Drones 1: Planning Your Survey

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), commonly called drones, can be used to survey areas and capture high-resolution data. Drone surveys can provide an effective means of capturing spatial data that would otherwise take much longer and be more costly to obtain. They enable inaccessible areas to be surveyed and act as a tool for analysing environmental variables influencing a habitat.

This presentation will cover the basics that any drone surveyor should consider when surveying areas for biodiversity projects and research. We will discuss the different types of drones available commercially for landscape surveying and what considerations should go into selecting the right type of drone for your project. We will also cover :

• The laws and regulations surrounding drone use in the UK.
• Flight safety, site permissions and restrictions for flying.
• Flying drones in urban, suburban and rural landscapes.
• Capturing the appropriate data for your site.

At the end of the session, learners should feel more confident incorporating drone surveys into their ecological projects and research.

The 90-minute event will consist of a 1-hour presentation followed by a Q&A with the tutor using questions provided by the live audience.

The presentations will be recorded and shared with those who booked alongside Q&A transcripts and relevant links following the event via a password-protected website.

Skills For Ecology Webinars

This webinar is the first in a series of 3 webinars covering the use of drones for habitat surveying in the UK. Part 2 will focus on undertaking your survey and part 3 will focus on interpreting the survey results.

Drone Survey Specialist: Aaron Bhambra

Aaron Bhambra is a post-doctoral researcher in the Geography, Earth and Environmental Science department at the University of Birmingham. His specialisms include island biogeography, pollinator ecology and habitat restoration. Aaron has worked for over 3 years researching the use of drones in heathland habitat restoration projects in the West Midlands as part of Natural England’s Purple Horizons Project in the region.