Using GIS in remote sensing
applications for conservation biology and research most interests me. In the simplest
terms, remote sensing is the acquisition of data without being in the same physical
location as the object you are collecting data from. This is a widely used technology.
Remote sensing technology can be used to collect data on a broad rage in the form
of aerial images that encompass whole ecosystems, or much more detailed data
like the movements of a single animal. The latter is where my interests lie.
In order to conserve and manage
species of interest it is critical to understand their movements (daily and
large migratory trend) and there geographic range. Because researches can not
follow most species for an extended time, this is done with satellite transmitters
and GIS technology. I was fortunate
enough to use this technology when working on a leatherback sea turtle tracking
project. Leatherbacks are an excellent
example of why remote sensing is so critical to conservation biology. In the Pacific Ocean the leatherback
population is plummeting, however researchers were having a hard time putting
together a comprehensive picture of what was happening to the population because
so little was known about their geographic location besides where females nests.
However satellite transmitters, some fancy software, and a GIS allowed researchers
to identify critical migratory corridors in the Pacific where leatherbacks are facing
high mortality do to interaction with high concentrations of fisherman. The Atlantic leatherbacks on the other hand have no defined critical migratory
corridors and that is a large factor in why the Atlantic population is faring
better. This data allows policy makers
to move forward to help enact laws or conservation plans to prevent high
mortality in the Pacific.
This type of remote sensing doesn’t
work or all species. I am eager to learn about other methods in which remote
sensing can be utilized to identify critical species habitat.
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