Augmentation of Traditional Forest Inventory and Airborne Laser Scanning with Unmanned Aerial Systems and Photogrammetry for Forest Monitoring
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Forest Inventory and ALS Data
2.2. UAS-Based Photogrammetry Data
2.3. Point Cloud Postprocessing
3. Results
3.1. Reconstructions
3.2. Tree Metrics
3.3. Growth Observations
4. Discussion
4.1. Reconstructions
4.2. Tree Metrics
4.3. Growth Observations
4.4. Future Applications
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Parameter | Value |
---|---|
Scanner | Reigl 680i |
Mirror | Rotating |
Field of view | ±30 degrees |
Flying height | 730 m (2400 ft) aboveground level |
Pulse rate | 330,000 Hz |
Scan rate | 200 Hz |
Beam divergence | ≤0.5 mrad |
Pulse wavelength | Near infrared, 1064 nm |
Intensity | 16-bit |
Processing | Digitized waveform, up to 7 returns per pulse in the study area |
Canopy Cover Class (Percent) | Number of Plots | Number of Trees on Plot with DBH >= 12.7 cm | Maximum Tree Height (m) | Dominant Species (Number of Plots) |
---|---|---|---|---|
I (10–40%) | 4 | 6–12 | 15.5–35.7 | Ponderosa pine (3); Lodgepole pine (1) |
II (40–70%) | 4 | 9–19 | 9.4–43.9 | Ponderosa pine (2); Lodgepole pine (2) |
III (70–100%) | 3 | 37–73 | 16.8– 28.3 | Ponderosa pine (2); Lodgepole pine (1) |
Field | ALS | UAS | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CC1 | CC2 | CC3 | CC1 | CC2 | CC3 | CC1 | CC2 | CC3 | |
CHM cell resolution | -- | -- | -- | 3.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 2.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
Tree counts | 36.0 | 62.0 | 159.0 | 30.0 | 47.0 | 125.0 | 30.0 | 63.0 | 139.0 |
Median tree height (m) | 16.6 | 11.7 | 11.3 | 14.5 | 13.5 | 10.4 | 12.4 | 12.0 | 11.3 |
Mean tree height (m) | 18.6 | 14.0 | 12.5 | 17.8 | 15.3 | 11.5 | 15.8 | 14.4 | 12.4 |
SD tree height | 10.3 | 7.9 | 4.3 | 9.2 | 8.3 | 4.1 | 8.9 | 7.6 | 4.1 |
Min tree height (m) | 5.5 | 6.4 | 5.5 | 8.5 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 8.0 | 7.9 | 7.9 |
Max tree height (m) | 35.7 | 43.9 | 28.4 | 36.3 | 42.0 | 25.6 | 36.8 | 41.9 | 27.8 |
ALS vs. Field Measured | UAS vs. Field Measured | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CC1 | CC2 | CC3 | CC1 | CC2 | CC3 | |
CHM cell resolution | 2.50 | 0.40 | 0.30 | 3.00 | 0.30 | 0.20 |
Mean difference in tree counts (n) | −1.50 | −3.75 | −11.33 | −1.50 | 0.25 | −6.67 |
Mean difference in min tree height (m) | 4.09 | 0.62 | 1.77 | 4.23 | 0.99 | 1.72 |
Mean difference in mean tree height (m) | −1.04 | 0.70 | −0.30 | −1.47 | 0.44 | 0.73 |
Mean difference in max tree height (m) | 0.22 | −0.76 | −1.71 | 0.17 | -0.68 | −1.01 |
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Fankhauser, K.E.; Strigul, N.S.; Gatziolis, D. Augmentation of Traditional Forest Inventory and Airborne Laser Scanning with Unmanned Aerial Systems and Photogrammetry for Forest Monitoring. Remote Sens. 2018, 10, 1562. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10101562
Fankhauser KE, Strigul NS, Gatziolis D. Augmentation of Traditional Forest Inventory and Airborne Laser Scanning with Unmanned Aerial Systems and Photogrammetry for Forest Monitoring. Remote Sensing. 2018; 10(10):1562. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10101562
Chicago/Turabian StyleFankhauser, Kathryn E., Nikolay S. Strigul, and Demetrios Gatziolis. 2018. "Augmentation of Traditional Forest Inventory and Airborne Laser Scanning with Unmanned Aerial Systems and Photogrammetry for Forest Monitoring" Remote Sensing 10, no. 10: 1562. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10101562