Eric Kniest is a Professional Surveyor, and lecturer in the School of Engineering at the University of Newcastle.

He has adapted traditional surveying methods and equipment (such as a theodolite) to track whales from the land, based at the Cape Byron Lighthouse. He has developed a computer software program, "Cyclopes", to better achieve this, and each day during the survey tracks the movements of pods of whales spotted off the Cape. Marine mammal researchers are now using this software throughout the world. Each year Eric supervises 2 or 3 final year surveying project students who also assist with theodolite tracking during the Cape Byron whale project.

Other areas of interest in the surveying field are also being investigated, such as tracking whale pods at night.

Eric has also been working with Dan Burns and Prof. Peter Harrison at SCU to develop an automated fluke identification program, called Fluke Matcher, using photogrammetric techniques.

Contact information for Eric*

Updated: 25 July 2010