Using Fixed-Wing UAV for Detecting and Mapping the Distribution and Abundance of Penguins on the South Shetlands Islands, Antarctica

Pfeifer, Christian; Barbosa, Andrés; Mustafa, Osama; Peter, Hans‐Ulrich; Rümmler, Marie-Charlott; Brenning, Alexander

doi:10.3390/drones3020039

Cited by 43 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…The use of un-crewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) has, in recent years, offered an alternative tool for carrying out systematic census work on colonial, surface-nesting seabird species across a wide variety of environments (Sarda-Palomera et al 2012;Barr et al 2018;Rush et al 2018), including within the Antarctic and islands of the South Atlantic (Ratcliffe et al 2015;Pfeifer et al 2019;Oosthuizen et al 2020). Ground counts are a well-established means of accurately assessing numbers of breeding seabirds (CCAMLR 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fixed-wing UAVs offer a longer flight time and greater survey range than multi-rotor UAVs but require a flat area for launch and landing (Verfuss et al 2019). Their higher flight speeds, lower manoeuvrability and operation beyond visual line of sight require higher safe operational altitudes, resulting in a reduction in image resolution which impairs identification of similar species in mixed species colonies and separation between breeding and non-breeding birds (Zmarz et al 2018;Korczak-Abshire et al 2019;Pfeifer et al 2019). Fixed-wing platforms are therefore most suited to surveys of single-species colonies, although differences in nest spacing patterns and habitat type may allow separation of species in some circumstances (Zmarz et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Un-crewed aerial vehicle population survey of three sympatrically breeding seabird species at Signy Island, South Orkney Islands

et al. 2021

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Surveying seabirds in polar latitudes can be challenging due to sparse human populations, lack of infrastructure and the risk of disturbance to wildlife or damage to habitats. Counting populations using un-crewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) is a promising approach to overcoming these difficulties. However, a careful validation of the approach is needed to ensure comparability with counts collected using conventional methods. Here, we report on surveys of three Antarctic bird species breeding on Signy Island, South Orkney Islands; Chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarctica) and Gentoo (Pygoscelis papua) Penguins, and the South Georgia Shag (Leucocarbo atriceps georgianus). We show that images from low-altitude UAV surveys have sufficient resolution to allow separation of Chinstrap Penguins from contiguously breeding Adélie Penguins (Pygoscelis adéliae), which are very similar in appearance when viewed from overhead. We compare data from ground counts with manual counts of nesting birds on images collected simultaneously by low-altitude aerial photography from multi-rotor UAVs at the same colonies. Results at this long-term monitoring site confirmed a continued population decline for Chinstrap Penguins and increasing Gentoo Penguin population. Although both methods provided breeding pair counts that were generally within ~ 5%, there were significant differences at some locations. We examine these differences in order to highlight potential biases or methodological constraints that should be considered when analysing similar aerial census surveys and comparing them with ground counts.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Un-crewed aerial vehicle population survey of three sympatrically breeding seabird species at Signy Island, South Orkney Islands

et al. 2021

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“…2019, Pfeifer et al . 2019). A wide range of seabirds have been monitored using UAVs, including penguins (Spheniscidae) (Hodgson et al .…”

Section: Collection Of Digital Imagerymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2019, Pfeifer et al . 2019), albatrosses (Diomedeidae) (McClelland et al . 2016), terns and gulls (Laridae) (Sardà‐Palomera et al .…”

