Drone-based near-infrared imaging system for remote search of targets in difficult terrain

We present the design, optimization and test of a sensor-system developed for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to survey wildlife, especially Burmese Pythons that are invading south Florida. The sensor uses active illumination in the near infrared (NIR) to enhance target contrast and defeat the pythons’ natural camouflage in cluttered vegetation. The system uses a small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) for search while controlled from a ground station integrated on a truck. It supports search day and night to allow for seasonal variations in python activity. We detail the development of the sensor payload including transition to pulsed illumination to combat motion blur during night search. Finally, we summarize system performance for this challenging search task.