Here’s one to add to the so-called Triple D (dull – dirty – dangerous) drone rationale: Dam.Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey, the Federal Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service are utilizing small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) to monitor restoration at Elwha Dam in Washington. It’s part of a larger push to robotize natural resource management: While the US Forest Service continues maintaining the longest time-lapse project ever, many other of the federal government’s crunchier agencies are taking to drones, particularly the coffee-table sized Raven RQ-11A glider, with increasing aplomb.These most recent trials took first flight in June, and have resumed this week, the small-fry craft cruising 500 feet over the river with little more than a whirr. With more than a dozen missions flown thus far – any given day can see multiple flights – these dam drones have collected approximately 60 gigs worth of high-quality video. The idea is to see how these systems can be deployed to keep tabs on not only the $315 million Elwha restoration project. Mike Hutt, who oversees UAV integration at USGS, says a host of other eco-based projects, from gathering video of river sediment “newly released by the removal of Elwha Dam and the ongoing demolition of Glines Canyon Dam 9 miles upriver,” can all leverage unmanned systems.As far as this footage being released, don’t hold your breath – for too long, at least. But presumably it’ll look a little something like this:USGS biologist Leanne Hanson narrates this Raven-A test flight, US Army Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, 2010“It’s a lot of technology in a small package,” Hutt tells the Peninsula Daily. And no mater what specific cases scientists make for droning on and on, Hutt claims, their use in non-battlefield paradigms should be seen as the merging of disparate disciplines that’s always been at the vanguard of leading-edge scientific endeavors. “It’s a nice marriage between computer science, GPS technology and aviation."But of course, that sing-songy, we’re-all-in-this-together bit is not without friendly one upmanship. Wildlife biologists were early champions of UAVs compared to researchers in other fields, according to Hutt. And it makes sense – numbers show that plane crashes account for the majority of wildlife biologist deaths. Not surprisingly, these scientists are open to rolling out any technology able to give them bird’s eye views while keeping bodies out of harm’s way.What, do you blame them?Reach this writer at brian@motherboard.tv. @thebanderson
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