In recent years, drone technologies have been explored for a range of applications in conservation including (but not limited to) mapping, biodiversity inventories, antipoaching patrols, wildlife tracking, and fire monitoring. The rise of customizable, open-source drones like those of ArduPilot and OpenROV hold promise for more effective conservation applications, and combined with other monitoring sensors and devices, they are capable of collecting high-resolution data quickly, noninvasively, and at relatively low cost.
However, challenges remain in putting these tools to use. A recent paper reviewing 256 conservation drone projects highlighted some of these major obstacles, ranging from unintended social and ecological consequences of drone operations to still prohibitive costs, both in terms of hardware and in terms of storing and processing large volumes of data. The longstanding challenge of power/battery life remains as well.
If you're considering trying out drones for yourself, and want to explore the possibilities and understand the major conversations happening around this technology, check out these beginner's resources and conversations from across the WILDLABS platform:
Three Resources for Beginners:
- Conservation Technology User Guidelines Issue 5: Drones, World Wildlife Fund | Drones, best practices, ethics, regulations, case studies
- WILDLABS Virtual Meetup Recording: Drones, Craig Elder, Dr. Claire Burke, and Gabriel Levin | Drones, thermal camera, wildlife crime, ML, biologging
- New Paper: Drones and Bornean Orangutan Distribution, Sol Milne | Drones, data analysis, citizen science, community science, primates
Three Forum Threads for Beginners:
- Curious about radio-tracking with drones? | Wildlife Drones, Biologging (5 replies)
- Drones for GIS Best practice Document | Adrian Hughes, Drones (10 replies)
- WWF Conservation Technology Series: Drones in Conservation | Aurélie Shapiro, Drones (7 replies)
Three Tutorials for Beginners:
- How do I use a drone to capture radio-tracking data? | Debbie Saunders, Tech Tutors
- How do I choose the right drone for my conservation goals? | Shashank Srinivasan, Tech Tutors
- How do I strategically allocate drones for conservation? | Elizabeth Bondi, Tech Tutors
Want to know more about using drones, and learn from experts in the WILDLABS community? Make sure you join the conversation in our Drones group!
*Header photo: Parker Levinson, Point Blue Conservation Science
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 10 Groups
- 1 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 13 Groups
- @beccadobrien
- | she/her
Undergraduate student studying mechanical engineering and environmental science at Lehigh University.
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 4 Groups
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
- 1 Resources
- 18 Discussions
- 4 Groups
- @ghirrien
- | Gael
Seasoned Product manager & digital entreprise architect
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 1 Groups
Drone Operator and Tech Developer
- 0 Resources
- 33 Discussions
- 9 Groups
An environmentalist and biologist who has been working to inspire and prepare the next generation of conservationists through an inclusive and engaging learning environment.
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 8 Groups
- 0 Resources
- 1 Discussions
- 3 Groups
Conservationist currently working as UAS Remote Pilot & with ecoacoustics
- 0 Resources
- 5 Discussions
- 4 Groups
- @magali
- | she/her
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Postdoctoral researcher at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 16 Groups
Faculty Manager for Higher Education. Lecturer in Animal Behaviour, Animal Welfare and Wildlife Conservation
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 11 Groups
Tech for Conservation
- 0 Resources
- 2 Discussions
- 13 Groups
May 2023
event
April 2023
Solar powered drone for conservation
16 March 2016 4:17pm
28 March 2016 12:27pm
Hi Daniel
Thanks for the interest in the project.
The load carrying capacity will be a few kgs. The battery I've sized at this stage is around 2kgs and should allow it to fly over night, but if this storage is increased in future it will impact the other loads. It is a tricky trade-off between flight time and capability.
I'm hoping to include both visual and thermal cameras on a gimbal but they will need to be miniature versions (adds to cost). The drone will definitely include GPS/autopilot and I'm also hoping to include onboard image processing in future so the drone can send an alarm when it notices something out of place. The video feed will also need to be encrypted so that poachers cannot use the drone as their own scouting vehicle.
The price tag of $5000 is for the first few prototypes and will come down with mass production and buying in bulk. I don't see it dropping much below $3000-4000 at current equipment prices though. For instance, the solar PV cells and charge circuit alone will cost around $1000 and the cost of even the cheap uncooled microbolometer therml imagers is over $1000. This isn't an average consumer drone but I've tried to keep the costs down as much as possible so it's feasible. I've also considered offering a stripped down drone of just the charging circuit and airframe so that people can add their own equipment and autopilot etc.
In terms of the perks, I tried to model this campaign after other campaigns that had a product already, which has been a mistake. The build diary included in some of the perks was my attempt at making it open source. I am considering reworking all the perks as it is unlikely to get any funding at this stage.
Thanks for the valuable feedback. Please let me know if you have any other questions or comments.
Cheers,
Gregg
Integrating UAV imagery into ArcGIS
1 March 2016 2:34pm
SnotBots: Can drones transform whale conservation?
25 February 2016 12:00am
Bringing Conservation Technology to Life
17 February 2016 12:00am
PhD Positions: UAVs and Wild Animal Tracking Systems
2 February 2016 10:13pm
DJI and Ford launch a competition with $100,000 prize
12 January 2016 2:59pm
Achieving Moonshots: Advancing Humankind and Preserving Nature
22 December 2015 12:00am
Cheap Space, DIY Imaging and Big Data
21 December 2015 12:00am
Drones as elephant deterrent (herding device)
24 November 2015 6:32pm
17 December 2015 6:39pm
Hi Dave,
I believe with any DJI drones you can plot out the course of a drone and let it fly along the route with you controling the speed and height of the drone. The limitation is that it has to eb within a mile of the pilot.
Regards,
John
17 December 2015 6:43pm
True, but ideal the navigation system would need to be more interactive to be able to respond to the elephant movements in real-time.
The Social Lives of Conservation Technologies and Why They Matter
2 November 2015 12:00am
26 March 2016 12:03pm
Hey Gregg,
The project looks cool!
Just wondering how much you envisage the load carrying capacity of the drone to be? So being able to carry cameras, GPS, etc.
Also, do you see the price coming down later? $5000 sounds quite steep...
And finally, have you thought about creating it as an open source project? Since all the perks at this points are mostly symbolic, this way people would be more compelled to contribute.
Have a nice day,
Daniel