Wildlife habitat mapping using a small aerial vehicle

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The goal of the proposed partnership is to develop, demonstrate and evaluate the feasibility of using a small airborne system for surveying Canada's rich and diverse natural habitats and wildlife. Such a system will provide data for informed and balanced policy decisions related to wildlife management while maintaining a natural resource industry that has suffered under the economic challenges of the pandemic and plays an integral part in Canada's economic recovery, especially post COP26. The surveying platform is based on an existing solar-powered aircraft that weighs about 15 kg, has a 6.3-m wingspan and has successfully completed several long-duration flights exceeding eight hours. The aircraft will collect data in the visual and infrared ranges. Artificial intelligence and other advanced algorithms will be used to evaluate the collected data. Compared to other methods, such as satellite imagery or images collected using crewed aircraft, the proposed approach is more cost-effective, more flexible, less intrusive, and with fewer risks to operators. If the proposed method is successful, Canada will have another effective tool that will help make essential decisions regarding land-management policies, which is particularly important as we emerge from the pandemic. Aside from these direct benefits, the project will help with the continued expansion of Canada's world leadership in technologies related to uncrewed aerial vehicles and provide at least six HQPs high-quality training opportunities.