GatorEye XTR

The GatorEye XTR flight platform and sensor suite, which completed development and testing in March 2024, is used for international data collection efforts in challenging environments, such as the Peruvian Amazon or Barro Colorado Island, Panama. The XTR flight platform can also can be retrofitted with the full XL sensor suite (e.g., hyperspectral, etc) for data collections nationally or elsewhere that require aircraft transportation, including locations such as California or Washington. The GatorEye XTR is a collaboration with Phoenix Aerial and Skyfront, and integrates a Phoenix Scout 32-beam 300-m-range triple-return lidar, and an ultra-resolution 61 MP visual camera, with and a Skyfront Perimeter 8 + hybrid-powered flight platform. The system, critically, is designed to enable transportation as checked baggage on regional or international commercial airlines, and has undergone additional weatherproofing. The next version, anticipated in 2025, will incorporate a second 61 MP camera with zoom lens to enable simultaneous boresighted mm resolution imagery for subset portions of the study area. These microtiles feed directly into the GatorAI processing workflows for quilted orthomosaic final products.

Image credits: Angelica Almeyda