What can UAS Remote Sensing do for ecology?

Ben Sparrow Ausplots Director

Ben.Sparrow@adelaide.edu.auwww.ausplots.org.au

With help from Peter Scarth

Remote Sensor Ecologist

Did I tell you about our latest UAS? It has 2.4Ghz spread spectrum, accelerator, gimbal, gyroscope inertial control system to take care of pitch roll and yaw, LiPo batteries, collecting true colour, IR, Hyperspectral and Lidar imagery!

(Eyes Glaze over)….. Er Cool – Can it tell me how much vegetation cover there is?

Error!

What are the Problems?Translation problem

Then went looking for:

“Push”

+

Google images search:”Technology looking for an

application.”

Then look for solution:

Problem“Pull”

R. L. Ackoff, (1989) “From data to wisdom”, Journal of Applied Systems Analysis, vol. 16, pp. 3-9.

Rowley, J. (2007) The wisdom hierarchy: representations of the DIKW hierarchy. Journal of Information Science. 33:163-180.

This is what we (as Remote Sensors) like!

This is where we make a difference!

Knowledge and Wisdom allow us to affect positive change

Changes in managementReal world outcomes

Model Development &Operationalisat

ion

Research & Informatics to

measure, model,

evaluate

Extension &Outreach &

Collaborative learning

GAPS

Model Development &Operationalisat

ion

Research & Informatics to

measure, model,

evaluate

Extension &Outreach &

Collaborative learning

Scalable, Understandable Platform

Flexible, Responsive

Delivery

Don’t care about the platform

Or what is under the bonnet ( The Tech Specs)

But we do want “Oh, what a feeling!” because it “Just Works” and “Doesn’t Break”

Not interested in processing steps

Remove technical complexity

(the Collinearity Equations give us nightmares)

Don’t make life harder in the field!

A “good” Remote sensing journal (RSE) search for “UAS”

A “Good”methods based Ecology Journal search for “UAS”

Pls refer to Arko’s far more robust analysis.

Homework1. Befriend an

ecologist2. Ask them what

information that they need

3. Give it to them!

(Give the customer what they want/need- or better still actively collaborate)

Another reason to adopt an ecologist!

Eyre, T.J., Fisher, A., Hunt, L.P. & Kutt, A.S. (2011) Measure it to better manage it: a biodiversity monitoring framework for the Australian rangelands. The Rangeland Journal, 33, 239-253.

All types of monitoring valid & ImportantAll need to work together for optimum results

I’ll focus on Surveillance monitoring

And it’s interaction with landscape monitoring

Because

• Know more about it• Provides a huge range of opportunities

for UAS – needs information that is needed that

you are well placed to provide!

NOT

Because we want to know if there is a problem, but we don’t have the resources to have the fire

department everywhere all the time!

Ausplots• Standardised method and

data delivery• Continental in scale• Samples all environments• Wide range of variables

sampled• Collected in a RS friendly way• Wide range in Surveillance

information needs• Desire to future proof.• www.ausplots.org.au

So what is the Pull?What DO ecologists need?What opportunities does that provide UAS? /

Ecology: The study of the distribution, abundance and interactions of organisms

• What is it?• Where is it?

• How much of it is there?• What condition is it in?

• Composition• Function• Structure

So what are the Opportunities for UAS?

OpportunitiesUAS ability to have Rapid revisit times

Provides a flexibility to meet timely needs not available at the same scale in the same time periods

Capture events as they are happeninge.g Fires, Flood and Crop disease

Short term change - Lower information content than field based survey, but also lower time of acquisition and hence $$

Opportunities

More frequent re-visits in the context of surveillance monitoring- We’ll only be able to afford to collect field data at our

sites ~ 1x per decade- UAS can provide less information content (Overall cover

v’s cover per species) , but more frequently ( Every year or two) in a cheaper and more rapid way

OpportunitiesPatterns at the scale of the site – EG SASMDD0001

OpportunitiesInfo on Micro-topography – has a big influence on vegetation patterning

OpportunitiesInformation on Vegetation Structure / HeightLots of examples over the past few days – Witnessed it being done with LEGO inside an hour and a half!

OpportunitiesUpscaling From Our good quality field data – Truth

To UAS data

To regional products

And Continental

And Global

Opportunities

Easy to use?

Consider this a challenge!

It’s not dead – It’s just resting!

OpportunitiesAn opportunity to move from a research to an operational focus.

A Maturity challenge - Right on the cusp now?- Getting the final polish right can

take a while

Has the opportunity to be cost effective if full cost calculated and operationalised.

OpportunitiesFuture proof – The ability to re-process the data into the future as new techniques become available

True chance to be X disciplinary

A wise man once told me “That truly novel discoveries are more likely to occur where disciplines interact”

UAS + RS+ Ecology will provide the bestoutcomes.

Opportunities

An Opportunity to be influential – Affect on ground outcomes

Make the world a better place

Currently problemsBut There is also a strong need

A strong need creates great opportunities.Great opportunities sometimes need a little encouragement…