Drone Data: Building a Minimum Information Framework
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We [1] are drafting a Minimum Information Framework for data collected with drones: a list of the key data and metadata elements that would make drone datasets FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable).  

The FAIR data principles were published by Wilkinson et al [2] in 2016 as a succinct vision for what good data management practices of the future would entail and enable (See the box below).  The easiest way to answer the following might be to ask: What information would I need to reuse some one else's data? Note that data would not necessarily have to be open for them to be FAIR - rather they would need to be accessible in some other way.

The questions below walk through a set of terms we've refined through workshops and interviews with drone researchers and GIS standards and software groups.  Please vote on the importance of the terms below, and suggest additional terms that we may have overlooked. Many of these terms appear in existing ontologies or standards; after the results of the survey are in, we will link our community-developed set of terms to these existing standards.

[1] Andrea Thomer, Jane Wyngaard, Lindsay Barbieri - a team of information scientists and earth scientists working with the ESIP Drone Cluster and RDA sUAS Data Interest Group: https://osf.io/n6t9b/ 
[2] https://www.nature.com/articles/sdata201618
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From Wilkinson et al., 2016
Drone Data Survey begins below
1) Information about the project overall: What information is needed about someone's mission and project overall for the data to be FAIR? *
Can't use the data without it
Won't use the data without it
Can take it or leave it
Don't need it, don't bother
Project Name
Project Date(s)
Investigator Name(s)
Sponsoring Organization
Research Question(s)
Feature of Interest
Use restrictions
Access restrictions
What other terms would you suggest in this category?
2) Information about the drone platform and payload: what do you need to know about hardware for the data to be FAIR? *
Can't use the data without it
Won't use the data without it
Can take it or leave it
Don't need it, don't bother
Drone Type (e.g., fixed wing vs. multirotor)
Drone Make and Model
Payload Type (e.g., multispectral camera, insitu sensor)
Sensor Make and Model and Firmware Version
Camera Make and Model
Onboard Computer Make and Model (e.g., Raspberry Pi, Arduino)
Autopilot (e.g., DJI, PX4, ArduPilot)
Payload mounting method
Payload location on drone
What other terms would you suggest in this category?
3) Information about flight plan: what do you need to know about the flight plan and ground control system for the data to be FAIR? *
Can't use the data without it
Won't use the data without it
Can take it or leave it
Don't need it, don't bother
Flight plan waypoints
Geographic region (lat, long, alt)
Geographic extent (size of area covered)
Flight pattern type (e.g., grid, vertical profile, z-formation, forward lap)
Mission planning software (aka ground control station)
Sensing target
Image overlap percentage
Sensor sampling rate
What other terms would you suggest in this category?
4) Information about pre-flight processes: what do you need to know about pre-flight checks for the data to be FAIR? *
Can't use the data without it
Won't use the data without it
Can take it or leave it
Don't need it, don't bother
Ground control points (coordinates)
Ground truth sampling data
Sensor calibration specifications
Weather report
Flight regulatory information
Flight safety procedures
Drone pilot operator
Drone operator license number
Flight date and time
What other terms would you suggest in this category?
5) Information about images: what do you need to know about the images collected by drone and image post-processing for them to be FAIR? *
Can't use the data without it
Won't use the data without it
Can take it or leave it
Don't need it, don't bother
Image type (e.g., raw, georeferenced, composite)
Processed image output format (e.g., orthomosaic imagery, triagulated mesh, digital elevation model, dense point cloud)
Image file format file type (e.g., TIFF, JPEG, etc)
Coordinate reference system
Image processing software and version (e.g., Agisoft Photoscan)
Image processing algorithm/function used
Image processor (person)
Image processing date
What other terms would you suggest in this category?
6) Information about observational data: what information do you need to know about the dataset overall, or specific parameters or post-processing methods, for the data to be FAIR? *
Can't use the data without it
Won't use the data without it
Can take it or leave it
Don't need it, don't bother
Observed property (e.g., temperature, wind speed)
Sensor data output type (e.g., time series, alerts, acoustic)
Processed sensor data (e.g., georeferenced, corrected)
Sensor data processing software
Sensor data processing method (e.g., adjustment for sensor angle or heat/air flow)
Data processor (person)
Processing date(s)
Data file format (e.g., csv, txt, netcdf)
Coordinate reference system
Flight log - duration
Flight log - coordinates (x, y)
Flight log - altitude
Flight log - attitude or orientation (pitch, roll, and yaw)
What other terms would you suggest in this category?
Are you interested in participating in future research and development of drone data sharing standards? If so, please enter your name and email below
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