Winners of the Inaugural DigitalGlobe 8-Band Research Challenge have formally presented their research findings, further demonstrating the benefits of high-resolution 8-Band Imagery from DigitalGlobe for remote sensing based analysis.
The studies, presented at the recent Geospatial World Forum in Hyderabad, India, also described how 8-Band Imagery will lead to practical applications in areas such as coral reef conservation, precision agriculture and forestry management. Some of the most notable studies found that with 8-Band Imagery, these researchers could:
- Create accurate bathymetry maps (±77 cm) over near-shore coral reefs in Florida, and support more comprehensive coral reef conservation programs;
- Map invasive alien plant species at a 95% accuracy rate, enabling more efficient monitoring and eradication programs in Swaziland;
- Create highly accurate clutter maps with only a +/-0.5% error rate to support more effective wireless network infrastructure planning in South Africa;
- Delineate 10 commercial tree species within a heterogeneous forest with 90% accuracy, information that is vital for forest conservation management and forestry-related biodiversity research;
- Extract key vegetation parameters (leaf angle, chlorophyll, brown pigments) which support precision agriculture, by providing indications of plant health, growth rates and the impacts of disease or drought.