Sensing Water: First estimates of soil moisture from the Rongowai airborne remote sensing mission for GNSS-Reflectometry
Date 2022 Authors Matthew Wilson, Delwyn Moller, Sharmila Savarimuthu, Xander Cai, Chris Ruf Abstract In a unique partnership, the Rongowai (“sensing water” in te reo Māori) airborne remote sensing mission comprises of a next-generation Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) receiver (NGRx) mounted on a domestic Air New Zealand Q300 aircraft. The sensor captures reflected […]
URBAN TREES AND HOUSING INTENSIFICATION: A SPATIAL CONFLICT?
Date September 5-6, 2023 Submitted to The Fourth Spatial Data Science Symposium Author David Pedley Supervisors Dr Justin Morgenroth (UC) and Dr Grant Pearse (Scion) Abstract Urban trees provide a multitude of environmental and amenity benefits for city occupants. In recognition of these benefits, many cities have developed strategies and plans seeking to protect and […]
Sensing Water: the Rongowai airborne remote sensing mission for GNSS-Reflectometry across New Zealand
Length of Project 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2022 Project Partners The University of Auckland, Air New Zealand, The University of Michigan, The Ohio State University, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research Funding MBIE Catalyst fund and NASA Project summary The GRI is playing a leading role within the Rongowai (“sensing water”) mission, that aims […]
Biological Heritage Challenge: Eco-Index Programme
Research team Dr Kiri Joy Wallace (University of Waikato) Dr John Reid (J D Reid LTD) Ngāti Pikiao (Tainu and Ngai Tahu Research Centre, University of Canterbury). Nathaniel Calhoun (Code Innovation) Kevan Cote (Moose Engineering & Design) Karen Denyer (Papawera Consulting Ltd) Saif Khan (GRI) Funding New Zealand National Science Challenge Project summary The Eco-index […]
Advancing efficiencies in remote sensing of Ross Sea Adélie penguin populations
Research Team Alexandra Strang, Dean Anderson, Esme Robinson, Grant Ballard, Annie Schmidt, David Ainley, Kerry Barton, Fiona Shanhun, Rebecca Macneil, Elissa Cameron, Michelle LaRue Project Aim Identify an objective method to assess guano area characteristics over the 2009-2021 austral summers for four colonies, to improve this tool toward better assessment of population changes. Click […]
Rongowai:
Partnering to fly the Next-generation of Global Navigation Satellite System Receivers for Advancing Earth Observation
Rongowai In the Rongowai (sensing water) project, a next-generation Global Navigation Satellite Systems Reflectometry (GNSS-R) sensor is being mounted on an Air New Zealand Q300 aircraft, enabling greatly improved observations of soil moisture and inundation dynamics. The observations will provide an unprecedented high spatial and temporal resolution, wide-coverage measurements for analysis of soil moisture and […]
Real time environmental sensors to improve health in the Sensing City
New Zealand has an excellent record of conserving its native flora and fauna through pest control measures, especially in large uninhabited areas. Meanwhile large tracts of land owned by private individuals remain relatively unprotected. When it comes to land management decisions such as pest control actions, careful negotiations are required with a wide range of stakeholders with differing views – from cat-loves to rabbit-haters – so that agreements can be reached. The aim of this research project led by Audrey Lustig, Mike Plank and Alex James is to develop a planning tool for predicting the abundance and the likely persistence of New Zealand top mammalian predators in the light of potential changes in management effort across human-dominated landscape. We use the Cape-to-City (C2C) footprint covering 26,000 ha of agricultural land in Hawke’s Ba as a case study.
Modelling large-scale predator control measures: Cape-to-City project
New Zealand has an excellent record of conserving its native flora and fauna through pest control measures, especially in large uninhabited areas. Meanwhile large tracts of land owned by private individuals remain relatively unprotected. When it comes to land management decisions such as pest control actions, careful negotiations are required with a wide range of stakeholders with differing views – from cat-loves to rabbit-haters – so that agreements can be reached. The aim of this research project led by Audrey Lustig, Mike Plank and Alex James is to develop a planning tool for predicting the abundance and the likely persistence of New Zealand top mammalian predators in the light of potential changes in management effort across human-dominated landscape. We use the Cape-to-City (C2C) footprint covering 26,000 ha of agricultural land in Hawke’s Ba as a case study.