Population survey pilots an unmanned aircraft.

The article compares the use of traditional manned and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to test whether UAV can improve the safety, cost-effectiveness, and accuracy of marine mammal population surveys in Australia. The first phase of the project will test the basic capabilities of the UAV for viewing and surveying marine mammals. According to the author, dugongs and humpback whales are being targeted as they live in different cues from the air, and have very different movement habits and aggregation patterns.