Three-Dimensional Mapping of Habitats Using Remote-Sensing Data and Machine-Learning Algorithms

Progress toward habitat protection goals can effectively be performed using satellite imagery and machine-learning (ML) models at various spatial and temporal scales. In this regard, habitat types and landscape structures can be discriminated against using remote-sensing (RS) datasets. However, most existing research in three-dimensional (3D)...

Probabilistic vegetation transitions in dunes by combining spectral and lidar data

Monitoring the status of the vegetation is required for nature conservation. This monitoring task is time consuming as kilometers of area have to be investigated and classified. To make this task more manageable, remote sensing is used. The acquisition of airplane remote sensing data is dependent on weather conditions and permission to fly in...

3D Habitat Mapping Using High-Resolution Optical Satellite and Lidar Data

Remote sensing datasets are great resources to map habitat types. In this study, 3D habitat maps were generated using high-resolution multispectral imagery and a LiDAR-derived digital surface model (DSM). Two study areas in the United Kingdom (UK) were selected to investigate the potential of the developed models in habitat classification. The...

Beyond connecting the dots: A multi-scale, multi-resolution approach to marine habitat mapping

Conflicts of interests between economic and nature conservation stakeholders are increasingly common in coastal seas, inducing a growing need for evidence-based marine spatial planning. This requires accurate, high-resolution habitat maps showing the spatial distribution of benthic assemblages and enabling intersections of habitats and...

Acoustic mapping and monitoring of the seabed: From single-frequency to multispectral multibeam backscatter

With the increasing human activities in the marine environment, such as fisheries, dredging, coastal protection or construction of marine infrastructure, seabed sediment and habitat mapping have become highly relevant for the development of sustainable marine management strategies. Compared to traditional mapping methods, primarily based on bed...

Geostatistical modelling of multibeam backscatter for full-coverage seabed sediment maps

Extensive seabed sediment mapping is highly relevant to describe marine ecosystems and to quantify the distribution and extent of benthic habitats. Compared to traditional mapping methods, primarily based on bed sampling, multibeam echo sounding (MBES) is a time-efficient tool to acquire high-resolution bathymetric and backscatter data over...