Determining position, velocity and acceleration of free-ranging animals with a low-cost unmanned aerial system

Abstract

Unmanned aerial systems (UASs), frequently referred to as 'drones', have become more common and affordable and are a promising tool for collecting data on free-ranging wild animals. We used a Phantom-2 UAS equipped with a gimbal-mounted camera to estimate position, velocity and acceleration of a subject on the ground moving through a grid of GPS surveyed ground control points (area ∼1200 m 2 ). We validated the accuracy of the system against a dual frequency survey grade GPS system attached to the subject. When compared with GPS survey data, the estimations of position, velocity and acceleration had a root mean square error of 0.13 m, 0.11 m s , respectively. The system can be used to collect locomotion and localisation data on multiple free-ranging animals simultaneously. It does not require specialist skills to operate, is easily transported to field locations, and is rapidly and easily deployed. It is therefore a useful addition to the range of methods available for field data collection on free-ranging animal locomotion.

From single steps to mass migration: the problem of scale in the movement ecology of the Serengeti wildebeest

“…Aerial filming and computer vision methods are now providing the tools needed to collect and process these observations. Integrating these studies of collective movement with individual tracking [54] will allow us to detect which individuals are influencing decisions [100] and to understand how wildebeest herds collectively respond to their environments.…”

“…To fully leverage these novel data streams an approach is required that integrates different multiscale data collection techniques. To link long-term studies of individuals with fine timescale observations from other platforms it is necessary to identify collared animals within video images, something that is now possible due to the data logging capacity of modern aerial filming platforms [54].…”

Terrestrial mammalian wildlife responses to Unmanned Aerial Systems approaches

“…UAS provide substantial benefits to research and conservation: they can be used to track radiotagged animals 10 , conduct surveys 11 in remote areas 12 , detect cryptic individuals using thermal imaging 13 , collect locomotion data from free-ranging animals 14 , count groups using automated software 15 , estimate body mass 16 , determine gender 17 and assist with anti-poaching efforts 18 . Many of these activities are habitually undertaken using manned aircraft, and UAS offer benefits in terms of safety 19 , noise 20 , precision 21 , response time 10 and cost 22 .…”

Landscapes shaped from the top down: predicting cascading predator effects on spatial biogeochemistry

“…Kane et al 2019). Furthermore, remote sensing techniques are becoming ever more sophisticated, enabling real-time tracking of animal movement (Wilmers et al 2016, Harvey et al 2016, Steenweg et al 2017 and hyperspectral analysis of plant and soil properties Vitousek 2005, Wang et al 2009). These new tools can and should be combined to conduct research on the relationship between animal movement and biogeochemical cycling.…”