SarVision has developed a cheap and easy system for local inspections, offering more flexibility, more detail and faster detection and response, as well as mapping capabilities. The system is almost completely built from cheap and widely available of-the-shelf components. It is based on ultra-light aircraft (ULA) equipped with GPS (global positioning system) and digital video camera. Work on a prototype imaging radar for biomass measurement and 3D tree mapping is ongoing. Due to the on-board GPS the system is particularly useful for repeated surveys over specific areas, as skilled pilots can easily re-fly the same routes even in unmarked terrain.
In Indonesia, the ultra-light aircraft survey system is currently maintained and operated by SarVision Indonesia. It is used in and near nature reserve areas to regularly monitor changes in human settlement (number, distribution and quality of houses) and land clearing for agriculture, to detect illegal mining, poaching camps and mill-sites inside the reserves and verify the expansion of roads into frontier areas.
Its most appealing use is for the inspection of changes detected by the high resolution radar monitoring system, collecting high quality legally acceptable evidence of illegal logging.
Additionally, it is possible to seamlessly put together and further analyse the videostills in order to map large areas at high resolution. For this product and other one-off mapping activities using other airborne systems such as AirSAR, DoSAR, see the airborne mapping section (under construction).