Abstract
This study examined the use of hyperspectral profiles for identifying three selected weed species in the alpine region of New South Wales, Australia. The targeted weeds included Orange Hawkweed, Mouse-ear Hawkweed and Ox-eye daisy, which have caused a great concern to regional biodiversity and health of the environment in Kosciuszko National Park. Field surveys using a spectroradiometer were undertaken to measure the hyperspectral profiles of leaves and flowers of the selected weeds and companion native plants. Random Forest (RF) classification was then applied to distinguish which spectral bands would differentiate the weeds from the native plants. Our results showed that an accuracy of 95% was achieved if the spectral profiles of the distinct flowers of the weeds were considered, and an accuracy of 80% was achieved if only the profiles of the leaves were considered. Emulation of the spectral profiles of two multispectral sensors (Sentinel-2 and Parrot Sequoia) was then conducted to investigate whether classification accuracy could potentially be achieved using wider spectral bands.
Highlights
This study investigates the effectiveness of spectral profiles for identifying invasive species with a focused case study of three noxious weeds, namely Ox-Eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare (Asteraceae)), Orange Hawkweed (Heiracium aurantiacum) and Mouse-ear Hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella) in Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales, Australia [22,23,24]
The confusion matrix of the RF classification of the first survey data is presented in Random Forest classification provided an indicative insight into the wavelengths where Geomatics 2021, 1, FOR PEER REVIEW the discriminability of the weed species is maximized
The aims of this study were to investigate the use of remote sensing to determine and discriminate the spectral profiles of invasive and native plant species
Summary
Invasions by non-indigenous floral and faunal species are considered one of the most formidable of threats and risk factors to ecosystems and socioeconomic conditions, in Australia [1]. The direct annual impact of invasive species in Australia is estimated to be as high as $6.4 billion AUD per annum [2]. This excludes other flow-on impacts on the environment including native species extinctions, reduction in biodiversity, damage to ecosystem services, reduced aesthetics, impacts on fire regimes, and other potential feedback influences [1,3,4]. The impacts are even more significant in areas such as the Australian Alps due to Indigenous and European Australian heritage and culture [5]
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