{"id":19548,"date":"2019-06-09T02:51:31","date_gmt":"2019-06-09T06:51:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mdpair.com\/drone-trial-of-8000-summer-flights-over-popular-beaches-reveals-trove-of-data-on-shark-hotspots\/"},"modified":"2019-06-09T02:51:31","modified_gmt":"2019-06-09T06:51:31","slug":"drone-trial-of-8000-summer-flights-over-popular-beaches-reveals-trove-of-data-on-shark-hotspots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mdpair.com\/?p=19548","title":{"rendered":"Drone trial of 8,000 summer flights over popular beaches reveals trove of data on shark hotspots"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www2b.abc.net.au\/EAF\/View\/MailToQuery.aspx?https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2019-06-09\/drone-data-from-popular-nsw-beaches-reveals-shark-hotspots\/11189244\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Email<\/a>    Drone trial of 8,000 summer flights over popular beaches reveals trove of data on shark hotspots              <\/p>\n<p>       Updated             June 09, 2019 13:37:35          <!--more--><\/p>\n<p>             <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2019-06-08\/drone-pilots\/11191950\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">                                                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mdpair.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/11191812-3x2-700x467-1.jpg\" alt=\"drone pilots holding drones at Birubi beach\" title=\"Drone pilots\" \/> <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2019-06-08\/drone-pilots\/11191950\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>         Photo:<\/strong>        Surf Life Saving NSW drone program&#039;s Tom Caska and lifeguard Brad Fox piloted drones. (ABC Newcastle: Ben Millington)       <\/a>               <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/rural\/2019-06-07\/abalone-diver-encounter-with-great-white-shark\/11189792\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Related Story:<\/strong>         Abalone diver survives cat and mouse game with 5-metre great white shark<\/a>        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2019-01-31\/drones-used-to-monitor-sharks-far-north-nsw\/10764856\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Related Story:<\/strong>         Drone monitoring program uncovers true threat of sharks<\/a>        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2017-12-20\/beach-drones-sunshine-coast-surf-life-saving-queensland\/9275646\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Related Story:<\/strong>         Swim between the flags \u2014 the surf life saving drones are watching<\/a>                <a href=\"http:\/\/maps.google.com\/?q=-32.7235,152.1404(Nelson%20Bay%202315)&amp;z=5\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">         <strong>Map: <\/strong>         Nelson Bay 2315<\/a>            <\/p>\n<p>Data from a Surf Life Saving New South Wales (SLSNSW) drone trial has revealed January to be the most significant month for shark activity and the north coast to be the state&#039;s shark hotspot.<\/p>\n<h2>Key points:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>350 volunteers trained as drone pilots for the trial<\/li>\n<li>370 sharks were spotted during summer, with 42 per cent of sightings made in January<\/li>\n<li>Surf Life Saving Australia is also trialling a flotation drop device to assist in rescues from the air and thermal cameras to track crocs and find missing people<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It was the largest drone operation ever conducted in Australia with more than 8,000 flights at 20 trial locations along the NSW coast.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2019-06-09\/drone-data-from-popular-nsw-beaches-reveals-shark-hotspots\/#data\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The data reveals a total of 370 sharks were spotted during summer<\/a> and Evans Head had the most sightings with 58.<\/p>\n<p>Byron Bay and Ballina also had a significant number of sightings, as did Pambula Beach on the south coast.<\/p>\n<p>Forty-two per cent of sightings were made in January, followed by April (21 per cent), March (15 per cent) and February (8 per cent).<\/p>\n<p>The collaborative research project was funded by the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;The data is extremely valuable, it&#039;s one of the largest marine data sets in the world captured via drones,&quot; said SLSNSW drone coordinator Tom Caska.<\/p>\n<h2>Drone can warn swimmers<\/h2>\n<p>Mr Caska said recorded drone footage from Birubi Beach in Port Stephens shows a 3.5-metre bull shark swimming close to people between the flags before an alarm sounded to alert swimmers.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;If lifeguards spot what they believe to be a shark then they try and identify it as a threatening species \u2014 so anything over two metres and a bull shark or a tiger shark or a white pointer,&quot; he said.<\/p>\n<p>     <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2019-06-08\/shark-drone-1\/11191952\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">                                                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mdpair.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/11191870-3x2-340x227.jpg\" alt=\"Birds eye view of dark outline of a bull shark swimming in shallow water \" title=\"Shark spotted by drone\" \/> <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2019-06-08\/shark-drone-1\/11191952\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>         Photo:<\/strong>        Shark sightings from drones resulted in 50 beach closures in NSW last summer including this shark spotted at Birubi Beach, Port Stephens. (Supplied: Surf Life Saving NSW)       <\/a><\/p>\n<p>&quot;If it&#039;s within 200 metres of swimmers then they sound the alarm on the drone itself, and this alerts people who might be in the vicinity to get out of the way.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&quot;Most of the time the sharks may not pose that much of a threat but occasionally they do. So it is a fantastic way to maintain safety at our beaches.&quot;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Mr Caska said NSW beaches were closed 50 times over the summer following a drone shark sighting.<\/p>\n<h2>Rescue eye in the sky<\/h2>\n<p>Mr Caska said the drones were also very useful in assisting lifeguards in numerous rescues throughout the summer.