Aerial Photography

This is a revision from September 30, 2016 18:53. View all revisions

This is an open source community effort to develop low-cost aerial photography platforms for a range of conditions. All open hardware and software efforts are welcome here!

Join in by:

Reading about goals and asking great questions
Trying (and critiquing) our community-made how-to guides
Posting your own how-to guides and mods
Building on others’ work; hack and remix the kits to refine and expand them
Submit your improvements for inclusion in an upcoming starter kit release or add-on
Serving on a Research Review Group for a 3 month period

Activity Grid

Purpose	Category	Status	Author	Time	Difficulty	Replications
Fifty Shades of Graze	experiment	-	@cfastie	-	-	0 replications: Try it »
DIY Mini Kite Kit first flight	field-test	-	@mathew	1h	easy	1 replications: Try it »
Graze anatomy	experiment	-	@cfastie	-	-	0 replications: Try it »
Use a rubber band and knotted string to trigger a camera	build	complete	@mathew	15m	easy	0 replications: Try it »
Host a balloon mapping workshop	-	-	@liz	-	-	37 replications: Try it »
Floating camera rig	build	-	@eustatic	-	-	0 replications: Try it »
Make a simple mylar/trash bag delta kite	-	-	@warren	1h	easy	0 replications: Try it »
Adding GPS logging to a kite or balloon aerial photography rig	verify	-	@cfastie	-	medium	0 replications: Try it »
Youth Balloon Mapping Workshop Complete!	-	-	@mjain26	-	-	0 replications: Try it »
Coded ground control points	-	-	@Jasja	-	-	0 replications: Try it »
Selecting Kite Flight Launch Sites in Centerville	-	-	@Olivia	-	-	0 replications: Try it »
PET Bottle & Rubber Band Rig	build	-	@mathew	3h	easy	1 replications: Try it »
easy cut delta kite plans	build	-	@mathew	3h	easy	0 replications: Try it »
Analyzing Thacher Insulation: an Aerial Thermal Mapping Project	-	-	@NIKIBOPOLOUS	-	-	0 replications: Try it »
How to decide on a tool for mapping	-	-	@stevie	-	-	0 replications: Try it »
Fly a small camera on a very portable (squid-shaped) sled kite	-	-	@warren	-	-	0 replications: Try it »
Easy Kites for Kite Trains	build	-	@mathew	-	easy	0 replications: Try it »

Add an activity or request an activity guide you don't see listed

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

Starter Kits

Public Lab’s Kits initiative offers starter kits for kite and balloon photography. The point of the kits is to provide a shared reference design for building experimental setups onto. You can also use our guides as a resource for building or purchasing materials of your own.

Public Lab Store's Aerial Photography and Mapping Kits

Visit the Balloon Mapping Materials Page

Visit the Kite Mapping Page

Visit the Pole Mapping Page