JAL and Hokkaido University to commence ocean observation
Japan Airlines and Hokkaido University are to equip an aircraft with an external camera to begin the world’s first regular flight-based monitoring of red tides, set to launch in summer 2025.
Data from these flights will enable early detection of red tides, a harmful algal bloom, providing critical information to fisheries to help prevent environmental and industry damage.
The system is also planned for expansion in the future to support wider environmental monitoring of forests and oceans.
An ATR42-600 aircraft will be equipped with a multispectral camera on the lower rear fuselage panel for monitoring.
The images captured by the cameras will be transferred to Hokkaido University, where Professor Akihide Kasai of Faculty of Fisheries Sciences will use a red tide detection method to visualise the distribution.
The accuracy of red tide detection will be improved through repeated validation, and methods for communicating information to fisheries stakeholders will be explored.
