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Drones are self-propelled aerial devices that are controlled remotely.  These devices are also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), unmanned aircraft system (UAS), and remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS), though are most often referred to as drones.  Some devices are capable of dependent, automated flight control, which is programmed prior to takeoff (Sandbrook, 2015).

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Balloon photography is a small camera strapped to one or two helium balloons and then flown over a study area.  Photos taken in this method can be used for mapping and are especially important in conservation because these photos can provide visual data for difficult to access or fragile locations (Birdseye, 1940).

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Drones were originally developed as a warfare technology during World War II, however, more recent technologies such as GPS and small digital cameras have opened up the possibilities for use in research and conservation (Sandbrook, 2015).

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Drones are able to carry a wide range of equipment (depending on their size and weight capacities) including still and video cameras, infrared radiation, reflected thermal radiation, and emitted thermal radiation sensing devices.  They are also able to carry audio recording devices, sprayers, and light emitting devices (Sandbrook, 2015).

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Modern Uses in Research and Conservation

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Modern Uses in Research and Conservation

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Drones have been used to monitor poaching among elephant and rhino populations (Hummle, Duffy, Roberts, Sandbrook, St. John, Smith, 2014) and have been used to count elephant populations in Burkino Faso (Sandbrook, 2015).

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Drones have been used for seed dispersal in inaccessible areas of reforestation projects (Sandbrook, 2015).

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Balloon photography was used to record data in the fragile Kushiro Wetland in northeastern Japan (Miyamoto, Yoshino, Nagano, Ishida, & Sato, n.d.).

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Drones and Balloon photography are able to access hazardous terrain where we might not otherwise be able to access either by vehicle or by foot (Luo, Li, & Dai, 2014).

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Drones can monitor wildlife from an aerial view which is safer for scientists but also has potential to collect larger amounts of data (Luo, Li, & Dai, 2014).

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Weaknesses:

o  Drones have a short battery life which limits flying time. The machine must return regularly to docking stations to recharge (Luo, Li, & Dai, 2014).

o  Drones are limited in what they can carry by weight and can only carry certain devices at one time (Sandbrook, 2015).

o  Balloon photography often does not capture an addaquate amount of photos (Birdseye, 1940).

o  Ballon photography does not have the same amount of control in route and photo angle as a drone (Miyamoto, Yoshino, Nagano, Ishida, & Sato, n.d.).

o  Balloon photography is not possible in high winds (Corrigan & Hay-Edie, 2013).

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o  Footage could be used to connect the public with conservation problems (Sandbrook, 2015).

o  Is an affordable way to include the public in mapping and data collection in conservation projects (Corrigan & Hay-Edie, 2013).

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o  In America, drones are viewed as military technology associated with warfare or are often viewed as an invasion of privacy (Sandbrook, 2015).

o  Collected data could potentially be used by poachers to discover locations of protected animals or sites (Sandbrook, 2015).

o  Drone use creates ethical questions – should those who were recorded by the drones have to give consent to be recorded (Sandbrook, 2015)?

o  Drones can have negative association through local lore.  An example being: locals in Tanzania believe in a creature called a Popo Bawa which is a type of bat that attacks people.  The introduction of a new flying device could cause fear amongst these locals (Sandbrook, 2015).

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Future Possibilities:

o  Monitoring archaeological sites for looting.

o  Monitoring bighorn sheep populations and range.

o Monitoring wildlife behavior and dispersal after wildfires.

o Use in reconnaissance of study area prior to study to determine field conditions and potential challenges.

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Drones and balloon mapping both have the potential to be extremely helpful in research and conservation. Though this technology is beneficial, it comes with the possibilities of negative social impacts. These pros and cons must be weighed for each individual case to determine if drone and/or balloon photography is appropriate in each individual study.

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References:

o  Chris Sandbrook. (2015). The social implications of using drones for biodiversity conservation. Ambio, 44, S636. Retrieved from https://proxy.lib.miamioh.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,uid,cpid&custid=s9002934&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.24670995&site=eds-live&scope=site

o  Corrigan, C.; Hay-Edie, T.   Cambridge: UNEP-WCMC 2013. Retrieved from http://www.silene.es/documentos/Toolkit_conservation_indigenous_peoples.pdf

o  Claude H. Birdseye. (1940). Stereoscopic Phototopographic Mapping. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 30(1), 1. Retrieved from https://proxy.lib.miamioh.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,uid,cpid&custid=s9002934&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.2561128&site=eds-live&scope=site

o  Humle, T., Duffy, R., Roberts, D. L., Sandbrook, C., St John, F. A. V., & Smith, R. J. (2014). Biology’s drones: undermined by fear. Science (New York, N.Y.), 344(6190), 1351. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.miamioh.edu/10.1126/science.344.6190.1351-a

o  Luo, C., Li, X., & Dai, Q. (2014). Biology’s drones: new and improved. Science (New York, N.Y.), 344(6190), 1351. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.miamioh.edu/10.1126/science.344.6190.1351-b

o  Miyamoto, M., Yoshino, K., Nagano, T., Ishida, T., & Sato, Y. (n.d.). Use of balloon aerial photography for classification of Kushiro wetland vegetation, Northeastern Japan. WETLANDS, 24(3), 701–710. Retrieved from https://proxy.lib.miamioh.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,uid,cpid&custid=s9002934&db=edswsc&AN=000224309600018&site=eds-live&scope=site

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Photo References:

1)    Tim Wright, 2017.  Air & Space Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.airspacemag.com/flight-today/36_aug2017-uav-criminal-180963942/.

2)    Miyamoto, M., Yoshino, K., Nagano, T., Ishida, T., & Sato, Y. (n.d.). Use of balloon aerial photography for classification of Kushiro wetland vegetation, Northeastern Japan. WETLANDS, 24(3), 701–710. Retrieved from https://proxy.lib.miamioh.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,uid,cpid&custid=s9002934&db=edswsc&AN=000224309600018&site=eds-live&scope=site

3)    Monica Rozenfeld, 2017.  Slideshow: Drones Past, Present, and Future.  The Institutes. Retrieved from http://theinstitute.ieee.org/technology-topics/transportation/slideshow-drones-past-present-and-future.

4)    LandRover Africa Magazine (n.d.).  Retrieved from http://www.landymag.co.za/africa-from-every-angle-how-drones-are-becoming-tools-of-conservation/.

5)    Meredith Spencer (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-05/using-drones-to-monitor-bushland-gondwana-link/8415368).

6)    Retrieved from https://thetruejapan.com/kushiro-hokkaido-visit-can/.

7)    Chris Sandbrook. (2015). The social implications of using drones for biodiversity conservation. Ambio, 44, S636. Retrieved from https://proxy.lib.miamioh.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,uid,cpid&custid=s9002934&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.24670995&site=eds-live&scope=site.

8)    Dronelife.com retrieved from https://dronelife.com/tag/conservation-drone/.

9)    Corrigan, C.; Hay-Edie, T.   Cambridge: UNEP-WCMC 2013. Retrieved from http://www.silene.es/documentos/Toolkit_conservation_indigenous_peoples.pdf.