Presentation Abstract
Rapid improvements in small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and image processing software have made aerial mapping of intertidal habitats feasible. UAVs are viable tool for comprehensively collecting information in nearshore and shallow subtidal project areas to characterize both seabed elevations as digital surface models and to characterize the presence or absence of vegetation throughout a survey area. This has facilitated mapping eelgrass and other intertidal resources. By capturing information about the entire survey area, UAV based mapping overcomes limitations associated with line intersect and quadrat-based sampling methods. Further, the aerial perspective may allow for the identification and interpretation of patterns of vegetation change or response to disease, anthropogenic or natural features that are not easily identified from the ground. UAVs provide a lower elevation platform for capturing imagery than traditional plane-based platforms, and allows surveys to target tidal elevations appropriate for surveys. However, these benefits come with tradeoffs such as the limited endurance of UAVs, and regulatory maximum flight elevation. Examples of aerial mapping of intertidal habitats from a range of locations, including Samish Bay, Kitsap Peninsula, Hood Canal, and South Puget Sound provides tangible lessons for how to appropriately harness this emerging tool to map intertidal habitats. Weather, light, tidal elevation, UAV flight elevation and time of year all influence the observations made with UAVs. Ultimately, imagery can be interpreted using a wide range of methods including supervised or unsupervised classification which may result in pixel by pixel mapping or be generalized into areas. Virtual ground truthing using low elevation reconnaissance with the UAV coupled with ground observations may be used to demonstrate the accuracy of UAV mapping efforts. Examples of inter-annual monitoring will also demonstrate the potential utility of UAV based mapping to track changes in shoreform or vegetation over time.
Session Title
Structure from Motion and Drone Aerial Imagery for Coastal Restoration and Management
Keywords
Drone, UAV, UAS, Intertidal, Mapping, Eelgrass, Structure from motion
Conference Track
SSE15: Data and Information Management
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE15-279
Start Date
4-4-2018 4:30 PM
End Date
4-4-2018 4:45 PM
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Aerial photogrammetry--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Vegetation mapping--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Intertidal ecology--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Mapping intertidal vegetation using small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
Rapid improvements in small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and image processing software have made aerial mapping of intertidal habitats feasible. UAVs are viable tool for comprehensively collecting information in nearshore and shallow subtidal project areas to characterize both seabed elevations as digital surface models and to characterize the presence or absence of vegetation throughout a survey area. This has facilitated mapping eelgrass and other intertidal resources. By capturing information about the entire survey area, UAV based mapping overcomes limitations associated with line intersect and quadrat-based sampling methods. Further, the aerial perspective may allow for the identification and interpretation of patterns of vegetation change or response to disease, anthropogenic or natural features that are not easily identified from the ground. UAVs provide a lower elevation platform for capturing imagery than traditional plane-based platforms, and allows surveys to target tidal elevations appropriate for surveys. However, these benefits come with tradeoffs such as the limited endurance of UAVs, and regulatory maximum flight elevation. Examples of aerial mapping of intertidal habitats from a range of locations, including Samish Bay, Kitsap Peninsula, Hood Canal, and South Puget Sound provides tangible lessons for how to appropriately harness this emerging tool to map intertidal habitats. Weather, light, tidal elevation, UAV flight elevation and time of year all influence the observations made with UAVs. Ultimately, imagery can be interpreted using a wide range of methods including supervised or unsupervised classification which may result in pixel by pixel mapping or be generalized into areas. Virtual ground truthing using low elevation reconnaissance with the UAV coupled with ground observations may be used to demonstrate the accuracy of UAV mapping efforts. Examples of inter-annual monitoring will also demonstrate the potential utility of UAV based mapping to track changes in shoreform or vegetation over time.
