Sponsored by Jobfordrones, your global Drone provider network. Many of you may use a FLIR thermal camera in your work with Drones, but here is an application from the Roswell Flight Test crew in Cheat Mountain, West Virginia that helps blend Drones, scientific study and thermal images to help restore trout to an area that has been decimated by clear cut of trees decades ago that made the rivers nearly uninhabitable.
Cheat Mountain was a turn of the century stop for the rich and famous of the day such as Harvey Firestone (tires), Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford. The aerial photography is striking, as it shows the high degree of deforestion and water that is brown and looks muddy. It also gives us a birds eye view of the man made structures in the river that create deep water areas that is conductive to bringing the trout back to the river.
The idea was to use a FLIR thermal imaging camera to track changes in thermal temperature that help scientists to place man made barrier made of rocks that create habitat that is conducive to the restoration of the trout. The barriers are clever, they are large rocks, placed in a “V” shape at intervals in the river bed. The flow of water creates a deeper, darker area of the stream where the fish feel comfortable and spawn there rather than being swept downriver.
Note the cool railroad trucks that they use to get to the location. It is a traditional pick-up truck but has an adapter that allows the truck to ride on railroad tracks. Not sure that I would have a use for one but very ingenious.
Check out the short video to learn more.
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