CBL - Campus del Baix Llobregat

Projecte matriculat

Títol: Feasibility Study of Drone-Based GNSS-R for Soil Moisture Estimation

Director/a: ESPONA DONÉS, MARGARIDA

Departament: MAT

Títol: Feasibility Study of Drone-Based GNSS-R for Soil Moisture Estimation

Data inici oferta: 25-03-2026     Data finalització oferta: 20-07-2026


Estudis d'assignació del projecte:
    MU DRONS
Tipus: Individual
 
Lloc de realització: Fora UPC    
 
        Supervisor/a extern: M. Eulàlia Parés Calaf
        Institució/Empresa: CTTC
        Titulació del Director/a: PhD Aerospace Science and Technology
 
Paraules clau:
UAS, GNSS, Reflectometry, Soil moisture
 
Descripció del contingut i pla d'activitats:
The main objective of this study is the integration of GNSS-R technology with drones to perform soil moisture measurements. GNSS-R (Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry) is a remote sensing technique that enables the characterization of certain properties of the Earth's surface by comparing the direct GNSS signal received from satellites with the signal reflected by the surface. Traditionally, data acquisition for GNSS-R applications has been mainly performed using Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. In this project, we aim to improve the spatial resolution of the acquired data.

The study will focus on improving the results achieved in previous research, particularly with regard to the accuracy of the data obtained using a GNSS receiver mounted on a drone. The first step will be to identify a GNSS receiver capable of providing higher-precision measurements (centimeter-level accuracy) while remaining suitable for integration into a drone platform. The second step will be to perform soil moisture measurements under different moisture conditions using the drone-based GNSS-R system in order to validate the proposed methodology.

Regarding the drone platform, different antenna placement configurations will be evaluated, as several factors must be considered to minimize interference. These include payload weight, which affects the drone's flight performance, and electromagnetic interference generated by the drone itself, which may degrade the quality of the GNSS signals.
 
Orientació a l'estudiant:
 
 
 
Horari d'atenció a estudiants per a l'assignació de projecte:

© CBLTIC Campus del Baix Llobregat - UPC