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3D Ground Mapping of the Surface in Santa Maria Island -Azores

Technical Report · April 2019

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3D Ground Mapping of the Surface in
Santa Maria Island – Azores
INETE SAT III

Final Report for CANSAT Portugal Competition

André Teixeira, Tiago Cardoso, Rafael Carvalho, Rui Rocha,
Breno Armond and Gonçalo Matias

Supervisor: Mestre Eng. Luis Miguel Pires

Instituto de Educação Técnica

Lisboa, April 26, 2019

3D Ground Mapping the Surface of Santa Maria Island – Azores

Table of Contents

1. Team Organisation and Roles ............................................................................................................ 3

2. Description of the Project .................................................................................................................. 3
2.1. Project Summary ......................................................................................................................... 3
2.2. Expected Results ......................................................................................................................... 4
3. Architecture of the Project ................................................................................................................. 4
3.1. Design Overview......................................................................................................................... 5
3.2. Mechanical/Structural System .................................................................................................... 5
3.3. Electrical System......................................................................................................................... 7
3.4. Software System ......................................................................................................................... 8
3.5. Recovery System and Strategies ............................................................................................... 10
3.6. Ground support Equipment ....................................................................................................... 10
3.7. Operational Concept ................................................................................................................. 11
4. CANSAT Testing ............................................................................................................................. 11
5. Innovation ........................................................................................................................................ 12
6. Acquired Skills ................................................................................................................................. 12
7. Dissemination................................................................................................................................... 13
8. Budget .............................................................................................................................................. 14

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1. Team Organisation and Roles

Our team is composed by six students, supervised by Professor Luís Miguel Pires. We divide each members of
the team by six different areas: Programming (Python, C/C++ for Arduino and C/C++ Linux),
Telecommunications, Image and Video Processing, Electronics, Structure (3D design the can, outside and
inside) and Parachute.
In the programming area, Tiago Cardoso and Rui Rocha are the developers. They are responsible for
programming the Arduino Nano microcontroller using C/C++ language in Arduino IDE. One of the tasks is
acquire and processing data from the sensors and sending that data using TX/RX to transceiver using RF
interface in 433.05 MHz and stored collected data to SD card. Another task is developed different scripts in
Python language control the time to capture images and video of the cameras in each Raspberry Pi Zero
microprocessor, also communicate to GPS receiver, acquire and processing data from GPS signals. We define
one of the Raspberry Pi as master in the communication processing, so that Raspberry control: GPS receiver,
the other Raspberry Pi (slave in the communication process, Arduino Nano, front camera and stored data from
Arduino.
In the Telecommunication area, Gonçalo Matias is responsible by testing Yagi antenna, calibrate and related
antenna according to distance, also select and connected cables and connectors (antenna and ground station).
In the Image and Video Processing area, André Teixeira (is also Team Leader) and Rafael Carvalho, they are
the specialized in the development of specific software to corelate images, GPS signals and data from the
primary mission to mapping in 3D the surface of Santa Maria Island.
In the electronics area, Breno Armond and Rafael Carvalho, they study the sensors, transceivers, cameras and
GPS receivers, create and design electrical scheme. Also welding microcontroller and the two microprocessors
in PCB board.
The last area is Structure and Parachute, who the responsibility was divided between Tiago Cardoso, Gonçalo
Matias and Rui Rocha. They design ad create our can (outside and inside) using 3D design software and using
3D print. They also create the parachute, also all the calculus and parachute tests.

2. Description of the Project

This chapter is dedicated to describing the project summary and our expected results.

