Remote sensing and landscape mapping

Landscape ecology studies are often conducted over large scale extents. Consequently, the use of remotely sensed data is the norm in landscape studies, and there is a strong association between remote sensing and landscape ecology. This chapter examines the constant improvements in remote sensing technologies and their application to landscape ecology, from sensors onboard planes and satellites to ground-based devices and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones). After existing sensors and approaches, current and future opportunities are surveyed. Current tools for mapping vegetation and ecosystem, investigating spatial structure, examining landscape processes, and understanding anthropogenic drivers of landscape change are based on combinations of passive (e.g., hyperspectral) and active (e.g., LiDAR) sensors. Future opportunities will come from new sensors on board new satellites, combined with citizen science for ground truthing and cloud computing for analyzing ever larger volumes of remotely sensed data. As sensors become diverse and the platforms on which they sit more versatile, opportunities from remote sensing to broaden the scope of landscape ecology and its research questions will only continue to grow.