One of two QuestUAVs within the ESI UAV Facility fleet.

An eye in the sky: UAVs in Environmental Research

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have the potential to transform the way that researchers capture data about the Earth and they are emerging as a major scientific opportunity, however there are challenges in UAV deployment and use. 

A scientific meeting, UAVs in Environmental Research, will bring together international experts, users, developers and commercial operators to explore the issues and opportunities for collaboration in this cutting-edge field.

The two-day event is hosted by the University of Exeter’s Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI) and organised by the Institute’s Dr Karen Anderson.  It will feature keynote speakers, an innovative open session and opportunities to explore the state-of-the-art in this immerging discipline.  The event will take place 10 and 11 July at the University’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall.  

Speaking of the relevance of the conference to current environment research, Dr Karen Anderson: “UAVs or drones are emerging as valuable tools for scientific research because they can provide data at an unprecedented fine spatial and temporal resolution, and at low cost.

“UAVs put data collection into the hands of the masses and the end-user in control of their own data. There has been an explosion of interest in their use within the environmental sector and the time is ripe to explore the range of interdisciplinary connections between the sensor and platform developers, and the end users.”  

To find out more about the meeting, and to book your place click here.  

The UAVs in Environmental Research meeting has been enabled by funding from the Bridging the Gaps initiative.  

The ESI is working with businesses and enterprises across all sectors of the economy in Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and beyond to translate research and expertise into innovative business practices, products and services in order to respond to the challenges of environmental change. It has been funded by the European Regional Development Fund Convergence Programme (£22.9M) and the South West Regional Development Agency (£6.6M), with significant support from the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Date: 14 May 2014