2.1. Project Summary

The CANSAT (satellite shaped tin) is a functional model of a micro-satellite, in that all electronics systems are
integrated into the volume of a soda can. It is launched by a rocket to a predefined altitude (1000 meters) so
that during the descent is possible to carry out a scientific experiment, to capture the emitted signals (telemetry)
and ensure a safe landing. So, the CANSAT Portugal is an educational project of ESERO Portugal, organized
by Ciência Viva and the European Space Agency (ESA). This initiative enables secondary students from all over
the country to design and build a functional model of a micro-satellite whose base systems (antenna, battery
and sensors) will have to be integrated in a volume equivalent to a can of refrigerant, this model has 2 missions,
where the primary mission is general for all the teams to do it and aims to do the measurement of air temperature,
the measurement of atmospheric pressure and has to have a transmission of the parameters to an earth station,
while the second mission each team has its purpose.
Based on this, our mission is to obtain a 3D ground mapping of the surface of Santa Maria Island in Azores. We
also associate, in each photo, data coming from the GPS signal (Lat., Long, Altitude, Speed and Time),
atmospheric pressure and temperature sensor. So, our 3D mapping is not only based on images, latitude altitude
and longitude, as the common 3D mapping. To do that task, we include two 8M pixels RGB cameras in the
satellite to take, simultaneously, photos. The cameras are in different places on the can, one in front and other
on the down side of the can.
The gold of our scientific mission (secondary mission) was using the parameters described previously, we intend
to analyze: the relief, biodiversity and its fauna and flora. This knowledge helps in deforestation, species control
and terrain mapping with the intention of inspect regularly and using an easy way, like our secondary mission.
The project is directed to the environmental aspect in order to take care of the ecosystem of the Island of Santa
Maria in Azores. With more detail, that golds could be applied in: agriculture is forecasted to be the largest use,
maps give farmers the power to quickly analyze their crops and provide crucial data to guide decision making.
Using our system, a farmer with proper training can determine the health of his field and make important
decisions in real time. Instead of walking the whole crop or traversing the field with a tractor, our system can
semi-autonomously produce a map and point out areas of trouble. This means that those in agriculture can save
time, increase crop yield, and ultimately, improve their bottom line.

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3D Ground Mapping the Surface of Santa Maria Island – Azores

This kind of mapping can also be helpful to the forestry supervision. With detailed maps, illegal logging can be
detected and tracked, tree count can be determined, and the health of the forest can be monitored. Using
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) imagery, areas of dry vegetation can be monitored, which can
assist with forest fire prevention. Maps can also help identify dead trees, revealing whether a disease might be
affecting the forest.
When disaster strikes, quick and accurate information is vital for emergency management to effectively respond,
especially when the disaster covers a large area. Using CANSAT photogrammetry, officials can determine the
most damaged areas of a disaster (think flood or hurricane). With this data, they can effectively distribute their
resources for a timely response.
After finishing the secondary mission, we associate all data collated, and using some routines and scripts
developed by the team in C/C++ language, we add those in a specialized software named DroneDeploy. Figure
2.1 shows the macro overview of our system.

Figure 2.1. Macro Overview of the System.

2.2. Expected Results

On the first mission, all the data will be collected through the sensors connected to Arduino Nano. That data is
stored in SD card controlled by Arduino and send via RF to the ground station.
The results of the scientific mission are quite complicated, our goal is to collect a lot of images/photos and then
they will be stored on a SD card. There are two reason for this approach: the first is that all of the components
of our CANSAT should be broken as soon as they hit the ground, and those images are necessary for our
second mission and the other (maybe the main reason) is the bandwidth needed, we have a short bandwidth,
impossible to send our photos. Our CANSAT will be equipped with a GPS system so this can be tracked all the
way down and show up all the information to identify where were the photos taken on the fall.
In resume, to obtain a 3D ground mapping the surface of Santa Maria Island in Azores to analyze: the relief,
biodiversity and its fauna and flora. So, to do this we associate, in each photo, data coming from the GPS signal
(Latitude, Longitude, Altitude, Speed and Time), atmospheric pressure and temperature sensor. To do that task,
we include two 8M pixels RGB cameras in the satellite to take, simultaneously, photos. The cameras are in
different places on the can, one in front and other on the down side of the can. After this, we associate all data
collated, and using some routines and scripts developed by the team in C/C++ language, we add those in a
specialized software named DroneDeploy to modulation our data collated in the two mission, after we are able
to show 3D mapping during the CANSAT descent to the ground.

