Kite Aerial Photography has a large and active community of practitioners -- see if there are any living or kiting near you, and ask for help.

With kites, and a 5-20 mph wind, many of the objectives of balloon mapping can be achieved without purchasing helium or balloons -- but kites cannot fly as high as balloons. It takes a lot of effort to fly a kite higher than 1000 ft, whereas balloons can be flown at up to 4000 ft without trouble. The main consideration is, of course, wind -- if you want to map a site with consistent winds, you may be in luck.

Towing kites

Kites can also be used in large flat areas with no power lines or trees, such as on oceans or lakes, beaches, or deserts, by towing them behind a boat, car, or bicycle. Keep in mind that it's typically impossible to turn or travel downwind.

Recommended kites

Kite Aerial Photographers, or KAPers, often select expensive kites which can lift large weights, and many use heavier, customizable cameras such as digital SLRs with remote control targeting or stabilization. If you just want to put a camera in the air for the lowest cost and highest reliability, we recommend a few different relatively inexpensive kites, paired with the Soda Bottle Rig.

Zenith Delta - ($70) 7 ft. wide - This one is fantastic, a strong and stable flyer in even light winds. I'd recommend this to anyone.

Gomberg Delta Conyne - ($37) - Harder to launch, but once it's in the air it's a stable flyer. I think it's optimized for stable flight high up. Nice also that there's a space in the middle which we're going to try putting a camera in.

Kite designs

Making your own kite is one way to keep costs low -- Tyvek is a great starting material, though heavy plastic can also be used. Bamboo makes great spars, as do dowels. Fiberglass rods can be bought as construction materials in some places. To lift a camera in medium (10-15 mph) winds, you'll need a kite of about 1.5 square meters, or 16 square feet in area.

Mathew Lippincott has been working hard on a kite called the Fled, based on a design by Brooks Leffler, and has been posting photos on Flickr.