This project engages students to understand how drones can be an important key for data collection. In this specific case, a custom drone drone was used to capture data with a goal to investigate and compare air quality data in geothermal zones.

Geothermal basins are active zones where the Earth’s crust releases a mixture of heat and various gases. Unlike a factory that might emit one specific chemical, a geothermal basin releases a "cocktail" of atmospheric components. Because we cannot always distinguish exactly which individual Sulphur-based Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) is present without a laboratory, we focus on air quality in general.

Measuring air quality using ground sensors often requires many site visits and long periods of work in hazardous terrain (unstable ground or high temperatures). These ground methods are slow and may only cover small, safe areas.

Students set up an air quality logger with gps, attach it to the drone, plan a simple flight path and operate a drone. They document the process with pictures and short videos that later will become learning materials. Safety considerations should be frequently mentioned. This process allows students to visualize the "environmental footprint" of the Earth's own energy.