3. Architecture of the Project

This chapter is dedicated to the explanation of architecture of the project. First, the block diagram of the system.
In 3.2, we explain mechanical and the structural system. The electrical system is presented in session 3.3, and

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software system in 3.4. Our recovery system and our strategies is explained in session 3.5. In the end of chapter,
we descript ground support equipment, in 3.6 and the operational concept in 3.7.

3.1. Design Overview

Block diagram of the system is present in Figure 3.1.

Figure 3.1. Block diagram of the system.

In Figure 3.1, it can the see the two Raspberry Pi Zero, responsible for video and photos acquisition and stored
that data in SD card. They are programming in Python language. One of the Raspberry Pi is configured as
master of the system, and control the other Raspberry Pi (slave entity in the system) and the Arduino Nano
(slave entity in the system), in order to synchronize the stored of data collated from sensors plus GPS signals
and the video/photos acquisition. Arduino Nano is also present, is programming in C/C++ language to
acquisition, processing data from sensors and GPS signal, sending sensors data to the ground station, using
RF 433 MHz frequency using a lower bandwidth, and stored data collated in a SD card connected directly to
Arduino. The power supply of the system is two 9 volt battery with a 7805 voltage regulator for each to down the
voltage to 5 volt.

3.2. Mechanical/Structural System

The physical structure of CANSAT was a concern of the group because it presents restrictions in both
dimensions and weight, so the group opted for the can to be printed in 3D printing in order to achieve exact
measurements, as well as the weight is reduced and facilitate the construction of the same structure as the
group can include various specifications inside the can. So, in the beginning the team design can using
TynkerCAD software according to the CANSAT competition rules defined to the can. During the design we need
to solve one problem, the incorporation of the two cameras in the can, with the rule of taking photos from different
locations. To solve the problem, it was created two holes in the can, one frontal and other lateral with the purpose
to fit the camera in there so it can capture all the needed images. The team decide also, to make a simple and
efficient design with a layer dividing the can so we can manage the space of all the used components and the
hardware, see Figure 3.2.

Figure 3.2. Structural System – CANSAT 3D design.

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3D Ground Mapping the Surface of Santa Maria Island – Azores

After the design phase, using Pura software, we print in 3D: the can, one cap and one inside division, to separate
the hardware inside of the can, see Figure 3.2 the 3D design and Figure 3.3 the results after 3D printing.

Figure 3.3. Our CANSAT after 3D printing.

Satellites normally do not return to Earth in a parachute. At the end of their useful life, a satellite will be put in a
different orbit. For satellites orbiting at a low altitude this could mean they will burn up in the atmosphere.
Satellites further away will end up in a much more distant parking orbit and will circle our planet forever.
Sometimes however the spacecraft must return to earth with samples or astronauts. One of the solutions is then
to descend in a parachute. When the CANSAT is deployed it must have a device to slow it down, otherwise it
will crash into the surface. The parachute also helps ensure that the CANSAT stays in an upright position. This
is particularly important because it helps to maintain proper antenna orientation, which maximizes the chances
of receiving telemetry. When the design of the parachute is finished you can start the production process. There
are however a few important issues to keep in mind during this process. Deployment of the parachute will be
relatively violent, so the fabric and fibers you use need to be strong, nylon cord for example.
To design the parachute, we’ll use some simple physics. We use a simplified model to estimate the area of the
parachute, after which we can start on the construction. During the descent two forces will be acting on the
CANSAT. Gravity will pull on the can and accelerate it towards the ground, and the drag force on the parachute
will pull the CANSAT in the opposite direction and slow down the descent rate. The two forces are shown in the
Figure 3.4.

Figure 3.4. Different forces present in the CANSAT.

