Although remote sensing is one of the most powerful and cost-effective monitoring tools, some processes require high spatial (less than 500 meters) and temporal (less than a few hours) resolutions that current remote sensing systems cannot provide. Furthermore, satellite and air-borne imagery is expensive and dependent on weather conditions, target locations, revisiting periods, and satellite tasking priorities. The complex data formats of satellite image files also require experienced interpretation and time-consuming post-processing. To overcome these limitations, we have built and tested a multi-altitude monitoring system using a Helikite (balloon + kite). Read More