In April 2017 the first flights for collecting ocean glitter data were carried out using the Solo drone and some Mapir Survey2 cameras, which can collect image data at red and near infrared wavelengths. These flights were carried out in a tidal creek, which allowed the pilot and co-pilot to formalise a normal operating procedure for these and future flights. Our drone setup (see image of the underside of the drone) allows multiple cameras to be mounted to the drone at different viewing azimuths (see example glitter image data collected at 15° and 30° degrees below). The data collected are being used to develop a workflow for processing the image and drone telemetry data. Future fieldwork and flights will focus on attempting drone flights coincident with satellite overpasses.
