East Anglia ONE Offshore Windfarm Generation Assets Monitoring Plan


September, 2016


3.1.1.4.6 Collection of relevant information from survey system 44.


The Shearwater II camera system is integrated with custom flight planning software that allows each survey transect to be accurately mapped before the aircraft leaves the ground. Each image capture node is precisely defined, allowing the system to fire the camera exposures at exactly the right location. This ensures that each survey is flown with the same transect orientation and the camera is triggered at the same position along each transect within set tolerances. The system enables tolerances on the flight path along survey lines to be set so that the survey will be automatically aborted if the survey line drifts away from the planned flight line.


45.


During each survey the camera technician will record the following details on the following weather conditions and ship observations:


• Shipping observations within 1.6 km either side of a transect; • Cloud cover (%); • Sun angle (o); • Wind speed and direction (kts / o); • Outside air temperature (oc); • Pressure (QNH); • Visibility; and • Sea state.


46.


The camera technician will also keep a record of the order in which the transects are flown, the time which the first node of each transect is captured, transect orientation and ground speed.


3.1.1.5 Timing and frequency 47.


The monitoring surveys will commence in October 2016. Aerial surveys will follow the timings of the proposed windows detailed in Table 3-1.


Table 3-1 Proposed Survey Windows


Survey Number Proposed Survey Windows 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8


1st –15th October 2016 16th – 31st October 2016 1st – 15th November 2016 16th – 30th November 2016 1st – 31st December 2016 1st – 31st January 2017 1st – 28th February 2017 1st – 31st March 2017


3.1.1.6 Image Analysis 48.


This section details the main elements of the high resolution digital still survey methodology in relation to image and data processing and analysis procedures.


49. In summary, the main elements of the image and data processing and analysis procedures are:


• Screening of images to locate birds. • Bird species identification (including measurement of relevant parameters to aid identification). • Collection and association of relevant attributes to each bird, including geo-referencing. • Measurement of flight heights for flying birds. • Export of relevant data to GIS for mapping.


50.


The digital still imagery acquired by the aerial survey will be analysed using bespoke image analysis software to determine species identification, abundance, distribution and other information relevant to seabirds (and marine megafauna) present within the survey area.


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