
- Eyes wide open
Only once in my life did I get to see a bearded vulture in its majesty glide effortlessly just below the Dents de Midi in Switzerland. - Dig for data
I wondered: Is there location data on wild animals in Switzerland? There is! The most spectacular is collected by the bearded vultures themselves. Each one reintroduced into the wilderness carries a GPS-transmitter. - Understand the data
There are gaps in the data: Depending on cloudy weather and at what time Luzerna leaves her nest, the GPS transmitter is fully charged and able to transmit location, direction, speed, and altitude accurately to the second. - Find the story within the data
Luzerna is the perfect a protagonist. Her life as the biggest bird in the alps, flying at the mountain tops, is in itself outstanding. - Visualise
I wanted to recreate the moment of my first encounter. In terms of software, that means: QGIS (https://qgis.org/)
Swisstopo provides easily accessible and high resolution aerial imagery (Swissimage: https://www.swisstopo.admin.ch/en/orthoimage-swissimage-10). This is easily integrated into QGIS via a WMS connection (https://wms.geo.admin.ch/).
With the help of the QGIS plugin Qgis2threejs (https://minorua.github.io/Qgis2threejs/docs/) I mapped the images onto a digital elevation model (swissALTI3D: https://www.swisstopo.admin.ch/en/height-model-swissalti3d) to create a realistic 3D model of the region. - Grow wings
The data comes with exact coordinates and elevation. To recreate the flight, all there is to do is connect the dots. - Add perspectives
· A flat map gives an overview of Luzernas flight along the X- and Y-axis
· An elevation profile for the Z-axis and gives insight into the altitude at which Luzerna flies
· The culmination of the two is the 3D rendering – coming surprisingly close to the actual experience of witnessing a bearded vulture in the wild. - Guide through the visualisation
Explain what’s obvious to you but actually needs an explanation
· In 40 minutes Luzerna crosses 24 kilometres of glacial ice and flies past some of the most renowned peaks of the Swiss alps: Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau
· At 3 pm, she begins her descent to cross the Rhone valley – top speed: 94 kph
· To regain height, she ceases thermal winds and soars 500 meters within 3.5 minutes

An elevation profile for the Z-axis and gives insight into the altitude at which Luzerna flies.