When the CANSAT is deployed, the force of gravity will cause it to accelerate. After a few seconds the drag
force from the parachute will reach equilibrium with the force of gravity. From that point on, the acceleration will
be zero and the CANSAT will descend at a constant velocity. This constant velocity must be greater than the
minimum descent velocity specified in the requirements. For the following calculations we can use this minimum
value as the constant velocity of the CANSAT. The gravity force is equal to: = ∙ . The drag force of the
parachute is equal to: = 0.5 ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ . So, we can equal the two forces, and join the two equations the
area of our parachute is given by: = . Where,
. × × ×
• m, mass CANSAT (350g máx)
• g, gravitational acceleration (9.8 m/ )
• , resistive coefficient (1.75)
• = local air density (typically = 1.225 )
• v = descent speed (used in the calculation 9.5m/s)

The team decide to create a Flat parachute design from standard two-dimensional flat geometric figures, in this
case octagon parachute, see Figure 3.5.

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3D Ground Mapping the Surface of Santa Maria Island – Azores

Figure 3.5. Our octagon parachute.

3.3. Electrical System
The system has two microprocessors (Raspberry Pi Zero), with these characteristics: Broadcom BCM2835
System on Chip (SoC) with a CPU Advanced RISC Machine (ARM) 11 running at 1 GHz, single-core CPU
512MB RAM, Mini HDMI and USB On-The-Go ports, Micro USB power, HAT-compatible 40-pin header,
Composite video and reset headers and CSI camera connector. System, includes also one microcontroller
Arduino Nano, with a ATmega328P – 8 bit Advanced Virtual RISC (AVR) family microcontroller with 6 analog
input ports, 14 digital I/O ports (with 6 PWM ports) and 32 KB of flash memory, the clock speed is 16 MHz and
the possibilities of communications was SPI, I2C USART. Figure 3.6 shows the electrical scheme.

Figure 3.6. Electrical scheme of the project.

Each Raspberry Pi zero control one camera, these cameras has the following characteristics: 8M pixels, RGB and connected
to CSI port. Arduino Nano control: BMP280 is an absolute barometric pressure sensor especially designed for mobile
applications we connected to Arduino using I2C communication; GPS receiver with 66 channels (on 22 satellites), -165 dBm
of sensitivity, less then 3m of position accuracy, 25 mA of consumption on tracking, we connected to Arduino using TX/RX
pins; SD card module is connected to Arduino using SPI pins; APC220 is a transceiver (more than 100 channels, power
output is 20 mW, Gaussian Frequency Shift Keying, GFSK, uses frequency from 418 MHz to 455 MHz), with a highly versatile
low power radio solution that is easy to setup and integrate into any project requiring a wireless RF link, we connect one of
these two modules in Arduino through TTL interface and the other is connect to the PC (ground station) with another APC220
module through a TTL/USB converter.
The power supply for the system is based on two batteries of 9 volt, these two will distribute current to all components. Using
the same batteries, we power both Raspberry Pi Zero, stepping down the voltage using a voltage regulator (LM 7805). This
way we prevent the microprocessor from being damaged due to high power. The microcontroller Arduino will be powered
using one of the Raspberry Pi Zero. The voltage regulator (LM7805) is integrated circuit based on transistors that maintain
a constant voltage level.

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3D Ground Mapping the Surface of Santa Maria Island – Azores

3.4. Software System

In this section we explain the algorithms and flowchart created for the system, after based on flowchart the code
developed using two programming languages, Python (for Raspberry Pi Zero) and C/C++ (for Arduino Nano).
Figure 3.7 shows the system flowchart.

Figure 3.7. Flowchart of the project.

A short part of C/C++ programming code (added in Arduino Nano) to acquire data from GPS receiver, sensors,
stored data to SD card and sending sensors data to RF interface, is present below.

