Ecological homes of nature reserve regions can now be analyzed via laser scanning from a aircraft

Simply asserting a region as a nature safety region isn't always sufficient, ordinary monitoring of its ecological situation is likewise vital. because Nature protection regions already cowl almost one 5th of the floor of the ecu Union, it is not possible to inspect one of these sizeable area within the traditional manner taking walks. therefore, new techniques are being evolved to monitor Europe's nature safety regions from the air. quick laser pulses are sent to the floor, and facts at the popularity of the habitat may be deduced from the pondered mild indicators the usage of problematic laptop algorithms.

Laser Scanning from the Air

"The regulations of the Natura 2000 network of nature protection areas request the evaluation of the conservation reputation of covered area at the least every six years," says Professor Norbert Pfeifer (Vienna college of era). "this can handiest be achieved with the assist of faraway sensing."

Planes fly at an altitude of 500 to 2000 metres, scanning a strip three hundred to 800 metres huge. about ten factors according to rectangular meter are sampled the use of an infrared laser pulsing half a million instances a 2d. The pulses are reflected and return to the aircraft. From their journey time, the exact distance between the aircraft and the ground can be calculated, creating a detailed three-D map of the landscape.

Software program Identifies structure

"Our group has evolved special type software program that can use this statistics to distinguish extraordinary styles of flowers," says Norbert Pfeifer. Even traumatic elements together with weeds and car tracks can be recognized.

The three-D map obtained by using the laser pulses carries much more facts than a simple aerial image. when a forest is scanned, no longer all of the laser mild is contemplated with the aid of the tree tops. The lower layers of the plants are surveyed as nicely. Ecologically wholesome forest does no longer best include diverse tree and shrub layers, but additionally of a layer of herbs and grasses. whether or not or now not these sub-cover degrees exist can be mathematically deduced from the infrared statistics.

"While humans manner far off sensing statistics for ecological tracking, they normally focus on very unique parameters which are clean to derive," says Norbert Pfeifer. "Our technique is quite extraordinary. We use the statistics to calculate exactly the same parameters as they are accrued in a website inspection by means of human ecologists." consequently the records complies with eu rules and might without delay be in comparison to older statistics.

Given the electricity of the brand new method, it have to be viable to head one step further. "We accept as true with that an excellent better characterization of a area's biodiversity may be obtained while we do now not cognizance on web site inspection parameters however instead try and outline new parameters which can be less complicated to attain from above," says Pfeifer.