Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s) are much more accurate than the current methods of counting wildlife, a study by the University of Adelaide in Australia has suggested. The study was led by one of the university’s Ph.D. candidates in the School of Biological Sciences, Jarrod Hodgson. The study found that camera-drones are a better, more accurate and more effective tool for counting a large number of animals of the same species.

Timely discovery

In the research paper documenting the results, Jarrod noted that the results of the research were quite timely, given the great need in the world for accurate and easily verifiable data on wildlife numbers. The number of animals facing extinction is alarmingly high, making accurate data even more crucial. Traditionally, we have had to wait for a big change in animal populations before we take action, which has led to the near-extinction of many species. Drones mounted with high quality cameras can however detect even the smallest changes in the population, spurring timely action to protect the species under attack.

Fake Fucks and Double Counting

For this research, the team of researchers used fake ducks that were modeled after the Crested Tern bird. The 2,000 fake ducks were then spread out on a beach in Adelaide and the two teams got to counting. The first used traditional methods like binoculars and telescopes while the second team used a drone that flew over the beach collecting images. The images were then used by the researchers to count the number of birds on the beach.

The team that used the images collected by the drones got much more accurate results, proving once again that drones are the way to go if we have any chance of saving our wildlife. The team of researchers even had a computer program that could process the images and count the number of birds.

The traditional method of counting was made even more difficult by the overlapping birds, in which one bird could block another, making the counting inaccurate. In a real-life setup, the problem of double counting arises as the birds would move constantly and one may end up counting a bird twice. The images collected by the drones eliminated this problem as the chances of double counting or blocking was close to zero.

The Implications

While this research didn’t help save any wildlife directly, it will serve as the basis of future efforts to save wildlife all over the world. This method of counting wildlife is by far the most accurate available and will help many governments and other organizations save different animal species. It is made even better by the fact that it does not interfere with or interrupt the animals that are being counted.