The use of the Global Positioning System for real-time data collecting during ecological aerial surveys in the Kruger National Park, South Africa

Abstract

The use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) for real-time data collecting during ecological aerial surveys (EAS) in the Kruger National Park (KNP) was investigated as an alternative to post-survey manual data capture. Results obtained during an aerial census of large herbivores and surface water distribution in the northern part of the KNP using an onboard GPS connected to a palmtop computer are discussed. This relatively inexpensive system proved to be highly efficient for real-time data capture while additional information such as ground velocity and time can be recorded for every data point. Measures of distances between a ground marker and fix points measured during a flight (x = 60.0 m) are considered to be well within the requirements of the EAS.