to fail if used in the development of a human-machine interface. As the capabilities of UAVs increases each and every day, their complexity has also increased. The need to use automation and advanced technology also increases. While these systems are unmanned, it is important to keep in mind that humans are involved in the control and operation of UAVs (Hildmann & Kovacs, 2019).

The lack of standardization across different UAV human-machine interfaces results in an increased time of training for one system and increased difficulty in transition to other systems. Poor optimization of information results in the difficulty of interpreting system information needed for situational awareness and support decision making in stressful situations. Lack of adaptability and flexibility in UAVs often lead to poor displays and ultimately to poor situational awareness. Lack of basic sensory cues makes it even more difficult to use UAVs in response missions. The cues which are relevant in manned aircraft suddenly become irrelevant in UAVs (Estrada & Ndoma, 2019). These cues are currently missing in UAVs and need to be incorporated for increased efficiency.

The development of UAVs that consider the end-user could increase their effectiveness in responding to natural disasters. This implies designing human-machine interfaces that are intuitive, functional and user-friendly to allow operators to easily extract relevant information when needed. With the current technological advancements, it is possible to come up with intuitive and functional interfaces that utilize the available cues to maintain high levels of situational awareness needed for effective efficient and safe control of UAVs. This will allow operators to understand various aspects of UAVs and be able to deploy them in dangerous areas such as locations affected by natural disasters.

Sensing and Processing

The success of providing humanitarian aid to areas affected by natural disasters depends on the equipment having with the appropriate sensors, at the right place and at the right time. This is important particularly in response situations where emergency signals, remoteness, weather, and terrain differ significantly. Even if the UAV is at the right place at the right time, it will be rendered ineffective without the right sensors. The initial phase of a rescue mission is very critical and requires UAVs to have appropriate sensors. Various sensors may be used in a single UAV to allow it to come up with a general picture of the situation (Grogan, Pellerin & Gamache, 2018).

Since the strength of signals are inversely proportional to the square of the distance, unmanned aerial vehicles designed to provide humanitarian aid in areas experiencing natural disasters need to have stronger signals than ground station receivers and satellites. The signal can be triangulated by multiple UAVs if sent in a digital format. In cases where ELTs are not transmitting or activated, infrared sensors can be used to search the location of the UAV. Fortunately, sensors in the infrared and low light wavelength have significantly decreased physical dimensions and costs. Onboard automation will be very important for effective UAV operations in extreme conditions.

Mobile Wireless Access Networks

Compared to traditional static sensors, UAVs are still more costly. Considering that the infrastructure needed to respond to such cases is currently being met by the existing infrastructure, it is justified that most studies focus on the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster. UAVs can be used to develop a communication center to provide victims in an affected area with wireless communication. UAVs can allow people trapped in areas affected by natural calamities to communicate with the emergency control center for rescue (Grogan, Pellerin & Gamache, 2018). One of the benefits of such a system is that it serves those only in the affected location and this can maximize performance.

Safety of UAVs

The use of UAVs in rescue operations depends on their ability to safely operate in the shared aviation environment. As a result, UAVs must demonstrate that they can ensure safety both for people on the ground and other aircraft. However, there are various safety risks associated with UAVs which are different from those presented by manned vehicles. UAVs do not have occupants and therefore the risk of pilots losing their lives in flight is eliminated. The use of manned vehicles, on the other hand, implies that people will need to use vehicles to get to areas that have been affected by natural disasters. As a result, the livers of the rescue teams are at risk (Estrada & Ndoma, 2019).

UAV designers are aware of the safety concerns associated with their systems more so concerning the poor reliability of such systems in extreme conditions. They understand political support and public trust would fade way in case of an accident. For this reason, safety remains a top priority for the UAV community. UAVs have the potential to provide considerable safety benefits in disaster response operations. Significant technological developments have the potential to improve safety associated with UAVs. Advances in monitoring systems, data exchange networks, communication, sensor detection systems and automation will have positive impacts on UAVs. Automated takeoff eliminates the possibility of accidents for operators (Escribano Macias, Angeloudis & Ochieng, 2018).

UAVs use the same airspace used by other aircraft. As a result, there are high chances of collision in the airspace. Numerous studies by research institutions, universities, industry, and governments across the world have focused on how collision can be avoided in the airspace. While avoiding collisions is a difficult task, the UAV community has developed to see and avoid capabilities that allows them to avoid obstructions. The distance of detecting obstructions has been clearly provided by the FAA regulations. The FAA calls for operators to maintain vigilance to detect and avoid collisions with obstructions while flying UAVs.

Summary

Most of the studies explore the effectiveness of using UAVs in conducting reconnaissance missions. However, there is a gap in research focused on the effectiveness of using UAVs to provide humanitarian aid during and after natural disasters. Also, there is limited research in comparing the effectiveness of using UAVs to conducts rescue and recovery missions as compared to the use of manned vehicles. There is also limited research focused on determining the costs and benefits of utilizing emergency response vehicles and UAVs in responding to natural disasters

This study will determine the resourcefulness of using UAVs in responding to natural disasters while at the same time providing economic benefits. The study will help in developing new knowledge and bridge the existing gap in providing humanitarian aid using UAVs. The findings of this study will increase knowledge on the effectiveness of UAVs in responding to natural disasters and provide more insights on ways that can be used to respond to affected areas. Ultimately, these insights could help develop more knowledge about the fate associated with rescue operations. The findings of this study can be used as the basis for future studies by researchers interested in this topic.

References

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Escribano Macias, J. J., Angeloudis, P., & Ochieng, W. (2018). Integrated Trajectory-Location-Routing for Rapid Humanitarian Deliveries using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. In 2018 Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations Conference (p. 3045). Retrieved from https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/6.2018-3045

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Grogan, S., Pellerin, R., & Gamache, M. (2018). The use of unmanned aerial vehicles and drones in search and rescue operations–A survey. Proceedings of the PROLOG. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michel_Gamache/publication/327755534_The_use_of_unmanned_aerial_vehicles_and_drones_in_search_and_rescue_operations_-

Hildmann, H., & Kovacs, E. (2019). Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) as Mobile Sensing Platforms (MSPs) for Disaster Response, Civil Security and Public Safety. Drones, 3(3), 59. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/ADMIN/Downloads/drones-03-00059

Macias, J. J. E., Angeloudis, P., & Ochieng, W. (2018). Integrated Trajectory-Location-Routing for Rapid Humanitarian Deliveries using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Retrieved from http://www.optimization-online.org/DB_FILE/2018/12/6980

Petrides, P., Kolios, P., Kyrkou, C., Theocharides, T., & Panayiotou, C. (2017). Disaster prevention and emergency response using unmanned aerial systems. In Smart Cities in the Mediterranean (pp. 379-403). Springer, Cham. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-54558-5_18

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