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...

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Veröffentlicht in:Journal of unmanned vehicle systems 2015-09, Vol.3 (3), p.131-135
Hauptverfasser: Durban, J.W, Fearnbach, H, Barrett-Lennard, L.G, Perryman, W.L, Leroi, D.J
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung: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 min, max 15.7 min) from the upper deck of an 8.2 m 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 18920 still images from an altitude of 35–40 m above the whales. Tests indicated a ground-resolved distance of
ISSN:2291-3467
2291-3467
DOI:10.1139/juvs-2015-0020