Evaluation of the health state of forests and an effect of phosphite treatments with the use of photovoltaic SLE UAV
Project HESOFF is focused on innovative technology integration with innovative methods of cultivation of the forest. According to this there are two basic objectives of the project:
- The evaluation of phosphite as effectors of trees resistance to pathogens of the Phytophthora genus.
- Implementation and putting into practice new methods for assessing forest conditions and cultivation efficiency by illustrating from Unmanned Aircraft (UAV).
Remote sensing can provide information about the forest in large and small scale, and even about one tree in case of the single-centimeter resolution. That is why Remote Sensing Devision of Institute of Aviation uses drones to obtain the appropriate research material for assessing the health of oak forests.
Photos are performed by specially designed for the project HESOFF multispectral camera QUERCUS having 2 or 6 lenses of recording images in different spectral lengths of light. Spectral characteristics can be achieved through visual interpretation of air imaging by UAV. Acquisition of aerial photos is carried out during the growing season, that is from spring to autumn, not less frequently than once a month. Aeronautical data are correlated with in-situ observations and methodology for measuring the health of individual trees is developed.
After completion of the HESOFF project it is planned to develope software automatic segmentation obtained forest data. This would minimize manual image analysis.
HESOFF project is co-financed by the European Commission under LIFE + and the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.
http://www.overforests.pl
