How to use pidgeons in aerial photography.

1. Strap a camera on to a pigeon.

2. Make sure you know it's flight path and speed.

3. Set camera to take pictures at regular intervals.

Well, if only it were that easy.  Amazingly enough it has been done before.  Generally when we think of an aerial platform, we assume it is going to be a helicopter, UAV, or some form of fixed wing aircraft.  Historically speaking, aerial photography has been around as long as Wilbur and Orville Wright and even longer.  One of the methods used was actually pigeons.  In fact "in 1903, Dr. Julius Neubronner patented a miniature pigeon camera activated by a timing mechanism. Equipped with the cameras, the pigeons photographed a castle in Kronberg, Germany, around 1908" (http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/lae/SCRIPT/be_first2.htm).

The basics of this would involve knowing the pigeons flight path, the speed at which the pidgeon flies, and maybe the altitude of the bird.  As was demonstrated, it would then be possible to take photos at certain time intervals.  I found a lot of info just by googling pigeon aerial photography.  Give it a look, it is quite interesting.

How are Aerial Surveys Gathered?

There are many ways to gather aerial surveys and historically in the past, even pigeons have been used.  Typically aerial surveys are gathered through the use of an aircraft such as the one shown (operated by Keystone Aerial Surveys Inc.) in the picture in this post.  You will notice it is necessary to cut a hole in the aircraft to mount the camera.  This type of platform will give you high resolution photos, which can be used in many various applications.  These applications include everything from engineering to forestry and even more.

For a more detailed explanation check out the article called "Remote Sensing Survey Strategy" at  http://www.searchmesh.net/default.aspx?page=1726.