
Fiscal Year:
FY'15Project Leader:
Research Partners:
E. Robert Thieler (USGS Woods Hole); and David Remsen (Marine Biological Laboratories)Status:
CompletedScience Themes:
ScienceBase URL:
https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/560ec4e6e4b0ba4884c5ec23Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) are a new and relatively untapped resource for coastal surveying within the USGS and the scientific community, and offer a number of advantages over ground-based surveys and manned aerial systems, including the ability to rapidly deploy and efficiently collect remote sensing data and derive high-resolution elevations over variable terrain. The project provided a low-risk, low-cost means to explore the utility of UAS for coastal mapping on beaches and marshes, and developed methodology and capacity to acquire, process, and analyze data. The collaborative project brought together USGS scientists and technical staff, with Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) researchers and students, and supported both research and education through coursework including observational biodiversity and informatics, system design, and both field and laboratory collaboration.
Final Report:
Lentz, E. Theiler, R.E. Remsen, D. (2017) "Pilot Study to Evaluate Coastal Change Using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)"
Publications:
- Sturdivant, E.J., Thieler, E.R., Lentz, E.E., Remsen, D.P., and Miner, S. 2017. Topographic, imagery, and raw data associated with unmanned aerial systems (UAS) flights over Black Beach, Falmouth, Massachusetts on 18 March 2016: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7KW5F04.
- Sturdivant E, Lentz EE, Thieler R, Farris A, Weber K, Remsen D, Miner S, and Henderson R. 2017. UAS-SfM for Coastal Research: Geomorphic Feature Extraction and Land Cover Classification from High-Resolution Elevation and Optical Imagery, Remote Sensing, Jan-10-2017, Volume 9, Issue 10, p.1020
- Lentz, Erika E., E. Thieler Robert, Plant Nathaniel G., Stippa Sawyer R., Horton Radley M., and Gesch Dean B. 2016. Evaluation of dynamic coastal response to sea-level rise modifies inundation likelihood. Nature Climate Change
Presentations:
- EnviroDrones Conference at Dartmouth College, June 4 and 5, 2017. UAS-SfM improves geomorphic feature extraction and land cover classification for coastal vulnerability assessments, Sturdivant.
- Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, April 27, 2016, "A Research and Decision Support Framework to Evaluate Coastal Landscape Change", Erika Lentz.
Other:
- News: Northeast Coastal Response to Rising Seas. April 20, 2016