Project Volunteer: Mapping of invasive plants in Galápagos 

Application deadline: December 15th 2018
Start date: January 15th 2019 (or later)
Duration: 3 months (minimum)

We are looking for a volunteer who can assist us in flying a drone (DJI Mavic 
Pro & Inspire 1) in the humid zone of the inhabited islands of Galapagos. 
Following the drone flights, we need support generating 3D models and 
orthophotos to map the distribution of invasive plants. The remote sensors we 
use are othophotos generated with drones and high resolution satellite images 
and therefore we require the volunteer to have experience with Geographic 
Information Systems (GIS) and R-scripting.

Responsibilities of the volunteer
•       Carry out field trips to obtain in-situ data, geo-referencing plant 
species
•       Assist in the logistics of field trips to perform drone flights
•       Process aerial drone images to orthophotos
•       Continue using and developing a Random Forest model using QGis, GDAL 
and R
•       Document the applied methodology, as well as results and challenges 
encountered

Required profile
•       Experience in flying multirotor drones
•       Experience in the photogrammetric processing of aerial images captured 
with drones to generate 3D spatial data.
•       Experience with the programing R language. The volunteer should be able 
to read and understand R Scripts and implement new scripts to 
        continues with the modelling process
•       Experience with GIS, preferably QGIS and GDAL
•       Availability, experience and motivation to work in the field under 
difficult conditions, such as reaching areas of difficult access. This involves 
        the planning and execution of field trips to geo-reference invasive 
plant species and to fly the drone

Terms
The Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) will provide the equipment and materials 
needed for the project and field trips. The volunteer will be under the 
supervision of the scientists responsible for the project and will comply with 
the daily working schedule. The volunteer is expected to work 40 hours per 
week, from 07:30 - 12:00 and from 13:30 - 17:00. Due to certain project 
activities, such as field trips, this schedule may be altered. The volunteer 
must faithfully comply with the internal rules of the CDF and will conduct 
fieldwork strictly following the rules and regulations of the Galapagos 
National Park.

How to apply     
Applicants are asked to send all documents in one single PDF-file, which 
includes the CDF application forms and the required documents. Please send the 
application to the following
e-mail address: ([email protected]). The application deadline is 15th 
December 2018. 

The application forms are available on our website at www.darwinfoundation.org 
: Get Involved > Vacancies > Volunteers. If you have any questions, please 
contact the Volunteers and Scholars Program or request the application form at: 
[email protected]
or [email protected]

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