An Artist's Attempt to Plot Out All Drones Using Satellite Images

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By Ann-Marie Alcántara2014-04-24 21:30:18 -0400

Drones — known for their stealthiness and secret operations — are becoming exposed photo by photo by one artist.

James Bridle, 33, is using open-source satellite imagery to show the location of drones around the world to increase overall visibility. He consults news articles, Wikipedia pages, Google Maps, Google Earth and other publicly available satellite maps to locate the drones and snap photos.

See also: Child's Portrait Puts a Face on Drone Strikes in Pakistan

The artist is showcasing prints of the photos in an exhibit called “Watching the Watchers” at the Open Data Institute in London open now through January 2015. These photos are meant to provide a public understanding of drones.

Artist James Bridle's "Watching the Watchers" print of the Naval Air Station in Sigonella, Sicily.

Artist James Bridle's "Watching the Watchers" print of Gray Butte Field, California.

Recently, drones have been a contentious topic in the United States. Bridle took offense to the Wall Street Journal’s article about his exhibit. But as the creator of the Dronestagram Instagram account that boats more than 10,000 followers and posts photos of drone strike locales, is no stranger to such critiques.

An estimated 2,400 people have been killed since the Obama administration launched its drone strike campaign in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, 273 of whom are believed to be civilians. However, the casualty rate and civilian casualty rate has fallen during Obama's presidency, with only 1.43 civilian causalities killed on average, whereas during Bush's presidency, strikes killed more than 3 civilians on average. There were no reports of civilian causalities in 2013.

To learn more about Bridle’s work and his views on drones, visit his personal website.

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Topics: Drones, london, united states, U.S., US & World, World

Image: Steve Helber/Associated Press