GPS in Support of Biodiversity and

Ecosystem Databases

by

Greg Carlino, Ben Schmitz, and Erin Martin

Definitions Biodiversity – “Earth’s rich variety of

distinct species, the genetic variability within them, and the natural communities and ecosystems they inhabit.” (The Earth in Balance)

Ecosystem – “A community of plants and animals together with the physical environment they inhabit.” (American Heritage Dictionary)

Importance of Biodiversity

Leads to a sustainable environment– Less susceptible to disease, drought, etc.– Economic value of diversity– Culture and identity

Widely researched topic

GPS and Environmental Databases

Speed Large datasets Variable accuracy Compatible with remote sensing, GIS,

and traditional surveying Economic method of data collection

Biodiversity in BrazilNature Conservancy Study

Needs info about flora (plants) and fauna (animals), and their habitats in order to prioritize conservation efforts.

Often needs to make informed decisions quickly

Use REA coarse/fine filter approach (6 mo.)– Remote Sensing (initial classification)– Field Observations (verify classifications)– Overflights (verify areas inaccessible by foot)

Results Assumption that drier highland areas

were located outside the existing park was proven correct

Total of 148,200 acres of land identified as prime conservation areas and acquired

Gone Fishing in the Pacific Northwest

GPS Used to Map Chinook Salmon Spawning Habitat– Salmon part of identity, culture, religion,

and economic system of people Series of hydroelectric dams built on

Snake River– Salmon listed as endangered– Corps required to do a study

PNNL Study Search for redds (salmon nests)

– One month window– Used GPS, GIS, Underwater Video

Method– GIS query to find likely locations– Transects set up

Boat location tracked with 12-channel, L1, C/A –code Trimble Pro XR GPS receiver

Underwater camera Onboard PC for real-time visualization

Redd Spottings… Shore-based surveyor with laser

transit and prism on boat– Also depthfinder, current profiler, camera

Rebar with survey tape used to mark DGPS later used

– Submeter accuracy obtained on a moving boat on a reference-free river with high canyon walls

Results Redds mapped at around 1m accuracy

Corps could plan construction projects and dam operations that would minimize effect on Chinook Salmon

Technique has been applied elsewhere

Saving an Endangered Species GPS Used to Monitor and Manage Wild

Horse and Burro Herds in West

Symbols of the West– By mid 19th Century, 2 million horses

roamed North America– Inhumane capture and destruction for

commercial purposes reduced numbers to 17,000 by 1971

– Congress passes Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act (1971)

Resource Management

Jurisdiction of Bureau of Land Management (div. of Dpt. of Interior)

Collecting base information 80% of total cost (gather, analyze, display)

Tracking Horses– Use GPS in conjunction with PC to

provide automated field data collection system

Supplies needed reference framework (grounding) for GIS mapping and analysis

Why GPS ? BLM’s findings are often challenged

– Need to display current and past flight paths and other supporting data

System must be accurate to 40 meters System must be capable of recording

data in a downloadable format for use in subsequent Land Information Systems

Using GPS to Research Animal Species

– 1995 study of Southern Elephant Seals in Falkland Islands

– Goal to reach conclusion about individual variation and evolution of social behavior

Why use mapping to study seals?– Space related phenomenon

Territorial defense

– Tracking of “tagged” individuals provides huge amounts of data (activity, movement)

– Study of long-distance migratory species

GPS in Use Mapping perimeter of harems Tracking of Alpha-males and primary

breeding females Data used to tabulate census numbers

and population density

Advantages of GPS Operates under any weather conditions

– Harsh Falkland Island climate Poor land mobility of seals means that

spatial relationships must be defined over short distances– Sub meter accuracy required

Ease and speed of use Data format easily transformed

National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA)

Another agency that has implemented GPS into many research projects involving marine taxonomy – biodiversity inventory

40 years of oceanographic sampling in New Zealand, Australia, Pacific Islands, and Antarctica

1992 Convention on Biological Diversity ruled that member nations must inventory habitats and species for sustainable resource management – GPS helped NIWA accomplish this goal.

Underwater cameras aided by satellite navigation system to create a biodiversity research library

http://katipo.niwa.cri.nz/taxonomy/

Save the Elephant Organization Charity founded in 1993 by

Dr. Ian Douglas-Hamilton who made a pioneering study of elephant behavior

Used GPS collars to study long distance movements of herds

Needed to determine how elephants make decisions concerning where to roam in order to predict ecological changes on elephants and the biodiversity of the area

Elephant Migration Map Map created by

collecting and plotting GPS co-ordinates of Stratus (family matriarch)

Proved long standing theory that elephants were traveling from Samburu all the way to Il Ngwesi

www.savetheelephants.org

Forest Fragment Project Manaus, Brazil Objective to map biomass changes in

central Amazonia Relate field data with remote sensing

data from Landsat TM images

GPS and Environmental Databases

Speed Large datasets Variable accuracy Compatible with remote sensing, GIS,

and traditional surveying Economic method of data collection

References The Earth in Balance, Maintaining Brazil’s Biodiversity, GPS

World, June 1996. Track ‘em Cowboy! GPS Rides the Range, GPS World,

September 1995. Reed Recon: Mapping Chinook Spawning Habitat, GPS

World, January 1999. A Very Spatial Relationship, GPS Mapping Aids

Understanding of Elephant Seal Behavior, GPS World, July 1999.

The American Heritage Dictionary, 2nd Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1985.