Introduction to EPA Emergency Response and Remote Sensing with ASPECT

Presented by Jill Taylor, USEPA CBRN Consequence Management Advisory Division
Contact Information: [email protected]

ABSTRACT

The EPA’s Airborne Spectral Photometric Environment Collection Technology (ASPECT) airplane is an emergency response asset that is available 24/7 to provide situational awareness of incidents involving chemical and radiological hazards. This presentation will give a high-level overview of how ASPECT can be used, including response authorities, activation pathways, and a detailed description of the available chemical, radiological, and photo products. 

The ASPECT sensor suite is mounted in a fixed wing aircraft and uses the principles of remote hazard detection to image, map, identify, and quantify chemical vapors and deposited radioisotopes. The ASPECT chemical sensors include a high resolution (0.5 meter pixels) multi-spectral infrared line scanner that produces a two dimensional image and a point detection Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) that can be used to obtain detailed chemical information of any point in the plume.  Radiological detections are made using a multi-detector sodium iodide sensor using full geospatial registration.  Visible imagery is collected using a high-resolution digital camera system.  All data is geo-referenced with embedded geographical coordinates and can be used in a variety of GIS systems. Work is currently underway to transfer the chemical and photo sensing capabilities onto uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs).