Public Lab Wiki documentation



Aerial photos with Passenger Pigeon

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Passenger Pigeon is a project/concept for collecting aerial imagery from passenger plane windows with handheld digital cameras. To make a map, just take photos out the window of your commercial flight. Then use the free and open source MapKnitter.org to align the images with a map as soon as you land.

( Above, NRG composite from out the window of airplane over Amsterdam, by @warren)

Examples

Tips for photographers

  • point the camera as straight downwards as possible
  • hold the camera as stably as you can - brace it against the window
  • try not to sit behind the wing, where the engine exhaust blurs the air
  • take note of where the photos are, if you anticipate difficulty in placing them on a map later
  • check flight-tracking websites ahead of time to plan when you'll be able to take good photos (possibly during landing or takeoff, if you're allowed to use your camera)
  • Record with your gps (in your smart phone) the gpx track. YOu can use it later to geotag the images. GPS should be near the window, otherwise it will not work.

Questions

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Activities


Activities should include a materials list, costs and a step-by-step guide to construction with photos. Learn what makes a good activity here.

Maps

Advanced

Some Public Lab folks have done multispectral imaging from a plane window -- see the near-infrared camera page for details on how to collect/produce infrared imagery with less than $150 of equipment.

Infrared vegetation analysis from a plane


Updates

Title Author Updated Likes Comments
River Restoration map of Orphan Well 131544 in Bayou John @eustatic almost 5 years ago 0
Fort Jackson Passenger Pigeon @eustatic over 10 years ago 1
Hawthorne Hawthorne, Nevada @gonzoearth over 10 years ago 0
SFO-ORD @cfastie about 11 years ago 1
ORD - SFO @cfastie about 11 years ago 3
Saugus landfill overflight photos -- with Infragram @warren over 11 years ago 1
Infrablue Haze @cfastie over 11 years ago 2
Infragram test photos from a plane window @warren over 11 years ago 2
a new burp in the Texas Brine Sinkhole @eustatic over 11 years ago 0
Bayou Safe Bay. Oil Spill? @gonzoearth over 11 years ago 0
Passenger Pigeon methods: getting your location, the hacky way @eustatic almost 12 years ago 0
Passenger Pigeon shots of MSY to PHX @eustatic almost 12 years ago 5
Flightstats.com for Passenger Pigeon @mathew about 12 years ago 0
the Hills have Acne: passenger pigeon photos of drill sites out West @eustatic over 12 years ago 4
NDVI-NRG infrared tests from an airplane @warren over 13 years ago 0