Date of Award

6-15-2017

Document Type

Thesis - SCU Access Only

Publisher

Santa Clara : Santa Clara University, 2017.

Departments

Mechanical Engineering; Electrical Engineering

First Advisor

Gaetano Restivo

Second Advisor

Sally Wood

Abstract

Marine seagrasses are a collection of threatened coastal plant species that, among their numerous beneficial attributes, provide rich ecosystems and protect against acidification. Existing survey methods are both slow and expensive, resulting in infrequent data collection that results in less precisely targeted conservation efforts. The goal of this project was to design a multispectral image acquisition system to be mounted on a DJI Phantom 3 Standard quadcopter, which would provide researchers with an alternative documentation method allowing for more frequent surveys at a significantly lower cost. The system was comprised of a monochrome camera and rotating filter wheel, with filters that isolated the narrow bands of wavelengths characteristic of seagrass. Ultimately, the fully integrated system was unable to be tested due to compatibility issues among specific components, but the project has provided a platform off of which future multiple-filter designs can be based.

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