Photogrammetry of killer whales using a small hexacopter launched at sea
Conventional aircraft have been used for photogrammetry studies of free-ranging whales, but are often not practical in remote regions or not affordable. Here we report on the use of a small, unmanned hexacopter (APH-22; Aerial Imaging Solutions) as an alternative method for collecting photographs to...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Other/Unknown Material |
| Language: | unknown |
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NRC Research Press (a division of Canadian Science Publishing)
2015
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1807/69566 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/juvs-2015-0020 |
| Summary: | Conventional aircraft have been used for photogrammetry studies of free-ranging whales, but are often not practical in remote regions or not affordable. Here we report on the use of a small, unmanned hexacopter (APH-22; Aerial Imaging Solutions) as an alternative method for collecting photographs to measure killer whales (Orcinus orca) at sea. We deployed and retrieved the hexacopter by hand during 60 flights (average duration 13.2 minutes, max = 15.7) from the upper deck of an 8.2m boat, utilizing the aircraft’s vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability. The hexacopter was quiet and stable in flight, and therefore could be flown at relatively low altitudes without disturbing whales. The payload was a Micro Four-Thirds system camera that was used to obtain 18,920 still images from an altitude of 35-40m above the whales. Tests indicated a ground-resolved distance of The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author. |
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