Drones, both aerial and surface-based, have become commonplace for both environmental and industrial monitoring. For monitoring rivers, drones offer a convenient platform for a wide range of optical and environmental sensors that are able to provide high spatial and temporal resolution data. These data can also be collected over larger study areas than is possible with traditional field work.
In my talk, I’ll be focusing on using drones for mapping and monitoring of shallow water streams, including new techniques in both above and below water data collection, and share some initial results from an NSF-funded project to develop a low-cost drone boat for bathymetric, temperature, and water surface mapping.
