GOLDFINCH SENSOR TECHNOLOGIES AND ANALYTICS LLC — Department of Energy SBIR Phase I: 16c

Description

Groundwater has value and is a renewable natural resource. However, when contaminated by activities (military or economic), groundwater can become unusable, nonrenewable, and create a moving hazard to the public. Developing detailed information about contamination migration supports policy decision-making by cost-benefit analysis. The project will demonstrate the feasibility of integrating drone monitoring of radiation with advanced geographic information systems for spatiotemporal analysis of residual radiation. The project builds and integrates a radiation detector with a drone which can be flown in compliance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) over national security sites. The project concludes with a demonstration of the system and feasibility of approach. During Phase I, the effort first develops a sensor to detect the X-rays and gamma rays in a sensitive but lightweight package. Second, the effort integrates the detector sub-system with a drone airframe. Third, the effort develops a process for forming spatiotemporal maps showing radiation levels changing over time. Fourth, the effort demonstrates feasibility with a demonstration of the technology.