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Strategic Plan

Strategic Plan

Jun 12, 2016

Agreement

6/1/2016 - "5. Provide ARS with annual performance reports and a final performance report per the applicable provisions. The annual reports are due by June 1 of each year the Agreement is active..."

  1. Work Closely with the ARS in planning and conducting the research outlined below.
    1. TL Swetnam has worked closely with ARS staff to create new data products and analyze data and write results for scientific papers.
  2. Conduct research using Cooperator and ARS facilities, as appropriate. Activities include:
    1. Review LiDAR derived digital elevation models from Pima County (SRER) and USGS contracted QL1 airborne lidar products (Walnut Gulch) to ensure bare earth topography has been accurately separated from vegetation and assess algorithms.
      1. Analysis of the SRER lidar has been completed (bare earth and segmentation of the vegetation)
      2. The pilot USGS Walnut Gulch lidar data was delivered in February and underwent a quick quality control / quality assurance
        1. Woolpert lidar processing
      3. The full USGS lidar data set has not been delivered (as of 5/12/2016).
    2. Map large woody species on SRER and Walnut Gulch using airborne lidar data.
      1. The SRER lidar has been segmented into a single stem inventory which include the canopy metrics and point cloud details for each shrub taller than 2 feet. 
        1. Species characterization has not yet been conducted. Once the WGEW lidar is delivered the analysis can begin.
    3. Develop a method to scale from the individual perennial midgrass plant to NEON AOP 1 meter resolution using ground, and UAV lidar and imagery for which some portion of the imagery capture or processing could be done in house or contracted, depending on the maturity of the available tools.
      1. Collaborator and sub-contractor Temuulen Sankey (NAU) has prepared a manuscript for Geophysical Research Letters which discusses her UAV hyperspectral and lidar capability. Some of the letter discusses the utility of the UAV for collecting fine scale observations which can be scaled down and be compared to NEON AOP data. 
    4. Assess the ability of UAV lidar to quantify forage utilization at the pasture scale.
      1. We collected UAV lidar and SfM on Walnut Gulch in October 2015. We have also begun to collect UAV SfM data on SRER which will be ongoing through Fall 2016.
    5. Contract for a consistent classification on both the SRER and Walnut Gulch to vegetative states appropriate for the MLRA 41 ecological site state and transition models. 
      1. This work is being led by Dan Robinett
  3. Work closely with ARS to prepare findings for publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at meetings and/or commodity groups.
    1. We are currently working with ARS to submit the Sankey et al. letter to GRL (est. submission 5/31), and are continuing to develop new papers for future submission. 
  4. Be responsible and accountable for the performance and conduct of all Cooperator employees assigned to the project. ARS does not have authority to supervise Cooperator employees or engage in the employer/employee relationship of the Cooperator
  5. see top note 
  6. Refer to applicable provisions regarding Publications and Acknowledgement of Support
  7. The following acknowledgement of Awarding Agency support must appear in the publications of any materials which is based upon or developed under this agreement (whether or not copyrighted).
    "This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, under Agreement No. 58-2022-5-13."
    All such materials must also contain the following disclaimer unless the publication is formally cleared by USDA:
    "Any opinions, findings, conclusion, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Range Use Agreement 

 

Milestones

 October 2015November 2015December 2015January 2016February 2016March 2016April 2016May 2016June 2016July 2016August 2016September 2016October 2016November 2016December 2016January 2017February 2017March 2017April 2017May 2017June 2017July 2017August 2017September 2017 
Workstation Build
  • Order

  • Build, install software
  • Build, install software
                      
UAV Build

 

 

 
  • Design
  • Get quotes
  • Order
  • Build
  • Build
  • Test flights

                   
UAV Field Data Collection (WGER)
  • Lucky Hills
  • Kendall Grassland
  

 

   
  • Lucky Hills
  • Kendall Grassland
                 
UAV Field Data Collection (SRER)


  

 

 
  • Mesquite Treatment Area (3/17)
 
  • Creosote Flux
  • Grassland Flux
  • ASU Flux & Cosmos
  • Mesquite Flux
                 

TLS Field Data Collection (WGER)

  • Kendall Grassland
                        
TLS Field Data Collection (SRER)
  •  Mesquite Flux?
                        
