CERC scientists are utilizing remote sensing technologies to facilitate rapid collection of ephemeral field data following disasters, to assess injuries to natural resources and potential threats to human health, and to inform and monitor ecological restoration.
The issue: In addition to short-term physical dangers, natural and human-caused disasters are often accompanied by contaminant releases that pose hazards to human health and natural resources. Rapid collection and dissemination of data is critical for planning and implementing response measures, assessing short-term effects of disasters, and documenting baseline conditions to inform remediation and restoration of affected areas.
Addressing the Issue: CERC scientists are using UAS and other remotely sensed data to characterize baseline conditions for ecological restoration planning, and are applying UAS imagery to assess ecological restoration progress and complement traditional field-based monitoring techniques. Additionally, CERC scientists are developing capacities to acquire, process and analyze remotely sensed data to assess the effects of disasters and contaminant releases, and to inform disaster response, remediation, and restoration planning. Of particular interest are methods to detect and quantify contaminants released in the environment and to assess their potential impacts on ecosystems and human health. Applications include rapid mapping of oil and other chemical releases and documenting short-term impacts on birds, fish and other wildlife.
Next Steps:
- Identify existing remote-sensing resources appropriate for disaster assessment and expand capacity by acquiring new remote sensing platforms and sensors, including UAS.
- Applying above in non-disaster scenarios to develop data processing and analysis capabilities.
- Work with USGS-UAS office to identify appropriate platforms and sensors for various disasters and contaminant release events.
- Integrating with disaster response teams to identify appropriate roles and responsibilities during disaster response and to determine data collection needs.
- Applying remote sensing technologies to monitor the progress of ecological restorations.
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Return to Conservation, Quantitative, and Restoration Ecology
- Overview
CERC scientists are utilizing remote sensing technologies to facilitate rapid collection of ephemeral field data following disasters, to assess injuries to natural resources and potential threats to human health, and to inform and monitor ecological restoration.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Digital representations of a plot in a 2003 bottomland hardwood habitat restoration at the Bluffton [Indiana] Native Habitat Waterway. Left to right: nadir view UAS aerial image, colorized point cloud derived from UAS imagery, and 3-dimensional vegetation height classifications of less than 1 m (greens), between 1 and 5 meters (purples), and greater than 5 m (yellows).(Public domain.) The issue: In addition to short-term physical dangers, natural and human-caused disasters are often accompanied by contaminant releases that pose hazards to human health and natural resources. Rapid collection and dissemination of data is critical for planning and implementing response measures, assessing short-term effects of disasters, and documenting baseline conditions to inform remediation and restoration of affected areas.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Remotely sensed data complement data collected using standard field observation techniques to document site conditions following disasters and to provide short- and long-term ecological monitoring of restoration progress.(Public domain.) Addressing the Issue: CERC scientists are using UAS and other remotely sensed data to characterize baseline conditions for ecological restoration planning, and are applying UAS imagery to assess ecological restoration progress and complement traditional field-based monitoring techniques. Additionally, CERC scientists are developing capacities to acquire, process and analyze remotely sensed data to assess the effects of disasters and contaminant releases, and to inform disaster response, remediation, and restoration planning. Of particular interest are methods to detect and quantify contaminants released in the environment and to assess their potential impacts on ecosystems and human health. Applications include rapid mapping of oil and other chemical releases and documenting short-term impacts on birds, fish and other wildlife.
Next Steps:
- Identify existing remote-sensing resources appropriate for disaster assessment and expand capacity by acquiring new remote sensing platforms and sensors, including UAS.
- Applying above in non-disaster scenarios to develop data processing and analysis capabilities.
- Work with USGS-UAS office to identify appropriate platforms and sensors for various disasters and contaminant release events.
- Integrating with disaster response teams to identify appropriate roles and responsibilities during disaster response and to determine data collection needs.
- Applying remote sensing technologies to monitor the progress of ecological restorations.
Return to Ecological Restoration
Return to Conservation, Quantitative, and Restoration Ecology