Unmanned aerial vehicles for alien plant species detection and monitoring

0447762 - BÚ 2016 RIV DE eng C - Conference Paper (international conference)
Dvořák, P. - Müllerová, Jana - Bartaloš, T. - Brůna, Josef
Unmanned aerial vehicles for alien plant species detection and monitoring.
ISPRS Archives, ISPRS UAV-g2015. Göttingen: Copernicus GmbH, 2015 - (Armenakis, C.), s. 83-90. ISSN 2194-9034.
[International Conference on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Geomatics - UAV-g 2015. Toronto (CA), 30.08.2015-02.09.2015]
R&D Projects: GA TA ČR TA04020455
Institutional support: RVO:67985939
Keywords : automated processing * remote sensing * invasive species
Subject RIV: DO - Wilderness Conservation

Invasive species spread rapidly and their eradication is difficult. New methods enabling fast and efficient monitoring are urgently needed for their successful control. Remote sensing can improve early detection of invading plants and make their management more efficient and less expensive. In an ongoing project in the Czech Republic, we aim at developing innovative methods of mapping invasive plant species (semi-automatic detection algorithms) by using purposely designed unmanned aircraft (UAV). We examine possibilities for detection of two tree and two herb invasive species. Our aim is to establish fast, repeatable and efficient computer-assisted method of timely monitoring, reducing the costs of extensive field campaigns. For finding the best detection algorithm we test various classification approaches (object-, pixel-based and hybrid). Thanks to its flexibility and low cost, UAV enables assessing the effect of phenological stage and spatial resolution, and is most suitable for monitoring the efficiency of eradication efforts. However, several challenges exist in UAV application, such as geometrical and radiometric distortions, high amount of data to be processed and legal constrains for the UAV flight missions over urban areas (often highly invaded). The newly proposed UAV approach shall serve invasive species researchers, management practitioners and policy makers.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0249520