Larry Robinson
Larry Robinson
Science and Products
Aerial orthoimagery development of Emiquon and Spunky Bottoms Preserves on the Illinois River for the Nature Conservancy
The Illinois River's Emiquon and Spunky Bottoms Preserves are collaborative floodplain restoration projects involving The Nature Conservancy (TNC), The US Army Corps of Engineers, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), with restoration efforts guided by a team of over forty science advisers. Emiquon and Spunky Bottoms were historic wetlands prior to conversion to farmland. This project is...
Feral hog survey over Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve using high-resolution thermal infrared imagery
The Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve (JELA) in southeastern Louisiana is being invaded by feral hogs ( Sus scrofa) and in need a systemic survey to determine where and how many hogs exist within the park boundary. Feral hogs are able to reproduce and increase their range rapidly, they are highly destructive to streams, wetlands, native plants and farm fields, and can spread...
2020 Systemic Land Cover/Land Use Aerial Imagery Acquisition, Image Interpretation, and Spatial Data Products for the Upper Mississippi River System
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Upper Mississippi River Restoration (UMRR) program, through its Long Term Resource Monitoring (UMRR-LTRM) element, is completing the 2020 decadal update of Land Cover/Land Use (LCU) for the entire Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS). Dissemination of the 2020 LCU database will provide a fourth systemic dataset to compare to the 1989, 2000, and 2010/11...
Pre- and Post-Maintenance Aerial Imagery for Illinois River's Alton through Brandon Lock and Dams, 2019-2021
Most of the locks and dams on the Illinois River are scheduled for closure for repair during the summer of 2020. This project will use 4-band (natural color and color infrared) aerial imagery to document baseline aquatic vegetation and river conditions prior to the closures in the late summer of 2019, and once again in the later summer of 2021 after the locks are reopened.
Remote Sensing in support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Migratory Bird Surveys Branch
The Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center and the USFWS Migratory Bird Surveys Branch continue to partner on remote sensing projects that document and describe our natural resources, including flight planning, image acquisition, and image processing support for both waterfowl and wildlife surveys and for vegetation mapping projects.
Uncrewed Aircraft System Assets
This page describes the Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS), or drone, program at the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC), current to March 1, 2025. All equipment is purchased and maintained in accordance with the Department of the Interior (DOI) Office of Aviation Services (OAS) policy. All pilots are certified through FAA Part 107 and DOI A-450 training and are required to fly every...
Aerial Camera System Boresight Installation in Bangor, Maine Aerial Camera System Boresight Installation in Bangor, Maine
The US Geological Survey's Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, in coordination with the US Fish and Wildlife Service's (USFWS) Branch of Migratory Bird Surveys, worked to develop, survey, and deploy an advanced aerial photography boresight in the town of Bangor, Maine. The intention of this boresight is to provide an extensive array of high-accuracy ground control points for the...
Code, imagery, and annotations for training a deep learning model to detect wildlife in aerial imagery Code, imagery, and annotations for training a deep learning model to detect wildlife in aerial imagery
There are 3 child zip files included in this data release. 01_Codebase.zip contains a codebase for using deep learning to filter images based on the probability of any bird occurrence. It includes instructions and files necessary for training, validating, and testing a machine learning detection algorithm. 02_Imagery.zip contains imagery that were collected using a Partenavia P68 fixed...
Images and annotations to automate the classification of avian species Images and annotations to automate the classification of avian species
This dataset is a collection of cropped avian images that pair with species identification annotation values.
Aerial thermal imagery of the Central Platte River Valley and bounding box annotations of sandhill cranes Aerial thermal imagery of the Central Platte River Valley and bounding box annotations of sandhill cranes
Aerial thermal imagery was collected over the Central Platte River Valley, Nebraska, USA. Bounding box annotations were manually created for the purpose of machine learning tasks to automate the detection of sandhill cranes. Mosaicking of the thermal imagery was complete to assemble the individual images into a single, geo-referenced image.
Illinois River: Emiquon and surrounding area aerial imagery Illinois River: Emiquon and surrounding area aerial imagery
Located in floodplain of the Illinois River near Havana, IL, Emiquon is one of the largest floodplain restoration projects in the Midwest. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) manage a TNC preserve and FWS Naitonal Wildlife Refuge in this area. In 2012, the Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge was designated a "Ramsar Wetland of International Importance."
