Video Surveillance Imagery of the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System (ISEGS) Facility Recorded by the USGS during Spring and Fall 2014

In this observational pilot study, we worked at the largest existing solar tower facility in the world (Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System - ISEGS) to assess the efficacy of using radar, surveillance video, and insect trapping to monitor animals flying near the towers. During week-long site visits in May and September, we monitored the airspace surrounding towers and observed insects, occasional birds, and bats under a variety of environmental and operational conditions. This dataset is comprised of the unedited digital video imagery we gathered during those site visits. There are four types of video imagery included in the data set: (1) "EMCCD camera" is the output of an electron multiplying charge-coupled-device camera (model Hitachi KP-E500) operating in the near-infrared spectrum of light that was used image the top of a solar tower (Tower 3) during the nights of 14-18 May 2014. (2) "thermal camera" is the output of a surveillance camera that imaged in the thermal-infrared spectrum of light (model Axis Communications Q1921-E) that was used to monitor the tops of three solar towers and adjacent airspace from 14-22 May and 2-10 September 2014. (3) "ultraviolet camera" is the output of a camera that imaged in the ulraviolet spectrum of light (model Oculus Photonics UV-Corder) and was used to record miscellaneous imagery around the solar facility during May and September observation periods in 2014. (4) "WDR camera" is imagery gathered by wide-dynamic range, high-definition surveillance cameras that imaged in the visible spectrum of light (model Axis Communications Q1614-E) ---these cameras were used with various zoom lenses and were positioned both on the ground (most of May and September observations), but then mounted higher on a solar tower for closer imaging during the last two days of the September observation period. With the exception of the output of the ultraviolet camera, all video imagery is time (Pacific DST) and date stamped. In general, video monitoring proved useful for detecting and/or identifying some of the animals or objects moving through the airspace generally and near solar towers.
Locational Information Associated with the Towers from which Recordings were Captured:
Tower 1
Recording start date: 9/7/2014
Recording end date: 9/11/2014
Easting (X location, UTM meters): 640371
Northing (Y location, UTM meters): 3933464
UTM Zone: 11 North
Altitude above sea level (meters): 877
Tower 2
Recording start date: 9/3/2014
Recording end date: 9/7/2014
Easting (X location, UTM meters): 638651
Northing (Y location, UTM meters): 3935824
UTM Zone: 11 North
Altitude above sea level (meters): 925
Tower 3
Recording start date: 5/11/2014
Recording end date: 5/22/2014
Easting (X location, UTM meters): 637472
Northing (Y location, UTM meters): 3937887
UTM Zone: 11 North
Altitude above sea level (meters): 972
Coordinate information based on UTM Projection, Zone 11 (Datum: NAD 1983_CORS96, Ellipsoid: GRS_1980)

Tags: animal-movement, bats, birds, infrared, insects, ivanpah-solar-electric-generating-system, ivanpah-valley, migration, mojave-desert, monitoring-and-evaluation, power-generation-sites, solar-energy, solar-flux, solar-power, solar-power-towers, usgs-565c9c99e4b071e7ea542edc, video-monitoring, videography, videos, wildlife, wildlife-and-fisheries
Organization: Department of the Interior