Flying kites with a camera
Goat keeping, millet cultivation, and erosion control are three areas of activity of the Rural Development Project of Tahoua (PDRT) in Niger. Eric Tielkes, who works with PDRT and is an enthusiastic tinkerer, applied a novel way of supporting GIS systems (see Links on page 10). He hung a camera under a kite. Using a set of these photographs, PDRT can monitor whether, for instance, erosion control measures like small dams or hedges actually work or not. Patches of deposited sediment are visible on the photographs, just as gullies reveal instances where erosion control measures have been wrongly sited or built. The technique, kite aerial photography (KAP), is not new but until now it has not been used for professional purposes. The kite is 6 m3 in size and the camera hangs 8 m under the kite. On the ground the photographer can determine when to take the picture once the kite is in the air, by using a drainpipe 40 cm long and 10 cm in diameter with a small mirror underneath. As soon as the kite can be seen in the mirror, the photographer knows that the camera is right above the spot to be photographed. The camera is radio-controlled and has an automatic film transporter. To get maximum amounts of data and good interpretable photographs, it is essential that the pictures are taken perpendicular to the face of the earth. The technique is relatively simple and cheap. A kite with a camera, suspension mechanism, 600 m of rope, and a winch costs less than $ 2000 or 2000. E Tielkes, PDRT c/o DED BP 11895 Niamey, Niger Fax: +227 753 137 Email: eva@intnet.ne .
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| Format: | News Item biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
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Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
2000
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/46666 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/99587 |
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