Unmanned Aircraft Systems and the Mapping of Water Chestnut in the Lake Champlain Basin
Conference Year
January 2019
Abstract
The monitoring and removal of the invasive species water chestnut in the Lake Champlain Basin (LCB) is a tedious and expensive task. The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VTDEC), the agency tasked with monitoring and removal, faces problems in prioritizing harvesting needs due to the remote nature and sheer extent of water chestnut sites across the state. To increase efficiencies of removal, an accurate and inexpensive method of mapping must be determined. Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are rapidly deployable, inexpensive, and can produce a wide array of high spatial resolution products. In collaboration with the VTDEC, the UVM UAS Team conducted UAS flight operations at 8 different sites in the LCB to test the viability of these systems for water chestnut mapping. A variety of UAS platforms were deployed to collect different types of aerial data. Geospatial products were derived from the overhead images, including ortho mosaics and feature extraction of water chestnut rosettes. The ortho mosaics provided the DEC Team with highly accurate maps collected in real time, useful for future removal planning and monitoring progression of conditions. Ortho mosaic products were beneficial in identifying spectral signatures and true color appearance of water chestnut. The feature extraction was used to quantify water chestnut populations. The work completed provides strong evidence for improvement of invasive species mapping and monitoring in the future. Future plans include quantifying the amount of water chestnut removed at each site, and further data collection for identification of water chestnut throughout the growing season.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Jarlath O'Neil-Dunne
Secondary Mentor Name
Emma Estabrook
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
Rubenstein School of Environmental and Natural Resources
Program/Major
Environmental Sciences
Primary Research Category
Vermont Studies
Secondary Research Category
Food & Environment Studies
Unmanned Aircraft Systems and the Mapping of Water Chestnut in the Lake Champlain Basin
The monitoring and removal of the invasive species water chestnut in the Lake Champlain Basin (LCB) is a tedious and expensive task. The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VTDEC), the agency tasked with monitoring and removal, faces problems in prioritizing harvesting needs due to the remote nature and sheer extent of water chestnut sites across the state. To increase efficiencies of removal, an accurate and inexpensive method of mapping must be determined. Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are rapidly deployable, inexpensive, and can produce a wide array of high spatial resolution products. In collaboration with the VTDEC, the UVM UAS Team conducted UAS flight operations at 8 different sites in the LCB to test the viability of these systems for water chestnut mapping. A variety of UAS platforms were deployed to collect different types of aerial data. Geospatial products were derived from the overhead images, including ortho mosaics and feature extraction of water chestnut rosettes. The ortho mosaics provided the DEC Team with highly accurate maps collected in real time, useful for future removal planning and monitoring progression of conditions. Ortho mosaic products were beneficial in identifying spectral signatures and true color appearance of water chestnut. The feature extraction was used to quantify water chestnut populations. The work completed provides strong evidence for improvement of invasive species mapping and monitoring in the future. Future plans include quantifying the amount of water chestnut removed at each site, and further data collection for identification of water chestnut throughout the growing season.