2018 Eastern Lake Erie Shoreline 4-band orthophotos and mosaics 2018 Eastern Lake Erie Shoreline 4-band orthophotos and mosaics
High-resolution digital aerial imagery was collected on August 24, 2018, with an 80-megapixel Phase One iXU-R 180 natural color aerial camera co-mounted with a Phase One iXU-RS 160 achromatic aerial camera. Software co-registers the simultaneously collected images to create 4-band imagery that can be displayed in either true color (RGB) or color-infrared (CIR) format. The camera system...
2020 Four-band aerial imagery testing and acquisition for 2020 land cover/land use mission 2020 Four-band aerial imagery testing and acquisition for 2020 land cover/land use mission
The aerial camera testing project lays the groundwork for the collection of aerial imagery that will be used in the creation of the next iteration of systemic land cover/land use data for the Upper Mississippi River System. Prior to acquisition in the summer of 2020, the new 4-band aerial camera will be assessed for image quality at various resolutions and be compared to the camera used...
Authors
Larry R. Robinson
Mapping the thermal landscape of the Upper Mississippi River Mapping the thermal landscape of the Upper Mississippi River
Temperature has a fundamental influence on physical, chemical and biological processing in aquatic ecosystems. River temperatures respond to a diverse array of drivers including air temperature, streamflow, and thermal inputs, but the physical template has been shown to play a significant role in structuring spatial and temporal variation in water temperature. How these factors interact...
Authors
Kathi Jo Jankowski, Larry R. Robinson, John Kalas, Alicia Carhart, Brian R. Lubinski, Janis Ruhser
General classification handbook for floodplain vegetation in large river systems General classification handbook for floodplain vegetation in large river systems
This handbook describes the General Wetland Vegetation Classification System developed as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Upper Mississippi River Restoration (UMRR) Program, Long Term Resource Monitoring (LTRM) element. The UMRR is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the states of Illinois...
Authors
Jennifer J. Dieck, Janis Ruhser, Erin E. Hoy, Larry R. Robinson
Using high-resolution digital aerial imagery to map land cover Using high-resolution digital aerial imagery to map land cover
The Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) has used aerial photography to map land cover/land use on federally owned and managed lands for over 20 years. Until recently, that process used 23- by 23-centimeter (9- by 9-inch) analog aerial photos to classify vegetation along the Upper Mississippi River System, on National Wildlife Refuges, and in National Parks. With digital...
Authors
J.J. Dieck, Larry Robinson
Web GIS in practice VII: stereoscopic 3-D solutions for online maps and virtual globes Web GIS in practice VII: stereoscopic 3-D solutions for online maps and virtual globes
Because our pupils are about 6.5 cm apart, each eye views a scene from a different angle and sends a unique image to the visual cortex, which then merges the images from both eyes into a single picture. The slight difference between the right and left images allows the brain to properly perceive the 'third dimension' or depth in a scene (stereopsis). However, when a person views a...
Authors
Maged N.K. Boulos, Larry R. Robinson
Applying radar technology to migratory bird conservation and management: Strengthening and expanding a collaborative Applying radar technology to migratory bird conservation and management: Strengthening and expanding a collaborative
Executive Summary Understanding the factors affecting migratory bird and bat populations during all three phases of their life cycle—breeding, nonbreeding, and migration—is critical to species conservation planning. This includes the need for information about these species’ responses to natural challenges, as well as information about the effects of human activities and structures...
Authors
Janet M. Ruth, Albert Manville, Ron Larkin, Wylie C. Barrow, Lori Johnson-Randall, Deanna K. Dawson, Robert H. Diehl, Yufang Wang, Richard S. Sojda, Rafal Angryk, Robert W. Klaver, Reggie Mead, John Paxton, Patricia J. Heglund, Eileen Kirsch, Manuel J. Suarez, Larry Robinson, Sidney A. Gauthreaux, Carroll G. Belser, Steven J. Franke, Bruno Bruderer, Jeffrey J. Buler, Frank R. Moore, David S. Mizrahi, Robert Fogg, T. Adam Kelly, Paul M. Cryan, Tim Crum, Terry J. Schuur, Dave Krueper, Robb Diehl, Tom Will
Science and Products
Aerial orthoimagery development of Emiquon and Spunky Bottoms Preserves on the Illinois River for the Nature Conservancy
The Illinois River's Emiquon and Spunky Bottoms Preserves are collaborative floodplain restoration projects involving The Nature Conservancy (TNC), The US Army Corps of Engineers, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), with restoration efforts guided by a team of over forty science advisers. Emiquon and Spunky Bottoms were historic wetlands prior to conversion to farmland. This project is...
