MACS aerial cameras are developed especially for unusual recording areas and special aeroplanes. You can see the aerial survey of the Kali Gandaki Valley, the deepest valley in the world in the middle of the Himalayas. The MACS HALE camera system was designed for use in the external load container of a high-performance motorised glider.
Operation at the fire in Berlin's Grunewald forest
During the operation in Berlin's Grunewald forest in August 2022, the MACS-nano camera system in the UAV flew over the 141-hectare deployment area twice, capturing around 2,600 individual images. The entire area was recorded with a ground resolution of 1.5 centimetres.
The Department of Security Research and Application (OS-SEC) combines the Institute's activities in the field of civil security and defense. Our work is strongly application-oriented and always with a view to developing relevant contributions to the protection of modern societies. In terms of technology, the department focuses on three core topics: aerial camera systems, geodata processing and situational awareness.
Our institute has an extensive heritage in the design, development and construction of innovative aerial camera systems. One result of this expertise is MACS - a family of highly specialized modular aerial cameras for remote sensing and detection. We now operate a large number of MACS systems in different versions and for various manned and unmanned carrier systems - from small drones to stratospheric aircraft. MACS systems are regularly used in national and international research projects and support missions.
Processing the image data obtained with our systems into user- and application-oriented geoinformation is essential for its use. To this end, we have been developing processes for many years to automatically derive high-resolution 2D maps, 3D models or semantic information, for example. One of our key technologies is real-time mapping. This makes it possible to map areas of any size from the air in real time - a game changer, especially in the field of situational awareness.
Supporting emergency response and disaster control operations is a core concern of the department. With our aerial camera systems, we make an important contribution to situational awareness and an up-to-date and comprehensive picture of the situation. The integration of such data into functional chains is essential for the operational use of such data. The department therefore also conducts research into the processing, distribution, visualization and integration of aerial image data to improve situational awareness.
In recent years, we have provided operational support to various authorities and organizations with security tasks in numerous real operational situations with our systems and technologies for situational awareness.
Innovation Lab OPTSAL
Since 2020, the department has been operating the Helmholtz Innovation Lab OPTSAL (Optical Technologies for Situation Awareness). The core objective is to promote the transfer of knowledge and technology from the institute to industry and users. To this end, we set up dedicated innovation projects for promising technologies and applications and support their development to a high degree of maturity. OPTSAL thrives on the idea of cooperative development and relies heavily on the commitment of its strategic partners from industry, research and public authorities. State-of-the-art infrastructures are available for the work in OPTSAL: a development and integration laboratory for optical systems (DevCenter) as well as a so-called situation center for testing innovative methods of situation control.
Key competencies of the department
Design, development and operation of highly specialized camera systems for aerial remote sensing and situational awareness
Innovative methods for 2D & 3D geodata processing
Consulting and operational support for authorities and organizations with security tasks (BOS) in situational awareness of natural disasters, major incidents and forest fires
Application expertise in the areas of civil defense, disaster relief, police operations, environmental and infrastructure monitoring
Drone operation
Knowledge and technology transfer in cooperation with industry and government partners
Networking of research, development and end users via the OPTSAL Innovation Lab
Contact
Dipl.-Inf. Ralf Berger
Head of Department Security Research and Applications
