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LidarBoX: a 3D-printed, Open-source Altimeter System to Improve Photogrammetric Accuracy for off-the-shelf Drones

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/articles/2n49t9532

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  • Drones provide a privileged birds’-eye view for collecting high-resolution imagery formorphometric and behavioral sampling of animals. Biologically meaningful measurements extracted from overhead images require an accurate estimate of altitude, but current commercial drones include inaccurate barometer estimates. Recent proposals for coupling altimeter systems to drones have provided customized, open-source solutions, yet assembling such altimeter systems requires advanced technical skills, thereby potentially limiting their use. Here, we built upon recent advances to provide a 3D-printed enclosure for an altimeter system that is inexpensive, self-contained, easy to setup, and transferable across commercial drones.We depart from a published, successful data logger system composed of a GPS and LiDAR sensor and design a more compact and self-powered version (“LidarBoX”) that easily attaches to a variety of commercial drones. We compare flight times with/without LidarBoX attached, test flightmaneuverability and performance, and validate the reliability of measurement accuracy. Tomake LidarBoX accessible, we provide an open-source repository with design code and files and a how-to-assemble guide for non-specialists. We hope this work helps popularize LiDAR altimeter systems on commercial drones to improve the accuracy and reliability of drones as a sampling platform for ecology and wildlife research.
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  • 12
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  • The development of the LidarBoX was supported by the Marine Mammal Institute's Center of Drone Excellence (CODEX) , the Marine Mammal Research Program Fund at Oregon State University and by the Office of Naval Research Marine Mammals and Biology program (grant numbers N00014-20-2760 and N00014-23-1-2422) . M.C. was supported by the Marine Mammal Institute (Jungers Faculty Development and Research Fund) , the Marine Studies Initiative, and the College of Agricultural Sciences, all at Oregon State University.
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  • 2564-4939

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