Remote sensing and satellite technology
Estimating ground coverin northern Australia rangelands using Landsat TM imagery
Ground cover is a key indicator of rangeland condition, but efficient methods to monitor cover over the various land systems of Australia's northern rangelands are still to be fully developed. The potential for using Landsat TM data for monitoring and mapping trends in groundcover is being assessed in northern Queensland. Preliminary results using ten commonly applied vegetation and cover indices suggest the approach could be a valuable monitoring and modelling tool. However, its ultimate success will depend on whether the prototype method can be applied to state and nation wide monitoring. Further fieldwork will be required to calibrate and validate different geographic regions, and the development of multi- temporal and spatial indices (A).
Australian grassland and rangeland assessment by spatial simulation: Aussie grass
1. To complete the development of a national spatial environmental modelling grid that was partially delivered in the LWRRDC funded project QPI20; 2. To collate and assimilate data to develop the appropriate spatial datasets; 3. To calibrate and validate specific models for their appropriate rations
Pixels, paddocks and pastoralists: integrated land condition assessment
It is often difficult to determine whether change in rangeland conditions results from grazing pressure or from climatic or seasonal influences. A monitoring approach using remote sensing techniques and an extension of the gradient grazing method appears to offer some advantages over traditional intensive on-ground measurements. Application of the approach to the Marla-Oodnadatta Soil Conservation District in South Australia, indicated that satellite technology offers extension tools which can supplement and guide on-ground investigations and aid the understanding of spatial patterns in rangeland landscapes (A).
A quantitative evaluation of Landsat imagery of Australian rangelands.
The capability of multidate, multispectral ERTS-1 imagery of three different rangeland areas within Australia was evaluated for itsusefulness in preparing inventories of rangeland types, assessing on a broad scale range condition within these rangeland types, andassessing the response of rangelands to rainfall events over large areas.For the three divergent rangeland test areas, centered on Broken W, Alice Springs and Kalgoorlie, detailed interpretation of the imageryonly partially satisfied the information requirements set. It was most useful in the Broken Hill area where fenceline contrasts in rangecondition were readily visible. At this and the other sites an overstorey of trees made interpretation difficult.Whilst the low resolution characteristics and the lack of stereoscopic coverage hindered interpretation it was felt that this type of imagerywith its vast coverage, present low cost and potential for repeated sampling is a useful addition to conventional aerial photography for allrangeland types.
Characterisation and assessment of rangeland resources
A project to characterise and assess rangeland resources conducted a biophysical and socioeconomic inventory of the Ord River catchment in the East Kimberley WA. The tools and capacity developed during the project provide a basis for implementing monitoring programs to assess future trends in rangeland resources. The socioeconomic profile can be used to assist in regional land use planning and management. An assessment of current biodiversity data serves as a precursor to a regional conservation plan and enables the identification of gaps to target future resource allocation. The project also developed a methodology for mapping land units that produces maps of high quality and resolution more cost effectively than traditional field-based methods. Interactive computer-based software, Vegmachine, was also developed to monitor rangeland condition using remote sensing. The results of the project provide a sound basis for an improved understanding of the East Kimberley?s rangeland resources, and the impact of intensified production (A).
VegMachine: extending integrated rangeland monitoring information to industry.
1. Demonstrate the use of satellite-based range condition monitoring techniques in southwest Queensland.; 2. Assess limitations of existing natural resource and infrastructure data as well as management histories for interpreting cover indices.; 3. Recruit producers for evaluating VegMachine software as a practical tool for natural resource management of grazing properties.; 4. Present to the broader grazing community the use of time-series satellite data in pastoral management.; 5. Assess the potential to integrate methods into departmental range monitoring system.