Drones and Open Data to Understand Development and Conservation Challenges

Nicholas Altizer 1, 2, Dr. Timothy Hawthorne 1, 2, Christine Munisteri 2, Lain Graham 1, 2

1 University of Central Florida2 Citizen Science GIS

Public Satellite Imagery• Outdated

• Nearly 20 years old in some cases

• Poor resolution• Difficult to identify features

• Cloud interference• Obstructs surface features

• Segmented• Areas sometimes split among 2 or

more time periods

Drones in Research• Low-cost alternative to satellite

and aerial photography• Commercial from $500 for under

10cm resolution

• Commercially available• Easy to acquire, limited restrictions

• Ownership of collected imagery• No waiting, fly when needed

• Pending weather

Open ReefOur Goal:• Use drones to map every island

in the Belize Barrier Reef and provide that updated imagery to the public for free to encourage community research and citizen science

• Use commercially available technology

• Create a model that can be replicated in other areas

Our Process• Imagery collected using DJI Phantom 4

and 4 Pro quadcopters• 150 islands flown so far over 22

fieldwork days• Areas from 13 acres to 1103 acres• Roughly 400-500 islands in Belize

• Orthomosaics created using Esri’sDrone2Map

• Resolution from 3.21cm to 7.49cm• All data freely available to public to

encourage citizen science initiatives• Work with communities and local

partners to utilize local knowledge

Development Mangroves Reef Systems Erosion

Spanish Cayes• Satellite Imagery:

• 01/1999 at 15m• Impossible to discern features

• Drone Imagery:• 10/2016 at 6.38cm• Inhabited• Populations vulnerable due to

quality difference

• Drone imagery beneficial for establishing baseline data

Conch Island• Satellite Imagery:

• 12/2010 at 50cm• Difficult to discern features• Island boundary unclear

• Drone Imagery:• 10/2016 at 6.23cm• Local knowledge in absence of

poor satellite imagery• Spatial storytelling provides change

over time

• Drone imagery beneficial for building on potential baseline data

Blueground Range• Satellite Imagery:

• 12/2009 at 50cm• Uninhabited• 96% mangrove cover

• Drone Imagery:• 07/2017 at 4.30cm• Inhabited• Populations vulnerable due to

temporal difference• Mangrove cover reduced to 66%

• Updated drone imagery beneficial for monitoring island habitation changes over time

Grassy Caye Range Zone 5• Within Turneffe Atoll

• High-importance conservation area• Satellite Imagery:

• 08/2005 at 60cm• 1.29ha island size• 63% mangrove cover

• Drone Imagery:• 03/2017 at 6.87cm• 1.66ha island size• 89% mangrove cover

• Updated drone imagery beneficial for mapping conservation efforts over time

Community Impacts• No formal census on island

populations in Belize• Sharing and supporting local

knowledge from community members

• Understanding environmental impacts, land use, and human adaptation

• Bridging gap between scientists and public

• Fostering positive education outcomes

• Use local knowledge through storytelling in place of poor satellite imagery

Conclusions• Well-grounded, replicable

methodology for replacing satellite imagery with drone imagery

• Useful for similar mapping projects

• Drones are cost-effective, easy to use, and able to be used when imagery is needed

• Free of satellite imagery issues

• Belize Barrier Reef islands are changing and need protection provided by public drone imagery

• Providing imagery encourages community participation and education

Thank you to our partners and contributors!

Share using #citizensciencegisand #openreef

timothy.hawthorne@ucf.edu

http://citizensciencegis.org

http://facebook.com/citizensciencegis

@citizen_gis

@citizensciencegis

Dr. Timothy HawthorneAssistant Professor of GISUCF Dept. of Sociology and College of Sciences GIS Cluster