Balloon mapping in Peru
We wanted to use a balloon to do aerial mapping rather than a drone. Before the Peru trip we assumed that a tethered weather balloon would be more sustainable than using a drone for aerial mapping which can include a downward facing camera gimble. Mario Melgar students at Laguna Chacas with an aerial mapping weather balloon. PRE-TRIP hypotheses: My hypotheses of why a balloon would be preferable to using a quadcopter equipped with a downward facing camera: Inexpensive: helium is the largest expense at about $40 for one balloon. Less accident prone and less costly if an accident happens. If I crash my quad-copter, the cost could be a few hundred dollars. A balloon won't crash and if something happens, the string will break and you have to go hunt for it. Faster planning. You just need a balloon, camera and helium. The outsider excitement and alarmist perspective may vary: A community response to what we know as a "DRONE" has some fear associated with