Koh Chang Island Eco-Tourism Mapping by Balloon-born Remote Sensing Imagery System

Koh Chang Island is located near the east border of Thailand. The government of Thailand promotes the island as a model of eco-tourism spots. The Island undeveloped until recent years, is expected to change to major tourist attraction. 'Digital Koh Chang project' has thus. The main objective of this project is to monitor the environment and land use status of the island and to support its sound development. In March 2003, a field survey of this project was planned and field data were collected using both airborne and ground platforms and an ocean vessel. These data were combined with satellite data in the laboratory. This presentation is all balloon-born system field operation. A 5-meter length balloon filled with Helium gas was used, whose payload consisted of two RGB standard color digital still cameras, two directional rotating servo motors, a camera mount cradle as well as signal transmitting and receiving components. A series of aerial high-resolution digital images were rather easily obtained using this inexpensive system, making it possible to monitor intended landscape features in a specific field. Design of simple, low-cost and easily transportable flying platforms and local field surveys using them are useful for getting local ground truth data to calibrate satellite or airborne-based RS data. The design analysis to upgrade the system is further investigated.