1. Introduction

1.1 Background

This project conducted by Coastal & Ocean Resources Inc. under contract to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) on behalf of the Resource Inventory Committee (RIC), Coastal and Aquatic Task Forces, to review aerial video survey techniques and recommend standards for future aerial video surveys. The project was prompted by the use of widely varying survey techniques for different resource inventory applications. This review focused on applications related to marine and aquatic resources inventories.

Some of the first systematic aerial video surveys conducted in BC involved the use of low altitude, oblique imaging of the Saltspring Island coastline for use in coastal morphology/substrate mapping (see Owens, 1980). Since that time, most of the southern portion of the BC has been surveyed. The Ministry of Environment has used oblique aerial video imaging for stream habitat classification. Other techniques have used aerial video imaging for survey-standard planimetric mapping.

1.2 Objective of Study

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The main objectives of this project are to:

· provide of review of current techniques and systems being used in aerial video resource surveys

· provide a state-of-the art review of equipment, including camera/recording systems, positioning systems and communication systems

· recommend standards to promote more uniform imagery collection and reporting.

The approach that we used was to (a) contact individuals and groups currently using aerial video imaging (AVI) as a survey tool and catalog survey objectives, (b) collect information on video, positioning and communications equipment that is potentially useful in AVI surveys, and (c) recommend standards for AVI data collection. Appendix A includes a glossary of frequently used terms related to either AVI techniques or equipment.

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