In the past we have relied on aerial photography when measuring the morphology of 
washover fans. These fans are constantly changing shape, but we aren’t able to document these changes because images taken from a plane are only collected every couple of years. To remedy the problem, we’ve attached a GoPro to a remote-controlled quadcopter that we use to fly over the fans. With this technology, we’ve managed to capture some awesome, high-quality aerial images of the fan.
The benefit of using the quadcopter is not only limited to measuring washover fans – we’ve also started flying over man-made oyster reefs in Middle Marsh, NC. The images and videos taken with the GoPro will help us assess the growth of the reefs.
[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/89644452[/vimeo]
