Florida International UniversityFIU Digital Commons

Sea Level Rise Collection

10-6-2014

Eyes in the Sky: ALTA Partners Begin to CaptureRising SeasRobert E. Gutsche Jr.School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Florida International University, rgutsche@fiu.edu

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Recommended CitationGutsche, Robert E. Jr., "Eyes in the Sky: ALTA Partners Begin to Capture Rising Seas" (2014). Sea Level Rise Collection. Paper 22.http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/sea_level_rise/22

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Eyes in the Sky: ALTAPartners Begin to CaptureRising SeasOCTOBER 6, 2014 / TED GUTSCHE / 0 COMMENTS

FIU-ALTA Partnership Captures High-Resolution Images of SLR

http://www.eyesontherise.org/alta/http://www.eyesontherise.org/alta/http://www.eyesontherise.org/author/ted/http://www.eyesontherise.org/

A collaboration between a Miami area high-tech company and Florida

International University has improved ways to capture South Florida’s

environment to help scientists, citizens, and local governments prepare for

future storms and rising seas.

Already, ALTA Systems (www.altapic.com) and scientists with Florida

International University collaborated earlier this year to gather high

resolution images of all of the City of Sweetwater. In that project,

researchers used five balloons from 100 to 200 feet in the sky and a ground

image system to capture 18,305 aerial images and 32,320 street level images.

Images provided city officials with information about random objects that

have been abandoned on rooftops that could become “wind missiles,” clogged

storm drains that could contribute to street flooding, and potential property

violations.

In partnership with FIU, ALTA uses its proprietary systems and software

which relies on flying lighter than air platforms and high-resolution cameras

as high as 150 feet above the ground to capture images that may never

before have been seen in such detail.

ALTA’s balloons can be tethered to the ground and directed remotely.

Captured images are then converted into Virtual Field Reports (VFR) to

provide a bird’s-eye view of a geography’s built and natural environments

with significant clarity that can help in times of hurricane preparedness by

identifying dangerous possible flying objects, electric lines, fire hydrants,

street drains, pollution, and illegal dumping places which all can contribute to

problems during storms.

Such field reports will help city officials identify and map the coordinates and

address potential environmental hazards. This novel approach will allow

officials and citizens to quickly find potential problems and to address such

problems quickly and efficiently. Watch VFRs here.

Measuring Sea Level Rise From the Sky

ALTA technology has a direct influence on how citizens and public officials

can understand environmental changes and impacts – particularly of sea

level rise in South Florida.

“When it comes to sea level rise, like

everything else, seeing is believing,” said

ALTA CEO John Ciampa. “For this reason

imagery has become the main staple of

modern media. ALTA imagery provides a

unique perspective from ground level and

low altitude aerial cameras collecting a

mosaic of revealing oblique angled, super resolution images.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mdj0cQS2PGkhttp://i2.wp.com/www.eyesontherise.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Screen-Shot-2014-10-05-at-11.49.04-AM.png

ALTA’s approach to gathering detailed images of landscapes and

environments is a unique one that provides outcomes unlike current options

of making georeferenced images. “All other methods of capturing oblique

georeferenced imagery involve aircraft and pilots,” Ciampa said. “These

methods are less revealing because of the altitude limitations and other

obstructions between the airplane camera and the ground; they are also less

frequent because of the cost of such missions.”

ALTA’s products also offer more impactful images for lower financial

investment. “ALTA imagery provides unobstructed views and is more current

because of its low cost,” said ALTA’s Ciampa. “ALTA aerial images are

captured from smart balloons which also sense air quality and other

atmospheric data all of which is instantly available to any device which has

access to the Internet.”

Capturing Oct. 9 Tides on Miami Beach

Beginning early on Oct. 9, FIU students and faculty will be using boats and

vehicles to deploy these balloons and cameras as more than 70 high school

and college students from Miami-Dade County spend several hours

examining potential flood waters on Miami Beach as part of King Tide Day,

the day when tides have led to massive flooding throughout parts of South

Florida.

Ciampa said the Oct. 9 King Tide Day event will be a perfect opportunity to

once again use ALTA’s technology to capture Miami’s environments through

collaboration with college and high school students who will not only learn

about the company’s technology but to see how such technology can help

inform citizens about their environments.

Water samples and other data gathered on Oct. 9 will be used by MAST @

FIU high school students throughout October to conduct classroom

experiments, while high-resolution images of the Miami Beach coastline, in

some instances using ALTA balloons to make aerial photographs, will record

the movement of water during the King Tide.

“We’re very excited about this project,” said FIU journalism professor Susan

Jacobson. “As far as I know, it’s the first of its kind to harness personal

technology and open data sources to help inform average citizens about the

impact of sea-level rise on their homes and businesses.”

The Oct. 9 event will kick-off at 8 a.m. with a public discussion about climate

change led by The CLEO (Climate Leadership Engagement Opportunities)

Institute on the fourth floor of the Miami Beach Urban Studios, 420 Lincoln

Road. CLEO was also involved in a Sept. 29 rally that announced the King

Tide event at FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus in North Miami and worked with 30

MAST students in preparation of the King Tide events on Oct. 9. More than

200 students, educators, and representatives of the local tech community

attended the event.

UPCOMING EVENT

WHO: Florida International University’s School of Journalism andMass Communication

WHAT: eyesontherise.org King Tide Day

WHERE: Miami Beach

WHEN: Oct. 9 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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Florida International UniversityFIU Digital Commons10-6-2014

Eyes in the Sky: ALTA Partners Begin to Capture Rising SeasRobert E. Gutsche Jr.Recommended Citation

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