Author: Dr Karen Joyce

earth observation data
Drone Data Capture

Earth observation data reveals the when and where of mangrove dieback

Earth observation data reveals valuable information that you should know. In the wake of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (#COP26) there’s even more than usual climate related information hitting the headlines. And this just landed from Professor Peter Macreadie and team from Deakin University (and others), reminding us to consider the role of blue carbon ecosystems (e.g. mangroves,

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sea cucumber population map
Drone Data Capture

Calling drone pilots help map the sea cucumbers population

Sea Cucumbers have threatened species and it’s critical we create the largest population map of their habitats. The first time I flew my drone on Heron Reef about five years ago I was blown away by what I would now be able to map and monitor. I was looking for live coral and I certainly

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how to map with a drone
Drone Data Capture

How to Map With a Drone (Top 10 Tips)

How to map with a drone: I know that lots of people love flying drones, but I’m not one of them! Yet what I do love is the #earthobservation data that I can capture with my drone. I’ve been working with remote sensing data since the late 1990’s and know full well that not all data

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Mother Earth’s Paparazzi
Drone Data Capture

Drone Pilots Reinvent Themselves as Mother Earth’s Paparazzi

Mother Earth’s Paparazzi is a term used to describe drone enthusiasts who capture images of mother earth to help protect at-risk ecosystems. Over the past seven years, I have captured tens of thousands of beautiful drone images. But I don’t consider myself a skilled photographer – I’m simply lucky that my subject is stunning! And

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drone crash
Drone Data Capture

Let’s Talk About Drone Crashes

Drone crashes do happen, but there are ways to avoid them. Find out how in this article. It doesn’t matter if I’m talking to kids or adults, the most common question I’m asked about droning is if I’ve crashed. And while I can’t say that watching a 35kg beast crash is the highlight of my

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Marine ground control
Drone Data Capture

How can I get ground control in a marine environment?

I’m sure that my certified surveyor friends cringe when they hear about our methods of ‘Marine ground control’ on the reef! But here goes… What is ‘ground control’? No, we’re not calling Major Tom… Ground control points (GCPs) are points or features on the surface of the earth (or even underwater) with a known location.

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drone hand catch
Drone Data Capture

Ten Tips for Catching a Drone Safely with your Hands.

Catching a drone by hand can be dangerous! Find out how to catch a drone with your hand safely in this article. Get more information today! I often joke that drones are like flying Edward Scissorhands. Those propellers can really do some damage if they come into contact with anything other than air! Just check

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upload drone data
Drone Data Capture

Drone data…don’t lose it, use it!

How many drone datasets do you suppose there might be around the world? Discover more about how to upload drone data. I consider myself to be a biographer for Mother Earth. I tell stories of her beauty, challenge, and change, using drones and satellites as my scientific illustrators. Over the years I have amassed many

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optimal drone flying height
Drone Data Capture

How to figure out the optimal drone flying height for mapping!

People frequently ask about how to calculate the optimal drone flying height, however, it’s the wrong question to ask. What is more important is to understand the size of the feature/s that you are trying to map. It may come as no surprise that as you increase the altitude of your drone, you are able

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what is orthomosaic
Drone Data Capture

What is an Orthomosaic?

Orthomosaic, the Short Answer: The output from a process where a number of overlapping photos (e.g. from a drone or aerial camera) are stitched together with distortions removed to create a complete and continuous image representation or map of a portion of the earth. The orthomosaic below is made up of 283 individual drone photographs.

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great barrier reef map
Drone Data Capture

Spectacular drone mapping on the Great Barrier Reef to find live coral

How much live coral do we have on the Great Barrier Reef? Get valuable information & learn more about our drone mapping on the Reef. As a student in the late 1990’s I was incredibly fortunate to visit the University of Queensland Heron Island Research Station many times, firstly for undergraduate subjects, and then later for my

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best time to fly drone
Drone Data Capture

Up and away! The best time for drone mapping

When is the best time to fly your drone?  One of the things that I love about working with drones is the ability to be flexible about when and where I fly to capture data. I’ve worked with satellite data for over two decades and it can be really restrictive when data are only acquired

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fantome island
Drone Data Capture

(Fantome Island) Before quarantine hotels there were leprosariums

(fantome island) Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this article contains material that may be considered culturally sensitive, including imagery of previous occupations. In this ‘unprecedented time’ of global pandemic, I wonder – just how unprecedented is it? Certainly we’ve seen the fear of mass contagion and need to isolate the

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buffel grass, Tjoritja National Park near Alice Springs, Arrernte Country
Drone Data Capture

Catastrophic fires a high price to pay to reduce dust

It might have been planted to suppress dust and provide cattle fodder during a drought in central Australia, but buffel grass has taken over the landscape with disastrous results. As an invasive species, buffel grass is able to take advantage of conditions that are not so friendly for native grasses. In particular, it can grow

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Giant clams on Orpheus Island, Manbarra Country by Dr Erin Graham and Trinity Bay STEM Girls on GeoNadir
Case Studies

Using Drone Data to understand Clam Reefs

Using drone images of clam reef, we estimate the amount of live tissue & model their contribution to the calcium carbonate of the reef. I have to confess that I absolutely LOVE clam chowder. I remember when I was first introduced to it at Phil’s Fish Market and Eatery in Moss Landing, California >20 years

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drone mapping apps
Drone Data Capture

The low down on drone mapping apps

There are dozens of drone mapping apps to choose from, let’s us help you choose the right one for the job. Yes, apps can make our lives easier, but do we really need so many of them?! Let’s check out some of the free (or freemium) options in the mission planning phase of drone mapping,

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