Kruse, Stefan; Gloy, Josias; Hao, Kunyan; Zens, Nelly; Heim, Birgit: Orthomosaics of 27 northern boreal forest and tundra sites from UAV-based multispectral surveys in northwestern Canada in 2022 [dataset]. PANGAEA, https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.995738 (dataset in review)
Abstract:
This dataset comprises centimetre-resolution orthomosaics generated from structure-from-motion (SfM) processing of UAV-based multispectral imagery acquired with a MicaSense Altum sensor. The study region spans parts of the northern boreal forest and the tundra–taiga ecotone (TTE). The primary objective is to map vegetation cover, with a focus on differentiating forest types. Fieldwork was designed and conducted by researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), during peak summer 2022 (10 July to 19 August). The study area encompasses a broad bioclimatic gradient, extending from tundra and open forest near Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada, across the southern Yukon and mountainous terrain of the Mackenzie and Cassiar Mountains, to regions near Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada. Survey locations were pre-selected using satellite data. At each site, transects of at least 50 m width and 500 m length were surveyed. Ground reference data were collected from one or, in rare cases, multiple circular plots with a diameter of 30 m. UAV flights were conducted at an altitude of 70 m above ground level and a speed of 5 m/s, following manufacturer recommendations. Raw imagery was processed in Agisoft Metashape. After image alignment and radiometric calibration using a reflectance panel, orthomosaics were exported at the highest available spatial resolution. The raster data represent the full extent of the potentially reconstructed area, and we additionally provide a high-confidence reference polygon that delineates the underlying ground area with a well-validated spatial extent.
Related to:
Schladebach, Jacob; Heim, Birgit; Enguehard, Léa; Wieczorek, Mareike; Broers, Jakob; Jackisch, Robert; Gloy, Josias; Hao, Kunyan; Tretton, James; Gorshunova, Anna; Kruse, Stefan (preprint): BorFIT: A Novel LiDAR-Based Training Dataset for Individual Tree Segmentation and Species Detection in northern boreal Forests. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-340
Further details:
README: UAV-based data products of 21 forest succession plots. readme_UAV-based_data_products_of_21_forest_succession_plots.pdf (Additional details on the MicaSense Altum multispectral camera)
Project(s):
Funding:
German Research Foundation (DFG), grant/award no. 563037533: Assessing stability of topographic impacts on northern boreal forest carbon allocation across the Tundra-Taiga Ecotone amid climate crisis (BToBE)
Coverage:
Median Latitude: 64.485370 * Median Longitude: -133.571079 * South-bound Latitude: 58.747792 * West-bound Longitude: -138.454814 * North-bound Latitude: 68.879700 * East-bound Longitude: -121.832340
Date/Time Start: 2022-07-15T00:00:00 * Date/Time End: 2022-08-14T01:03:00
Minimum Elevation: 14.0 m * Maximum Elevation: 1103.0 m
Event(s):
EN22002 * Latitude: 60.810410 * Longitude: -135.368910 * Date/Time: 2022-07-15T00:00:00 * Elevation: 774.0 m * IGSN: https://doi.org/10.60510/AWFWI02061 * Location: Yukon, Canada * Campaign: CA-Land_2022_NWCanada_Forests (Forest Change Northwest Canada) * Basis: AWI Arctic Land Expedition * Method/Device: Vegetation survey (VEGSUR) * Comment: Bog forest wet with spruces and thick moss cover
EN22002_Lidar (EN22002) * Latitude: 60.809231 * Longitude: -135.370674 * Date/Time: 2022-08-07T22:20:00 * Location: Yukon, Canada * Campaign: CA-Land_2022_NWCanada_Forests (Forest Change Northwest Canada) * Basis: AWI Arctic Land Expedition * Method/Device: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), DJI Technology Co, Matrice 300 RTK; coupled with Light detection and ranging scanner (LiDAR), YellowScan, Mapper
