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FEATURE SPONSOR


AERIAL SURVEYING


REMOTE SENSING IS DRIVING DOWN OFFSHORE RENEWABLES COSTS


Remote sensing technology is facilitating new and innovative approaches that aid the offshore renewables sector in meeting environmental consents and driving down costs.


REGULATIONS AND GUIDANCE Many EU countries have regulations and guidance to meet Marine Strategy Framework Directive criteria, including restricting noise generation within the marine environment, and Habitats and Birds Directives protect many EU species and habitats. The resulting demand for comprehensive, defendable data is increasingly being fulfilled using remote sensing technologies.


OPTIONS


Traditional ecological surveying techniques require a surveyor in the field. In contrast, remote sensing uses automated sensors that provide consistent data, recorded and analysed post-capture, allowing ecologists to collect efficient, cost-effective data.


Remote sensing techniques such as bioacoustics, where recorders can be deployed and left unattended while collecting data, can generate comprehensive data providing a more complete picture of marine mammal activity. Multiple datasets can be combined for corroboration.


UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE (UAV) Baker Consultants’ UAV collects high definition aerial photographs of seabirds and cetaceans. When combined with contemporaneous marine bioacoustic recordings, this provides reliable and defensible data, reduces availability bias and gives a comprehensive understanding of how species use a site.


Remote sensing also gives greater accuracy, enhances repeatability (survey transects can be re-flown), is more time- efficient and cost-effective (covering large areas in a short space of time) and reduces disturbance bias.


POWERFUL DATA


“Combined, contemporaneous data is powerful.” states Andrew Baker, Managing Director of Baker Consultants who have a comprehensive remote sensing service. “Identification of seabirds and marine mammals from aerial photographs can be problematic. But, combination with sea- level observations and complementary use of bioacoustic recorders gives more reliable data in a greater range of weather conditions and a clearer understanding of the species present.”


Baker Consultants


www.windenergynetwork.co.uk


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