Comparing manned to unmanned aerial surveys for cetacean monitoring in the Arctic: methods and operational results
Manned aerial surveys are routinely used to assess cetacean distribution and density, often over large geographic areas. Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) have been identified as a technology that could augment or replace manned aerial surveys for cetaceans. To understand what research questions invol...
Published in: | Journal of Unmanned Vehicle Systems |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Canadian Science Publishing
2018
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/juvs-2018-0001 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/full-xml/10.1139/juvs-2018-0001 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/juvs-2018-0001 |
id |
crcansciencepubl:10.1139/juvs-2018-0001 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
crcansciencepubl:10.1139/juvs-2018-0001 2024-09-15T17:58:16+00:00 Comparing manned to unmanned aerial surveys for cetacean monitoring in the Arctic: methods and operational results Angliss, R.P. Ferguson, M.C. Hall, P. Helker, V. Kennedy, A. Sformo, T. 2018 http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/juvs-2018-0001 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/full-xml/10.1139/juvs-2018-0001 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/juvs-2018-0001 en eng Canadian Science Publishing http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining Journal of Unmanned Vehicle Systems volume 6, issue 3, page 109-127 ISSN 2291-3467 journal-article 2018 crcansciencepubl https://doi.org/10.1139/juvs-2018-0001 2024-09-05T04:11:16Z Manned aerial surveys are routinely used to assess cetacean distribution and density, often over large geographic areas. Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) have been identified as a technology that could augment or replace manned aerial surveys for cetaceans. To understand what research questions involving cetacean distribution and density can be addressed using manned and UAS technology in the Arctic, we conducted paired aerial surveys for cetaceans near Utqiaġvik (Barrow), Alaska. We present the methods and operational results from the project, and challenges encountered during the field work. Fall arctic weather varied dramatically over small spatiotemporal scales and harsh environmental conditions increased the maintenance required for repeated UAS operations. Various technologies, such as temperature and humidity sensors, a software system that provided near-term forecasts of highly variable weather, and a surface-based air traffic radar feed, directly contributed to the ability to conduct routine, successful, beyond line-of-sight UAS flights under these situations. We provide recommendations for future projects to help streamline project planning and enhance researchers’ ability to use UAS to collect data needed for ecological research. Article in Journal/Newspaper Barrow Alaska Canadian Science Publishing Journal of Unmanned Vehicle Systems 6 3 109 127 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Canadian Science Publishing |
op_collection_id |
crcansciencepubl |
language |
English |
description |
Manned aerial surveys are routinely used to assess cetacean distribution and density, often over large geographic areas. Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) have been identified as a technology that could augment or replace manned aerial surveys for cetaceans. To understand what research questions involving cetacean distribution and density can be addressed using manned and UAS technology in the Arctic, we conducted paired aerial surveys for cetaceans near Utqiaġvik (Barrow), Alaska. We present the methods and operational results from the project, and challenges encountered during the field work. Fall arctic weather varied dramatically over small spatiotemporal scales and harsh environmental conditions increased the maintenance required for repeated UAS operations. Various technologies, such as temperature and humidity sensors, a software system that provided near-term forecasts of highly variable weather, and a surface-based air traffic radar feed, directly contributed to the ability to conduct routine, successful, beyond line-of-sight UAS flights under these situations. We provide recommendations for future projects to help streamline project planning and enhance researchers’ ability to use UAS to collect data needed for ecological research. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Angliss, R.P. Ferguson, M.C. Hall, P. Helker, V. Kennedy, A. Sformo, T. |
spellingShingle |
Angliss, R.P. Ferguson, M.C. Hall, P. Helker, V. Kennedy, A. Sformo, T. Comparing manned to unmanned aerial surveys for cetacean monitoring in the Arctic: methods and operational results |
author_facet |
Angliss, R.P. Ferguson, M.C. Hall, P. Helker, V. Kennedy, A. Sformo, T. |
author_sort |
Angliss, R.P. |
title |
Comparing manned to unmanned aerial surveys for cetacean monitoring in the Arctic: methods and operational results |
title_short |
Comparing manned to unmanned aerial surveys for cetacean monitoring in the Arctic: methods and operational results |
title_full |
Comparing manned to unmanned aerial surveys for cetacean monitoring in the Arctic: methods and operational results |
title_fullStr |
Comparing manned to unmanned aerial surveys for cetacean monitoring in the Arctic: methods and operational results |
title_full_unstemmed |
Comparing manned to unmanned aerial surveys for cetacean monitoring in the Arctic: methods and operational results |
title_sort |
comparing manned to unmanned aerial surveys for cetacean monitoring in the arctic: methods and operational results |
publisher |
Canadian Science Publishing |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/juvs-2018-0001 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/full-xml/10.1139/juvs-2018-0001 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/juvs-2018-0001 |
genre |
Barrow Alaska |
genre_facet |
Barrow Alaska |
op_source |
Journal of Unmanned Vehicle Systems volume 6, issue 3, page 109-127 ISSN 2291-3467 |
op_rights |
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1139/juvs-2018-0001 |
container_title |
Journal of Unmanned Vehicle Systems |
container_volume |
6 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
109 |
op_container_end_page |
127 |
_version_ |
1810434661221924864 |