Testing unmanned aircraft systems for salmon spawning surveys
Unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) were tested for counting Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) redds as a more accurate, safer alternative to manned helicopter flights. Counting redds from the helicopter was less expensive and time consuming, but of the total redds counted at selected sites wit...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Canadian Science Publishing
2016-11-01
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| Series: | FACETS |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2016-0019 |
| _version_ | 1818950944281329664 |
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| author | Phillip A. Groves Brad Alcorn Michelle M. Wiest Jacek M. Maselko William P. Connor |
| author_facet | Phillip A. Groves Brad Alcorn Michelle M. Wiest Jacek M. Maselko William P. Connor |
| author_sort | Phillip A. Groves |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) were tested for counting Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) redds as a more accurate, safer alternative to manned helicopter flights. Counting redds from the helicopter was less expensive and time consuming, but of the total redds counted at selected sites with a UAS, an average (± SD) of only 77% ± 14% was counted from the helicopter. A river-wide census of redds was not possible with a UAS because the study area was too large for the single field crew to survey. Simulation analyses were used to compare stratified random sampling (STRS) and sampling proportional to size (PPS) for estimating annual total redd counts from data collected with a UAS. The STRS estimates were more accurate and precise, whereas the PPS estimates, though biased, had 95% CIs that included the observed redd count more frequently. We strongly recommend that researchers conduct simulation analyses to evaluate alternative survey sampling methods if they are considering replacing census counts made from manned aircraft with counts estimated from data collected with a UAS. We conclude that UAS application reduces the risk inherent to manned aircraft flights, but the reduction in risk can come at the cost of estimates of population parameters that can sometimes be inaccurate and lack 95% CI coverage. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T09:26:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-12bf9ad4a6504bf5aa6b77dc4873d8e8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2371-1671 2371-1671 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T09:26:38Z |
| publishDate | 2016-11-01 |
| publisher | Canadian Science Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | FACETS |
| spelling | doaj.art-12bf9ad4a6504bf5aa6b77dc4873d8e82022-12-21T19:45:11ZengCanadian Science PublishingFACETS2371-16712371-16712016-11-01118720410.1139/facets-2016-0019Testing unmanned aircraft systems for salmon spawning surveysPhillip A. Groves0Brad Alcorn1Michelle M. Wiest2Jacek M. Maselko3William P. Connor4Idaho Power Company, 1221 West Idaho Street, Boise, ID 83702, USAIdaho Power Company, 1221 West Idaho Street, Boise, ID 83702, USADepartment of Statistics, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83843, USADepartment of Statistics, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83843, USA; National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Auke Bay Laboratories, 17109 Pt. Lena Loop Rd., Juneau, AK 99801, USAUS Fish and Wildlife Service, Idaho Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office, 276 Dworshak Complex Drive, Orofino, ID 83544, USAUnmanned aircraft systems (UASs) were tested for counting Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) redds as a more accurate, safer alternative to manned helicopter flights. Counting redds from the helicopter was less expensive and time consuming, but of the total redds counted at selected sites with a UAS, an average (± SD) of only 77% ± 14% was counted from the helicopter. A river-wide census of redds was not possible with a UAS because the study area was too large for the single field crew to survey. Simulation analyses were used to compare stratified random sampling (STRS) and sampling proportional to size (PPS) for estimating annual total redd counts from data collected with a UAS. The STRS estimates were more accurate and precise, whereas the PPS estimates, though biased, had 95% CIs that included the observed redd count more frequently. We strongly recommend that researchers conduct simulation analyses to evaluate alternative survey sampling methods if they are considering replacing census counts made from manned aircraft with counts estimated from data collected with a UAS. We conclude that UAS application reduces the risk inherent to manned aircraft flights, but the reduction in risk can come at the cost of estimates of population parameters that can sometimes be inaccurate and lack 95% CI coverage.http://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2016-0019small unmanned aircraftsalmon spawning surveyspopulation estimates |
| spellingShingle | Phillip A. Groves Brad Alcorn Michelle M. Wiest Jacek M. Maselko William P. Connor Testing unmanned aircraft systems for salmon spawning surveys FACETS small unmanned aircraft salmon spawning surveys population estimates |
| title | Testing unmanned aircraft systems for salmon spawning surveys |
| title_full | Testing unmanned aircraft systems for salmon spawning surveys |
| title_fullStr | Testing unmanned aircraft systems for salmon spawning surveys |
| title_full_unstemmed | Testing unmanned aircraft systems for salmon spawning surveys |
| title_short | Testing unmanned aircraft systems for salmon spawning surveys |
| title_sort | testing unmanned aircraft systems for salmon spawning surveys |
| topic | small unmanned aircraft salmon spawning surveys population estimates |
| url | http://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2016-0019 |
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