Ground-level Unmanned Aerial System Imagery Coupled with Spatially Balanced Sampling and Route Optimization to Monitor Rangeland VegetationMichael F. Curran 1,2,3, Paddington Hodza 4, Samuel E. Cox 5, Shawn G. Lanning 4, Blair L. Robertson 6, Timothy J. Robinson 7, Peter D. Stahl 1,2,3
1Wyoming Reclamation and Restoration Center, University of Wyoming, 2Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Wyoming, 3Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, 4Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center, University of Wyoming, 5Wyoming State Office, Bureau of Land Management, 6School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Canterbury, 7Department of Statistics, University of Wyoming
The protocol presented in this paper utilizes route optimization, balanced acceptance sampling, and ground-level and unmanned aircraft system (UAS) imagery to efficiently monitor vegetation in rangeland ecosystems. Results from images obtained from ground-level and UAS methods are compared.