1. Determining position, velocity and acceleration of free-ranging animals with a low-cost unmanned aerial system.
- Author
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Harvey, Richard J., Roskilly, Kyle, Buse, Chris, Evans, Hannah K., Hubel, Tatjana Y., and Wilson, Alan M.
- Subjects
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ABSOLUTE velocity , *ACQUISITION of data , *ANIMAL locomotion , *ANIMAL mechanics - 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 m2). 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-1 and 2.31 m s-2, 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
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