UAV Collaborative Uses The Bat 4 For Airborne Observation At Select Florida Keys Sites

A high-resolution assessment of carbon dynamics in seagrass and coral reef biomes has recently been completed at several sites in the Florida Keys through a partnership with the UAV Collaborative and MLB Company to better understand the dynamics of vulnerable near shore environments.

Over a 9-day period, MLB Bat 4 successfully flew six flights in Class G airspace in the area of Sugarloaf Key (7FA1) Airport in the Florida Keys. The Bat 4 captured nearly 3,700 images with a fully-integrated pre-testing multispectral camera system.

"Our mission to study the coral reefs will provide new insights into coastal region dynamics and develop new remote sensing technologies to serve as a guide for future aerial and satellite platforms," said Dr. Stanley R. Herwitz, Director of the UAV Collaborative. "MLB Company's versatility and adaptability, and its reliable Bat 4 UAV platform have made the first phase of our research project a major success."

MLB's Bat 4 is well-suited for scientific research applications with its 20 pound payload to carry the needed sensors for R&D and up to 10 hours of flight duration to provide ample time to gather data for analysis.

"We are committed to providing the best-in-class UAS solutions and services to meet the needs of our customers," said Dr. Stephen Morris, CEO and Founder of MLB. "We are glad to support the NASA ROSES project. UAVs are perfectly suited for such a project, providing repeated long duration, low-flying mission capabilities over the Key West region in a safe, reliable manner."

(Bat 4 image courtesy MLB Company)

FMI: www.mlbuav.com, www.uav-applications.org