Use of Remote Sensing Data and GIS Technologies for Monitoring Stocks of Medicinal Plants: Problems and Prospects

Abstract

Preservation of the biodiversity of medicinal plants makes it possible to create a basis for the development and creation of new medicines through scientifically based nature management. Remote sensing techniques provide solutions for obtaining, analyzing and managing data at different scales: high-resolution satellite imagery and multi-spectral channels can provide information covering large areas, while aerial photography with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) allows you to collect comprehensive biometric information from key areas. Studies carried out on the territory of the Tula region in 2012–2016, showed the advisability of using the UAV for monitoring the reserves of wild medicinal plants. The planned accuracy of the created orthophoto, their photographic quality allowed confidently interprets the plant communities during flowering. Plant resources were estimated with an accuracy of not less than 10%. The result of the joint work was a map and database of stocks of medicinal plants for the study site. The use of multispectral aerial and space imagery, in addition to aerial photography data in the visible range, scales the research of medicinal plants resources on significant areas, which should accelerate the work on large areas. Nevertheless, one of the important problems remains the automation of interpretation of wild-growing herb medicinal plants, connected with the peculiarity of the growth of these communities. The solution of the problem is the application of complex analysis using digital terrain models.