Location, location, location: Considerations when using 3 lightweight drones in challenging environments
Lightweight drones have emerged recently as a remote sensing survey tool of choice for ecologists, conservation practitioners and environmental scientists. In published work, there are plentiful details on the parameters and settings used for successful data capture, but in contrast there is a deart...
Published in: | Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation |
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ftliverpooljmu:oai:researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk:6731 2023-05-15T18:02:04+02:00 Location, location, location: Considerations when using 3 lightweight drones in challenging environments Duffy, J Cunliffe, A DeBell, L Sandbrook, C Wich, SA Shutler, J Myers-Smith, I Varela, M Anderson, K 2017-08-22 text http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/6731/ https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/6731/4/Location,%20location,%20location%20considerations%20when%20using%20lightweight%20drones%20in%20challenging%20environments.pdf https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.58 en eng Wiley Open Access https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/6731/4/Location,%20location,%20location%20considerations%20when%20using%20lightweight%20drones%20in%20challenging%20environments.pdf Duffy, J, Cunliffe, A, DeBell, L, Sandbrook, C, Wich, SA, Shutler, J, Myers-Smith, I, Varela, M and Anderson, K (2017) Location, location, location: Considerations when using 3 lightweight drones in challenging environments. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation. ISSN 2056-3485 doi:10.1002/rse2.58 cc_by CC-BY GE Environmental Sciences QH Natural history Article PeerReviewed 2017 ftliverpooljmu https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.58 2022-01-09T06:53:00Z Lightweight drones have emerged recently as a remote sensing survey tool of choice for ecologists, conservation practitioners and environmental scientists. In published work, there are plentiful details on the parameters and settings used for successful data capture, but in contrast there is a dearth of information describing the operational complexity of drone deployment. Information about the practices of flying in the field, whilst currently lacking, would be useful for others embarking on new drone-based investigations. As a group of drone-piloting scientists, we have operated lightweight drones for research on over 25 projects, in over 10 countries, in polar, desert, coastal and tropical ecosystems, with many hundreds of hours of flying experience between us. The purpose of this manuscript is to document the lesser-reported methodological pitfalls of drone deployments so that other scientists can understand the spectrum of considerations that need to be accounted for prior to, and during drone survey flights. Herein, we describe the most common challenges encountered, alongside mitigation and remediation actions that increase the chances of safe and successful data capture. Challenges are grouped into the following categories: (i) pre-flight planning, (ii) flight operations, (iii) weather, (iv) redundancy, (v) data quality, (vi) batteries. We also discuss the importance of scientists undertaking ethical assessment of their drone practices, to identify and mitigate potential conflicts associated with drone use in particular areas. By sharing our experience, our intention is that the manuscript will assist those embarking on new drone deployments, increasing the efficacy of acquiring high quality data from this new proximal aerial viewpoint. Article in Journal/Newspaper polar desert Liverpool John Moores University: LJMU Research Online Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation 4 1 7 19 |
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Open Polar |
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Liverpool John Moores University: LJMU Research Online |
op_collection_id |
ftliverpooljmu |
language |
English |
topic |
GE Environmental Sciences QH Natural history |
spellingShingle |
GE Environmental Sciences QH Natural history Duffy, J Cunliffe, A DeBell, L Sandbrook, C Wich, SA Shutler, J Myers-Smith, I Varela, M Anderson, K Location, location, location: Considerations when using 3 lightweight drones in challenging environments |
topic_facet |
GE Environmental Sciences QH Natural history |
description |
Lightweight drones have emerged recently as a remote sensing survey tool of choice for ecologists, conservation practitioners and environmental scientists. In published work, there are plentiful details on the parameters and settings used for successful data capture, but in contrast there is a dearth of information describing the operational complexity of drone deployment. Information about the practices of flying in the field, whilst currently lacking, would be useful for others embarking on new drone-based investigations. As a group of drone-piloting scientists, we have operated lightweight drones for research on over 25 projects, in over 10 countries, in polar, desert, coastal and tropical ecosystems, with many hundreds of hours of flying experience between us. The purpose of this manuscript is to document the lesser-reported methodological pitfalls of drone deployments so that other scientists can understand the spectrum of considerations that need to be accounted for prior to, and during drone survey flights. Herein, we describe the most common challenges encountered, alongside mitigation and remediation actions that increase the chances of safe and successful data capture. Challenges are grouped into the following categories: (i) pre-flight planning, (ii) flight operations, (iii) weather, (iv) redundancy, (v) data quality, (vi) batteries. We also discuss the importance of scientists undertaking ethical assessment of their drone practices, to identify and mitigate potential conflicts associated with drone use in particular areas. By sharing our experience, our intention is that the manuscript will assist those embarking on new drone deployments, increasing the efficacy of acquiring high quality data from this new proximal aerial viewpoint. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Duffy, J Cunliffe, A DeBell, L Sandbrook, C Wich, SA Shutler, J Myers-Smith, I Varela, M Anderson, K |
author_facet |
Duffy, J Cunliffe, A DeBell, L Sandbrook, C Wich, SA Shutler, J Myers-Smith, I Varela, M Anderson, K |
author_sort |
Duffy, J |
title |
Location, location, location: Considerations when using 3 lightweight drones in challenging environments |
title_short |
Location, location, location: Considerations when using 3 lightweight drones in challenging environments |
title_full |
Location, location, location: Considerations when using 3 lightweight drones in challenging environments |
title_fullStr |
Location, location, location: Considerations when using 3 lightweight drones in challenging environments |
title_full_unstemmed |
Location, location, location: Considerations when using 3 lightweight drones in challenging environments |
title_sort |
location, location, location: considerations when using 3 lightweight drones in challenging environments |
publisher |
Wiley Open Access |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/6731/ https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/6731/4/Location,%20location,%20location%20considerations%20when%20using%20lightweight%20drones%20in%20challenging%20environments.pdf https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.58 |
genre |
polar desert |
genre_facet |
polar desert |
op_relation |
https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/6731/4/Location,%20location,%20location%20considerations%20when%20using%20lightweight%20drones%20in%20challenging%20environments.pdf Duffy, J, Cunliffe, A, DeBell, L, Sandbrook, C, Wich, SA, Shutler, J, Myers-Smith, I, Varela, M and Anderson, K (2017) Location, location, location: Considerations when using 3 lightweight drones in challenging environments. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation. ISSN 2056-3485 doi:10.1002/rse2.58 |
op_rights |
cc_by |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.58 |
container_title |
Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation |
container_volume |
4 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
7 |
op_container_end_page |
19 |
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1766171750466322432 |