Delving into a jungle mystery
Image: PrecisionHawk
Earlier this year, a drone pilot and two data scientists from PrecisionHawk traveled to the Philippines for a unique mission — to fly drones equipped with lidar sensors over a dense rainforest to map ancient trade paths. The aim was to find buried treasure left by the Japanese during World War II.
PrecisionHawk was approached by the producers of a new History Channel show to help them navigate the Filipino rainforests. Through the combination of air and ground sensors, including a DJI M600 UAV equipped with a Riegl miniVUX lidar sensor and a Sony a6000 camera, PrecisionHawk staff produced a colorized 3D map of the forest.
The History Channel aired the series premiere of “Lost Gold of World War II” on March 19, 2019; all eight episodes are now available for streaming. The second episode features visuals generated by PrecisionHawk, as well as interviews with the drone pilot and data scientists.
Photo: PrecisionHawk
About the Author: Tracy Cozzens
Senior Editor Tracy Cozzens joined GPS World magazine in 2006. She also is editor of GPS World’s newsletters and the sister website Geospatial Solutions. She has worked in government, for non-profits, and in corporate communications, editing a variety of publications for audiences ranging from federal government contractors to teachers.
Subscribe to Geospatial Solutions
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to Geospatial Solutions to receive more articles just like it.
