Dr Dominik Jaskierniak from University of Newcastle is working with Terraluma on a collaborative project supported by the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) Linkage scheme. The research collaboration has resulted in the production of a second Terraluma LiDAR platform and Dom is hoping to use high-density LiDAR to map the structure of eucalypt forests in NSW with the aim of relating tree structure to sapwood thickness. Steep learning curve for Dom to familiarise himself with the system, but after two days of intense instruction from our engineer Richard, he is excited to head out to collect some data!
Ensuring Australia’s water security is critically dependent on understanding how changes in forests due to disturbance and climate change influence catchment water yields. In partnership with Melbourne Water, the University of Newcastle, the University of Melbourne, and the University of Tasmania, this project aims to develop and apply new methods to scale forest water use from plot to catchment-level using relationships between plot-level annual evapotranspiration and stand biophysical and biochemical properties detectable using unmanned aircraft systems and other remote sensing platforms. These methods will be used to estimate water yields over time and space in ungauged catchments with disturbed eucalypt forests.
UAS LiDAR testing
Dr Dominik Jaskierniak from University of Newcastle and the UAV LiDAR ready for shipping
UAS LiDAR point cloud of calibration field for the calibration of boresight angles between the laser scanner and IMU.