Small-Format Aerial Photography and UAS Imagery: Principles, Techniques and Geoscience Applications

Small Format Aerial Photography and UAS Imagery: Principles, Techniques and Geoscience Applications, Second Edition, provides basic and advanced principles and techniques for Small Format Aerial Photography (SFAP), focusing on manned and unmanned aerial systems, including drones, kites, blimps, powered paragliders, and fixed wing and copter SFAP. The authors focus on everything from digital image processing and interpretation of data, to travel and setup for the best result, making this a comprehensive guide for any user. Nine case studies in a variety of environments, including gullies, high altitudes, wetlands and recreational architecture are included to enhance learning.

This new edition includes small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and discusses changes in legal practices across the globe. In addition, the book presents the history of SFAP, providing background and context for new developments.

• Provides background and context for new developments in SFAP
• Covers the legal implications for small format aerial systems in different countries
• Discusses unmanned aerial systems (drones) and their applications
• Features new case studies for different applications, including vineyard monitoring and impacts of wind energy

Dr. Aber has a PhD in Geology from the University of Kansas. His interests and research experience are wide ranging in geology, tectonics, landscape evolution, wetland environments, remote sensing, aerial photography, and energy resources. He has conducted field investigations across the United States as well as Canada, Scandinavia, Central Europe and Japan. He is a distinguished professor at Emporia State University, Kansas.

Dr. Marzoff is a physical geographer and remote sensing/GIS scientist holding a Ph.D. from Freiburg University, Germany. She has been working on high-resolution remote sensing methods for monitoring land degradation and erosion since 1995. She has been involved in designing and building several unmanned platforms for small-format aerial photography and has developed remote-sensing and photogrammetry-based methods for quantifying geomorphological processes in high temporal and spatial resolution. She has collaborated in numerous research projects with colleagues from Belgium, Germany, India, Morocco, Spain and the USA

Dr. Ries holds a Ph.D. from Freiburg University, Germany. His research focusses on methodological questions regarding erosion, land degradation and desertification. His main expertise lies in experimental geomorphology, and small-format aerial and terrestrial photography has always been an integral part of his research concepts and projects. He has extensive international research cooperation and during recent years has conducted fieldwork mostly in semi-arid regions of Europe and Africa

Dr. Susan W. Aber is the Director of the Science and Math Education Center and Peterson Planetarium at Emporia State University (ESU), Emporia, Kansas USA. She is a geologist, graduate gemologist, map librarian, and university teacher. She taught in the Earth Science Department at ESU and was Federal Depository Map Librarian. She has taught LIS courses via distance education at San José State University and North Carolina Central University. Her LIS dissertation focused on the information needs and information-seeking behaviors of geoscience educators in the academic community. Her research interests are in information use and user studies, amber fossil resin, as well as the scientific visualization of information using kite aerial photography.