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    Hot stuff in the bushes: Thermal imagers and the detection of burrows in vegetated sites
    (John Wiley and Sons, Ltd., 2021-06-16) Cox TE; Matthews R; Halverson G; Morris S
    Thermal imaging technology is a developing field in wildlife management. Most thermal imaging work in wildlife science has been limited to larger ungulates and surface-dwelling mammals. Little work has been undertaken on the use of thermal imagers to detect fossorial animals and/or their burrows. Survey methods such as white-light spotlighting can fail to detect the presence of burrows (and therefore the animals within), particularly in areas where vegetation obscures burrows. Thermal imagers offer an opportunity to detect the radiant heat from these burrows, and therefore the presence of the animal, particularly in vegetated areas. Thermal imaging technology has become increasingly available through the provision of smaller, more cost-effective units. Their integration with drone technology provides opportunities for researchers and land managers to utilize this technology in their research/management practices.We investigated the ability of both consumer (AUD$65,000) mounted on drones to detect rabbit burrows (warrens) and entrances in the landscape as compared to visual assessment.Thermal imagery and visual inspection detected active rabbit warrens when vegetation was scarce. The presence of vegetation was a significant factor in detecting entrances (p < .001, α = 0.05). The consumer imager did not detect as many warren entrances as either the professional imager or visual inspection (p = .009, α = 0.05). Active warren entrances obscured by vegetation could not be accurately identified on exported imagery from the consumer imager and several false-positive detections occurred when reviewing this footage.We suggest that the exportable frame rate (Hz) was the key factor in image quality and subsequent false-positive detections. This feature should be considered when selecting imagers and suggest that a minimum export rate of 30 Hz is required. Thermal imagers are a useful additional tool to aid in identification of entrances for active warrens and professional imagers detected more warrens and entrances than either consumer imagers or visual inspection.
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    Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni) occurrence and foraging behaviour along the east coast of Australia
    (Taylor and Francis Group, 2024-10-09) Pirotta V; Cagnazzi D; Dixon B; Millar S; Millar J; Pickering G; Butcher PA; Stockin KA; Peters KJ
    Despite their global occurrence in warm-temperate waters and their suspected non-migratory lifestyle, Bryde’s whales (Balaenoptera edeni spp.) are considered the least-known large baleen whale species. In Australian waters, information on their distribution, ecology and behaviour is scarce. This study documents Bryde’s whale occurrence and foraging behaviours along the Australian East Coast using opportunistic citizen science sightings via drone aerial photography, vessel and land-based observations. We observed foraging in both shallow (seafloor visible, beach and breaking waves present) and deep waters. We observed a range of foraging behaviours including lunge feeding (exhibited by individual whales and in pairs), sub-surface and surface skim feeding (shallow waters only) and described multispecies associations. We describe a potentially novel feeding behaviour in shallow waters, where Bryde’s whales are feeding directly within or behind the surf break (shallow water surf feeding). We quantify the presence of mother-calf pairs in Australian waters, highlighting the use of these waters for potential calving. This study provides insights into Bryde’s whale occurrence and foraging behaviour in both shallow and deep waters of eastern Australia.
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    Evaluating the Roadmap of 5G Technology Implementation for Smart Building and Facilities Management in Singapore
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2020-12-08) Chew MYL; Teo EAL; Shah KW; Kumar V; Hussein GF
    The concepts of smart building (SB) and smart facilities management (SFM) are crucial as they aim to uplift occupants’ living standards through information and communication technology. However, the current network possesses several challenges to SFM, due to low bandwidth, high latency, and inability to connect a high amount of IoT (Internet of things) devices. 5G technology promises high-class network services with low latency, high bandwidth, and network slicing to achieve real-time efficiency. Moreover, 5G promises a more sustainable future as it will play a crucial role in reducing energy consumption and shaping future applications to achieve higher sustainability goals. This paper discusses the current challenges and benefits of implementing 5G in various use cases in SFM applications. Furthermore, this paper highlights the Singapore government rollout plan for 5G implementation and discusses the roadmap of SFM use case development initiatives undertaken by 5G Advanced BIM Lab (Department of Building, National University of Singapore) in alignment with the 5G implementation plan of Singapore. Under these 5G SFM projects, the lab seeks to develop state-of-the-art 5G use cases in collaboration with various industry partners and developed a framework for teaching and training to enhance students’ learning motivation and help mid-career professionals to upskill and upgrade themselves to reap multiple benefits using the 5G network. This article will serve as a benchmark for researchers and industries for future progress and development of SFM systems by leveraging 5G networks for higher sustainability targets and implementing teaching and learning programs to achieve greater organizational excellence.
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    Drone Surveys Are More Accurate Than Boat-Based Surveys of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2022-04) Fettermann T; Fiori L; Gillman L; Stockin KA; Bollard B; Broadbent E
    Generating accurate estimates of group sizes or behaviours of cetaceans from boat-based surveys can be challenging because much of their activity occurs below the water surface and observations are distorted by horizontal perspectives. Automated observation using drones is an emerging research tool for animal behavioural investigations. However, drone-based and boat-based survey methods have not been quantitatively compared for small, highly mobile cetaceans, such as Delphinidae. Here, we conduct paired concurrent boat-based and drone-based surveys, measuring the number of individuals in 21 groups and the behaviour within 13 groups of bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). We additionally assessed the ability to detect behaviour events by the drone that would not be detectable from the boat. Drone-derived abundance counts detected 26.4% more individuals per group on average than boat-based counts (p = 0.003). Drone-based behaviour observations detected travelling 55.2% more frequently and association in subgroups 80.4% more frequently than boat-based observations (p < 0.001 for both comparisons). Whereas foraging was recorded 58.3% and resting 15.1% less frequently by the drone than by boat-based surveys, respectively (p = 0.014 and 0.024). A considerable number of underwater behaviours ranging from individual play activities to intra-and inter-species interactions (including those with humans) were observed from the drone that could not be detected from the boat. Our findings demonstrate that drone surveys can improve the accuracy of population counts and behavioural data for small cetaceans and the magnitude of the discrepancies between the two methods highlights the need for cautious interpretation of studies that have relied on boat-derived data.
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    Volcanic Ash and Small Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (sUAV) Interaction: In-situ Observations and Laboratory Experiments on Aircraft Failure
    (Frontiers Media S.A., 2022-02) Brosch E
    The deployment of small uncrewed aerial vehicles (sUAVs) for volcanological applications has grown over the last decade, mainly attributed to the development of affordable, smaller, and versatile platforms. However, the use of sUAVs in active volcanic regions is a challenging operation conducted under extreme environmental conditions. The here reported unsuccessful deployment of an sUAV at Stromboli volcano shows that the aircraft functionality was impaired by airborne volcanic ash, which led to an uncontrolled landing of the aircraft. Laboratory analyses confirmed the presence of volcanic material inside the motors, which is attributed to have caused motor blockage of the sUAV on Stromboli volcano while the aircraft was engulfed by a rising ash plume. Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the interaction between volcanic ash and an sUAV motor-propeller assemble. The experiments reproduced the incorporation of ash-sized particles into the motor, proving that volcanic ash can enter the rotating motor while the sUAV is airborne. This shows that ash ingestion into the sUAV at Stromboli volcano resulted in operational failure. These findings shall aid in developing advanced and reliable sUAVs that can extend current deployment opportunities in volcanic environments.