#include <Wire.h>
#include <SPI.h>
#include <Adafruit_BMP280.h>
#include <SD.h>
#include <SoftwareSerial.h>

int pino_set = 13;

int pino_rx=12;
int pino_tx=11;

SoftwareSerial apc220(pino_rx, pino_tx);

File myFile;
#define BMP_SCK (13)
#define BMP_MISO (12)
#define BMP_MOSI (11)
#define BMP_CS (10)

Adafruit_BMP280 bmp; // I2C

//Adafruit_BMP280 bmp(BMP_CS); // hardware SPI
//Adafruit_BMP280 bmp(BMP_CS, BMP_MOSI, BMP_MISO, BMP_SCK);

void setup(){
Serial.begin(9600);
pinMode(pino_set,HIGH);
apc220.begin(9600);
delay(10);
pinMode(pino_set,LOW);
delay(100);
Serial.begin(9600);
Serial.println(F("BMP280 test"));
while (!Serial) {
; // wait for serial port to connect. Needed for native USB port only
}
if (!bmp.begin()) {
Serial.println(F("Could not find a valid BMP280 sensor, check wiring!"));

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3D Ground Mapping the Surface of Santa Maria Island – Azores

while (1);
}
myFile = SD.open("EVERYTHING.txt", FILE_WRITE);
bmp.setSampling(Adafruit_BMP280::MODE_NORMAL, /* Operating Mode. */
Adafruit_BMP280::SAMPLING_X2, /* Temp. oversampling */
Adafruit_BMP280::SAMPLING_X16, /* Pressure oversampling */
Adafruit_BMP280::FILTER_X16, /* Filtering. */
Adafruit_BMP280::STANDBY_MS_500);

void loop() {
if (myFile) {
Serial.print("Writing to test.txt...");
myFile.println("testing 1, 2, 3.");
myFile.print(F("Temperature = "));
myFile.print(bmp.readTemperature());
myFile.println(" *C");

myFile.print(F("Pressure = "));
myFile.print(bmp.readPressure()/100);
myFile.println(" hPa");

myFile.print(F("Approx altitude = "));

myFile.print(bmp.readAltitude(1019.25)); /* Adjusted to local forecast! */
myFile.println(" m");

myFile.println();

myFile.close();
apc220.print(F("Temperature = "));
apc220.print(bmp.readTemperature());
apc220.println(" *C");

apc220.print(F("Pressure = "));
apc220.print(bmp.readPressure()/100);
apc220.println(" hPa");

apc220.print(F("Approx altitude = "));

apc220.print(bmp.readAltitude(1019.25)); /* Adjusted to local forecast! */
apc220.println(" m");

apc220.println();
delay(2000);
}

We develop in Python language a script (see Figure 3.8) to record the fall, the script above will only allow the
raspberry to compile the program as the raspberry boots up, but this script will compile a program that we've
made to control the cameras.

Figure 3.8. Boot for automatically running for Raspberry Pi Zero.

A short part of python programming code (added in both Raspberry Pi Zero) to acquire data from cameras, is
present below.

import picamera

with picamera.PiCamera() as camera:

camera.resolution = (1280, 720)
camera.start_recording('1.h264')
camera.wait_recording(15)
for i in range(2, 21):
camera.split_recording('%d.h264' % i)
camera.wait_recording(15)
camera.stop_recording()

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3D Ground Mapping the Surface of Santa Maria Island – Azores

3.5. Recovery System and Strategies

From the beginning, we were not sure if our CANSAT would be 100% after the launch, despite the parachute
we've made, once it hits the ground the integrity of all the components will be damaged or some of them, that's
why we included an SD card controlled by Arduino Nano, so every data that Arduino sends to termite will be
saved in this SD card. The raspberries as the use of SD card for everything might be possible to save the images
from it. We also, include a buzzer controlled by Arduino with the objective of quickie location of the CANSAT.

