Images

Image of the Stinking Water Gulch taken from a natural color sensor mounted on a UAS

USGS scientist Joe Adams flying a UAS at the Stinking Water Gulch 

To aid in the evaluation of possible impacts of land use on areas of Mancos Shale in Colorado, the NUSO, in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), used UAS in September 2016 to collect data over four 400-acre basins that have been subject to different types of land use.

Near infrared image of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park from a multispectral sensor mounted on a UAS

The NUSO worked with the NPS in July 2016 to evaluate the applicability of UAS data collection to help address specific park resource management needs and provide a basis for future integration of UAS to help manage other NPS resources.

Monitoring riparian vegetation along the Colorado River downstream of Glen Canyon Dam

Panoramic view of snow-covered mountains at Loveland Pass, with ski runs visible in the middle ground.

USGS researchers Todd Burton and Joe Adams retrieving a fixed wing UAS after a flight at Borah Peak

Packrats near their midden in the City of Rocks National Reserve. USGS Image (J. Betancourt).

Photo of the previous USGS Luminescence Laboratory location that gives an idea of the low lighting needed during analyses.

USGS researchers gather around their equipment in Rocky Mountain National Park's Andrews Meadow.

Image of Anaho Island taken at 300 feet from a natural color sensor mounted on a UAS

In May 2015 the NUSO, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, and Humboldt State University utilized UAS to conduct population surveys of nesting American White Pelicans at the Anaho Island National Wildlife Refuge (NWR).

Remote pilot monitoring the flight of a UAS at the Sequoyah NWR

The NUSO and the USFWS in February 2015 evaluated the use of UAS data collection to improve waterfowl survey accuracy and eliminate pilot/passenger safety risks associated with manned aircraft data collection. 

DOI researchers Mark Feller (NUSO) and Jeff Safron at the UAS mission control station overlooking the Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Natural color image of the Skagit Valley of Washington taken from a sensor mounted on a UAS

UAS in flight at the White Sands National Monument

UAS launch site at Tomales Bay in California

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) partnered with the NUSO in December 2013 at the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex to test the use of UAS technology for surveying waterbird abundance and distribution.

USGS scientist observing a UAS launch at the Pixley National Wildlife Refuge

In December 2013 NUSO scientists, in coordination with the USFWS, tested the feasibility of using UAS for waterbird surveys, waterbird species differentiation, and night-time thermal imagery collection at the Pixley NWR. 

Color infrared image of the Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge taken from a Canon SX260 mounted on a UAS

Working with the USFWS, the NUSO flew UAS missions in November 2013 over Ruby Lake NWR to conduct sample waterfowl population census counts and determine if individual species could be distinguished.

USGS scientists Jeff Sloan and Mark Bauer mounting an external sensor to a UAS

Working with the USFWS, the NUSO flew UAS missions in November 2013 over Ruby Lake NWR to conduct sample waterfowl population census counts and determine if individual species could be distinguished.

Image of the Platte River taken from a natural color sensor mounted on a UAS

NUSO researchers evaluated use of the T-Hawk UAS equipped with a high-resolution digital camera for mapping the spatial extent and elevation of emergent sandbars along two reaches of the Platte River in July 2013.

Here, scientists point to a mountain pine beetle (top) and a pine beetle larva (bottom) that have been tunneling in the bark of a killed pine tree. The bluish streaks in the bark are from bluestain fungus.

Image taken from a UAS of abandoned materials in the Mojave National Preserve

In cooperation with the National Park Service (NPS) at the Mojave National Preserve, the NUSO flew a UAS mission in March 2013 to locate and survey abandoned solid waste for historical assessment potential and cleanup.