EAGER: Next-Generation Riverscape Monitoring and Mapping

该项目将测试一种新的河流景观监测和测绘方法，通过使用新的基于船只的无人机技术来测量河流几何形状、沉积物类型、河流栖息地和河岸侵蚀模式。最近的科学进展表明，河流动态和生境在下游方向上不仅以平稳、渐进的方式变化，而且在各种时空尺度上以非平稳、复杂的方式变化。这种马赛克状的“河景”对现有的研究方法是一个挑战，这些研究方法监测河流如何随空间和时间变化，特定生物的栖息地彼此之间是否相连，以及如何管理河流。要测试的数据收集设备之一是一艘小型自动测绘船，它可以被志愿流域管理人员和休闲河流跑步者使用，以创建众包（公民科学）数据来监测和绘制河流景观。使用这些新方法产生的数据可能对不同机构、流域组织和其他河流相关实体的流域管理人员有用。通过在自动船数据收集阶段的设计和测试阶段与利益相关者接触，调查人员旨在确保结果与参与制定河流管理决策的许多人相关。此外，为这一项目开发的技术方法的设计将使希望进行类似监测和测绘工作的其他人能够容易地重新设计和复制这些方法。计划、软件、文档和数据将通过互联网使用开源许可框架提供。河流环境的监测和测绘通常是由政府机构、私人公司、科学家和个人完成的任务。河流监测实现了各种各样的目标，例如检查河流在哪里和以什么速度侵蚀邻近的财产和结构，为恢复目的描述河流栖息地，或评估水量和水质。到目前为止，这些测量大多是手工完成的，一次一个站点，只能产生非常有限的河流环境和条件的空间图像。因此，对河流的管理是在对这些河流知之甚少的情况下进行的。该项目的研究目标是：(1)开发和测试一个新的小型无人驾驶船平台，该平台能够以最少的用户交互收集基本的纵向河流数据；(2)使用配备齐全的研究船将无人驾驶船数据与专家收集的数据进行比较和验证；(3)通过在几个区域测试流域部署无人驾驶船，评估采用公民科学方法监测和绘制纵向河流景观的可行性。虽然这个研究项目将集中在太平洋西北地区的河流上，但这些方法将适用于美国和世界范围内的大量河流。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project will test a novel approach to riverscape monitoring and mapping by using new boat-based drone technology to measure river geometry, sediment type, river habitats, and riverbank erosion patterns. Recent scientific advances have demonstrated that river dynamics and habitats vary in the downstream direction not only in smooth, gradual ways, but also in non-smooth, complex ways at a variety of spatial and temporal scales. This mosaic-like "riverscape" is a challenge for existing research methods monitoring how rivers change through space and time, where habitats for specific organisms are or are not connected with one another, and how rivers could be managed. One of the data collection devices to be tested is a small automated mapping boat that can be used by volunteer watershed managers and recreational river runners creating crowd-sourced (citizen science) data to monitor and map riverscapes. The data that will be produced using these new methods are likely to be useful to watershed managers in diverse agencies, watershed groups, and other river-related entities. By engaging with stakeholders during the design and testing phase of the automated-boat data collection phase, the investigators aim to ensure that the results will be relevant to the many people involved in making river management decisions. Additionally, the technical methods developed for this project will be designed so that they can easily be recreated and reproduced by others wishing to do similar monitoring and mapping work. The plans, software, documentation, and data will be made available via the internet using an open-source licensing framework.The monitoring and mapping of river environments is a task usually completed by governmental agencies, private firms, scientists, and private individuals. River monitoring achieves a variety of objectives, such as examining where and at what rate rivers are eroding adjacent property and structures, for characterizing river habitat for restoration purposes, or for evaluating water volumes and water quality. To-date these measurements are mostly done manually, one station at a time, creating a very limited spatial picture of river environments and conditions. Management of rivers is thus conducted with very little detailed knowledge of these rivers. The project's research objectives are to: (1) Develop and test a new, small, drone-boat platform capable of collecting basic longitudinal river data with minimal user interactions; (2) Compare and validate the drone boat data with expertly-collected data using a fully-outfitted research marine craft; and (3) Evaluate if it is feasible to employ a citizen science approach to monitoring and mapping of longitudinal riverscapes by deploying the drone boat within several regional test watersheds. Although this research project will focus on rivers in the Pacific Northwest, the methods will be applicable to a wide array of rivers in the U.S and worldwide.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.