Halkhoori2000/Wildlife-Conservation-Using-Drones

Research presentation on GIS + UAV anti-poaching strategy (Tsavo, Kenya) — examines composite risk mapping, Monte Carlo validation, and drone flight-path modelling; includes an interactive methodology recreation. CMPSC/DS 442, The Pennsylvania State University. # Wildlife Conservation Using Drones — GIS & AI Research *CMPSC/DS 442 — Artificial Intelligence · The Pennsylvania State University · 2022* *Five-person course research presentation examining the Shaffer & Bishop study.* A five-person research presentation examining how GIS spatial analysis and UAV drones can be used to predict and prevent elephant poaching. The project studies 156 known poaching incidents in the Tsavo region of Kenya (8,150 sq miles) and models how drone surveillance, risk mapping, and strategic ranger deployment can protect at-risk wildlife. The analysis is based on the Pennsylvania State University research paper "Predicting and Preventing Elephant Poaching Incidents through Statistical Analysis, GIS-Based Risk Analysis, and Aerial Surveillance Flight Path Modeling" (Shaffer & Bishop). The study applied ESRI ArcGIS with the Spatial Analyst Extension, R-STAT for point pattern analysis, and GeoDa for spatial autocorrelation. The pipeline constructs a GIS risk map by correlating 156 poaching incident locations with physical features (roads, water sources, land cover types), models drone flight paths from camera FOV and battery constraints using ArduPilot Mega Planner, and calculates optimal ranger station placement via travel-cost surfaces. **Live Demo →** **📄 Final Report (PDF)** · **🎞 Final Presentation (PDF)** --- ## Use Cases - Anti-poaching operations: the same GIS risk-mapping approach (correlating incident locations with terrain features) is used by conservation organisations in Africa and Asia to direct ranger patrols toward statistically high-risk zones - Wildlife reserve management: drone flight path modelling from camera FOV and battery limits applies directly to planning systematic aerial surveys for wildlife census or habitat monitoring - Disaster response and search-and-rescue: the travel-cost surface method for optimising ranger station placement is the same technique used in emergency services for ambulance depot siting and …