A Comparison of the Performances of Unmanned-Aerial-Vehicle (UAV) and Terrestrial Laser Scanning for Forest Plot Canopy Cover Estimation in <i>Pinus massoniana</i> Forests
Canopy cover is an important indicator and commonly used in forest management applications. Unmanned-Aerial-Vehicle (UAV)—Borne Laser Scanning (ULS) has drawn increasing attention as a new alternative source for forest field inventory due to its spatial resolution comparable to that of Terrestrial L...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-02-01
|
| Series: | Remote Sensing |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/5/1188 |
| _version_ | 1797473904638296064 |
|---|---|
| author | Wenxia Dai Qingfeng Guan Shangshu Cai Rundong Liu Ruibo Chen Qing Liu Chao Chen Zhen Dong |
| author_facet | Wenxia Dai Qingfeng Guan Shangshu Cai Rundong Liu Ruibo Chen Qing Liu Chao Chen Zhen Dong |
| author_sort | Wenxia Dai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Canopy cover is an important indicator and commonly used in forest management applications. Unmanned-Aerial-Vehicle (UAV)—Borne Laser Scanning (ULS) has drawn increasing attention as a new alternative source for forest field inventory due to its spatial resolution comparable to that of Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS). In this study, the performance of plot canopy cover estimations from ULS and TLS is investigated. The experiment was conducted in 16 plots from two <i>Pinus massoniana</i> forests with different stand conditions in Guangxi, China. Both the Canopy Height Model (CHM)-based and Individual Tree Delineation (ITD)-based methods were used to estimate the canopy cover. The influence of CHM pixel sizes on the estimations was also analyzed. Our results demonstrated that the accuracies of ULS (<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msup><mi>R</mi><mn>2</mn></msup></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>: 0.992–0.996, <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi>R</mi><mi>M</mi><mi>S</mi><mi>E</mi></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>: 0.591–0.820%) were better than those of TLS (<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msup><mi>R</mi><mn>2</mn></msup></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>: 0.541–0.846, <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi>R</mi><mi>M</mi><mi>S</mi><mi>E</mi></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>: 3.642–6.297%) when compared against the reference. The average difference between the ULS and TLS estimations was 6.91%, and the disagreement increased as the forest complexity increased. The reasonable CHM pixel sizes for the canopy cover estimations were 0.07–1.2 m for ULS and 0.07–1.5 m for TLS. This study can provide useful information for the selection of data sources and estimation methods in plot canopy cover mapping. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:23:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a66d3270591146209e1176def962131f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:23:31Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-a66d3270591146209e1176def962131f2023-11-23T23:42:49ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922022-02-01145118810.3390/rs14051188A Comparison of the Performances of Unmanned-Aerial-Vehicle (UAV) and Terrestrial Laser Scanning for Forest Plot Canopy Cover Estimation in <i>Pinus massoniana</i> ForestsWenxia Dai0Qingfeng Guan1Shangshu Cai2Rundong Liu3Ruibo Chen4Qing Liu5Chao Chen6Zhen Dong7School of Geography and Information Engineering, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, ChinaSchool of Geography and Information Engineering, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, ChinaGuangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Institute of Natural Resources Remote Sensing, Nanning 530219, ChinaGuangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Institute of Natural Resources Remote Sensing, Nanning 530219, ChinaGuangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Institute of Natural Resources Remote Sensing, Nanning 530219, ChinaInstitute of Geophysics and Geomatics, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, ChinaCanopy cover is an important indicator and commonly used in forest management applications. Unmanned-Aerial-Vehicle (UAV)—Borne Laser Scanning (ULS) has drawn increasing attention as a new alternative source for forest field inventory due to its spatial resolution comparable to that of Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS). In this study, the performance of plot canopy cover estimations from ULS and TLS is investigated. The experiment was conducted in 16 plots from two <i>Pinus massoniana</i> forests with different stand conditions in Guangxi, China. Both the Canopy Height Model (CHM)-based and Individual Tree Delineation (ITD)-based methods were used to estimate the canopy cover. The influence of CHM pixel sizes on the estimations was also analyzed. Our results demonstrated that the accuracies of ULS (<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msup><mi>R</mi><mn>2</mn></msup></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>: 