Tracking Osprey

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) at Langley Air Force Base (LAFB) has partnered with the GIS team at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) to collect and display osprey nesting site, tracking, and reproductive data. The Legacy Osprey Relocation Project is an effort to understand the risks of osprey-aircraft collisions. Ten ospreys were originally captured, outfitted with GPS transmitters, and released at selected nests surrounding Langley AFB. Different stages of the tracking include breeding, migration, and wintering. Collected data is stored in a GIS for analysis and comparison of osprey flight paths with Langley AFB flight paths and activities. Data will be collected for three years to capture local and migratory flight patterns. Eventually, the osprey data will be referenced to aircraft flight paths to develop GIS-based strike-risk models.

Courtesy of NASA Langley Research Center, GIS team.