Use of Participatory sUAS in Resilient Socioecological Systems SES Research: A Review and Case Study from the Southern Great Plains, USA
June 1, 2024 - Fagin, Todd D.; Vadjunec, Jacqueline M.; Boardman, Austin L.; Hinsdale, Lanah M.
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EmailJournal or Book Title: DRONES
Abstract: Since the publication of the seminal work People and Pixels: Linking Remote Sensing and the Social Sciences, the call to socialize the pixel and pixelize the social has gone largely unheeded from a truly participatory research context. Instead, participatory remote sensing has primarily involved ground truthing to verify remote sensing observations and/or participatory mapping methods to complement remotely sensed data products. However, the recent proliferation of relatively low-cost, ready-to-fly small unoccupied aerial systems (sUAS), colloquially known as drones, may be changing this trajectory. sUAS may provide a means for community participation in all aspects of the photogrammetric/remote sensing process, from mission planning and data acquisition to data processing and analysis. We present an overview of the present state of so-called participatory sUAS through a comprehensive literature review of recent English-language journal articles. This is followed by an overview of our own experiences with the use of sUAS in a multi-year participatory research project in an agroecological system encompassing a tri-county/tri-state region in the Southern Great Plains, USA. We conclude with a discussion of opportunities and challenges associated with our experience.
Type of Publication: Review