22/08/17 | Tags: Social, Innovations
Queensland University of Technology with the State Government is introducing a two year project which will use drones and high resolution imagery in order to provide data about koalas abundance.
Thanks to that technology koalas can be tracked from the air instead of being counted by people on the ground. “The primary emphasis of this project is on the ecology of koala conservation, and we are using drones and automated imaging technology as tools to assist,” said Dr Grant Hamilton from QUT’s Science and Engineering Faculty, who leads the project.
Data analytics will work simultaneously with automated identification. It will be possible to get accurate data about localization of koalas and estimate their number, which provides parameters that are crucial in saving endangered species. This solution is a part of strategy to protect and boost koalas number in South East Queensland.
Hamilton adds that drones technology introduces new robust survey methodology of monitoring fauna, which can be potentially used to protect other eco-systems.
Source: qut.edu.au