- This topic has 1 voice and 0 replies.
-
Posts
-
-
#News(General) [ via IoTForIndiaGroup ]
Spotting Whales From Space
Scientists from the University of Cambridge and the British Antarctic Survey used high-resolution satellite images to detect and count four species of whales. The images were produced by WorldView-3, a satellite from geospatial information company DigitalGlobe capable of detailing objects at the earth’s surface down to a size of about a foot (31 centimeters) across.
“Satellites have improved so much with their spatial resolution. For the first time we’ve been able to see features that are truly distinctive of whales, such as their flippers and flukes,” lead author Hannah Cubaynes, a whale ecologist, told the BBC.In their paper, the research team describes how they searched known whale aggregation areas off the coasts of Argentina, Hawaii, Mexico, and in the Mediterranean Sea, covering a combined 5,000 square kilometers; an area roughly the size of the state of Delaware. The team focused on identifying and counting southern right, humpback, fin, and grey whales.
The researchers went through high-resolution satellite images and identified the ones possibly containing whales. They then blended black and white and color satellite images and carried out additional automated analysis. The process made it possible to identify and count the different species, adding important data to assessments of whale populations, distribution, and health status.
-
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