Walnut Gulch Woolpert lidar QAQC  
  • Pilot Data
  

 

 
  • Final Data
                 
Watershed delineation (SRER) 
  • Tested delineation using AGWA
  • Watershed 3
  • Watershed 4
  • Watershed 5
  • Watershed 6
  • Watershed 7
  • Watershed 8

 

 

 

  
  • Watershed 1
  • Watershed 2
                 
Walnut Gulch lidar vegetation mapping      
  •  
  
  • Preliminary Data Analyses
  • Data Analyses
  • Write up Report
  •  
             
UAV SfM vs TLS vs ALS Remote Sensing Letter (Sankey et al.)

 

  •  
  

 

  • Preliminary Data Analyses
  • Data analyses
  • Manuscript Writing
  • Submit
                 
UAV SfM vs TLS vs ALS Remote Sensing Letter (Swetnam et al.)
  •  
    
  • Preliminary Data Analyses
  • Preliminary Data Analyses

 

  • Preliminary Data Analyses
  • Manuscript Writing
  • Final Data analyses
  • Manuscript Writing
  • Submit by 7/31
  •  
               
SfM & ALS grazing production paper (Swetnam & McClaran)        
  • Data analyses
  • Data analyses
  • Manuscript Writing
  • Submit

 

              
Mesquite Allometry lidar paper (Swetnam, Naito, Biederman)

 

  
  •  
    
  • Data analyses
  • Data analyses
  • Data analyses
  • Manuscript Writing
  • Submit 8/31

 

              
NEON calibration workflow (Swetnam & Barron-Gafford)        
  •  
  
  • Data analyses
  • Data analyses
  • Manuscript Writing
  • Submit
  •  
           

Deliverables

  1. Define definitive boundaries around 8 SRER watersheds using ground-based LiDAR.
    1. Locate the 8 watershed boundaries
      1. 10/30 Update
        • Six of the SRER watersheds are located within the 2011 PAG LiDAR flight area, four are in the 'high density' lidar data area, two are in the low density area
        • Conducted test segmentation of the areas using AGWA
    2. Determine if UAV SfM is possible alternative to LiDAR
    3. Determine where likely TLS scanning is needed
    4. Determine the amount of time required to complete 
  2. Define definitive boundaries around Walnut Gulch sub-watersheds using USGS contracted QL1 LiDAR data flown at peak biomass.
    1. Update 10/30: Trained to use AGWA tool in refresher workshop
      1. Spoke with Shea about meeting to discuss further applications including the LiDAR project.
    2. Delivery of USGS LiDAR between March and May 2016
    3. One week of time to run QAQC and data exploration
    4. Expect at least two weeks to conduct analyses and write up a brief (3-6 page) summary report
  3. Map large woody species (oak, walnut, willow, mesquite, creosote, whitethorn, tarbush, sumac) on Walnut Gulch using USGS contracted QL1 LiDAR data and more detailed ground/UAV flights.
    1. Waiting to see how NAU hyperspectral data does at Kendall and Lucky Hills
      1. Update 11/3: First cut of hyperspectral image segmentation from Teki
        1. The pixel size is 6 cm, and individual plants are clearly delineated - this image is of a 'segmentation'. 

    2. Need to work with Greg Barron-Gafford using his hex-copter.
    3. Update 11/3: Spoke with Adam Naito about his SRER Mesquite brush clearing project
      1. He has collected Mesquite allometry (n=120) and species diversity data for several locations already, is planning to share these data
      2. I will be coordinating with him on a possible paper for Remote Sensing of Environment on mesquite allometry and my segmentation algorithm.
    4. Need to purchase our own drone - Tyson has a few ideas to pursue besides the eBee which may be cheaper and more powerful.
      1. Update 10/29: Spoke with an undergradaute student Marco  
  • Develop a method to scale from the individual plant (perennial midgrass and larger) using ground and UAV LiDAR as well as UAV imagery (SFM) to NEON AOP data @ 1 meter to Landsat @ 30 m.
    • Tyson needs to develop a solid description of the NEON AOP with an associated flow for how data can scale to TLS and UAV sensors.
    • This will require assessing various sensors, platforms, and protocols to develop low-cost methods capable of capturing even those grasses growing under mesquites.
  • Assess the ability of UAV LiDAR to quantify grazing utilization at the pasture scale and compare with standard field methods. Can we get a better handle on the value of forage consumed across a pasture?
    • Preliminary LiDAR data suggests that we may be seeing the surface of the grass with some precision - suggesting it may be possible to measure utilization roughly from change detection.