Developing a new integrated unmanned aerial vehicle platform "Quest EarthWater" for assessing hidden blue water supplies

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A large quantity of hidden potable water is stored in semi-natural landscapes such as upland peatlands, lowland grasslands and riparian habitats that are not well-characterised or understood. There are limited sources of information about these landscapes and currently available satellite data cannot provide the level of detail to describe their complex patterns and processes. This project will develop a new method for spatially characterising landscapes that contain hidden water supplies and reveal the complex nature of their patterns and processes. This method will utilise an unmanned aerial vehicle or "drone" to deploy imaging sensors that can capture very detailed pictures of the landscapes so that the hidden water resources can be quantified. In cases where the landscapes holding the water are degraded, this method will allow management strategies to be effectively targeted so that water storage can be improved and the cost of long term water supplies reduced.