Linking drone & satellite acquired data for effective ecosystem monitoring

TERN uses both satellite and drone acquired data – but how do they work together to help us build an integrated picture of the structure and condition of Australia’s ecosystems over time? There are so many opportunities for the emerging use of drones in areas such as koala conservation, forest management and monitoring the Great Barrier Reef. Additionally, drones are relatively accessible, so there are a multitude of people using drones, gathering data that could perhaps be made more valuable if it were to be collected in a standard format and stored where it would be nationally and openly accessible. But let’s not forget how satellites and drones can complement each other to provide time-series data that scale from a micro to macro view of our environment in areas such as ecology and precision agriculture, geology, extreme events, and so on. Our speaker presentations provide ideas on standard protocols, applications in various environments and the power of systematically designed citizen science campaigns.