| Title | Development of a UAV rangeland remote sensing capability |
| Publication Type | Conference Paper |
| Year of Publication | 2007 |
| Authors | Rango A., Laliberte AS, Herrick JE |
| Conference Name | Proceedings Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative. Third National Conference on Grazing Lands |
| Date Published | May 1, 2007 |
| Conference Location | St. Louis, Missouri |
| ARIS Log Number | 228935 |
| Keywords | applications, remote sensing, UAV |
| Abstract | Starting in 2000, experiments have been conducted at the Jornada Experimental Range near Las Cruces, NM to evaluate the utility of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for applications on arid rangelands. When compared to all types of remote sensing research ongoing at Jornada and other locations, UAVs have the following advantages: flexible timing of missions, high resolution images, repeat coverage for monitoring, lower cost and safer operation than piloted aircraft, and the system can be operated by one individual, if necessary. The UAVs fill a niche in remote sensing of rangeland between ground-based photography and piloted aircraft. The high resolution possible (less than 5 cm) allows observations of individual plants, patches, gaps, and patterns over the landscape not previously possible. This capability has immediate application for assessment of rangeland health and ecosystem change. The low operating cost and simple data products make the system logical for transfer to operational agencies for collection of data in specific locations in vast public land areas in a timely manner. |
Jornada
Science-based management strategies for sustainability of agriculture and other land uses