0.992–0.996, <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi>R</mi><mi>M</mi><mi>S</mi><mi>E</mi></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>: 0.591–0.820%) were better than those of TLS (<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msup><mi>R</mi><mn>2</mn></msup></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>: 0.541–0.846, <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi>R</mi><mi>M</mi><mi>S</mi><mi>E</mi></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>: 3.642–6.297%) when compared against the reference. The average difference between the ULS and TLS estimations was 6.91%, and the disagreement increased as the forest complexity increased. The reasonable CHM pixel sizes for the canopy cover estimations were 0.07–1.2 m for ULS and 0.07–1.5 m for TLS. This study can provide useful information for the selection of data sources and estimation methods in plot canopy cover mapping.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/5/1188forest point cloudUnmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS)canopy cover |
| spellingShingle | Wenxia Dai Qingfeng Guan Shangshu Cai Rundong Liu Ruibo Chen Qing Liu Chao Chen Zhen Dong A Comparison of the Performances of Unmanned-Aerial-Vehicle (UAV) and Terrestrial Laser Scanning for Forest Plot Canopy Cover Estimation in <i>Pinus massoniana</i> Forests Remote Sensing forest point cloud Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) canopy cover |
| title | A Comparison of the Performances of Unmanned-Aerial-Vehicle (UAV) and Terrestrial Laser Scanning for Forest Plot Canopy Cover Estimation in <i>Pinus massoniana</i> Forests |
| title_full | A Comparison of the Performances of Unmanned-Aerial-Vehicle (UAV) and Terrestrial Laser Scanning for Forest Plot Canopy Cover Estimation in <i>Pinus massoniana</i> Forests |
| title_fullStr | A Comparison of the Performances of Unmanned-Aerial-Vehicle (UAV) and Terrestrial Laser Scanning for Forest Plot Canopy Cover Estimation in <i>Pinus massoniana</i> Forests |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Comparison of the Performances of Unmanned-Aerial-Vehicle (UAV) and Terrestrial Laser Scanning for Forest Plot Canopy Cover Estimation in <i>Pinus massoniana</i> Forests |
| title_short | A Comparison of the Performances of Unmanned-Aerial-Vehicle (UAV) and Terrestrial Laser Scanning for Forest Plot Canopy Cover Estimation in <i>Pinus massoniana</i> Forests |
| title_sort | comparison of the performances of unmanned aerial vehicle uav and terrestrial laser scanning for forest plot canopy cover estimation in i pinus massoniana i forests |
| topic | forest point cloud Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) canopy cover |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/5/1188 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT wenxiadai acomparisonoftheperformancesofunmannedaerialvehicleuavandterrestriallaserscanningforforestplotcanopycoverestimationinipinusmassonianaiforests AT qingfengguan acomparisonoftheperformancesofunmannedaerialvehicleuavandterrestriallaserscanningforforestplotcanopycoverestimationinipinusmassonianaiforests AT shangshucai acomparisonoftheperformancesofunmannedaerialvehicleuavandterrestriallaserscanningforforestplotcanopycoverestimationinipinusmassonianaiforests AT rundongliu acomparisonoftheperformancesofunmannedaerialvehicleuavandterrestriallaserscanningforforestplotcanopycoverestimationinipinusmassonianaiforests AT ruibochen acomparisonoftheperformancesofunmannedaerialvehicleuavandterrestriallaserscanningforforestplotcanopycoverestimationinipinusmassonianaiforests AT qingliu acomparisonoftheperformancesofunmannedaerialvehicleuavandterrestriallaserscanningforforestplotcanopycoverestimationinipinusmassonianaiforests AT chaochen acomparisonoftheperformancesofunmannedaerialvehicleuavandterrestriallaserscanningforforestplotcanopycoverestimationinipinusmassonianaiforests AT zhendong acomparisonoftheperformancesofunmannedaerialvehicleuavandterrestriallaserscanningforforestplotcanopycoverestimationinipinusmassonianaiforests AT wenxiadai comparisonoftheperformancesofunmannedaerialvehicleuavandterrestriallaserscanningforforestplotcanopycoverestimationinipinusmassonianaiforests AT qingfengguan comparisonoftheperformancesofunmannedaerialvehicleuavandterrestriallaserscanningforforestplotcanopycoverestimationinipinusmassonianaiforests AT shangshucai comparisonoftheperformancesofunmannedaerialvehicleuavandterrestriallaserscanningforforestplotcanopycoverestimationinipinusmassonianaiforests AT rundongliu comparisonoftheperformancesofunmannedaerialvehicleuavandterrestriallaserscanningforforestplotcanopycoverestimationinipinusmassonianaiforests AT ruibochen comparisonoftheperformancesofunmannedaerialvehicleuavandterrestriallaserscanningforforestplotcanopycoverestimationinipinusmassonianaiforests AT qingliu comparisonoftheperformancesofunmannedaerialvehicleuavandterrestriallaserscanningforforestplotcanopycoverestimationinipinusmassonianaiforests AT chaochen comparisonoftheperformancesofunmannedaerialvehicleuavandterrestriallaserscanningforforestplotcanopycoverestimationinipinusmassonianaiforests AT zhendong comparisonoftheperformancesofunmannedaerialvehicleuavandterrestriallaserscanningforforestplotcanopycoverestimationinipinusmassonianaiforests |