Imaging disaster areas

Researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) have developed a high-resolution imaging system that can be attached to a helicopter to create a complete and detailed picture of an area devastated by a hurricane or other natural disaster.

The resulting visual information could be used to estimate the number of refugees and assess the need for health and humanitarian services.

The imaging system - designed by GTRI engineers David Price and Gary Gray - is called the 'Mini ModPOD', which stands for 'Miniature Modular Photographic Observation Device.'

It consists of an off-the-shelf Canon Digital Rebel XTi digital camera, a global positioning system receiver, a small circuit board that uploads mission parameters, and an inertial measurement unit that measures the aircraft's rate of acceleration and changes in rotational attributes, including pitch, roll and yaw.

The images collected from the system can be stitched together to create a complete picture of the affected area.