Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Smart plane: state-of-the-art technology for wildlife conservation and protection

Understanding needs and efforts made by the Government to combat poaching, the use of sophisticated tracking and monitoring equipment such as Smart Plane is among the proactive techniques to improve protection of wildlife.  
In addressing the current challenges in poaching and illegal wildlife trade, there have been a lot of investments and strategies by the Government and stakeholders to address challenges on poaching. Several initiatives have been put in place including training of Village Game Scouts (VGS), camera traps and a lot of money invested, but poaching continues.  Therefore, adoption of new technology using smart plane for law enforcement is inevitable. Smart plane undertakes rapid assessment and helps to strategize surveillances and anti-poaching patrols in difficult terrains.

The Smart Plane is a flying machine, designed specifically for aerial photography. Performance is characterized by relatively neutral stability and a relatively high speed range, allowing low speed and low drag at a cruising speed.
The aircraft is easily taken apart without tools for easy transport and storage. The design is very robust with the camera well protected in the middle of the plane. Design and materials are selected to allow repairs in the field. It is equipped with a very compact and lightweight autopilot. Despite the small size, it is most advanced and capable of conducting all phases of flight from take-off to landing. The autopilot also manages the camera exposure, communication with the ground control station and the radio control transmitter. The autopilot uses inputs from GPS and other systems to stabilize and navigate the aircraft. GPS provides information about the position, altitude and velocity.

In adopting the high tech investment stakeholders will only require investments in human resource and capital for the investments.  

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