Drone for the project “Joint Environmental Monitoring in the Black Sea Basin”

Since 2020 Sabuko – Society for Nature Conservation together with the Black Sea countries (Bulgaria, Romania and Armenia) has been implementing the project – ” Joint Environmental Monitoring in the Black Sea Basin”. The aim of the project is to develop a methodology for identifying and solving common problems in the Black Sea Basin Protected Areas.
In the first stage, data will be collected, the analysis of which will reveal significant threats to the protected areas of the Black Sea basin, and the relevant methodology will be developed based on the data. For monitoring and data collection, it is important to have photographic material from the study areas to assess human impacts and impacts of climate change. To thoroughly assess the area selected for the project and collect information from hard-to-reach or inaccessible places, monitoring will be carried out using a drone. Recently, researchers are increasingly making use of UAVs to collect in scientific research and monitoring, due to the fact that its use allows to monitor a large area in the shortest possible time, using minimal human resources, and quickly obtained high-resolution visual material.
In addition, the modern design of the drone, the noiseless flight and the ability to maneuver quickly will not cause concern for biodiversity, when following the rules. Given the above benefits, Sabuko has purchased a DJI phantom 4 multispectral drone. Using the selected type of drone is more efficient now due to its technical specifications – a built-in stabilized imaging system that collects comprehensive data sets right out of the box. Access information collected by 1 RGB camera and a multispectral camera array with 5 cameras covering Blue, Green, Red, Red Edge, and Near Infrared bands – all at 2 MP with global shutter, on a 3-axis stabilized gimbal.