High resolution aerial digital imagery to study natural ...

High resolution aerial digital imagery to study natural and anthropogenic activity, and interactive data visualization

[email protected]

• Background • Camera System • Data Collection • Image Extraction • Example Results

– Factors Affecting Identification Success – Representative details

• ReMOTe and data visualization

Outline

Background

• Technology trialed by Normandeau in 2011 Project funded by BOEM – Compared boat-based and aerial visual surveys – Turtles (10 x more than boat, 4x more than aerial) – Attraction and repulsion effects and observer

biases evident in visual data

Camera System

1360 feet flying altitude 1.5 cm GSD (capable of 0.5 cm GSD) Large footprint (710 m x 110 m) NY OPA = over 43,000 km2 Fast shutter speed Enhances the sharpness of the edges of the pixel

in cropped imagery Improves species identification particularly

moving/flying objects Better in low light conditions

Seasonal Differences

Maximize crew hours Avoid mid-day glare/glint Sea state < 4 Cloud base > 1,400 ft Visibility > 5 km Wind speed < 30 knots.

Image Extraction & 10% QC

Results 20% QC & 100% Endangered Species QC

Birds Marine Mammals Turtles Cartilaginous and Bony Fish Fish Shoals Boats

Gill Net

Birds: Over 20,000 in winter alone ID Success ~50 species

View of heads and bills affects bird identifications

100% cormorants, loons, and raptors identified to species

100% of all avian identifications classified to species group

88% gulls identified to species 81% shearwaters identified to species

75% terns identified to Sterna, which includes Roseate Tern Overall success 81% to species and 90% to genus/species such as Sterna

Birds: ID Success

BIRDS - Ducks: 8 Species

Black Scoter Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Gadwall King Eider Long-tailed Duck Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter

BIRDS - Gulls: 9 Species Black-legged Kittiwake Bonaparte's Gull Great Black-backed Gull Herring Gull Glaucous Gull Iceland Gull Laughing Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Little Gull Ring-billed Gull

Gulls- Detail SPECIES # Flying

MEAN Height

MAX Height

Min Height

Black-legged Kittiwake

96 35.44 102.8 0.4

Bonaparte's Gull 390 46 162.5 0.7 Laughing Gull 136 45.99 173.2 0.3 Ring-billed Gull 45 61.51 164.3 0.8 Herring Gull 711 54.07 319.4 0.1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

4 37.18 108.9 2.5

Great Black-backed Gull

106 52.96 265.6 0.7

Marine Mammals - Over 2,500 ID Success

Subsurface animals ranked • Breaching • Near surface • Significantly submerged

49% dolphins identified to species 76% unidentified dolphins classed significantly submerged 96% whales identified to species

Marine Mammals – Over 4,500

Dolphins: 8 Species Atlantic Spotted Atlantic White-sided Common Bottlenose Harbor Porpoise Pilot Whale (unid) Risso’s Short-beaked Common Striped

Pinnipeds: 1 Species Gray Seal Whales: 6 Species Blue Common Minke Humpback Sperm Beaked Whale (unid) North Atlantic Right

Turtles- Over 600 ID Success

Overall identification success of 75% Turtles: 4 Species Green Kemp’s Ridley Leatherback Loggerhead

Rays – Over 8,000

Rays: 4 Species Bluntnose Stingray Bullnose Cownose Giant Manta

Sharks: Over 900 of 14 species

Including: Basking Shark Whale Shark Great White Shark Scalloped Hammerhead Bull Shark

Large Bony Fish – Over 1000

6% of summer targets 1% of fall targets

Fish Shoals – Over 6,600

Boats - 73

Commercial Shell fishing

Boats classed as Commercial, Recreational, or Cargo Commercial Dragger Gillnetter Lobsterboat Party boat Shellfisher Trawler

https://remote.normandeau.com

remote.normandeau.com- Maps

remote.normandeau.com- Heat Maps

Fish Shoals between 10 m and 40 m contours

remote.normandeau.com- Maps

General information Tracking Progress

Relative Abundance

Data Associated with Snags

Images

Questions?

Thank You