Researchers Automate Whale Data Collection Coastal Review Online

Researchers launch and retrieve drones from a boat to photograph humpback and minke whales in the Western Antarctic Peninsula. BEAUFORT -- The swift pace of technological development has given researchers tools that can collect more data in less time and with fewer resources than a decade ago. Lightweight tags with long-lasting batteries can track animals as small as insects and measure the conditions around them. DNA sequencing technologies have decoded the genomes of thousands of organisms from the loblolly pine to the black bear. Drones can quickly photograph landscapes and animals in locations that may be inaccessible or unsafe for people.