EN22002_MSI (EN22002) * Latitude: 60.809200 * Longitude: -135.370700 * Date/Time: 2022-07-15T00:00:00 * Campaign: CA-Land_2022_NWCanada_Forests (Forest Change Northwest Canada) * Basis: AWI Arctic Land Expedition * Method/Device: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), DJI Technology Co, Matrice 300 RTK; coupled with Multispectral camera, MicaSense - AgEagle Sensor Systems Inc, Altum
Comment:
Each file contains the following 7 bands:
- Blue, 475 nm, 32 nm bandwidth
- Green, 560 nm, 27 nm bandwidth
- Red, 668 nm, 14 nm bandwidth
- Red edge, 717 nm, 12 nm bandwidth
- NIR, 842 nm, 57 nm bandwidth
- LWIR, 11 µm, 6 µm nm bandwidth
- Alpha mask/transparency, value 0 means no data, value 65535 means valid data
*Funding and Acknolwledgments*
This work was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) – Project number 563037533. It received funding from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, for the expedition CA-Land_2022_NWCanada Forest Change Northwest Canada. We also acknowledge funding for our equipment by the project Potsdamer InnoLab für Arktisforschung no. F221-08-AWI/001/002 from the Brandenburg Ministry for Science, Research and Culture (MWFK). We would like to thank the logistics department of the Alfred Wegener Institute, especially Volkmar Aßmann and Jan Kahl, for their support in realising the fieldwork. During the preparation phase, contacts with several First Nations people in the areas of our planned field work, Canadian agencies and institutes were very helpful. We are particularly grateful to Katherine Wolfenden, Land and Resources Coordinator in Fort Nelson, Christina Martin, Lands & Resources Coordinator for the Gwich'in Tribal Council, and Laura Nerysoo, Teslin Tlingit Renewable Resource Council Coordinator, as well as Andrew Koe, our wildlife monitor from the Gwich'in First Nation, for helping to ensure our safety during our fieldwork in bear country.
Parameter(s):
| # | Name | Short Name | Unit | Principal Investigator | Method/Device | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Event label | Event | Kruse, Stefan | Event name of this acquisition of data | ||
| 2 | Other event | Other event | Kruse, Stefan | Event that is linked at the same area | ||
| 3 | Plot | Plot | Kruse, Stefan | Name of the Plot | ||
| 4 | Latitude of event | Latitude | Kruse, Stefan | Event name of this acquisition of data | ||
| 5 | Longitude of event | Longitude | Kruse, Stefan | Event name of this acquisition of data | ||
| 6 | Date/Time of event | Date/Time | Kruse, Stefan | Event name of this acquisition of data | ||
| 7 | File content | Content | Kruse, Stefan | |||
| 8 | Device type | Device | Kruse, Stefan | Camera used for acquiring the images | ||
| 9 | Processing software | PS | Kruse, Stefan | Software used for processing/generating the orthomosaic | ||
| 10 | Binary Object | Binary | Kruse, Stefan | Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), DJI Technology Co, Matrice 300 RTK; coupled with Multispectral camera, MicaSense - AgEagle Sensor Systems Inc, Altum | ||
| 11 | Binary Object (File Size) | Binary (Size) | Bytes | Kruse, Stefan | Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), DJI Technology Co, Matrice 300 RTK; coupled with Multispectral camera, MicaSense - AgEagle Sensor Systems Inc, Altum | |
| 12 | Binary Object (Media Type) | Binary (Type) | Kruse, Stefan | Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), DJI Technology Co, Matrice 300 RTK; coupled with Multispectral camera, MicaSense - AgEagle Sensor Systems Inc, Altum | ||
| 13 | GIS file | GIS | Kruse, Stefan | QGIS software | ||
| 14 | GIS file (File Size) | GIS (Size) | Bytes | Kruse, Stefan | QGIS software | |
| 15 | GIS file | GIS | Kruse, Stefan | QGIS software | ||
| 16 | GIS file (File Size) | GIS (Size) | Bytes | Kruse, Stefan | QGIS software | |
| 17 | GIS file | GIS | Kruse, Stefan | QGIS software | ||
| 18 | GIS file (File Size) | GIS (Size) | Bytes | Kruse, Stefan | QGIS software |
License:
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY-4.0) (License comes into effect after moratorium ends)
Status:
Curation Level: Enhanced curation (CurationLevelC)
Size:
196 data points