24 September 2020: Publication of a Technical Note on the Geometer

We are pleased to announce the publication of the first technical note (non-peer reviewed) in Volume 11 of the NAMMCO Scientific Publications – Sightings Surveys in the North Atlantic: 30 years of counting whales.

The technical note, The Geometer: A New Device for Recording Angles in Visual Surveys, was authored by Rikke Guldborg Hansen, Daniel Pike, Baldur Thorgilsson, Thorvaldur Gunnlaugsson and Jack Lawson.

Abstract

The digital Geometer is a new handheld USB device that facilitates a relatively accurate measurement of the declination to a target with instantaneous recording of this and other data. The Geometer offers several advantages over traditional clinometers used in aerial surveys, including easier target pinpointing and tracking, more consistent angle measurements, and integration with software data collection packages. In this note we provide technical specifications for the device and its associated software, and describe a new aerial survey data collection programme that takes full advantage of the features of the Geometer. We have tested this device extensively during aerial surveys and highlight the utility of the hardware as well as ways in which the technology could be improved.

NAMMCO and the Icelandic Marine and Freshwater Research Institute provided funding for the initial development costs of the Geometer.

Read the full technical note here.