Data Collection and Analyses Applying Unmanned Helicopter (UAV) Remote Sensing to Survey Water Chestnut Invasive Species

Abstract

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be utilized for large quantity data acquisitions. The major objective of this research is to apply UAV technology to perform rapid data collections and to predict coverages of water chestnut (Trapa natans) invasive species along the lower Erie Canal. The second objective of this research is to assess the effectiveness of the physical removal by US Fishery and Wildlife Services (US-FWS) since 2010 using the collected data. Third, both micro-climatic conditions of temperature and relative humidity (RH), land use and land cover types were analyzed to assess habitat conditions of water chestnut. The results indicate that the physical removal of water chestnut by US-FWS was very effective. Four plant patches were detected applying drone (UAV) sensor in the summer of 2016. Temperature and RH survey show that temperature decreases in general as altitude increases. RH values both at the canal surface and at 12 meters above the surface are higher than those at the surrounding land areas. However, a few exceptions exist at the ground level, which might be influenced by grassland moisture evapotranspiration. In summary, 1) no sufficient evidence in this study to illustrate the effects of temperature and RH on the growth of water chestnut; 2) the highest concentration and re-appearance of water chestnut are either at the public parks or at the boat docking sites in the urban areas. 3) This research demonstrates UAV is an emerging technology of large data collection and analysis.