College
Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences (BCAS)
Date of Last Revision
2023-05-03 23:27:51
Major
Geography - Geographic Information Sciences
Honors Course
3370:497 - Honors Project in Geology
Number of Credits
3
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Date of Expected Graduation
Spring 2020
Abstract
The number of deer in an area is an important statistic for land managers to know, as overabundance has many negative effects. There are many methods that have been used to count deer in the past, such as using manned helicopters and airplanes, walking on foot, and conducting controlled hunts. UAS (unmanned aerial systems) is a growing field that provides many benefits over traditional methods of counting deer, such as lower cost and missions being less time consuming. Using a thermal sensor attached to a UAS makes it simple to spot any deer during a flight. Two main methods of counting and mapping deer using a UAS with a thermal sensor are investigated in detail; taking a video and taking still images which are then used to create an orthophoto mosaic. It was found that while there are positives and negatives to both methods, it is likely not possible to see a deer within a mosaic while it is possible to see deer in a thermal video.
Research Sponsor
Shanon Donnelly
First Reader
Linda Barrett
Second Reader
Jeremy Spencer
Honors Faculty Advisor
Linda Barrett
Recommended Citation
Ott, Maxwell C., "Using Unmanned Aerial Systems (Drones) with a Thermal Sensor to Map and Count Deer Population" (2020). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects. 1068.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/1068
Included in
Forest Management Commons, Geographic Information Sciences Commons, Nature and Society Relations Commons, Physical and Environmental Geography Commons, Remote Sensing Commons