How to Choose a UAS Payload

The payload is often chosen according to a short formulation: “need a camera”, “need a thermal imager”, “need a lidar”. In practice, this approach is almost always incomplete. For UAS, it is not the camera itself that is important, but the result of the mission: what data needs to be obtained, with what detail, under what conditions, for what time and in what form this data should reach the operator or the analytical system.

Proper selection begins with an engineering brief. Payload affects not only image quality, but also platform weight, alignment, power consumption, flight time, communication channel, gimbal requirements, vibration isolation, ground handling and maintenance. Therefore, the working combination “platform + load + computer + communication + flight scenario” is better considered as a single design configuration.

What question should you start with?

The first question is not “which camera to install?”, but “what decision should the customer make after the mission?” If after departure you need to see cracks in the structure, this is one configuration. If you need to find overheated elements, this is another one. If the task is to build a relief map or model of an object, the requirements will be third.

Before choosing equipment, it is useful to fix five parameters:

• Observation object: territory, line, structure, equipment, vegetation, water surface or hard-to-reach area.
• Searched sign: visual defect, temperature, spectral index, geometry, change over time, object presence or condition classification.
• Required detail: overview image, object recognition, measurement, orthomosaic, 3D model or streaming analytics.
• Mission conditions: altitude, speed, illumination, weather, seasonality, route range, GNSS availability and repeatability requirements.
• Result format: photo archive, video, heat map, point cloud, report, event coordinates or data for an external system.

Once these parameters are understood, load selection becomes a technical task rather than a comparison of advertising characteristics.

Selection table: from task to configuration verification

The table helps you choose the direction of inspection. It does not confirm the compatibility of a specific sensor and device: weight, power and interfaces must be checked against the equipment documentation and test program.

For any option, separately check the weight of the entire installation, the position of the center of gravity, average and peak power, mounting and exchange capacity. If load control or data conversion is needed, include it in software integration task.

Cameras, thermal imaging, multispectral sensors, lidar and onboard computing

RGB camera

A regular photo or video camera is suitable for visual monitoring, site inspection, documenting the condition of sites, survey photography and photogrammetry. Not only megapixels are important, but also the size of the matrix, optics, shutter speed, stabilization, georeferencing of frames and the ability to maintain the required flight speed without blur.

Thermal imager

Thermal imaging load is needed when it is not the shape of the object that is important, but the temperature contrast: overheating of equipment, heat loss, searching for people or animals, monitoring infrastructure. For such tasks, radiometry, matrix resolution, frame rate, temperature sensitivity, calibration and correct interpretation of data are critical. A thermal imager does not replace a conventional camera: often a combination of RGB + IR is needed.

Multispectral or hyperspectral camera

This load is used when it is necessary to analyze reflection in certain spectral ranges: the state of vegetation, stress, humidity, coverage inhomogeneities, environmental characteristics. Here it is important to understand the methodology in advance: what indices are needed, whether a calibration panel is needed, how repeatability of the shooting will be ensured and who will interpret the result.

Lidar

Lidar is chosen for tasks where geometry is needed: relief, clearings, lines, volumetric models, complex objects and areas with vegetation. It cannot be assessed separately from GNSS/INS, time synchronization, point density, airspeed and trajectory. A lidar mission often requires more rigorous integration than conventional video imaging.

Onboard computer

Sometimes the payload is not only a sensor, but also a computing module. It is needed for data preprocessing, computer vision, event detection, working without a stable communication channel, or transmitting not the entire stream, but already filtered results. At the same time, the computer adds mass, consumption, heat dissipation and software architecture requirements.

Weight, power, interfaces and compatibility

Even the right sensor may not be suitable for a particular platform. In payload integration, it is common to check not just one parameter, but a set of constraints.

• Mass and center of gravity. Not only the mass of the load is important, but also the installation location. Incorrect alignment reduces stability, energy consumption and controllability.
• Food. You need to know the voltage, peak and average consumption, power supply margin, heat dissipation and behavior during sags.
• Interfaces. The camera, gimbal, computer and autopilot must have compatible protocols: Ethernet, USB, UART, CAN, HDMI, MIPI, PWM, MAVLink or other interface.
• Data transfer. Video stream, telemetry and payload require different bandwidth. Sometimes it is better to write data on board than to try to transmit everything in real time.
• Mechanical fastening. We need rigidity, vibration isolation, service access, cable protection and a clear way to quickly replace the module.
• Synchronization. For photogrammetry, lidar and complex analytics, timestamp, coordinates, orientation and data consistency between sensors are important.

If these limitations are not checked in advance, the project may end up in an unpleasant situation: the sensor has been purchased, but the platform does not provide the required flight duration, the communication channel does not support the flow, and installation interferes with maintenance.

How the payload affects the platform

The payload changes the behavior of the UAS. Increasing mass reduces flight time and downwind margin. Large suspension affects aerodynamics. High power consumption requires a review of the power supply. A heavy computer may require cooling. Lidar or high-definition camera can change the requirements for speed, altitude and route repeatability.

Therefore, the platform must be chosen after understanding the load, and not vice versa. For long-term monitoring, an aircraft configuration may be important. For spot inspection and hovering - multi-rotor. For combined tasks - VTOL. But in each case, the decision depends on the outcome of the mission, and not on a universal table of characteristics.

Typical selection mistakes

• Select one parameter at a time. High camera resolution does not guarantee a useful result if there is no stable georeferencing, correct altitude and suitable route.
• Ignore data processing. Filming is only part of the process. You need to understand where the data will be stored, who will process it, and how the result will be used.
• Ignore food and heat. A sensor or computer may work on a bench, but overheat or behave unstable in a real mission.
• Consider the suspension to be secondary. Vibrations, blur, horizon skew and poor stabilization can spoil data more than the difference between camera models.
• Don't check interfaces in advance. Incompatibility of protocols, cables or control commands often surfaces late and increases integration timelines.
• Buy a load without a test script. Before operation, verification is required: test bench, ground integration, short test flights and data quality control.

Checklist for project configuration

Before selecting a payload, it is useful to collect a short engineering brief:

• what object needs to be examined;
• what event or condition needs to be detected;
• what accuracy and detail of the result is needed;
• what data format is required after the mission;
• what area, route length or duration of work is expected;
• whether work will be needed at night, in haze, over water, in an urban environment or without a stable GNSS;
• Is it necessary to transfer data online or is it enough to sign up on board;
• what are the restrictions on weight, dimensions, power supply and fastening;
• who will maintain the system and process data after departure.

At AERIS, we consider the payload as part of the entire system: platform, avionics, navigation, communications, ground loop and operational scenario. If necessary select a working connection between the load and the platform, it is better to discuss it not as a separate camera purchase, but as a design configuration for a specific task.

Practical next step: State the outcome the mission should produce and the site limitations. After this, you can select the type of load, evaluate compatibility with the platform, and see the risks of integration in advance.