5.3 - Blog UAS Use

In this module, you are expected to create a blog post about an article centered on the current use of unmanned aerial systems. Focus your research on the effectiveness of these unmanned aerial systems when compared to alternative methods (e.g., manned aircraft performing role, performing manually without aircraft, etc.). Your blog post should be 300-400 words long. Support your blog post with credible references. Note: The article should not be older than 12 months.

UAS and Wildlife Research

            Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) usage in the United States and the military is growing rapidly. UAS have many uses in the commercial sector and one area where UAS usage could grow is in the area of wildlife ecology. UAS can prove to be powerful tools for remote-sensing data at fine spatial and temporal scales (Christie, Gilbert, Brown, Hatfield, Hanson, 2016). As the uses for UAS grow, manned aircraft applications are being used primarily for long range missions due to the ability to cover large distances. UAS are increasingly replacing manned fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters that normally survey animals and plants for research, conservation, and management purposes. Whereas manned aircraft can cover large distances/large areas, these aircraft can disturb wildlife and are dangerous for the line of work that biologists work in (Christie et al., 2016). Due to the costs of manned aircraft flight, many wildlife researchers are turning to small multicopter or fixed-wing UAS due to several factors; affordability and maneuverability. These UAS are smaller and considerably quieter than manned aircraft which have been known to disturb wildlife during research.

            Small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are nice cost-effective, fuel-efficient, and able to fly into dangerous or inhospitable areas that manned aircraft could not reach or could not fly into due to known hazards (Christie et al., 2016). UAVs are operated at a fraction of the cost of manned aircraft and can follow precise flight paths designed by the operator. The lack of a human within the aircraft allows the UAV to fly at lower altitudes without risking the operator’s life. UAVs that carry remote sensing equipment onboard the aircraft have increased precision and accuracy of the estimates of wildlife population sizes; thermal cameras are one piece of equipment that allows the researcher to detect animals due to heat signatures (Christie et al., 2016). “Similar to having a security camera record criminal activity, a permanent recording of an ecological or wildlife survey provides an objective, enduring record of the organism of interest for future reference, data sharing, and further analysis (Christie et al., 2016, pg. 242).

            The current limitations for UAS usage and wildlife research consists of the difficulties of obtaining permits to fly in wildlife areas, limited survey range, and data processing time (Christie et al., 2016). Weather has also proven to be an issue for small UAS that have limited battery power. Many of the limitations currently experienced by wildlife researchers have to do with the emerging technologies within current UAS systems. As battery life improves and government authorities in the United States allow for beyond line of sight operations, the limitations currently being experienced may become a thing of the past. Christie et al (2016) point out that the current limitations of UAS mean UAS are best suited to situations where it can be launched from sea based platforms close to the targets. As technology advances and government regulations are changed, it is likely that wildlife researchers will utilize UAVs more frequently for research, conservation, and management purposes. 

References

Christie, K. S., Gilbert, S. L., Brown, C. L., Hatfield, M., & Hanson, L. (2016). Unmanned aircraft systems in wildlife research: current and future applications of a transformative technology. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 14(5), 241-251.