I address the geometric problem of the pendulum-like swinging of towed birds for AEM platforms. I establish a link between actual observed bird swing and its effect on survey data for two different systems and explain the link by a model that compares actual survey data to the calculated mutual inductance coupling of a dipole pair over an infinitely conductive half space, which pair is permitted arbitrary pitch, roll and altitude changes. I develop a non-linear filter that removes bird swing effects from survey data which successfully corrected data from 3 different AEM surveys. Calibration of several different time domain AEM systems is attempted using an accurately laid out and surveyed, closed, multi-turn loop of known resistance and self-inductance that is placed on - but insulated from - resistive ground. I derive a rigourous mathematical model that predicts airborne receiver's response to the coupling to the transmitter current waveform and total system geometry. The method was proven to be successful over resistive ground, with significant system problems identified such as: altimetry error, spatial averaging of data during postprocessing, error in the predicted horizontal position of the AEM platform, receiver windowing and timing errors and bird swing. I show that, although we can calibrate a time domain AEM system for a single flyover, it is impossible to calibrate an AEM system for geometry. As an intermediate step in the calibration process, I show that by monitoring the current induced in the ground loop we can obtain the waveform of the AEM transmitter current throu gh deconvolution in the Fourier domain. Simple and cost effective methods for the improvement of quantitative AEM data are presented in this thesis. However, until the geometry problem of AEM platforms is solved, full system calibration will not be obtained and filters will need to be applied to the data. I recommend the use of: GPS antennas mounted on all towed birds, able to be post-processed for accurate position recovery, reliable bird-mounted scanning altimeters that do not rely on range-finding technology but instead employ a shortest path algorithm, pitch and roll sensors mounted on the trailed bird and the measurement of airspeed of both the towed bird and the aircraft during surveys.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/210381 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Davis, Aaron Charles, aaron.davis@rmit.edu.au |
| Publisher | RMIT University. Applied Physics |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | http://www.rmit.edu.au/help/disclaimer, Copyright Aaron Charles Davis |
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