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This is an open source community effort to develop **simple, low-cost aerial photography** methods for a range of conditions. All accessible hardware and software efforts are welcome here! There are several sub-categories: * [Balloon mapping](/wiki/balloon-mapping) * [Kite mapping](/wiki/kite-mapping) * [Pole Mapping](/wiki/pole-mapping) Also: * [Kite making](/wiki/kite-making) - make your own! * [Balloon Mapping Materials](/wiki/balloon-mapping-materials) - where to get them! * [Camera selection](/wiki/camera-selection) * [Camera triggering](/wiki/camera-trigger) - snap a picture every second * [Photo rigs](/wiki/photo-rig) - connect your camera to your balloon/kite/etc! * [MapKnitter](/wiki/mapknitter) - Stitching images into maps! * [Mapping curriculum](/wiki/mapping-curriculum) - a range of useful resources **You can join in by:** * Reading about goals and [asking great questions](#Questions) * Trying (and adding to) our [community-made how-to guides](#Activities) * Building on others’ work; **adapt, hack and remix** the kits to refine and expand them **** ## Activities [activities:aerial-photography] **** ## Starter Kits Public Lab’s Kits initiative offers starter kits for kite and balloon photography. The point of the kits is to provide a shared reference design for building experimental setups onto. You can also use our guides as a resource for building or purchasing materials of your own. **[Public Lab Store's Aerial Photography and Mapping Kits](http://store.publiclab.org/collections/mapping-kits)** **** ## Questions Ask a question about aerial photography [notes:question:aerial-photography] **** ### Design philosophy These tools are being developed to provide a low cost, easy to use, and safe methods for making maps and aerial images. Over the last few years, we’ve built a global community of mappers who are engaged in discussion around the development and use of this tool and others. Normally aerial maps are made from satellites and airplanes. The balloon and kite ground-based approach introduces an on-demand capability where events or environmental conditions are mapped at a specific moment in time. Our community is particularly interested in applying this to civic and environmental issues. Maps are often used by those in power to exert influence over territory, or control territorial narratives. "Grassroots mapping" attempts to invert this dynamic by using maps as a mode of communication and as evidence for an alternative, community-owned definition of a territory. To date, our tools have been used to contest official maps or rhetoric by enabling communities to map sites that are not included in official maps. In Lima Peru, members of an informal settlement developed maps of their community as evidence of their habitation, while on the Gulf Coast of the US, locally produced maps of oil are being used to document damage that is underreported by the state. ...
Author | Comment | Last activity | Moderation | ||
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warren | "<3<3<3 awesome -- you can clone the whole Google doc or do it in InDesign or whatever -- i can help "bookletize" it -- was able to get it ..." | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
xose | "Incoming Spanish translation babies! " | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
Bronwen | "jbreen has done some work on this! Check out this note from a few years ago: https://publiclab.org/notes/jbreen/10-17-2013/nighttime-balloon-mapping " | Read more » | almost 6 years ago | |||
warren | "There are a number of kite designs posted at https://publiclab.org/wiki/kite-making -- some good leads there! " | Read more » | almost 6 years ago | |||
marlokeno | "Thanks! " | Read more » | almost 6 years ago | |||
marlokeno | "OK, I found some promising links- https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA21964 This link includes an example inset of part of San J..." | Read more » | almost 6 years ago | |||
richardx | "NASA's disasters program has conveyed to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) a guide of areas in eastern Puerto Rico that Do my Assignme..." | Read more » | almost 6 years ago | |||
gilbert | "The following articles may be useful in deploying VIIRS data for disaster damage impact: Chris Justice (NASA Goddard) et al. link to the full arti..." | Read more » | about 6 years ago | |||
warren | "Wow, this sounds promising. Can you upload a screenshot of what that kind of map data looks like? " | Read more » | about 6 years ago | |||
warren | "Scott from GRN ( @eustatic ) has also been uploading images to GRN's Flickr account: Beaumont, 95 images, geocoded: https://www.flickr.com/photos/..." | Read more » | about 6 years ago | |||
zengirl2 | "Interesting that Tomnod is showing a little over 1,000 volunteers, where Zooniverse has over 3,000. I had never heard of Tomnod, so thanks for shar..." | Read more » | about 6 years ago | |||
warren | "Via @nedhorning - Here are a couple links. I haven't checked these out but they are potentially useful. https://tnris.org/data-download/#!/statew..." | Read more » | about 6 years ago | |||
zengirl2 | "Hey, the info from GRN here--that is what Scott meant by 6 ft.--not distance from coastline. :) " | Read more » | about 6 years ago | |||
warren | "Also note places to cross reference to look for industrial sites, also via Scott Eustis - @eustatic - of Gulf Restoration Network: Justin, i did s..." | Read more » | about 6 years ago | |||
warren | "Scott Eustis -- @eustatic -- of Gulf Restoration Network shared this, via NOAA: https://storms.ngs.noaa.gov/storms/harvey/index.html " | Read more » | about 6 years ago | |||
zengirl2 | "HaveCameraWillTravel lists some of the software already mentioned as well as Lightroom and others. I couldn't find the post on Public Lab with the ..." | Read more » | about 6 years ago | |||
eustatic | "Canmore logger, $40, LiPo battery http://www.amazon.com/Canmore-GT-730FL-S-Rechargeable-Waypoints-Compatible/dp/B002UWKUZQ Canway download http://..." | Read more » | about 6 years ago | |||
eustatic | "hey i emailed you and now emailed the list. it's not on the site but i use a canmore logger, it's rechargeable and light, good for kite work it ..." | Read more » | about 6 years ago | |||
warren | "Hey Scott - is this a useful resource and would it be helpful (re Harvey) to build it out more with more specific instructions or guidance? And/or,..." | Read more » | about 6 years ago | |||
eustatic | "Geosetter is FOSS, the best for this windows user " | Read more » | about 6 years ago | |||
ttaylor | "You might take a look at jhead too, below, or at some of the other exif editors listed there. http://www.sentex.net/~mwandel/jhead/ " | Read more » | about 6 years ago | |||
warren | "Hi, Josh, thanks! " | Read more » | about 6 years ago | |||
jlev | "For a Mac GUI, HoudahGeo also provides a pretty good interface for matching GPS logs to photos. Costs $39, last updated in August 2016. https://www..." | Read more » | about 6 years ago | |||
warren | "Great point, Chris, thanks! " | Read more » | about 6 years ago |