Passenger Pigeon is a project/concept for collecting aerial imagery from passenger plane windows with handheld digital cameras. To make a map, just take photos out the window of your commercial flight. Then use the free and open source MapKnitter.org to align the images with a map as soon as you land.
( Above, NRG composite from out the window of airplane over Amsterdam, by @warren)
Examples
- Utah (shown below): http://publiclab.org/notes/eustatic/5-10-2012/hills-have-acne-passenger-pigeon-photos-drill-sites-out-west
- Manhattan/Brooklyn: https://mapknitter.org/map/view/newtown-creek-docsearls
Tips for photographers
- point the camera as straight downwards as possible
- hold the camera as stably as you can - brace it against the window
- try not to sit behind the wing, where the engine exhaust blurs the air
- take note of where the photos are, if you anticipate difficulty in placing them on a map later
- check flight-tracking websites ahead of time to plan when you'll be able to take good photos (possibly during landing or takeoff, if you're allowed to use your camera)
Questions
| Title | Author | Updated | Likes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nothing yet on the topic "passenger-pigeon" -- be the first to post something! |
Activities
| Purpose | Category | Status | Author | Time | Difficulty | Replications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infragram test photos from a plane window | - | - | @warren | - | - | 0 replications: Try it » |
| Flightstats.com for Passenger Pigeon | - | - | @mathew | - | - | 0 replications: Try it » |
| Passenger Pigeon methods: getting your location, the hacky way | - | - | @eustatic | - | - | 0 replications: Try it » |
Add an activity or request an activity
Activities should include a materials list, costs and a step-by-step guide to construction with photos. Learn what makes a good activity here.
Maps
Advanced
Some Public Lab folks have done multispectral imaging from a plane window -- see the near-infrared camera page for details on how to collect/produce infrared imagery with less than $150 of equipment.
Updates
| Title | Author | Updated | Likes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Jackson Passenger Pigeon | @eustatic | over 4 years ago | 3 |
| SFO-ORD | @cfastie | over 5 years ago | 4 |
| ORD - SFO | @cfastie | over 5 years ago | 3 |
| Saugus landfill overflight photos -- with Infragram | @warren | over 5 years ago | 1 |
| Infrablue Haze | @cfastie | over 5 years ago | 1 |
| Infragram test photos from a plane window | @warren | almost 6 years ago | 2 |
| a new burp in the Texas Brine Sinkhole | @eustatic | about 6 years ago | 2 |
| Passenger Pigeon methods: getting your location, the hacky way | @eustatic | about 6 years ago | 0 |
| Passenger Pigeon shots of MSY to PHX | @eustatic | about 6 years ago | 0 |
| Flightstats.com for Passenger Pigeon | @mathew | over 6 years ago | 0 |
| the Hills have Acne: passenger pigeon photos of drill sites out West | @eustatic | almost 7 years ago | 2 |
| NDVI-NRG infrared tests from an airplane | @warren | about 8 years ago | 1 | Show more |