Testing the use of unmanned aircraft systems for intertidal surveys - proof of concept

Project Description

Intertidal monitoring is essential to establish benchmarks and to monitor important resources that are particularly important to the people living in ��Ϻ��Ƶ's coastal environments. One of the shortfalls of the traditional sampling typically conducted through on-the-ground surveys is the small area that can be feasibly monitored with limited people-power and time due to low tide series. What is needed is a cost-effective mechanism that can be used to survey larger areas during the short low tide time period. We are currently providing a proof of concept that unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are a cost-effective tool that can be used to 1) expand the typically small-scale (on the order of meters) monitoring with larger-scale (on the order of kilometers), high resolution imagery taken from low-flying UAS, and 2) monitor new areas where benchmark data are currently lacking. This projects links to and expands the Gulf Watch ��Ϻ��Ƶ intertidal monitoring that is currently being conducted in Kachemak Bay.

Project Funding

Coastal Marine Institute
Start Date: 2014-00-00
End Date: 2016-00-00

Publications and products

Konar B, K Iken, M Rogers and S Vanderwaal. (2015). "Testing the use of unmanned aircraft systems for intertidal surveys: proof of concept". Oral Tidbit Presentation at the Kachemak Bay Science Conference. March 2015.

Konar B, K Iken, M Rogers and S Vanderwaal. (2015). "Testing the use of unmanned aircraft systems for intertidal surveys: proof of concept". Poster at the ��Ϻ��Ƶ Marine Science Symposium. January 2015.

Iken K, Konar B, M Rogers and S Vanderwaal. (2015). "Testing the use of unmanned aircraft systems for intertidal surveys: proof of concept". Oral Presentation at the Coastal Marine Institute Annual Reivew. January 2015.