The ecological value of the coral reef ecosystems can not be overestimated and their understanding and preservation remain a key challenge for environmental science. In particular, it is critical to developing the technology that could facilitate systematic environmental monitoring of the evolution of corals under the conditions of climatic change and coastal erosion. Most corals are found in clear and shallow waters. Consequently, hyperspectral hyperspectral remote sensing constitutes an optimum tool that could be used to achieve both the necessary high spatial resolution and expansive spatial coverage. In this context, Gamaya has landed its technology and expertise to a hyperspectral environmental monitoring campaign that was carried out in September 2014 over the lagoon of Plage de lâ’Ermitage, Saint Gilles, Reunion Island. This site is of particular interest because it shows blatant signs of erosion and sudden flooding that takes place during heavy swells associated with storms and cyclones. Human impacts growing on the shoreline and on river basin in the recent decades have also affected the functioning of the coastal sedimentation.Use the slider below to compare the RGB (left) and the Principle Component Analysis (PCA)-based visualization of the hyperspectral imaging (HSI) data collected.The project is carried out in collaboration with, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland and Universite de Bretagne Occidentale, France. The preliminary results of the hyperspectral environmental monitoring field campaign will be reported at the 9th EARSeL SIG Imaging Spectroscopy Workshop that will take place in Luxembourg in April 2015.
About EPFL
The Ecole polytechnique federale de Lausanne (EPFL, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne) is one of the two Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology and is located in Lausanne, Switzerland. You can find more information about EPFL here.
About Universite de Bretagne Occidentale
The University of Western Brittany (Universite de Bretagne Occidentale, UBO) is a French university, located in Brest, in the Academy of Rennes. Official website of the university is www.univ-brest.fr.
About 9th EARSeL SIG Imaging Spectroscopy Workshop
The 9th EARSeL SIG Imaging Spectroscopy Workshop organized by the European Association of Remote Sensing Laboratories, Trier University, and the CRP – Gabriel Lippmann will cover all themes related to imaging spectroscopy and new applications of hyperspectral remote sensing.
About Gamaya
Gamaya, based in EPFL Innovation park, provides integrated services for large-scale airborne monitoring and diagnostics of farmland, thanks to its novel and unique hyperspectral imaging technology. Gamaya technology delivers high-resolution, high-precision diagnostics of crop diseases, the proliferation of invasive species and environmental stresses, which will facilitate the targeted delivery of the necessary treatments. The Gamaya hyperspectral imaging solution reduces the costs of both data acquisition and its processing by a factor of 10, while providing a 20-30% increase in yields for its customers. Gamaya makes the monitoring of vegetation a highly profitable business.
Article date: Morges, 2015
