LiDAR and multispectral remote sensing for environmental applications

光探测和测距(LiDAR)是一种相对较新的遥感工具，它可以提供与环境功能和人类变化模式有关的环境变化、生物物理特性、地形和干扰过程的详细观测。环境科学家和管理人员需要更好的方法来使用这些遥感数据；我的研究计划专注于将机载激光雷达数据与多光谱图像相结合的想法，以创建可用于了解和管理推动加拿大和世界环境变化的过程的信息产品。这项工作在遥感应用驱动的研究和技术驱动的方法开发之间取得了微妙的平衡；两者都是在几个环境地球科学学科(地貌学、水文学、景观生态学、森林科学)中有可能获得基本见解所必需的。新的挑战包括开发融合和纹理程序，以及创建图像分析方法来估计地貌和森林结构、它们随时间的变化以及它们可能的状态(即预测)。这些信息对于了解地貌对景观演变的控制(例如，沉积物预算)、森林结构和生产力，以及跨越地质、生态、地形和所有地理边界(例如，生物多样性)的各种环境管理应用程序等过程是必要的。首先，我们必须从根本上改进我们对图像光谱和纹理模式如何受到人类和自然干扰(如山体滑坡和森林管理实践)影响的知识。在继续这项工作中，我将通过增加加拿大关键景观中必要的环境知识的积累，为解决环境问题做出贡献，例如自然灾害评估。任何在北方和山区从事遥感工作的人，任何有大面积环境管理问题或需要对反射率、地形、生物物理功能、生态指标进行科学观测的人，都将受益于我的结果和方法。

Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is a relatively new remote sensing tool - one which can provide detailed observations of environmental change, biophysical properties, topography, and disturbance processes related to environmental functioning and human-alteration patterns. Environmental scientists and managers need better ways of using these remotely-sensed data; my research program is focussed on this idea of combining airborne LiDAR data with multispectral imagery to create information products that can be used to understand and manage the processes driving environmental change in Canada and worldwide. This work is a fine balance between remote sensing applications-driven research and technology-driven methods development; both are needed to make possible fundamental insights in several environmental earth science disciplines (geomorphology, hydrology, landscape ecology, forest science). New challenges include the development of fusion and texture procedures, and the creation of image analysis methods to estimate geomorphometrics and forest structure, their changes over time, and their likely status (i.e. prediction). This information is necessary to understand processes such as geomorphic controls on landscape evolution (e.g., sediment budget), forest structure and productivity, and a wide variety of environmental management applications that cross geological, ecological, topographical, and all geographical boundaries (e.g., biodiversity). First, there must be fundamental improvements in our knowledge of how image spectral and texture patterns are influenced by human and natural disturbances such as landslides and forest management practices. In continuing this work, I will contribute to the solution of environmental problems, such as natural hazard assessment, by adding to the accumulation of necessary environmental knowledge in key Canadian landscapes. Anyone working with remote sensing in boreal and mountain landscapes, anyone with a large area environmental management issue or problem requiring scientific observations of reflectance, topography, biophysical functioning, ecological indicator, will benefit with access to my results and methods.