Abstract
The synergies between remote sensing technologies and ecological research have opened new avenues for the study of alien plant invasions worldwide. Such scientific advances have greatly improved our capacity to issue warnings, develop early-response systems and assess the impacts of alien plant invasions on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Hitherto, practical applications of remote sensing approaches to support nature conservation actions are lagging far behind scientific advances. Yet, for some of these technologies, knowledge transfer is difficult due to the complexity of the different data handling procedures and the huge amounts of data it involves per spatial unit. In this context, the next logical step is to develop clear guidelines for the application of remote sensing data to monitor and assess the impacts of alien plant invasions, that enable scientists, landscape managers and policy makers to fully exploit the tools which are currently available. It is desirable to have such guidelines accompanied by freely available remote sensing data and generated in a free and open source environment that increases the availability and affordability of these new technologies. Here we present a toolbox that provides an easy-to-use, flexible, transparent and open source set of tools to sample, map, model and assess the impact of alien plant invasions using two high-resolution remote sensing products (hyperspectral and LiDAR images). This online toolbox includes a real case dataset designed to facilitate testing and training in any computer system and processing capacity.
Highlights
Biological invasions by non-native, exotic or “alien” species, often related to other threats such as land use intensification and environmental change (Turbelin et al 2016), are considered one of the biggest threats for biodiversity (Vitousek et al 1997)
We present a toolbox that provides an easy-to-use, flexible, transparent and open source set of tools to sample, map, model and assess the impact of alien plant invasions using two high-resolution remote sensing products
Field surveys are crucial for this task but due to the exhaustive fieldwork required to monitor changes over time and across large spatial extents, this type of survey is sometimes not feasible
Summary
The DIARS toolbox: a spatially explicit approach to monitor alien plant invasions through remote sensing. Garzon-Lopez‡,§, Tarek Hattab|,§, Sandra Skowronek¶, Raf Aerts#, Michael Ewald¤, Hannes Feilhauer«, Olivier Honnay#, Guillaume Decocq§, Ruben Van De Kerchove», Ben Somers, Sebastian Schmidtlein¤, Duccio Rocchini,¦,ˀ, Jonathan Lenoir§
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
