The Geometer: A New Device for Recording Angles in Visual Surveys

Authors

  • Rikke Guldborg Hansen Greenland Institute of Natural Resources
  • Daniel G. Pike
  • Baldur Thorgilsson
  • Thorvaldur Gunnlaugsson
  • Jack Lawson

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7557/3.5585

Keywords:

geometer, declination, clinometer, visual survey, survey software

Abstract

The Geometer is a new handheld USB device that facilitates a relatively accurate measurement of the declination to a target with instantaneous recording of this and other data. The Geometer offers several advantages over traditional clinometers used in aerial surveys, including easier target pinpointing and tracking, more consistent angle measurements, and integration with software data collection packages. In this note we provide technical specifications for the device and its associated software, and describe a new aerial survey data collection programme that takes full advantage of the features of the Geometer. We have tested this device extensively during aerial surveys and highlight the utility of the hardware as well as ways in which the technology could be improved.

References

Borchers, D. L., Marques, T., Gunnlaugsson, T. and Jupp, P. (2010). Estimating Distance Sampling Detection Functions when Distances Are Measured with Errors. Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics, 15(3), 346–361. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13253-010-0021-y https://doi.org/10.1007/s13253-010-0021-y

Borchers, D. L., Pike, D. G., Gunnlaugsson, Th. and Víkingsson, G. A. (2009). Minke whale abundance estimation from the NASS 1987 and 2001 aerial cue–counting surveys taking appropriate account of distance estimation errors. NAMMCO Scientific Publications, 7, 95–110. https://doi.org/10.7557/3.2708 https://doi.org/10.7557/3.2708

Buckland, S. T., Anderson, D., Burnham, K., Laake, J., Borchers, D. and Thomas, L. (2001). Introduction to distance sampling estimating abundance of biological populations. Oxford University Press.

Hansen, R. G., Boye, T. K., Larsen, R. S., Nielsen, N. H., Tervo, O., Nielsen, R. D., Rasmussen, M. H., Sinding, M. H. S., & Heide-Jorgensen, M. P. (2019). Abundance of whales in West and East Greenland in summer 2015. NAMMCO Scientific Publications, 11. https://doi.org/10.7557/3.4689 https://doi.org/10.7557/3.4689

Hiby, A. R. and Hammond, P. S. (1989). Survey techniques for estimating current abundance and monitoring trends in abundance of cetaceans. Report of the International Whaling Commission, Special Issue 11, 47–80.

Lawson, J. W. and Gosselin, J. F. (2018). Estimates of cetacean abundance from the 2016 NAISS aerial surveys of eastern Canadian waters, with a comparison to estimates from the 2007 TNASS. SC/25/AE/09 for the NAMMCO Scientific Committee.

Leaper, R., Burt, L., Gillespie, D. and Macleod, K. (2010). Comparisons of measured and estimated distances and angles from sightings surveys. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management, 11, 229–237. https://doi.org/10.47536/jcrm.v11i3.602

North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO). (2013a). Report of the NAMMCO Scientific Committee Working Group on Survey Planning. NAMMCO Annual Report 2012, 392–475. Retrieved from https://nammco.no/topics/annual-reports/

North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO). (2013b). Report of the Nineteenth Meeting of the Scientific Committee. NAMMCO Annual Report 2012, 263–550. Retrieved from https://nammco.no/topics/annual-reports/

North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO). (2016). Report of the NAMMCO Scientific Committee Survey Planning Working Group. NAMMCO Annual Report 2015, 305–318. Retrieved from https://nammco.no/topics/annual-reports/

Pike, D. G. (2013). Aerial survey: State of the art and recommendations for the next T-NASS. NAMMCO Annual Report 2012, 411–441. Retrieved from https://nammco.no/topics/annual-reports/

Pike, D. G., Gunnlaugsson, T., Mikkelsen, B., Halldórsson, S. D., Vikingsson, G. A., Acquarone, M. and Desportes, G. (2020). Estimates of the abundance of cetaceans in the Central North Atlantic from the T-NASS Icelandic and Faroese ship surveys conducted in 2007. NAMMCO Scientific Publications, 11. https://doi.org/10.7557/3.5269 https://doi.org/10.7557/3.5269

Pike, D. G., Gunnlaugsson, T., Sigurjonsson, J. and Vikingsson, G. A. (2020). Distribution and abundance of cetaceans in Icelandic waters over 30 years of aerial surveys. NAMMCO Scientific Publications, 11. https://doi.org/10.7557/3.4805 https://doi.org/10.7557/3.4805

Downloads

Published

2020-09-24

How to Cite

Hansen, R. G., Pike, D. G., Thorgilsson, B., Gunnlaugsson, T., & Lawson, J. (2020). The Geometer: A New Device for Recording Angles in Visual Surveys. NAMMCO Scientific Publications, 11. https://doi.org/10.7557/3.5585

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >>