Monitoring and communicating co-occurring forest disturbance processes using Earth Observation data.
Abstract
National but locally relevant forest disturbance datasets are required to implement successful conservation and sustainable management policies. The broad diversity of forest change processes and drivers, calls for an interdisciplinary approach, which also takes into account the needs and requirements of stakeholders. Earth Observation systems, including satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) can play an important role in the characterization of change across different temporal and spatial scales.
Project FOCUS (Forest Operational monitoring using Copernicus and UAV hyperSpectral data), funded by the European Commission, aims at introducing new methodologies to innovatively address these challenges. To this end, multi-mission Earth Observation (EO) data and intensive field campaigns are conducted on a set of test sites. The resulting database was used to develop machine-learning models characterizing change beyond simple land cover dynamics. Satellite (Landsat-8, Sentinel-2, Worldview-3), manned airborne (APEX hyperspectral sensor), and UAV (multi-, hyperspectral and thermal data) datasets were compiled and compared against forest structure and tree physiology (i.e. pigment concentration, phenols, etc). Resulting data products provide species-specific, sub-pixel status and trends on a variety of critical variables of interest to a broad user community. These information products are distributed through a dedicated platform (Silvisense) but can also be seamlessly integrated in existing solutions (e.g. via web mapping services). Discussion points include the mapping of user needs and requirements as well as dataset development and service status. Measured and expected impact of the service is also addressed. A case-study is also presented to demonstrate the challenges and opportunities identified in the use of the platform to monitor multiple co-occurring drivers of forest disturbance in Mediterranean-like climates (i.e. biotic agents, wildfire, storm damage).- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFMIN53B0731M
- Keywords:
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- 0399 General or miscellaneous;
- ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE;
- 3399 General or miscellaneous;
- ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES;
- 1899 General or miscellaneous;
- HYDROLOGY;
- 1996 Web Services;
- INFORMATICS