Use of Drones for Environmental Conservation Enforcement

[Tom Rankin]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/22/science/drones-on-a-different-mission.html?_r=0

Discuss!

 

[DayTrip]

Pretty cool. Achieves a worthy objective without subjecting people to any hazards and is cost effective for those ever shrinking budgets.

 

[RichS]

Fascinating topic.
This is a powerful tool. It won't tell you that "Tom Rankin led a group of 30 hikers who camped at the PeakA/PeakB col, but it can tell you that the col is much more overused than it was in 2012. Baseline images show trends that can drive decisions of which areas deserve immediate attention. In an era of limited resources, this is a good thing.

-Rich

 

[Little Rickie]

Drones are very cool but just like everything else some will use them properly and some will abuse them.

 

[peakbagger]

There was bill before the NH legislature to ban drones from peeking into private land.

I expect that once the regulations take effect that drone swarms will be released to map every square inch of the US and the high resolution images will be for sale to the highest bidder or on some future google map.

 

[Tim Seaver]

Some pretty amazing mapping projects can be undertaken with all manner of drones - like the project Sensefly took on, mapping the entire Matterhorn with small fixed wing drones that would fly in precise patterns from different launch points:

 

[Remix]

When do you think they will have an National Guard drone flying over the Whites to take the S of SAR?

 

[spider solo]

Most any time now.
Drones are the ultimate "big brother is watching" ...for better or worse.

 

[Tim Seaver]

In related news:
Officials Search for 3 Days; Drone Finds Missing Man After 20 Minutes

 

[Mike P.]

Some of those Summer Solstice hikers may be more exposed than they thought.....

With Infrared you'll be able to see how many are camping too high where they have no camping above X feet. (More Catskills and ADK's) They could use them on the more popular illegal sites, like below Lakes.

 

[MadRiver]

I was enjoying a campfire with a friend, sipping wine and talking treason, when I noticed a blinking light in the river. I walk down to the river and rock hopped across to the blinking light thinking it might be an actual alien encounter only to find a large drone. I rescued it from its watery grave and brought it back to the campfire. The next morning I called the number on the side and gave it back to its owner, and declined the reward. Boys and their toys.