This type of video is atypical-it's much more difficult to collect than oblique aerial thermography but allows the registration of each image (frame) in the video with a latitude and longitude, making map-based indexing possible.

The "exposure" changes as the subject progresses across the frame in order to prevent "clipping" or truncating information on the temperature levels in the current image (video is essentially a series of still images that are displayed do quickly that the human eye cannot distinguishe the transition between them).

In the case of this video, the original is shot at about 9 frames per second, but in order to best suit the video format for the embed player I've recomposited it to 24 frames per second. You'll notice some "jump" that reflects the video CoDec (Compression-Decompression) having a blast converting 9.13 frames per second to 24 frames per second using the ON2 VP6 routine.

I'm avoiding making any thermographic diagnoses on the contents of the video, but there's plenty to see down there...

L

Those "reasonable expectations" are actually a relatively recent development in legal philosophy, but no less potent than other developing tort or criminal concerns related to emerging technology. For that reason-and simply because we get along with the other kids-RedLens does not involve itself in imaging assignments that could reasonably be interpreted as industrial espionage. Distinguishing between simple "intelligence gathering" and espionage is an area that we can offer no substantial competency in, so we are generally confining ourselves to imaging for the owners or agents of the owners of specific assets or bona fide legal authority.

It is true that industrial behavior produces a myriad of thermal signatures and that those signatures are useful for diagnosing production inefficiencies, violations, and other potentials. Thermography-particularly aerial thermography-lends a very innovative expansion to the concept of MBWA ("Management by Wandering Around"): thermography can sense many, many things that visual, tactile, and auditory monitoring cannot-so many so that you can literally stumble across them simply by being present with thermographic capacity. This has been our experience especially with roofing and electrical system assays.

Thus, in spite of the legal peril that indiscriminate remote sensing may produce, it's value in intelligently directed applications is staggering and worth demonstrating. It is also prudent to consider other legal issues such as infliction of emotional distress, disturbing peace, trespass, and the Federal Aviation Regulations when performing aerial remote sensing. This places a premium value on experienced aerial practitioners over someone who is simply able to squeeze a thermographic camera into a cockpit and get airborne.

The following image illustrates the easy of determining tank levels of industrial and manufacturing process materials using aerial thermography.

L

I was "shooting" wide-meaning at relatively low resolution (about 2' pixels) capturing the paths of geothermal lines through the older part of the campus. The southwest portion of the Taco Bell Arena just happened to be in the image.

The red square indicates an area of concern on the membrane roof of the arena. This relatively warm patch is consistent with the classic signature of water accumulated beneath a roofing membrane.

The water is relatively dense and absorbs heat through the day. After the sun dips below the horizon the water cools more slowly that structural elements and therefore produces the relatively warm thermal signature. This signature doesn't necessarily pinpoint a leak, but it does show where the water has accumulated.

If this signature is in fact water beneath the roof it's quite a significant find-I'd estimate that it's some 300 square feet in size. We immediately sent the image in to BSU's maintenance folks.

That's not the only finding of interest in this image. Geothermal lines are obvious in the upper right portion of the image and even between a couple of the buildings adjacent to the pavillion. The Student Union Building (upper left) also has some areas that could be considered interesting.

L

It was acquired on 3/28/11 with an outside air temperature of 5° Celsius at approximately 2130 hours (9:30pm).

The arrows identified A., B. and C. point to under-street geothermal lines from the Warm Springs District to the south east (south east is at the "top" of this image). The very bright points along the geothermal line routes are probably access points such as manhole covers.

However, the most intersting feature of this image is contained withing the thin red oval. That is the ambulance entrance/exit to the St. Luke's Emergency Room. I already knew that it was heated because we imaged it from the ground several weeks ago, and we knew that there are areas of less than ideal heating effect on the driveway (which incidentally is not level). To be able to identify those irregularities from the air at "low" resolution is really a testament to the camera...so, thank you, FLIR.

The following image is of Warm Springs Blvd. approximately 1 mile south east of St. Luke's, where the main geothermal line cuts over from Warm Springs Drive to the north east and joins Warm Springs Bvld. as it travels toward Boise State University and downtown Boise. The geothermal line's signature is wonderfully obvious even though the outside air temperature is well above freezing and the afternoon was reasonably sunny (so the asphalt pavement did accumulate a thermal load prior to sunset). These are hardly ideal conditions for aerial thermography, yet the results are outstanding.

