Using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for ultra-high resolution mapping of Antarctic moss beds

This study is the first to use an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for mapping moss beds in Antarctica. Mosses can be used as indicators for the regional effects of climate change. Mapping and monitoring their extent and health is therefore important. UAV aerial photography provides ultra-high resoluti...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lucieer, Arko, Robinson, Sharon A., Turner, Darren
Format: Conference Object
Language:unknown
Published: Research Online 2010
Subjects:
Life Sciences
Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Antarctic
Antarc*
Antarctica
Online Access:https://ro.uow.edu.au/scipapers/438
https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1476&context=scipapers
Description
Summary:This study is the first to use an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for mapping moss beds in Antarctica. Mosses can be used as indicators for the regional effects of climate change. Mapping and monitoring their extent and health is therefore important. UAV aerial photography provides ultra-high resolution spatial data for this purpose. In addition, we collected highly accurate and GPS transects to generate a detailed DEM. We calculated a topographic wetness index based on the DEM and compared it to the UAV photography to evaluate local growing conditions. This preliminary study shows that a UAV is an ideal platform for capturing ultra-high resolution imagery.

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