UAV Over Otters
Scientists in Alaska use Unmanned Aerial Vehicle technology to take a closer look at sea otters in Katchemak Bay.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles help scientists spy sea otters
Scientists in Alaska are expanding research opportunities using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), flying technological tools. Explore the role of UAVs in boosting sea otter observations– recording sea otters as they devour prey in Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Sea otters in Katchemak Bay can be spotted from shore using scopes, but scopes only give a clear view of what half the Bay’s sea otter population is eating. Using hovering UAVs can give scientists a clear view of otters far from shore without disturbing the otters’ activities. Hovering UAVs over sea otters expands science possibilities by giving video feed of the animals chowing down. Explore the sea otter science in this video, and revisit our ‘Fly Scout Fly’ video to get into the details of operating the Scout UAV.
Video features personnel from the U.S Geological Survey, and the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI), University of Alaska Fairbanks. Scientists including Dan Monson, wildlife biologist, USGS, Benjamin Weitzman, wildlife biologist, USGS, and Brenda Konar, marine biology professor, University Alaska Fairbanks, worked with ACUASI pilots to test the process.
UAV Over Otters video | FrontierScientists
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