<\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/science\/2017-12-20\/beach-safety:-how-to-spot-a-rip-and-avoid-dangerous-surf\/9255012\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">How to read a beach<\/a><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/science\/2017-12-20\/beach-safety:-how-to-spot-a-rip-and-avoid-dangerous-surf\/9255012\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"How to read a beach\" src=\"https:\/\/mdpair.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/beach-safety-kids-jumping-into-waves-data.jpg\" \/> <\/a> <br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/science\/2017-12-20\/beach-safety:-how-to-spot-a-rip-and-avoid-dangerous-surf\/9255012\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Do you know how to spot a rip or treat a jellyfish sting? Before you plunge into the surf this summer, refresh your memory with our beach safety guide.<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>Volunteer lifeguard Brad Fox was one of the 350 volunteers trained as drone pilots for the trial.<\/p>\n<p>He said the drones were helped lifeguards assess beach safety.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;In a rescue situation we&#039;re able to fly the drone straight to where we need to be and give [rescuers] a lot of feedback about the scenario that is unfolding there, or how to best approach it,&quot; Mr Fox said.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;What you can see from the air is much greater than what they can see at water level.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;It also helps us spot rips when we&#039;re setting up the beach, so it helps us figure out where we&#039;re going to set up the flags on the day.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&quot;It really expands the toolkit from a lifesaving point of view and it enables us to pinpoint where a problem is.&quot;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) said it was looking to expand the drone program to more beaches in NSW and around the country next summer.<\/p>\n<h2>Thermal cameras and flotation drops<\/h2>\n<p>              <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2018-01-18\/surf-lifesaving-drone-rescues-teens-at-lennox-heads\/9340950\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">                                                                      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mdpair.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/9341222-16x9-700x394.jpg\" alt=\"Drone drops rescue pod to distressed teens\" title=\"Drone rescues boys\" \/> <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2018-01-18\/surf-lifesaving-drone-rescues-teens-at-lennox-heads\/9340950\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Video:<\/strong> Drone drops rescue pod to distressed teens  (ABC News)       <\/a><\/p>\n<p>The organisation is also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2018-01-18\/drone-rescues-boys-from-surf-lennox-head\/9340784\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">trialling a flotation drop device to assist in rescues from the air<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;We&#039;re still refining it, it&#039;s really exciting,&quot; Mr Caska said.<\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2016-11-01\/protecting-humans-from-sharks-what-are-the-options\/7979206\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Protecting humans from sharks<\/a><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2016-11-01\/protecting-humans-from-sharks-what-are-the-options\/7979206\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Protecting humans from sharks\" src=\"https:\/\/mdpair.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/shark-custom-image-data.jpg\" \/> <\/a> <br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2016-11-01\/protecting-humans-from-sharks-what-are-the-options\/7979206\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">What are the pros and cons of the most popular options available to deter sharks?<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>&quot;It&#039;s basically quite a small lightweight flotation drop device that you can attach to the drone and it gets dropped from altitude and automatically inflates when it hits the water.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;A year ago we had a really good outcome when we used this technology, when we rescued a couple of swimmers.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;We really hope to do the same thing as the technology improves and we train our members to use the new technology.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>Mr Caska said lightweight drones with mounted thermal cameras were also being trialled and could help to pick up the heat signature of someone lost in rough seas or at night.<\/p>\n<p>The drones were also being trialled at numerous locations in the Northern Territory to see if they will help detect heat signatures from predators such as crocodiles.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&quot;As a volunteer organisation we&#039;ve even been able to get more and more people involved,&quot; Mr Caska said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>&quot;They&#039;ve been attracted to coming to work with Surf Life Saving because they&#039;re excited about these new innovative pieces of technology.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;This program is really the future of aerial surveillance.&quot;<\/p>\n<h2>Results of SLSNSW drone trial 2018-19<\/h2>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th><strong>Location<\/strong><\/th>\n<th><strong>Shark sightings<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Cudgen Beach, Kingscliff<\/td>\n<td>12<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Byron Bay<\/td>\n<td>49<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>The Pass, Byron Bay<\/td>\n<td>46<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Suffolk Pass<\/td>\n<td>8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Lennox Head<\/td>\n<td>19<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Sharpes Beach, Ballina<\/td>\n<td>41<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Shelly Beach, Ballina<\/td>\n<td>25<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Lighthouse Beach, Ballina<\/td>\n<td>35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Evans Head<\/td>\n<td>58<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Yamba<\/td>\n<td>3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Coffs Coast<\/td>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Tacking Point, Port