Expansion of open-source drone software to include wind analysis

This project aims to develop a cost-effective and portable system for measuring wind and turbulence using a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Traditional methods of measuring wind and turbulence (e.g. weather stations or anemometers) are often expensive and not portable, which limits their usefulness for activities such as paragliding. Paragliding pilots are highly dependent on accurate wind and turbulence data for safety reasons, as strong winds and turbulence can create dangerous flying conditions.
However, such data is often inaccurate due to the nearest weather station being far away, not up-to-date or not available at all in remote areas.

The proposed solution involves equipping a small, lightweight UAV with various sensors to collect data on wind speed, direction, and turbulence intensity and transmit it in real-time to a connected device. The UAV is required to be portable, allowing it to be easily transported to different locations. Due to these specific requirements, the UAV needs to be custom-built.
Current similar solutions rely on heavier UAVs or weather balloons. These are able to carry more advanced and heavier sensors, but require special permissions to operate and are less portable.
The UAV's transmitted data then must be received and processed in real-time by a connected software system. This system must be designed to also process reference data from traditional measurement devices. The data from both the UAV and the reference sources then is to be analyzed to find correlations and develop models for accurate estimations.
Several methods were evaluated to estimate the wind and level of turbulence using the received data from the UAV. Due to time constraints the evaluation of these methods remained a theoretical approach. The most promising methods and algorithms were selected based on previous research in the field and the capabilities of the constructed UAV in terms of the available sensors and data that can be extracted.

The project successfully proved the technical feasibility of using a small UAV for wind and turbulence measurements. With the prototype UAV built and equipped with an accurate IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) and GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) module the required measurements can be made to enable accurate wind and turbulence estimation. The data is transmitted in real-time via WiFi to the connected software system that was implemented in this project.
The implemented software system is capable of processing and analyzing the data from the UAV together with reference data gathered through traditional measuring equipment.
Methods based on the UAV's acceleration and attitude data were identified as viable approaches for wind and turbulence estimation, laying the groundwork for future implementation and validation in subsequent projects. The prototype built in this project serves as a solid foundation for further development of the software system and conclusive field testing.