The Application of Active and Passive Optical Sensors in Natural Resource Decision Making

Abstract

Remote sensing is becoming a significant tool utilized to study vegetation health and abundance. Vegetation indices (VIs) generated by active and passive remote optical sensors can be implemented in natural resource and agricultural decision-making processes. One such use of vegetation indices is to predict yield and protein contents for various crops. However, the application of VIs is limited due to land use differences and the time period when remote sensing information is most accurate. A literature search was conducted on VIs paying attention to how those are used with sensors mounted on small unmanned aerial vehicles (sUAV). The search found that there was a limited amount of literature being catered towards management decisions compared to scientific studies and systematic reviews. This makes it difficult for decision makers to review and stay updated on remote sensing practices and to incorporate remote sensing into field based management and policy making.