Feral hog survey over Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve using high-resolution thermal infrared imagery
The Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve (JELA) in southeastern Louisiana is being invaded by feral hogs ( Sus scrofa) and in need a systemic survey to determine where and how many hogs exist within the park boundary. Feral hogs are able to reproduce and increase their range rapidly, they are highly destructive to streams, wetlands, native plants and farm fields, and can spread...
2020 Systemic Land Cover/Land Use Aerial Imagery Acquisition, Image Interpretation, and Spatial Data Products for the Upper Mississippi River System
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Upper Mississippi River Restoration (UMRR) program, through its Long Term Resource Monitoring (UMRR-LTRM) element, is completing the 2020 decadal update of Land Cover/Land Use (LCU) for the entire Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS). Dissemination of the 2020 LCU database will provide a fourth systemic dataset to compare to the 1989, 2000, and 2010/11...
Pre- and Post-Maintenance Aerial Imagery for Illinois River's Alton through Brandon Lock and Dams, 2019-2021
Most of the locks and dams on the Illinois River are scheduled for closure for repair during the summer of 2020. This project will use 4-band (natural color and color infrared) aerial imagery to document baseline aquatic vegetation and river conditions prior to the closures in the late summer of 2019, and once again in the later summer of 2021 after the locks are reopened.
Remote Sensing in support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Migratory Bird Surveys Branch
The Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center and the USFWS Migratory Bird Surveys Branch continue to partner on remote sensing projects that document and describe our natural resources, including flight planning, image acquisition, and image processing support for both waterfowl and wildlife surveys and for vegetation mapping projects.
Uncrewed Aircraft System Assets
This page describes the Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS), or drone, program at the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC), current to March 1, 2025. All equipment is purchased and maintained in accordance with the Department of the Interior (DOI) Office of Aviation Services (OAS) policy. All pilots are certified through FAA Part 107 and DOI A-450 training and are required to fly every...
Aerial Camera System Boresight Installation in Bangor, Maine Aerial Camera System Boresight Installation in Bangor, Maine
The US Geological Survey's Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, in coordination with the US Fish and Wildlife Service's (USFWS) Branch of Migratory Bird Surveys, worked to develop, survey, and deploy an advanced aerial photography boresight in the town of Bangor, Maine. The intention of this boresight is to provide an extensive array of high-accuracy ground control points for the...
Code, imagery, and annotations for training a deep learning model to detect wildlife in aerial imagery Code, imagery, and annotations for training a deep learning model to detect wildlife in aerial imagery
There are 3 child zip files included in this data release. 01_Codebase.zip contains a codebase for using deep learning to filter images based on the probability of any bird occurrence. It includes instructions and files necessary for training, validating, and testing a machine learning detection algorithm. 02_Imagery.zip contains imagery that were collected using a Partenavia P68 fixed...
Images and annotations to automate the classification of avian species Images and annotations to automate the classification of avian species
This dataset is a collection of cropped avian images that pair with species identification annotation values.
Aerial thermal imagery of the Central Platte River Valley and bounding box annotations of sandhill cranes Aerial thermal imagery of the Central Platte River Valley and bounding box annotations of sandhill cranes
Aerial thermal imagery was collected over the Central Platte River Valley, Nebraska, USA. Bounding box annotations were manually created for the purpose of machine learning tasks to automate the detection of sandhill cranes. Mosaicking of the thermal imagery was complete to assemble the individual images into a single, geo-referenced image.
Illinois River: Emiquon and surrounding area aerial imagery Illinois River: Emiquon and surrounding area aerial imagery
Located in floodplain of the Illinois River near Havana, IL, Emiquon is one of the largest floodplain restoration projects in the Midwest. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) manage a TNC preserve and FWS Naitonal Wildlife Refuge in this area. In 2012, the Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge was designated a "Ramsar Wetland of International Importance."
