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Classification and Mapping of Marine Habitats Using Drone Data

In this research study, data from drones has been collected from Santa Catalina Island in Los Angeles with the focus of seeing whether or not autonomous drones can be used to map and classify marine habitats. Since climate change is causing a rapid change in ecosystems, new survey methods are needed to capture how rapidly these systems are changing. Improved access to autonomous drones as a monitoring platform has allowed for advanced technologies to be available such as thermal sensors and computer vision. With this new technology, we now have the ability to collect data with lower financial costs and risks while increasing productivity in data collection. The drones used in this study were used to monitor areas on the island that have historically been mapped using quadrat and meter tape approaches. The rocky intertidal habitats which happen in between low and high tides were monitored by drones in order to identify species and general habitat types such as algae zones and mussel beds. Climate change rising is causing a shift in marine habitats found in rocky intertidal, and using autonomous drones may give us an insight into whether or not this method of classification and mapping is useful when it comes to marine habitats. Our initial results suggest that drones provide a faster method for collecting marine habitat data without losing data resolution when compared to previous survey methods.

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Keywords: Ecology, Drones, Marine Habitats