Drones and Geography: Who Is Using Them and Why?

Rogers, S.; Singh, Kaushlendra; Mathews, Adam J.; Cummings, Anthony R.

doi:10.1080/00330124.2021.2000446

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…We performed a systematic search of the Scopus database on 04 December 2023 based on the title, abstract and keywords using the following search criteria to capture the range of terms regularly used in the literature (Rogers et al., 2022): “Remote sensing” AND “Invasive*” OR “exotic*” OR “alien*” OR “non‐native” OR “nonnative” AND “drone” OR “UAS” OR “UAV” OR “unmanned aerial*” OR “uncrewed” OR “*piloted*”. We included all dates (1960–2023) and publication types (e.g.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systematic review and best practices for drone remote sensing of invasive plants

Singh,

Surasinghe,

Frazier

2024

Methods Ecol Evol

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Drones have emerged as a cost‐effective solution to detect and map plant invasions, offering researchers and land managers flexibility in flight design, sensors and data collection schedules. A systematic review of trends in drone‐based image collection, data processing and analytical approaches is needed to advance the science of invasive species monitoring and management and improve scalability and replicability. We systematically reviewed studies using drones for plant invasion research to identify knowledge gaps, best practices and a path toward advancing the science of invasive plant monitoring and management. We devised a database of 33 standardized reporting parameters, coded each study to those parameters, calculated descriptive statistics and synthesized how these technologies are being implemented and used. Trends show a general increase in studies since 2009 with a bias toward temperate regions in North America and Europe. Most studies have focused on testing the validity of a machine learning or deep learning image classification technique with fewer studies focused on monitoring or modelling spread. Very few studies used drones for assessing ecosystem dynamics and impacts such as determining environmental drivers or tracking re‐emergence after disturbance. Overall, we noted a lack of standardized reporting on field survey design, flight design, drone systems, image processing and analyses, which hinders replicability and scalability of approaches. Based on these findings, we develop a standard framework for drone applications in invasive species monitoring to foster cross‐study comparability and reproducibility. We suggest several areas for advancing the use of drones in invasive plant studies including (1) utilizing standardized reporting frameworks to facilitate scientific research practices, (2) integrating drone data with satellite imagery to scale up relationships over larger areas, (3) using drones as an alternative to in‐person ground surveys and (4) leveraging drones to assess community trait shifts tied to plant fitness and reproduction.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systematic review and best practices for drone remote sensing of invasive plants

Singh,

Surasinghe,

Frazier

2024

Methods Ecol Evol

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The use of drones in environmental sciences and conservation has become widespread, for example for surveillance, mapping and species detection (Wich & Koh, 2018), agriculture and land use monitoring (Librán-Embid, Klaus, Tscharntke, & Grass, 2020) and hydrological assessments (Samboko et al, 2020). Despite the wide availability of drones and the new opportunities that provide compelling new perspectives at an affordable cost, the use of the technology is dominated by a small, relatively homogenous group of people (Rogers, Singh, Mathews, & Cummings, 2022), which has led to multiple initiatives teaching drone technology to wider parts of society, including indigenous peoples (Cummings et al, 2017;Joyce, Meiklejohn, & Mead, 2020;Paneque-Gálvez, Vargas-Ramírez, Napoletano, & Cummings, 2017). Yet, strong reservations against using drones still prevail amongst policymakers and society, likely due to the military origin of the technology and increasing misuses that lead to a perception of invasiveness (Harriss, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%