Multi-sensor data acquisition for assessing the condition of vegetation

The pressure on vegetation, whether forests, meadows or cultivated areas, is becoming increasingly greater. Climate change, extreme weather and ever higher yields taking place at the same time are creating enormous challenges for areas under cultivation. Drought stress, heavy rains and cultivation of monocultures stress both, the soil and the crops themselves. Regular monitoring of the crops or trees as well as soil condition is essential for a sustainable land use. The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for aerial structural surveys, the recording of soil parameters such as soil temperature, soil moisture and gas exchange have so far mostly been carried out independently of each other. Combining these measurement techniques, a holistic picture of the state of these ecosystems becomes possible. The Fraunhofer-Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPM presents a coherent process chain for the fully comprehensive recording of ecosystems. A recording by means of LiDAR systems from the ground, multispectral aerial images, terrestrial laser scans and the recording of nitrous oxide emission. Thus, we obtain a full structural image of the ecosystem enriched with metadata on plant condition and soil parameters. This forms the basis of an analysis of the overall condition of the full ecosystem. We present the results of the different sensors and the fused data of a first measurement campaign.