Lecture 10 - Environmental Change and Monitoring and Conservation

What is geography?

Geography or Geographical science is the study of the earth’s physical and human characteristics and how they relate to each other

what is physical geography

The study of the earth’s surface, climate, water, and life forms

what is human geography

The study of how people interact with the environment and each other, and how these interactions shape the world

Political, social, economic, cultural

Transportation, urban studies, health, immigration, community development

what is geospatial data

Data that can be associated with geographic locations – locations in the space around us – which can normally be shown as features on a map

what is remote sensing

The acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in site or on-site observation

Pros and Cons and Satellite images

Pros:

• Helps us see outer space

• Helps us compare images over time

• Easier way to get data without putting environment in danger / no physical contact

• Saves money on sending explorers

Cons:

• Only has surface photos

• Changing quality

• Can only get photos so often since satellites orbit, delayed photos

• Can only get 2D photos, can’t see under stuff

What is LiDAR used for?

Light Detection and Radar

• Works a lot like radar shoots a beam of EMR and measures how long it takes to return to the sensor.

• But because most LiDAR systems use light in the optical part of the spectrum, it’s a bit easier to interpret.

• Also often finer spatial resolutions

What are drone applications useful for?

Coastal mapping

Forest monitoring

Immigrant investigation

Hazards and disaster inspection and assessment

Benefits of environmental monitoring with drones

Drones (UAVs) offer rapid, high-resolution data collection

Crucial for hard to reach, dynamic environments like coastlines and oceans

Cost effective alternative to manned aircraft and satellite data

What are the applications in coastal monitoring

Beach erosion mapping

Habitat mapping

Litter and plastic detection

Coral reef assessment

Marine wildlife surveys

Water quality proxy monitoring

Advantages of drones

• High spatial and temporal resolution

• Low cost repeatable missions

• Minimal ecological disturbance

Disadvantages of drones

• Weather dependency

• Limited battery life

• Regulatory restrictions (safety, privacy, etc)