Good morning everyone, As many of you already know, we are organizing a workshop on hardware, applications, and issues associated with using unmanned aerial systems (UAS) at the Biennial conference in San Francisco. UAS offer a very capable and dynamic platform to study a growing variety of marine issues, and marine mammal researchers have been quick to seize new opportunities to utilize autonomous or remotely-controlled platforms in their research. While opening up new avenues for our studies, this hardware is evolving quickly, and faces varied (and at times unpredictable) regulatory regimes. This workshop will offer attendees the opportunity to learn what others have been doing with UAS systems, where UAS development is headed in the (near) future, and what regulations we are, or might, face in different countries and contexts. Not to mention we will see some amazing marine mammal and sea turtle imagery from vantage points heretofore unavailable to researchers! If you are attending the conference please consider participating in this workshop. It has proven to be one of the most popular workshops by number of early bird registrants, and we were able to secure a larger room to accommodate all those interested so far (but hurry, there is a limit to how many we can accommodate!): Title: Unmanned Aerial Systems: Powerful and Cost-Effective Tools for Marine Science and Conservation Overview: The intent of this workshop is to review the state-of-the-art for regulations, hardware, software, and data management in studies of marine species using various types of remotely-controlled or autonomous aerial platforms. Date/Time: Sunday, December 13, 2015; 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM Organizers and contact emails: Dave Johnston (david.johnston@duke.edu), Eric A. Ramos (eramos@gradcenter.cuny.edu), Laura May-Collado (lmaycollado@gmail.com), Jack Lawson (jack.lawson@dfo-mpo.gc.ca), Diana Reiss (dlr28@columbia.edu), Marcelo O. Magnasco (mgnsclb@mail.rockefeller.edu) General Description and Agenda: The intent of this workshop is to review the state-of-the-art for regulations, hardware, software, and data management in studies of marine mammals using various types of remotely-controlled platforms. In this full-day meeting we will present and discuss four main topics: (1) regulatory updates (U.S., Canada, Europe, Others) - an overview of existing and proposed operating regulations, legal initiatives, and outstanding issues - including permitting. No-fly zones and software/hardware solutions to automate Class A and B airspace protection. "Common sense" operational guidelines. (2) Brief presentations on emerging applications; coupled with discussions on sensors. (3) platform features, uses, costs, and limits - a discussion, highlighted by specific examples, of each type of platform detailing its demonstrated applications, advantages, limits, and future. We would include fixed-wing and rotary-winged UAVs. (4) workflow, data management, and operational best practices - a discussion, highlighted by specific examples, of how best to utilize these platforms and integrate multiple data flows (e.g., video, imagery, GPS, topographic information) for post-operation analyses. In addition to a number of presentations, a product from this workshop will be a "best practices guide" manuscript to submit to Marine Mammal Science, plus a detailed list of UAS operators and developers around the world. We are currently finalizing the agenda, and will forward this to participants in the near future. Cost: $80 (Early Bird); $90 (After September 30, 2015) You can follow a link to register for this, and other, workshops: https://www.marinemammalscience.org/conference/workshops/ On behalf of this workshop's organizers, we look forward to seeing participants at the Biennial, and this excting workshop! Dr. Jack Lawson Research Scientist / Chercheur scientifique Marine Mammals Section / Section de mammiféres marins Fisheries and Oceans Canada / Pêches et Océans Canada NAFC, 80 East White Hills Rd. St. John's, NL / Terre-Neuve et Labrador Canada A1C 5X1 (709) 772-2285 (709) 772-4105 (FAX) jack.lawson@dfo-mpo.gc.ca