Australian reefs are a natural wonder of the world and are home to unique sea life, as well as an important resource for our marine and tourism industries.
The ReefScan program uses drones to gather accurate ocean data which is used to assess the health of Australia’s coral reefs, to inform policy decisions and next steps.
Collecting data from our oceans can be difficult if the water is too shallow to dive in, low cloud cover prevents satellite and aircraft imagery, or if access is limited due to plants such as mangroves.
ReefScan uses 10 commercial grade aerial drones, each carrying 6 kilograms of sensing equipment, to produce high-resolution thermal imagery and data on water quality, temperature and coral reef health.
ReefScan is also trialling on-water and underwater drones to collect data. In the future this will enable:
- Monitoring of plume fields, algal bloom and oil slicks;
- Surveys of the ocean floor, coral bleaching and cyclone impacts;
- Gathering data in rough seas; and
- Mission planning, infrastructure inspections and permit compliance.