Macquarie<\/td>\n<td>8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Birubi Beach, Anna Bay<\/td>\n<td>9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Redhead<\/td>\n<td>1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Avoca<\/td>\n<td>3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Kiama<\/td>\n<td>10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mollymook<\/td>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Tathra<\/td>\n<td>0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Pambula<\/td>\n<td>37<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>TOTAL<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>370<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p> \t<strong>Topics:<\/strong> \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/animal-science\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">animal-science<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/academic-research\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">academic-research<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/surfing\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">surfing<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/shark\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">shark<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/surf-life-saving\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">surf-life-saving<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/marine-biology\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">marine-biology<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/safety\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">safety<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/travel-health-and-safety\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">travel-health-and-safety<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/environmental-technology\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">environmental-technology<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/nelson-bay-2315\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">nelson-bay-2315<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/tathra-2550\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">tathra-2550<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/mollymook-2539\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">mollymook-2539<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/kiama-2533\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">kiama-2533<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/avoca-beach-2251\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">avoca-beach-2251<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/redhead-2290\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">redhead-2290<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/coffs-harbour-2450\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">coffs-harbour-2450<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/yamba-2464\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">yamba-2464<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/shelly-beach-2261\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">shelly-beach-2261<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/lennox-head-2478\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">lennox-head-2478<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/suffolk-park-2481\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">suffolk-park-2481<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/cudgen-2487\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">cudgen-2487<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/byron-bay-2481\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">byron-bay-2481<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/evans-head-2473\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">evans-head-2473<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/pambula-2549\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">pambula-2549<\/a>,   \t \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/topic\/ballina-2478\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ballina-2478<\/a> \t <\/p>\n<p>     First posted             June 09, 2019 06:00:00        <\/p>\n<p>         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/contact\/feedback.html?id=7367212\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">             Contact Ben Millington         <\/a>       <\/p>\n<p>               <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/nsw\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> <strong>   More <\/strong> stories from New South Wales<\/a>  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Email<\/p>\n<p> Drone trial of 8,000 summer flights over popular beaches reveals trove of data on shark hotspots<\/p>\n<p> Updated <\/p>\n<p> June 09, 2019 13:37:35<\/p>\n<p> Photo:<br \/>\n Surf Life Saving NSW drone program&#039;s Tom Caska and lifeguard Brad Fox piloted drones. (ABC Newcastle: Ben Millington)<\/p>\n<p> Related Story:<\/p>\n<p> Abalone diver survives cat and mouse game with 5-metre great white shark<\/p>\n<p> Related Story:<\/p>\n<p> Drone monitoring program uncovers true threat of sharks<\/p>\n<p> Related Story:<\/p>\n<p> Swim between the flags \u2014 the surf life saving drones are watching<\/p>\n<p> Map:<br \/>\n Nelson Bay 2315<\/p>\n<p> Data from a Surf Life Saving New South Wales (SLSNSW) drone trial has revealed January to be the most significant month for shark activity and the north coast to be the state&#039;s shark hotspot.<\/p>\n<p> Key points:350 volunteers trained as drone pilots for the trial370 sharks were spotted during summer, with 42 per cent of sightings made in JanuarySurf Life Saving Australia is also trialling a flotation drop device to assist in rescues from the ai..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19549,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mdpair.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mdpair.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mdpair.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mdpair.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mdpair.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19548"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mdpair.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19548\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mdpair.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mdpair.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mdpair.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}