3.6. Ground support Equipment

The ground station is a telecommunications station located above -the surface of Earth, or inside the
Atmosphere that communicates with one or more space stations by transmitting and receiving radio waves. In
our case, the ground station consists of: laptop computer, Yagi antenna and a APC220 transceiver.
The gold of the communication between soda can and the ground station is telemetry, in our case transmit data
form sensors according to primary mission. Telemetry is a technology that allows transmission of data from
remote measurement devices. It is derived from the Greek words “tele”, meaning remote, and “metron”, meaning
measure. Telemetry is an essential part of rocketry and satellite technology. Information is transmitted wirelessly
using radio waves. On the ground these signals are collected by radio receivers. Large space agencies have
networks of these ground stations stretching all over the globe, tracking, monitoring and receiving telemetry from
their satellites.
Telemetry data can be divided into two groups: data from internal sources and data from external sources.
Rockets and satellites are equipped with countless sensors that measure internal parameters. The
measurements they take may relate to temperature, pressure, attitude, power usage, and a wide variety of other
measurements. The information from these sensors is called “housekeeping data”. This is used to monitor the
satellites health and is necessary for the operation of the system. Information from the external sources is mostly
what interest scientists. This is the data collected from the payload. The payload of a research satellite typically
takes the form of sensors or other equipment which measures and generates data about our planet, the space
environment, the sun, the stars, or any number of other things depending on the mission. This information is
called the “mission data” or “scientific data”. In our CANSAT this would be the information from the sensor board.
This data is sent to a ground station to be studied by scientists. CANSAT telemetry operations can be broken
down into three distinct components: transmitting data, receiving data, and processing data. The transmitter
board inside the CANSAT collects information and transmits it as a radio signal. This signal is received by the
ground station and sent to a laptop, where it is stored before being processed as experimental data.
The laptop, includes the transceiver APC220 connected to the computer trough a USB-TTL converter and the
software called Termite, see Figure 3.9.

Figure 3.9. Termite software added in laptop ground station receiving data from CANSAT.

The Yagi antenna (see Figure 3.10, right side) is connected through a specific connector and cables to the
APC220 transceiver, this is a directional antenna used to capture radio waves, radars and even Wi-Fi. Antenna
has 9 dipoles, each of them has 1,5 dBi of gain. This type of communication is point-to-point between CANSAT
and ground station (see Figure 3.10, left side).

Figure 3.10. Ground station (left) and Yagi antenna (right).

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3.7. Operational Concept

During the pre-launch we need to prepare some tasks, first, verify the voltage of batteries. Fixed our hardware
and batteries in the pre-defined places inside the CANSAT. The software system running automatically in
Raspberry Pi Zero (defined as master) after power on the CANSAT, so all the other elements like, Arduino Nano
and the other Raspberry Pi Zero, also power on.
During the launch campaign, some procedures are needed, they are: one of the team members accompanies
the launch of CANSAT on the plane, the others elements are in the ground station, but one of them is responsible
to the orientation of the Yagi antenna during the descent of the CANSAT.
In the end of launch campaign, we gathering all data stored in the three SD cards. Figure 3.11 is presented the
state diagram including all the procedures after finishing the secondary mission.

Figure 3.11. State diagram including all the procedures after CANSAT launch.

4. CANSAT Testing
This chapter is focusing on the presentation of all the tests and results. First, we program Arduino Nano, to
acquire data from sensors and GPS receiver, see Figure 4.1. After we develop a program to stored sensors and
GPS data to SD card. The results are very good, and we have conditions to go one on the tests.

Figure 4.1. Tests and results from sensors and data sending to laptop.

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We provide tests of our parachute, for this we couple the parachute in a full soda can and using a Drone (see
Figure 4.2), after near 200 meters we launch the soda can. After the launching the results are satisfactory, soda
can doesn’t broken and is not to fast during the descent.

Figure 4.2. Parachute launch test using a Drone.

Figure 4.3 shows the tests realized simulated our CANSAT and the ground station.

Figure 4.3. CANSAT and ground station simulation tests.

The last tests were programming Raspberry Pi Zero and connected camera, for taking continually (in each 500
milliseconds) photos and videos.

After the different tests realized, in hardware, in the communication and in the parachute, we can be said that
our system are prepared to the Nacional Final of CANSAT Portugal Completion.

