Airborne and Satellite Imaging for Shallow-Water Habitats Survey Methods for Shallow-Water Habitat Mapping in New England Dept. of Interior Holdings and Estuarine Research Reserves Workshop 30 Sep Mark Finkbeiner
What is It? Optical energy- UV through NIR Analog – Aerial photography Digital – Aerial multi- spectral imagery – Digital camera imagery
Aerial Sensors DMC (Z/I Imaging) UltraCam XP (Vexcel- Microsoft) ADS-80 (Leica) GeoScanner (GeoVantage) DMSC (Ocean Imaging) DSS (Applanix) Others
Satellite Sensors GeoEye-1 (GeoEye) Orbview-2 IKONOS (Space Imaging/GeoEye) Quickbird (Digital Globe) WorldView- 2 (Digital Globe) SPOT
Advantages Comprehensive data Familiar data structure Amenable to both simple and advanced analysis methods Captures land-water interface Broad area coverage possible Effective in shallow waters Effective in complex landscapes Being collected routinely for various other applications
Disadvantages Ineffective in deeper water Limited by water clarity Environmental considerations – Atmospheric conditions –Sea state – Turbidity – Sun angle – Tide
Disadvantages Ineffective in deeper water Limited by water clarity Environmental considerations – Atmospheric conditions –Sea state – Turbidity – Sun angle – Tide
Disadvantages Ineffective in deeper water Limited by water clarity Environmental considerations – Atmospheric conditions –Sea state – Turbidity – Sun angle – Tide
Disadvantages Ineffective in deeper water Limited by water clarity Environmental considerations – Atmospheric conditions –Sea state – Turbidity – Sun angle – Tide
Ineffective in deeper water Limited by water clarity Environmental considerations – Atmospheric conditions – Sea state – Turbidity – Sun angle – Tide Disadvantages
Habitats Amenable to this Technology Coastal emergent marsh Seagrass meadows Intertidal and shallow- subtidal shellfish beds Macro algae Shoreline condition (rocky shores, beaches, artificial)
Habitats Amenable to this Technology Coastal emergent marsh Seagrass meadows Intertidal and shallow- subtidal shellfish beds Macro algae Shoreline condition (rocky shores, beaches, artificial)
Habitats Amenable to this Technology Coastal emergent marsh Seagrass meadows Intertidal and shallow- subtidal shellfish beds Macro algae Shoreline condition (rocky shores, beaches, artificial)
Habitats Amenable to this Technology Coastal emergent marsh Seagrass meadows Intertidal and shallow- subtidal shellfish beds Macro algae Shoreline condition (rocky shores, beaches, artificial)
Habitats Amenable to this Technology Coastal emergent marsh Seagrass meadows Intertidal and shallow- subtidal shellfish beds Macro algae Shoreline condition (rocky shores, beaches, artificial)
Habitats Amenable to this Technology Coastal emergent marsh Seagrass meadows Intertidal and shallow- subtidal shellfish beds Macro algae Shoreline condition (rocky shores, beaches, artificial)
Habitats Amenable to this Technology Coastal emergent marsh Seagrass meadows Intertidal and shallow- subtidal shellfish beds Macro algae Shoreline condition (rocky shores, beaches, artificial) Mangroves Shallow-water corals
Habitats Amenable to this Technology Coastal emergent marsh Seagrass meadows Intertidal and shallow- subtidal shellfish beds Macro algae Shoreline condition (rocky shores, beaches, artificial) Mangroves Shallow-water coral systems
Level of tidal control Ferry/Staging time Sensor selection Flight line complexity Spatial resolution Spatial accuracy Coverage area Drivers of Acquisition Cost Aerial Licensing Reseller Rectification order Vintage Specific tasking (off- nadir, cloud restrictions, etc.) Coverage area Satellite
South Carolina Coast$284/sq. mi. North Carolina Coast$682/sq. mi. Texas Coast$ Costs and Examples Aerial Image Acquisition Avg. $200 - $500/sq. mi. Satellite Image Acquisition Avg. $300 - $500/sq. mi.* Quickbird$72/sq. mi. min. $7,616 IKONOS$57/sq. mi. min $5,700
Classification detail Mapping method Required accuracy Coverage area Minimum Mapping Unit Drivers of Mapping Cost
Mapping Methods Manual digitizationHighHighLow Spectral clusteringMed.Med.Med. Feature analysisLowMed.High Image segmentationLowHighHigh MethodTime Effort Logistics Manual digitizationLowLow Spectral clusteringMed.Med. Feature analysisHighHigh Image segmentationHighHigh Method Precision Repeatability
Costs and Case Studies Mapping $200 - $500/sq. mi. South Carolina Coast$143/sq. mi. Long Island South Shore$674/sq. mi.* Texas Coast$207/sq. mi.
Film is going away Digital sensors provide additional bands, improved spatial accuracy, greater dynamic range, and a more streamlined process Number and availability of airborne digital sensors is increasing Satellite resolution is increasing dramatically Satellite revisit cycles are decreasing Emerging Issues and Trends