2018 Eastern Lake Erie Shoreline 4-band orthophotos and mosaics 2018 Eastern Lake Erie Shoreline 4-band orthophotos and mosaics
High-resolution digital aerial imagery was collected on August 24, 2018, with an 80-megapixel Phase One iXU-R 180 natural color aerial camera co-mounted with a Phase One iXU-RS 160 achromatic aerial camera. Software co-registers the simultaneously collected images to create 4-band imagery that can be displayed in either true color (RGB) or color-infrared (CIR) format. The camera system...
2020 Four-band aerial imagery testing and acquisition for 2020 land cover/land use mission 2020 Four-band aerial imagery testing and acquisition for 2020 land cover/land use mission
The aerial camera testing project lays the groundwork for the collection of aerial imagery that will be used in the creation of the next iteration of systemic land cover/land use data for the Upper Mississippi River System. Prior to acquisition in the summer of 2020, the new 4-band aerial camera will be assessed for image quality at various resolutions and be compared to the camera used...
Authors
Larry R. Robinson
Mapping the thermal landscape of the Upper Mississippi River Mapping the thermal landscape of the Upper Mississippi River
Temperature has a fundamental influence on physical, chemical and biological processing in aquatic ecosystems. River temperatures respond to a diverse array of drivers including air temperature, streamflow, and thermal inputs, but the physical template has been shown to play a significant role in structuring spatial and temporal variation in water temperature. How these factors interact...
Authors
Kathi Jo Jankowski, Larry R. Robinson, John Kalas, Alicia Carhart, Brian R. Lubinski, Janis Ruhser
General classification handbook for floodplain vegetation in large river systems General classification handbook for floodplain vegetation in large river systems
This handbook describes the General Wetland Vegetation Classification System developed as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Upper Mississippi River Restoration (UMRR) Program, Long Term Resource Monitoring (LTRM) element. The UMRR is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the states of Illinois...
Authors
Jennifer J. Dieck, Janis Ruhser, Erin E. Hoy, Larry R. Robinson
Using high-resolution digital aerial imagery to map land cover Using high-resolution digital aerial imagery to map land cover
The Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) has used aerial photography to map land cover/land use on federally owned and managed lands for over 20 years. Until recently, that process used 23- by 23-centimeter (9- by 9-inch) analog aerial photos to classify vegetation along the Upper Mississippi River System, on National Wildlife Refuges, and in National Parks. With digital...
Authors
J.J. Dieck, Larry Robinson
Web GIS in practice VII: stereoscopic 3-D solutions for online maps and virtual globes Web GIS in practice VII: stereoscopic 3-D solutions for online maps and virtual globes
Because our pupils are about 6.5 cm apart, each eye views a scene from a different angle and sends a unique image to the visual cortex, which then merges the images from both eyes into a single picture. The slight difference between the right and left images allows the brain to properly perceive the 'third dimension' or depth in a scene (stereopsis). However, when a person views a...
Authors
Maged N.K. Boulos, Larry R. Robinson
Applying radar technology to migratory bird conservation and management: Strengthening and expanding a collaborative Applying radar technology to migratory bird conservation and management: Strengthening and expanding a collaborative
Executive Summary Understanding the factors affecting migratory bird and bat populations during all three phases of their life cycle—breeding, nonbreeding, and migration—is critical to species conservation planning. This includes the need for information about these species’ responses to natural challenges, as well as information about the effects of human activities and structures...
Authors
Janet M. Ruth, Albert Manville, Ron Larkin, Wylie C. Barrow, Lori Johnson-Randall, Deanna K. Dawson, Robert H. Diehl, Yufang Wang, Richard S. Sojda, Rafal Angryk, Robert W. Klaver, Reggie Mead, John Paxton, Patricia J. Heglund, Eileen Kirsch, Manuel J. Suarez, Larry Robinson, Sidney A. Gauthreaux, Carroll G. Belser, Steven J. Franke, Bruno Bruderer, Jeffrey J. Buler, Frank R. Moore, David S. Mizrahi, Robert Fogg, T. Adam Kelly, Paul M. Cryan, Tim Crum, Terry J. Schuur, Dave Krueper, Robb Diehl, Tom Will