UAV-based hyperspectral remote sensing capabilities developed by the Idaho National Lab and Idaho State University, Boise Center Aerospace Lab, were recently tested via demonstration flights that explored the influence of altitude on geometric error, image mosaicking, and dryland vegetation classification. The test flights successfully acquired usable flightline data capable of supporting classifiable composite images. Unsupervised classification results support vegetation management objectives that rely on mapping shrub cover and distribution patterns. Overall, supervised classifications performed poorly despite spectral separability in the image-derived endmember pixels. Future mapping efforts that leverage ground reference data, ultra-high spatial resolution photos and time series analysis should be able to effectively distinguish native grasses such as Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda), from invasives such as burr buttercup (Ranunculus testiculatus) and cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum).

The advances in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms and onboard sensors in the past few years have greatly increased our ability to monitor and map crops. The ability to register images at ultrahigh spatial resolution at any moment has made remote sensing techniques increasingly useful in crop management. These technologies have revolutionized the way in which remote sensing is applied in precision agriculture, allowing for decision-making in a matter of days instead of weeks. However, it is still necessary to continue research to improve and maximize the potential of UAV remote sensing in agriculture. This Special Issue of Remote Sensing includes different applications of UAV remote sensing for crop management, covering RGB, multispectral, hyperspectral and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor applications aboard UAVs. The papers reveal innovative techniques involving image analysis and cloud points. However, it should be emphasized that this Special Issue is a small sample of UAV applications in agriculture and that there is much more to investigate.

Unmanned Aerial Systems for Monitoring Soil, Vegetation, and Riverine Environments provides an overview of how unmanned aerial systems have revolutionized our capability to monitor river systems, soil characteristics, and related processes at unparalleled spatio-temporal resolutions. This capability has enabled enhancements in our capacity to describe water cycle and hydrological processes. The book includes guidelines, technical advice, and practical experience to support practitioners and scientists in increasing the efficiency of monitoring with the help of UAS. The book contains field survey datasets to use as practical exercises, allowing proposed techniques and methods to be applied to real world case studies. Includes a summary of technical UAS issues allowing readers to focus on how the exact technology fits their scientific question Provides specific applications enabling readers to understand the benefits and threats within the field Includes a comprehensive literature review in each chapter, allowing readers to know the key players and research in the field

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) are a rapidly evolving technology with an expanding array of diverse applications. In response to the continuing evolution of this technology, this book discusses unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and similar systems, platforms and sensors, as well as exploring some of their environmental applications. It explains how they can be used for mapping, monitoring, and modeling a wide variety of different environmental aspects, and at the same time addresses some of the current constraints placed on realizing the potential use of the technology such as s flight duration and distance, safety, and the invasion of privacy etc. Features of the book: Provides necessary theoretical foundations for pertinent subject matter areas Introduces the role and value of UAVs for geographical data acquisition, and the ways to acquire and process the data Provides a synthesis of ongoing research and a focus on the use of technology for small-scale image and spatial data acquisition in an environmental context Written by experts of the technology who bring together UAS tools and resources for the environmental specialist Unmanned Aerial Remote Sensing: UAS for Environmental Applications is an excellent resource for any practitioner utilizing remote sensing and other geospatial technologies for environmental applications, such as conservation, research, and planning. Students and academics in information science, environment and natural resources, geosciences, and geography, will likewise find this comprehensive book a useful and informative resource.

This book shows recent and innovative applications of the use of hyperspectral technology for optimal quantification of crop, vegetation, and soil biophysical variables at various spatial scales, which can be an important aspect in agricultural management practices and monitoring. The articles collected inside the book are intended to help researchers and farmers involved in precision agriculture techniques and practices, as well as in plant nutrient prediction, to a higher comprehension of strengths and limitations of the application of hyperspectral imaging to agriculture and vegetation. Hyperspectral remote sensing for studying agriculture and natural vegetation is a challenging research topic that will remain of great interest for different sciences communities in decades.

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "UAV or Drones for Remote Sensing Applications" that was published in Sensors

Hyperspectral Remote Sensing: Theory and Applications offers the latest information on the techniques, advances and wide-ranging applications of hyperspectral remote sensing, such as forestry, agriculture, water resources, soil and geology, among others. The book also presents hyperspectral data integration with other sources, such as LiDAR, Multi-spectral data, and other remote sensing techniques. Researchers who use this resource will be able to understand and implement the technology and data in their respective fields. As such, it is a valuable reference for researchers and data analysts in remote sensing and Earth Observation fields and those in ecology, agriculture, hydrology and geology. Includes the theory of hyperspectral remote sensing, along with techniques and applications across a variety of disciplines Presents the processing, methods and techniques utilized for hyperspectral remote sensing and in-situ data collection Provides an overview of the state-of-the-art, including algorithms, techniques and case studies