Monitoring the distribution of Solidago altissima by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)

Abstract

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are being used in research about river environments. Users need to be aware of the most suitable conditions in which to photograph a target species and need to develop an efficient method for analyzing the acquired images. In this study, we investigated a method for understanding the distribution of invasive species Solidago altissima using a UAV. We conducted a UAV survey in autumn, when this species is in full bloom, to determine the suitable flight altitude for UAV survey, and to compare the UAV based results with the results of an on-ground vegetation survey. We found that the abundance and distribution of this species could be effectively monitored, using the UAV, because of its conspicuous flowers. In addition, we were able to create a distribution map with high accuracy using deep learning. The results indicate that the method can be applied, as part of river management, to monitor this species.