Using drone and aerial imagery – Water Buffs Podcast ep. 6 – Mitch Tobin

Aerial imagery captured with planes and drones can help illustrate the lay of the land and explain both natural and manmade water systems. The Water Desk’s open-source multimedia library offers both still imagery and video footage from a bird’s-eye view. In this episode, Water Desk Director Mitch Tobin explains the initiative’s partnership with LightHawk and his own work filming water-related locations with a drone.

NOTE: This episode was recorded before the pandemic forced LightHawk to shift to pilot-only flights, but we are now using mounted GoPros to capture imagery.

Episode highlights

	Mitch Tobin, Director of the Water Desk Mitch is a licensed drone pilot with extensive experience taking aerial stills and video. He talks about the journalistic uses of aerials and the Water Desk’s resources for reporters.   Related links: Water Desk free imagery library. Starts at 1:31
	How are aerials useful for water journalism?   (2:15)
	Partnership with Lighthawk.org for aerial video The Water Desk partners with Lighthawk to get journalists up in the air to gain a different perspective and integrate aerial reporting and images into their work. Lighthawk conservation flying Starts at 3:37
	Aerial shoots: know before you go   (8:43)
	Water Words: ”Headwaters” The term “headwaters” refers to the area where a stream or river begins. Starts at 12:18
	Be aware of no-fly zones   (13:25)
	Dealing with motion sickness on the plane   (13:36)
	How the Water Desk uses drone footage   Browse the Water Desk’s drone and aerial footage, collected in an interactive map. Interactive map: browse drone and aerial footage. Starts at 14:44
	Commercial drone use requires certification   (20:55)
	How to use drone imagery in stories   (22:42)
	Value in crisis journalism – but mind the risks   (25:28)
	Controlling a drone   (28:36)
	Avoiding #dronefails   (30:12)
	Drones-eye-view with VR controller   (32:01)
	Differences between aerial and drone footage   (36:52)
	Using automated features to pilot safely   (39:20)
	How journalists can work with Lighthawk and the Water Desk   (40:42)
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Share your thoughts – and consider joining us

If you’re interested in appearing on the show, please contact Water Desk Director Mitch Tobin at mitchtobin@colorado.edu. If you’d like to share your comments and questions, you can reach us at waterdesk@colorado.edu, or on Twitter and Facebook.

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