5. Innovation
In our project will innovate in a way we map the surface of the Santa Maria Island in Azores, using a 3D model
to represent the information being given by the two cameras that are located inside the CANSAT, that will not
only provide a video recording of the release until it hits the ground but provide pictures every second so we can
then analyze and merge them into a full 3D map.
These type of maps can be used in software such as Google Earth, that allows users to identify and decide
which places they want to visit next, or simply get to know certain locations without actually visiting the place
itself, the way Google Earth works is similar to our CANSAT in which they use various satellites located in the
outer space to take several pictures and generate bidimensional and tridimensional maps.
We innovate other concepts (image and video processing), using in our project: Photogrammetry, Orthomosaic,
RGB camera, NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), GCP, Point Cloud, Relative Accuracy, Absolute
Accuracy and Resolution.

6. Acquired Skills
Throughout the project and the developing of the CANSAT, team acquired new skills related to satellite
communication and the radiofrequency waves, we were also given the opportunity to work with new sensors
used often daily in most of the devices we know. The camera tests were made using a Raspberry Pi Zero, a
microprocessor none of the students had worked with, or barely used before. With this said, it is implicit that we
developed skills in programming languages such as Python, one of the most widely known languages in

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computer science. SPI communication was studied thoroughly in order to manage the information given by the
sensors. We think the gold of Acquired skills is in the acquisition and processing images and video. Caused by
this project que understand new concepts like: Photogrammetry, science of taking measurements from
photographs, usually those taken from the air; Orthomosais, an aerial image corrected for topographic relief,
camera tilt, and distortions in camera optic so that the scale of the image is uniform throughout; RGB Camer,
this is the traditional type of camera used in mapping. It takes a sample of Red, Green, and Blue spectrums of
light to create the image; NDVI, also known as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, which is a derived
image (usually from a modified RGB or near IR sensor), NDVI takes the reflective light from the plant and ranks
it on a scale from a -1 to +1 value; GCP, also know as a Ground Control Point, which is a physical marker on
the ground that is used to keep your map geographically accurate, this is a very accurate coordinate and allows
your whole map to be aligned properly with the surrounding geographical area; Point Cloud, a point cloud is the
collection of points or coordinates on an object’s surface, this collection of points can be used to create a 3D
model of an area. Point Clouds are often derived from photogrammetric data; Relative Accuracy, in terms of
mapping, relative accuracy refers to how accurate a point on a map is to other points on the same map, this
means that if two points on a map are X cm apart on the map, they should be X cm apart in the real world;
Absolute Accuracy, refers to the accuracy of a point related to the coordinates in the real world, this means that
a point on a map should match its actual GPS coordinates; Resolution, is the level of detail on a map. This is
often measured in CM/Pixel, which means that for every pixel, X amount of CM will be represented on the map.

7. Dissemination
In order to promote the project, our group recorded a video [1] where every member presented themselves and
told their part on the project and what their functions are.
In an annually school fair called Futuralia, where we share information about the various courses our school
has, we talked about CANSAT in our stand, telling every person that looked interested what it consists of and
what is our plan and secondary mission for this project.
On the past 9th of April there was the open day at our school, there we showed diverse projects built around
our course and once again told and showed everybody about Cansat, where it would take place and what our
goals were.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36b_vBpiJJ8&fbclid=IwAR22h7rcvIQ-JL1ql1TH7zt780LP1-
XYWnkN_zUckQNtTST0F80QiLVUpwY

We create different social media:

• Website for the project: https://inetesat3.wixsite.com/website
• Facebook page: Inete CanSat
• Instagram profile: inetesat_3

Our objective is a continually dissemination of project activities, namely during the Final Completion

Figure 7.1 INETE SAT III on Facebook and Instagram.

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 3D Ground Mapping the Surface of Santa Maria Island – Azores

Figure 7.2 INETE SAT III webpage.

8. Budget
Table 8.1 shows the total budget used to create and implement our project.

Table 8.1. List of components and total budget for the project.

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