L

The following image is an orthogonal (vertical) aerial thermograph of a landscape pond in a residential subdivision. Water is circulated from the pond so that it may be filtered and otherwise processed, then returned to the pond via pump to nozzles located beneath the water's surface. In the event that a segment of the return system is inoperative-for whatever reason-it can be very difficult to diagnose or even recognize the failure.

Aerial thermography can very quickly, effectively, and affordably assay an enormous number of such features, even geotagging the images with Latitude, Longitude, water surface elevation, and water surface temperature readings.

The following graphic is a page from a standard software report on the image above.

Four plumes are incorporated into this report page, and they are labeled Plumes A through D. The context for those plumes is also assayed. The first (large) Histogram beneath the image is that for the context of the plumes and is useful in determining the baseline temperature of the pond's surface served by the associated returns. In this case, the average temperature is 2.4° Centigrade, though this is not a calibrated temperature (it's accurate primarily for comparison, not for absolute measurement-though it certainly can be when forensically prudent).

The plumes average 2.9° Centigrade-about half of a degree warmer than the context-and this metric too is not calibrated but is useful for comparison. That temperature is produced by the warmth of the ground and equipment the processed water has experienced during it's experiences in the filter, pumps, etc. This collected warmth is mitigated by the return trip beneath the water (often the pipes may actually not be buried but simply submerged) and the water's ascent to the surface-which itself may be variable between nozzles.

The individual histograms demonstrate the thermal nature of each plume and are intriguing, to say the least. Although they are relatively homogenous in terms of their mean (average), their skewness and kurtosis are substanially distinguished. This may be due to the variables mentioned in the previous paragraph.

L

On 3/28/11 we were simply out collecting thermographic aerials testing out ability to automate their delivery and simply stumbled across this subject. I'd like to ensure that everyone knows we're not charging the municipal wastewater treatment as the source of the discharge, nor are we presuming the discharge is violative. For that reason I have obscured identifying details of the treatment plant.

There is a small road leading north (toward the top of the image) to an older treatment plant. The discharge itself is evident as a warm (nearly white) plume along the south shore of the river. The effluent "hugs" the shore as the river is flowing rapidly at the entry point, but the thermal signature of the effluent persists for some distance downstream.

The coincidence of the rather voluminous discharge and both the old and new treatment plants is suggestive. The relative warmth of the effluent is also notable-it evidently is traveling via a buried conduit and is thus gathering heat from the ground (relative to the surface water in the river, which is some 20 miles from a reservoir replenished by snowmelt).

The following image is a higher resolution inset from the original mosaic:

Something very interesting about this imagery-and a testament to our very contemporary equipment-is the fact that the ambient air temperature was approximately 40°F-hardly an ideal situation for identifying these sorts of phenomena. Another oddity is that these images are actually video frames-we collect the imagery via videographic recording rather than fully radiometric still imaging. This facilitates the capture of thousands and thousands of images with a minimum of in-camera processing (which can interrupt other sequential sensing configurations).

Again-we're not presuming that any violative behavior is being indicated by these images, however, latitude, longitude, and ground elevation datums have been stripped to prevent association with any particular facility.

L

This is a thermal video of a biogas-fueled flame at an agricultural plant. I think that the most remarkable thing about it-aside from it's mesmerizing motion-is the distribution of heat in the flame. I had always thought that the hottest portion of a flame was at the base of the visible blue tongue, but if this admittedly anecdotal sampling is typical it appears the hottest portion is within the mass of the flame.

Consider that the actual flame doesn't really look like the thermal signature. The visible flame stops, but heat continues on so that the thermal signature is much larger. In this case it's several feet high.

Our FLIR is capable not only of thermal video (a rare capability) but also of thermal video up to about 3,600° F-not that we expect to be found spending much of our time around something that hot. It is useful in certain manufacturing processes to critique welding, etc., and to test jet engines. Food products, not so much.

L

We produced a thermal video of a big Harley warming up on a very cold (-5° C) morning, just for a bit of fun (our friend and FLIR Rep Todd Faulkner was in town and accompanied). This is one of the frame captures from that video. Click on the image for a larger version.

All of this occured at High Desert Harley Davidson in Meridian, Idaho, which is right around the corner from my house-and a constant source of temptation. I flew over High Desert on February 27, 2011 and shot this aerial photograph enroute to eastern Idaho-interestingly, that's my friend David Hoelscher (who arranged the thermal shoot) walking into the portico.

While this is an artistic exercise there is a very valuable capability being demonstrated: thermal anomalies produced by engine bearings differential cooling (particularly in the front cylinders of aircraft or in radiators) can be identified very easily. In industrial and process thermographic applications this speeds and accurizes maintenance inspections and diagnoses.

L