Drones, satellites and biodiversity
CSIRO scientists have used high-resolution drones to build a 3D model of a study site in the Beetaloo region, and successfully demonstrated the potential for scaling up biodiversity monitoring over vast areas via satellite-based remote sensing platforms.
This research project, conducted through CSIRO’s Gas Industry Social and Environmental Research Alliance (GISERA) developed a scalable approach for monitoring the structural condition of vegetation in the Beetaloo Sub-basin.
The research addresses community concerns about the potential impacts of onshore gas development in the Beetaloo Sub-basin affecting regional biodiversity.
Research results also demonstrate the potential for remote sensing technologies to offer cost-effective options for large-scale monitoring of environmental values.
A three-dimensional (3D) image of Beetaloo Sub-basin vegetation. The colour scale shows height above ground level.
In this study, CSIRO scientists successfully demonstrated the application of high-resolution UAV-LiDAR to characterise a study site in the Beetaloo region, and confirmed the potential for upscaling to much larger areas via satellite-based remote sensing platforms (Sentinel satellites, built and operated by the European Space Agency and the Copernicus Programme).
LiDAR (Light, Detection and Ranging) refers to a method of survey data capture whereby a laser is reflected off an object and the response time to the return sensor enables the calculation of the distance. When many thousands of laser pulses occur every second a detailed 3D point cloud of the surroundings can be created.
Use of machine learning to establish relationships between UAV-LiDAR and spaceborne imagery allowed the development of models which predict vegetation structure, and structural change, across broader landscapes.
Above, left – CSIRO scientists used drones fitted with LiDAR sensors to map biodiversity in the Beetaloo (photo credit: Shaun Levick). Right – The Sentinel 2 satellite (image credit: ESA/ATG medialab).
This technology provides a bridge between what can be collected in the field, and what can be estimated from space. It provides a robust snapshot of ecosystem state at a particular point in time, that can be used for calibrating and validating satellite remote sensing products.
A systematic monitoring program using the methods described in this study may provide an objective dataset that reassures stakeholders, including the broader community, that potential biodiversity impacts can be detected and mitigated.
Read the final report
Find out more about this project
Learn about other GISERA research in the Northern Territory