Quadcopter-based stagnant water identification

In recent times, there has been a sharp increase in dengue and malaria, especially in urban areas. One of the major reasons for this health hazard is the number of locations where one can find stagnant water. These locations are large breeding ground for fast multiplying mosquitoes, and other insects. Areas include traditionally uncovered gutters, and also terraces of high rise buildings, and shades above windows (popularly known as chhajja) - areas that are hard to reach and access. In this paper we propose the use of a quadcopter to inspect such areas and identify stagnant water patches. Water being specular in nature tends to confound traditional image processing methods. Further the use of a non-traditional camera mounted on a quadcopter presents new challenges. We provide methods to get past such hurdles.