Terrestrial remote sensing toolkit

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BRG The University of Queensland
Fundamentals

- Main page
- Pre-processing
- Field data collection
  - Groundcover sampling
  - Vegetation structure
    - Using photographs
    - Visual estimates
  - Spectral libraries
  - Optical properties
  - Control points
  - Features mapping
- Mapping approaches
- Change and trends
- Delivery

# Vegetation structure: using photographs

Measuring Leaf Area Index (LAI): Hemispherical photography can be used in the field to measure leaf area index. Knowing the location of these field photos, they can be match up with image data for mapping LAI.

Field photographs taken with a fisheye lens and processed to distinguish plant projective cover from sky.

Both vegetation and geomorphic features identified in the field and be used in addition to GPS measurements to locate the position of field measurements, as shown below.

Illustration of riparian zone with abrupt changes occurring in vegetation cover and bank slope along the external perimeter of the riparian zone
Differential GPS measurements for precise location of the water/land interface

## Reference:

Johansen, K., Phinn, S., Lowry, J., and Douglas, D., 2008. Quantifying indicators of riparian condition in Australian tropical savannas: integrating high spatial resolution imagery and field survey data. International Journal of Remote Sensing. Vol. 29, No. 3, pp. 7003-7028.