2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

For the last 5 years, XX College has been flying drone surveys of an Icelandic fjord and river valley to measure erosion. While trying to determine the elevation of the ground control points (GCPs) it was discovered that the satellite locations from the real-time kinematic (RTK) connection was accurate to within 10 cm. A small team of students and faculty discovered that if the handset receiving the RTK data could be corrected through ICECORE servers the accuracy was increased to being within 1-3 cm. Due to a lack of cellular service in the area to transmit data to the correction servers, the research team developed a solution known as FieldFi—a low-cost WiFi antenna emitter and booster set up designed to extend WiFi support from the base station out in to the field where the control points were being placed.

The original prototype enhanced connectivity between the field station and the RTK. Building on that success, a team made some adjustments to the design and the developed FieldFi v2 in spring 2025, with the hope of improving range, stability, and portability. During a summer 2025 research trip to Iceland, the system was field-tested while ground truthing the previously flown coastline using standard total station surveying methods. Testing revealed new challenges, including terrain-related signal loss and broadcast range, which now inform the design of FieldFi v3 for deployment in 2026.

Led by computer science faculty with support from engineering faculty, staff and student collaborators, this evolving project highlights how rapid prototyping, interdisciplinary collaboration, and field-based problem solving create authentic, high-impact learning experiences.