GIS, Remote Sensing and Ecosystem Service Modelling … · Neil Parker MCIEEM Senior Environmental...

Neil Parker MCIEEM

Senior Environmental Consultant: Environment Systems

www.envsys.co.uk

GIS, Remote Sensing and Ecosystem Service Modelling – useful tools for

the ecologist

CIEEM East Midlands Section Conference 2015

Leading edge environmental & geographic information consultancy & services

The Issue

More need for complete habitat /

land cover data than ever before

Land pressure

How does EO and RS work?

1000 w/m2

267 w/m2

Surface Reflectance = 1000 / 267

= 0.267 %

• Electromagnetic radiation from the Sun is reflected off the surface, straight to the sensor

• Radiance measured at sensor = percentage of reflectance by surface material


Using satellite imagery and air

photography to map habitats

Remote sensing and

habitat mapping can be

traditional – using aerial

photographs

maps.google.co.uk

There is much more

information in satellite

images


Near Infra-red Band to Map Productivity

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

400 500 600 700 800 900%

Re

fle

cta

nc

e

Wavelength (nm)

Health

y Leaf

Leaf

With

Rust

Soil

Resolution

Satellite Resolution

SPOT NIR/SWIR/Green (10m)

World View NIR/Red-Edge/RGB (1.84m)

Landsat 8 NIR/SWIR/Green (30m)


Habitat knowledge and function

Making Earth

Observation work for

UK biodiversity & The

Crick Framework(JNCC Research Report 495

and 495B)


Ecosystem Approach?

$Economic

SocietyEnvironment

The ecosystem approach

© CoPE

Pro

vis

ion

ing

Cu

ltu

ral

Reg

ula

tin

g

Supporting


Example of Ecosystem Services

Regulating Services

• Carbon Storage in vegetation

• Carbon storage in soil

• Water quantity regulation

Cultural Services

• Historical and cultural identity

• Landscape aesthetics

• Recreation provision (upland and lowland)

Provisioning Services

• Pollination provision

• Agricultural goods provision

Opportunities to enhance and multifunctional services

• Habitat networks

• Opportunity to enhance water regulation capacity


• Place based approach to ecosystem service mapping and opportunities analysis looking at

the contribution of each individual area of land.

• Use expert and local knowledge to weight data layers, which combined characterise a

service. (http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-6241)

Our Approach


Method overview

Data resolution of outputs is limited

by the coarsest dataset used


Identify land

cover/use

Ecosystem services knowledge fed in

• Land cover/use descriptions - e.g. habitat

maps, garden classification

• Locational characteristics - e.g. slope angle,

position in relation to water and sealed surfaces

• Soil and geology features - e.g. clay content of

topsoil

• Drivers of change: threats and opportunities -

e.g. susceptibility to erosion / habitat recreation

• Sedimentation characteristics – e.g land

management information

Identify

processes

Identify

attributes

Identify

suitable data

Identify

measures

Data fed in

• Data of various themes – e.g. land

cover, land use, soil, hydrology,

historic land use, riverine features.

• Assessed appropriateness of scale

– e.g. national, regional, local

• Limitations of data access and use

– e.g. licensing issues, how current

the data is

The SENCE Engine


Ecosystem service rules

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Framework

Regulating

Ecosystem

Service Typology

Most significant

effects

Primary

Factor

Secondary

Factor

Climate Regulation

Carbon Storage in Soils

Largest effects are the

soil type and how the

vegetation is

contributing to active

peat formation

Peat soil High

Sandy soil low

Active peat forming

vegetation high

Modified vegetation low

Carbon Storage in

Vegetation

Largest effects are the

amount of woody

material in the

vegetation and the

management imposed

on the land use.

Woodland high

Grassland low

Unmanaged high

Annual cropping low


Assigning value to each attribute

Phase 1 A1.1.1 High

A1.2.2 Mod-High

A1.3.1 Mod-High

A1.3.2 Mod-High

A2.1 Moderate

A4 Neutral

B1.1 Low-Mod

B1.2 Low-Mod

B2.2 Low-Mod

B3.1 Low-Mod

B4 Very low

B5 Mod-High

B6 Very low

C1.1 Moderate

D1.1 Moderate

D2 Moderate

E1.6.1 Moderate

E2.1 Moderate

E3.1 Moderate

F1 Swamp Low-Mod

F2.2 Low

G1 Neutral

I1.2 Neutral

I2 Neutral

J1.1 Negative

J2.1 Mod-High

J3.6 Neutral

J4 Neutral

Veg

eta

tio

n C

arb

on

Ru

les


+

=

+

=

A

B

C

Linking knowledge to data

Building the data layers


Rural-Urban Connections


Spatial Approach: Opportunities


Ecosystem Service Projects to Date

These projects have been successful in a wide range of locations:

• Torfaen County Borough Council

• Bridgend County Borough Council – LBAP

• Dorset ANOB and Froome and Piddle catchments (Dorset AONB / CORDIALE/ Wessex Water)

• Island of Anguilla, Caribbean (Government of Anguilla)

• Galloway and South Ayrshire Biosphere (GSAB)

• Scottish Government Land Use Pilot Project

• Scottish Borders Council

• Avon Wildlife Trust – My Wild City, Bristol Green Capital 2015


Conclusions

Earth Observation

EO is a useful tool but it is not magic:

• Cannot be produced without field work

• Cannot be produced without ecological understanding

• A knowledgeable user base is needed rather than over promise

• RS products are not direct equivalent of field work products

Ecosystem Services

• Can be produced using ecological theory and existing data

• They can give extra insight into the value of habitats

• Layers can show best places to enhance existing resources to give multiple benefits

• Extremely useful decision making tool


Thank You

[email protected]

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GIS, Remote Sensing and Ecosystem Service Modelling … · Neil Parker MCIEEM Senior Environmental...

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