Measuring Canopy Dynamics in a Savanna Woodland using

Automatic Digital Cameras

Stefan W Maier

Research Institute for the Environment and LivelihoodsSchool of EnvironmentCharles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia

1.5h drive south of Darwin

Litchfield National Park: 1,461km2 conservation reserve

monsoonal north of the Northern Territory

annual rainfall ~1420mm (~90% December - March)

Eucalypt open forest / woodland (E. miniata + E. tetrodonta)

LTERN long term fire plots

CDU leaf traps

AusCover cal/val site (5x5km2 homogeneous area)

OzFlux flux tower (2014)

CDU tower based spectroradiometers (2014)

Savanna Supersite Litchfield National Park - Location

Savanna Supersite Litchfield National Park - Vegetation

Savanna Supersite Litchfield National Park - Fire

Savanna Supersite Litchfield National Park - Post-Fire

Savanna Supersite Litchfield National Park - Leaf Fall

Savanna Supersite Litchfield National Park - Fire Damage

Savanna Supersite Litchfield National Park - Access Issues

Camera Setup

2 Wingscapes TimeLapse cameras

5M pixels

4 AA batteries → approx. 6 months

8GB SD card

horizontal + magic angle (57.5⁰)

photo every 30 min

Canopy Camera

2013/02/06 2013/08/01

Analysis Canopy Camera

Object Oriented Classification (eCognition)fully automatic

Canopy Dynamics

fire

Canopy Dynamics

fire

Canopy Dynamics

fire

Next Generation Camera

android smartphone + python script + scheduler app

10W solar panel + SLA battery

communication via 3G or WiFi

build-in power saving “intelligence”

Conclusion

Wingscapes TimeLapse cameras are easy to set up

Conclusion

Wingscapes TimeLapse cameras are easy to set up

frequent image capture makes automatic analysis easier

Conclusion

Wingscapes TimeLapse cameras are easy to set up

frequent image capture makes automatic analysis easier

off-line modus → no system health monitoring, data loss

Conclusion

Wingscapes TimeLapse cameras are easy to set up

frequent image capture makes automatic analysis easier

off-line modus → no system health monitoring, data loss

automatic analysis requires refinement

Conclusion

Wingscapes TimeLapse cameras are easy to set up

frequent image capture makes automatic analysis easier

off-line modus → no system health monitoring, data loss

automatic analysis requires refinement

smartphone camera: cheap, “intelligent”, includes comms