Geospatial Technologies for Environmental Research
Integrating Earth Observations Environmental Modelling
Earth observation is now more important than ever due to the dramatic impact that modern human civilization is having on the global environment.
There is an unprecedented array of new satellite technologies with capabilities for advancing our understanding of ecological processes and the changing composition of the Earth’s biosphere at scales from local plots to the whole planet.
Most of these satellites are in low Earth orbit (LEO), but we include a few in geostationary orbit (GEO) because of their potential to measure plant physiological traits over diurnal periods, improving estimates of water and carbon budgets.
Earth observation is the gathering of information about planet Earth’s physical, chemical and biological systems. It involves monitoring and assessing the status of, and changes in, the natural and man-made environment.
In recent years, Earth observation has become more and more sophisticated with the development of remote-sensing satellites and increasingly high-tech “in-situ” instruments. In 2008, more than 150 Earth observation satellites were in orbit, recording data with passive and active sensors and acquiring more than 10 terabits of data daily.By 2021, that total had grown to more than 950, with the largest number of satellites operated by U.S.-based Planet Labs.
NASA’s active Earth science satellite missions in 2019, including those on the International Space Station (modified from www.eospso.nasa.gov ). Source
Today’s Earth observation instruments include floating buoys for monitoring ocean currents, temperature and salinity; land stations that record air quality and rainwater trends; sonar and radar for estimating fish and bird populations; seismic and Global Positioning System (GPS) stations; and over 60 high-tech environmental satellites that scan the Earth from space.
What are Earth observations?
There are many different kinds of Earth observations. A few examples:
- Numerical measurements taken by a thermometer, wind gauge, ocean buoy, altimeter or seismograph
- Aerial Photographs
- Radar and Sonar images
- Analyses of water or soil samples
- Processed information such as maps or forecasts
Earth observations Operational Stack
Source: Terrawatch space
What kind of questions can be solved using this approach?
- Object base identification analysis
City of Ames, AI
- Land use and land cover analysis
Land Use in Ames AI, USA
- Understanding landscape historicity and analyzing land-use trends.
Historical aerial images of the city of Ames. On the left is the area of Ames east of Squaw Creek in 1953 and on the right is the same area 1965.
Resources available
Aerial imagery
NAP project available in USGS :1990-2004
Aerial Images from the NAP project from 1990 for the city of Ames
Living Atlas
European Space Agency WorldCover 2020 Land Cover
Map Viewer of Arcgis Online
We also include a few spaceborne active LiDAR and radar imagers designed for quantifying surface topography, changes in surface structure, and 3-dimensional canopy properties such as height, area, vertical profiles, and gap structure.
Digital Surface Model from LiDAR Data
Where can I download this data?
Software
Paid software
Open source geospatial software
Plataforms and software to compute Geospatial Analysis
Geoprocess cloud base
The acquisition and processing can be done through the Google Earth Engine platform (https://earthengine.google.com/). Google Earth Engine (GEE): a powerful tool that links the potential of massive data and the efficiency of cloud processing (Perilla & Mas, 2020).
Since 2012, Anaconda has been providing one of the most popular Python packages in the data science community popular. Millions of users around the world have downloaded and used the Anaconda Distribution, which contains hundreds of individual Python tools, such as NumPy, Pandas, SciPy, and more (R is also included in the distro, but Anaconda is closely associated with Python).
#Why are Earth observations important?
Applications:
Earth observations are invaluable for assessing and mitigating the negative impacts. They can also be used for exploiting new opportunities, such as the sustainable management of natural resources. Some specific applications of Earth observations include:
- Forecasting weather
- Tracking biodiversity and wildlife trends
- Measuring land-use change (such as deforestation)
- Monitoring and responding to disasters, including fires, floods, earthquakes and tsunamis
- Managing energy sources, freshwater supplies and agriculture
- Addressing emerging diseases and other health risks
- Predicting, adapting to and mitigating climate change
Environmental Research Supported by Earth Observations
Human-elephant interactions in Victoria Falls
Some considerations for Integrating EO into environmental research
- Define the questions to be answered
- Make the most of the analyzed data available on platforms such as the Living Atlas.
- Try to analyze the problem in perspective (different scales).
- Leveraging cloud computing and online resources to provide and share spatial information.
- Use digital storytelling technologies to share results with decision makers and the community.
Keep in touch!
edelgado@esri.com