Section: Collection Of Digital Imagerymentioning

confidence: 99%

Applications of digital imaging and analysis in seabird monitoring and research

Edney

Wood

2020

Ibis

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Rapid advances in digital imaging technology offer efficient and cost‐effective methods for measuring seabird abundance, breeding success, phenology, survival and diet. These methods can facilitate understanding of long‐term population trends, and the design and implementation of successful conservation strategies. This paper reviews the suitability of satellites, manned aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and fixed‐position, handheld and animal‐borne cameras for recording digital photographs and videos used to measure seabird demographic and behavioural parameters. It considers the disturbance impacts, accuracy of results obtained, cost‐effectiveness and scale of monitoring possible compared with ‘traditional’ fieldworker methods. Given the ease of collecting large amounts of imagery, image processing is an important step in realizing the potential of this technology. The effectiveness of manual, semi‐automated and automated image processing is also reviewed. Satellites, manned aircraft and UAVs have most commonly been used for population counts. Spatial resolution is lowest in satellites, limiting monitoring to large species and those with obvious signs of presence, such as penguins. Conversely, UAVs have the highest spatial resolution, which has allowed fine‐scale measurements of foraging behaviour. Time‐lapse cameras are more cost‐effective for collecting time‐series data such as breeding success and phenology, as human visits are only required infrequently for maintenance. However, the colony of interest must be observable from a single vantage point. Handheld, animal‐borne and motion‐triggered cameras have fewer cost‐effective uses but have provided information on seabird diet, foraging behaviour and nest predation. The last of these has been important for understanding the impact of invasive mammals on seabird breeding success. Advances in automated image analysis are increasing the suitability of digital photography and videography to facilitate and/or replace traditional seabird monitoring methods. Machine‐learning algorithms, such as Pengbot, have allowed rapid identification of birds, although training requires thousands of pre‐annotated photographs. Digital imaging has considerable potential in seabird monitoring, provided that appropriate choices are available for both image capture technology and image processing. These technologies offer opportunities to collect data in remote locations and increase the number of sites monitored. The potential to include such solutions in seabird monitoring and research will develop as the technology evolves, which will be of benefit given funding challenges in monitoring and conservation.

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“…It is important to recognize, however, that small UAS BVLOS is still in its early stages of development [36] and it will be some time before unfettered BVLOS operations will be allowed by airspace regulators. In these future BVLOS applications, using GCPs collected on-site will not always be a viable option because of the large extents that will be covered by the imagery and the potential remoteness or inaccessibility of the study area (e.g., [35,37]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accuracy of 3D Landscape Reconstruction without Ground Control Points Using Different UAS Platforms

Kalácska

Lucanus

Arroyo‐Mora

et al. 2020

Drones

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The rapid increase of low-cost consumer-grade to enterprise-level unmanned aerial systems (UASs) has resulted in the exponential use of these systems in many applications. Structure from motion with multiview stereo (SfM-MVS) photogrammetry is now the baseline for the development of orthoimages and 3D surfaces (e.g., digital elevation models). The horizontal and vertical positional accuracies (x, y and z) of these products in general, rely heavily on the use of ground control points (GCPs). However, for many applications, the use of GCPs is not possible. Here we tested 14 UASs to assess the positional and within-model accuracy of SfM-MVS reconstructions of low-relief landscapes without GCPs ranging from consumer to enterprise-grade vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) platforms. We found that high positional accuracy is not necessarily related to the platform cost or grade, rather the most important aspect is the use of post-processing kinetic (PPK) or real-time kinetic (RTK) solutions for geotagging the photographs. SfM-MVS products generated from UAS with onboard geotagging, regardless of grade, results in greater positional accuracies and lower within-model errors. We conclude that where repeatability and adherence to a high level of accuracy are needed, only RTK and PPK systems should be used without GCPs.

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Using Fixed-Wing UAV for Detecting and Mapping the Distribution and Abundance of Penguins on the South Shetlands Islands, Antarctica

Cited by 43 publications

References 49 publications

Un-crewed aerial vehicle population survey of three sympatrically breeding seabird species at Signy Island, South Orkney Islands

Un-crewed aerial vehicle population survey of three sympatrically breeding seabird species at Signy Island, South Orkney Islands

Applications of digital imaging and analysis in seabird monitoring and research

Accuracy of 3D Landscape Reconstruction without Ground Control Points Using Different UAS Platforms

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