Remote sensing, GIS and machine learning in mapping seabed habitats
Kristjan Herkül
Estonian Marine Institute, University of Tartu
Baltic Esri User Conference 2021
What?
Seabed substrate
Plants Animals
SandbanksReefs
• Fundamental scientific research
• Applied research
– Environmental impact assessment
– Environmental monitoring
– Maritime spatial planning
– Marine protected areas
– Fish spawning and nursery areas
• EU obligations
– Habitats directive (92/43/EEC)
– Marine strategy framework directive (2008/56/EC)
– Maritime spatial planning directive (2014/89/EU)
Why?
How?
RF
GRT
GAM
• Machine laerning algorithms random forest (RF), boosted regression
trees (BRT)
• Semiparametrical generalized additive models (GAM)
In situ sampling
• Drop camera
• ROV
• Bottom grab samplers
• SCUBA diving
In situ georeferencing
• Trimble GeoExplorer 6000
• Trimble R1
• SBAS, RTK correction
Multibeam sonar
• Reson SeaBat 7101-Flow
• 511 equidistant beams
• Swath coverage 150°
• Frequency 240 kHz
• Depth range 0.5–200 m
• Trimble dual antenna GNSS system
ArcGIS Spatial Analyst: Hillshade
ArcGIS Spatial Analyst: Slope
• Segmenting (ArcGIS: Create Fishnet)
• Statistics in segments (ArcGIS Spatial Analyst: Zonal Statistics as Table)
Slope
Slope
R
• Programming language and free software environment for statistical computing and graphics
• RStudio – integrated development environment (IDE) for R
• Plethora of packages for general and specific tasks in data wrangling, statistics, modeling, graphics, spatial analysis, text analysis etc.
R and ArcGIS
• R package arcgisbinding (r.esri.com)
• R package sf– Reading Esri File Geodatabase vector layers (no writing )
– Writing shapefiles
– Multitude of vector geoprocessing functions
• R packages raster and stars– Reading/writing GeoTIFFs
– Raster manipulations
– Multitude of raster geoprocessing functions
https://github.com/ryangarnett/cheatsheat
Optical remote sensing
• Satellite: Sentinel-2
• Airplane: – Estonian Land Board’s orthophotos
– Hyperspectral imager CASI, Hyspex
• Drone: DJI Phantom 4
Kappa = 0.997
Kappa = 0.979
Kappa = 0.985
Kappa = 0.958
Combining optical and acoustic remote sensing
Thank you!