De små ubemandende fly kan andet end at likvidere formodede terrorister. De kan eksempelvis anvendes til at spore krybskytter, der terroriserer truede dyrearter, og overvåge natur i ufremkommelige områder, skriver Mongabay. The use of small autonomous flying vehicles — model airplanes to hobbyists — is revolutionizing the field of conservation, enabling researchers to track wildlife, monitor for poachers, and survey inaccessible forests and reefs. Lian Pin Koh, the founder of Conservation Drones, a group which is accelerating innovation in the space, highlighted the many exciting applications of UAVs during a talk given this past June at TED Global in Edinburgh, Scotland this past June. He cited examples of drone use for conservation in Sumatra, Belize, and Nepal. Koh said the combination of open-source software and low-cost hardware including cameras, GPS and sensors has made it possible to build drones with advanced monitoring capabilities at only the fraction of the cost of hiring a plane to do a single flyover of an study area. The result is a powerful new tool for conservation and environmental protection. [video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIrgjCNcDBI] Læs mere her: http://news.mongabay.com/2013/1129-conservation-drones-koh-ted-vod.html#UH3e82WIVurZ0wGf.99
