Drone planes used for ecological projects
22nd August 2012
Small aerial drones are now being used to monitor wildlife, spot poachers and chart forest loses, among other important ecological projects
The miniature unmanned aeroplanes are more commonly used for tracking terrorist targets by the army but now they are being adapted and used to observe and conserve wildlife.
The drones are being used above the Indonesian jungle to take photos of orangutans, to protect rhinos in Nepal and study invasive aquatic plants in Florida.
Drone planes can be controlled by remote control panels or by computers from an on-board system. They're relatively cheap, portable and earth-hugging; they fill a gap between satellite and manned aircraft imagery and on-the-ground observations, says Percival Franklin at the University of Florida, which has been developing such drones for more than a decade.
The use of drones is a more realistic option for lower income countries as well. Lian Pin Koh of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology has built a drone for £1,250. This is almost ten times cheaper than some similar commercially available drone vehicles.
Lian Pin Koh, a pioneer of the conservation drone plane, says he had the idea after moving heavy equipment for his field work in Sabah, Malaysia.
"I told my assistant, who happened to be my wife, 'How wonderful it would be if we could fly over that area rather than walk there again tomorrow,'" recalled the Singaporean expert on tropical deforestation, and a model plane hobbyist.
The drone serves as a great alternative to costly helicopters or satellite images. And although still in the early stages of their full potential, the drone could be a pivotal tool in future ecological projects.