Experiential AI & Ecology 2026 · Module 3: multimodal ecosystem sensing
Operating safely, ethically & legally
Preparation and resources for the safe, ethical and legal part of Multimodal Ecosystem Sensing.
These are the resources for my part of Module 3, week 2: Multimodal Ecosystem Sensing. Justin Kitzes leads on acoustics and Devis Tuia on remote sensing; I'll focus on how to use these technologies safely, ethically and legally.
By the end of the session you should be able to:
- Be aware of diverse data collection and processing technologies.
- Consider how automated approaches can support ecological research.
- Appreciate the need to operate in a safe, ethical, and legal manner, under appropriate frameworks. This is my part.
Before the session
Allow about an hour for my part, detail on this page. Justin's and Devis's preparation also linked from the course page.
1. Get your drone basics
About 30 minutes, if you might fly a drone in your research.
Even if you never fly one yourself, you will likely work with people who do, and the test teaches you how airspace works. Choose the one for where you live or will fly:
| Where | What to do | Note |
|---|---|---|
| UK | Get a free Flyer ID from the CAA by passing the online theory test, and read the Drone and Model Aircraft Code. | Since 1 January 2026 you need a Flyer ID for any drone of 100 g or more. You'll also need an Operator ID before you fly one with a camera: who needs which. |
| EU | Register as an operator and pass the free A1/A3 online training and exam with the aviation authority of the country you live in. EASA lists each country's authority. | One registration covers every EU country, plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Use the official national site: there are fake "licence" sites. |
| US | Take the free Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST). I recommend Embry-Riddle's; the FAA page lists the other approved providers. | TRUST is for flying under the recreational exception. Most research flying needs a Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate; universities have a narrow exception, below. TRUST is a good foundation either way. |
The UK and EU do not distinguish between recreational and commercial flying: the same rules apply whatever your purpose, so these qualifications are a real first step for research flying in the Open category.
The US does distinguish. Training courses, Embry-Riddle's included, tell you that if you're not flying for fun you need Part 107, and for most people that is right. There is one exception for universities, explained in the reading: in short, research by a university can count as "recreational", but only within all the recreational limits, and many universities require Part 107 anyway. Ask yours before you fly.
Then get familiar with an airspace app for where you'll fly. Open it, find your home and your field site, and see what restrictions apply:
- UK: the CAA's airspace restrictions page and the official NATS UAS restriction zones. The CAA doesn't endorse an app; whichever you use, check it against these.
- EU: your country's geographical zones map, linked from EASA's where to fly page. Examples: DIPUL (Germany), d-flight (Italy), GoDrone (Netherlands).
- US: a B4UFLY app, such as Aloft or Airspace Link. The same apps request LAANC authorisation in controlled airspace.
2. Read: safe, ethical, legal
About 10 minutes. Safe, ethical, legal covers risk assessment, value-sensitive design and capability caution, and the rules for drones and other sensors, with links to go further.
3. Start your capability audit canvas
About 20 minutes.
Think about a system you use or plan to use in your research: drones, camera traps, acoustic recorders, eDNA, satellite imagery, and the models that turn their data into results. Fill in parts 1 to 5 of the canvas: your mission, the capabilities your system needs and how each could be misused, your stakeholders, the permissions and risks that apply, and a question to bring. Leave part 6, the red team, for the session.
Capability audit canvas (.docx) · Printable canvas (.pdf)
Be specific. "Thermal camera at 120 m picks out people in the village next to the reserve" is more useful than "privacy".
Upload your canvas before the session, as the completed .docx or a photo
or scan of the printed one, named yourname-canvas:
upload link to follow.
In the session
One hour, in three parts of about 20 minutes each.
| What | Who |
|---|---|
| Acoustics: open discussion, built on the questions you submitted about bioacoustics | Justin Kitzes |
| Remote sensing: Safe, legal, ethical AI and remote sensing for ecology, in dialogue and open discussion | Devis Tuia and Steve Bullock |
| Safe, ethical, legal: | |
| · Red team: swap canvases with a partner. Find the worst plausible misuse of their system and add it to part 6 of theirs. When yours comes back, decide what you'd change. 5 minutes. | Everyone |
| · A dialogue the other way, and Q&A on permissions and safety: your questions, from part 5 of your canvas | Everyone |
After the session, the module's journal entry asks which sensing and processing technologies you might use in the field, and which technological and wider frameworks you'd work within. Your notes from Justin's Devis's, and my prep, and your capability audit canvas, are a good starting point.
Going further
- Read Sandbrook et al. (2021), principles for the socially responsible use of conservation monitoring technology and data.
- Find your institution's ethics process and fieldwork risk assessment, and check whether your planned work needs them. Module 7, Safe and Inclusive Field Work (see the syllabus), takes field safety further before you travel.
- If you'll fly for research in the US, start on Part 107. Check with your institution about expectations and funding.
Slides
A ten-minute introduction to the safe, ethical and legal material, to watch before the session. Download the slides (PDF) · open them full screen.
View the slides here
Steve Bullock, University of Bristol. Text and canvas licensed CC BY 4.0. The canvas is adapted from the WildBotics T2 capability audit canvas. Imageomics and ABC logos belong to their institutes.