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RESEARCH ARTICLE: Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Rangelands: Current Applications and Future Potentials

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 October 2006

Albert Rango ,
Andrea Laliberte ,
Caiti Steele ,
Jeffrey E. Herrick ,
Brandon Bestelmeyer ,
Thomas Schmugge ,
Abigail Roanhorse  and
Vince Jenkins
Albert Rango
Affiliation:
USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico
Andrea Laliberte
Affiliation:
USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico
Caiti Steele
Affiliation:
USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico
Jeffrey E. Herrick
Affiliation:
USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico
Brandon Bestelmeyer
Affiliation:
USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico
Thomas Schmugge
Affiliation:
College of Agriculture, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico
Abigail Roanhorse
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
Vince Jenkins
Affiliation:
Securaplane Technologies, Inc., Tucson, Arizona
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Abstract

High resolution aerial photographs have important rangeland applications, such as monitoring vegetation change, developing grazing strategies, determining rangeland health, and assessing remediation treatment effectiveness. Acquisition of high resolution images by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has certain advantages over piloted aircraft missions, including lower cost, improved safety, flexibility in mission planning, and closer proximity to the target. Different levels of remote sensing data can be combined to provide more comprehensive information: 15–30 m resolution imaging from space-borne sensors for determining uniform landscape units; < 1 m satellite or aircraft data to assess the pattern of ecological states in an area of interest; 5 cm UAV images to measure gap and patch sizes as well as percent bare soil and vegetation ground cover; and < 1 cm ground-based boom photography for ground truth or reference data. Two parallel tracks of investigation are necessary: one that emphasizes the utilization of the most technically advanced sensors for research, and a second that emphasizes the minimization of costs and the maximization of simplicity for monitoring purposes. We envision that in the future, resource management agencies, rangeland consultants, and private land managers should be able to use small, lightweight UAVs to satisfy their needs for acquiring improved data at a reasonable cost, and for making appropriate management decisions.

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Type
FEATURES & REVIEWS
Information
Environmental Practice , Volume 8 , Issue 3 , September 2006 , pp. 159 - 168
Copyright
© 2006 National Association of Environmental Professionals

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References

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