SGER: Research of an Image Acquisition and Processing System for Three Dimensional Spatial Analysis of Vegetation

该项目利用摄影和图像分析软件的新发展来推进环境科学的实地研究。生态过程的动态以及干扰的影响往往是通过植被的变化来衡量的。传统的植被分析方法劳动强度大，速度慢，结果往往局限于小范围的测量。目前的许多研究课题(即气候变化)需要对非常大的区域进行分析，尽管空间遥感提供了前所未有的信息，但缺乏对卫星图像进行大规模植被分析的验证。新墨西哥大学的一个跨学科小组开发了一种新的陆基方法，大大提高了科学家在各种尺度上研究环境动力学的能力，并使其能够与卫星仪器的反射率测量相结合。这项新技术需要图像分析算法的研究和开发以及新的图像采集硬件的集成。由此产生的系统将在计算机工作站上提供立体图像的近地面采集和三维信息的详细分析。来自反射图像的三维信息目前不能从任何来源获得，然而，这些信息可以改进物种识别和体积(生物量)的量化，而不仅仅是表面区域。它代表着图像分析技术在生态学研究中的重大进步。一支高素质的调查团队将解决这个问题。图像分析和遥感的机构设施非常好。新的研究通过与长期生态研究项目的联合进一步加强，该项目以塞维莱塔国家野生动物保护区。

This project takes advantage of new developments in photography and image analysis software to advance field studies in environmental science. The dynamics of ecological processes as well as impacts from disturbance often are measured by changes in vegetation. Traditional methods of vegetation analysis are labor intensive, slow, and as a result, they often are confined to small-scale measurements. Many current research topics (i.e. climate change) require analysis over very large areas, and although remote sensing from space is providing unprecedented information, validation of satellite imagery with large-scale vegetation analysis is lacking. A new, ground-based methodology has been developed by an interdisciplinary group at the University of New Mexico that is significantly increasing the ability of scientists to study environmental dynamics across a range of scales and allow integration with reflectance measurements from satellite instruments. The new technology requires image analysis algorithm research and development and the integration of new image acquisition hardware. The resulting system will provide near ground level acquisition of stereo images and detailed analysis of three dimensional information on a computer workstation. Three dimensional information from reflectance imagery is currently not available from any source, yet this information can lead to improved species identification and quantification of volumes (biomass) instead of just surface areas. It represents a major advance in image analysis technology for ecological studies. A highly qualified team of investigators will address the problem. Institutional facilities for image analysis and remote sensing are excellent. The new research is further strengthened by association with the Long-Term Ecological Research project centered on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge.