Mapping Invasive Phragmites australis Using Unmanned Aircraft System Imagery, Canopy Height Models, and Synthetic Aperture Radar

Anderson, Connor
2020-11

View/Download File

Anderson_umn_0130M_21898.pdf (1.6 MB)

Persistent link to this item

http://hdl.handle.net/11299/218033
Statistics
View Statistics

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Title

Mapping Invasive Phragmites australis Using Unmanned Aircraft System Imagery, Canopy Height Models, and Synthetic Aperture Radar

Authors

Published Date

2020-11

Publisher

Type

Thesis or Dissertation

Abstract

Invasive plant species are an increasing worldwide threat both financially and ecologically. Knowing the location of these invasive plant infestations is the first step in their control. Surveying for Phragmites australis is particularly challenging due to limited accessibility in wetland environments. Unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) are a popular choice for invasive species management due to their ability to survey challenging environments and their high spatial and temporal resolution. This study tested the utility of three-band (i.e., red, green, and blue; RGB) UAS imagery for mapping Phragmites in the St. Louis River Estuary in Minnesota, U.S.A. and Saginaw Bay in Michigan, U.S.A. Iterative object-based image analysis techniques were used to identify two classes, Phragmites and Not Phragmites. Additionally, the effectiveness of canopy height models (CHMs) created from two data types, UAS imagery and commercial satellite stereo retrievals, and the RADARSAT-2 horizontal-horizontal (HH) polarization were tested for Phragmites identification. The highest overall classification accuracy of 90.2% was achieved when pairing the UAS imagery with a UAS-derived CHM. Producer’s accuracy for the Phragmites class ranged from 2.7 to 75.6%, and the user’s accuracies were above 90%. The Not Phragmites class had user’s and producer’s accuracies above 88%. Inclusion of the RADARSAT-2 HH polarization caused a slight reduction in classification accuracy. Commercial satellite stereo retrievals increased commission errors due to decreased spatial resolution and vertical accuracy. The lowest overall classification accuracy was seen when using only the RGB UAS imagery. UASs are promising for Phragmites identification, but the imagery should be used in conjunction with a CHM.

Keywords

Description

University of Minnesota M.S. thesis. November 2020. Major: Natural Resources Science and Management. Advisor: Joesph Knight. 1 computer file (PDF); 38 pages.

Related to

Replaces

License

Collections

Master's Theses (Plan A and Professional Engineering Design Projects)

Series/Report Number

Funding information

Isbn identifier

Doi identifier

Previously Published Citation

Suggested citation

Content distributed via the University Digital Conservancy may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor. By using these files, users agree to the Terms of Use. Materials in the UDC may contain content that is disturbing and/or harmful. For more information, please see our statement on harmful content in digital repositories.