Damage measured by laser scanner linked to spectrometer on board aircraft
An imaging device is being used to assess the plant diversity within a
rainforest without setting foot there. Greg Asner, an ecologist at the
Carnegie Institution in Washington DC, is developing it as a way of
measuring deforestation, and the damage done by logging. Asner uses a
laser scanner linked to a spectrometer on board an aircraft to fire
visible light towards the ground and analyse the wavelengths that are
reflected from the leaves.
This generates a three-dimensional map of
the chemical composition of the trees, from the canopy to the forest
floor, and hence the biodiversity of the forest. The system is being
upgraded to detect infrared wavelengths, too. Asner says this will
allow it to spot more chemicals and so detect more subtle differences
among tree species.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126915.900-flying-eye-maps-rain-forests-health.html
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