Structure-from-motion digital elevation and orthomosaic data products from Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) surveys at a biocrust monitoring site located near Castle Valley, Utah in February 2022
In February 2022, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO) conducted uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) remote sensing flights to support biological soil crust (biocrust) research at an experiment site located near Castle Valley, Utah. Researchers at the USGS Southwest Biological Science Center have managed this site for over 50 years to study the effects of a warming climate and precipitation changes on biocrust community behavior and composition. Natural color, multispectral, thermal infrared, and hyperspectral UAS image data were collected to capture information about the composition and temperature of biocrust plots subjected to various warming and watering treatments.
This portion of the data release presents structure-from-motion (SfM) data products generated from natural color, multispectral, and thermal UAS aerial imagery. A DJI Matrice 600 Pro UAS with approved government edition firmware was flown carrying each of the following sensors during February 12 to 14, 2022: Ricoh GR II, MicaSense RedEdge-MX Dual, and Zenmuse XT2. Survey control was established using Propeller AeroPoint temporary ground control points (GCPs) distributed throughout the survey area. Aerial images were processed in photogrammetry software using the GCPs to yield SfM digital elevation models (DEMs) and orthomosaics. The natural color and thermal orthomosaics are uncalibrated and contain digital numbers that represent relative brightness and temperatures across the site, respectively. The multispectral 10-band orthomosaic was radiometrically calibrated to units of reflectance.
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Complete Metadata
| @type | dcat:Dataset |
|---|---|
| accessLevel | public |
| bureauCode |
[
"010:12"
]
|
| contactPoint |
{
"fn": "U.S. Geological Survey National Uncrewed Systems Office",
"@type": "vcard:Contact",
"hasEmail": "mailto:uas@usgs.gov"
}
|
| description | In February 2022, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO) conducted uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) remote sensing flights to support biological soil crust (biocrust) research at an experiment site located near Castle Valley, Utah. Researchers at the USGS Southwest Biological Science Center have managed this site for over 50 years to study the effects of a warming climate and precipitation changes on biocrust community behavior and composition. Natural color, multispectral, thermal infrared, and hyperspectral UAS image data were collected to capture information about the composition and temperature of biocrust plots subjected to various warming and watering treatments. This portion of the data release presents structure-from-motion (SfM) data products generated from natural color, multispectral, and thermal UAS aerial imagery. A DJI Matrice 600 Pro UAS with approved government edition firmware was flown carrying each of the following sensors during February 12 to 14, 2022: Ricoh GR II, MicaSense RedEdge-MX Dual, and Zenmuse XT2. Survey control was established using Propeller AeroPoint temporary ground control points (GCPs) distributed throughout the survey area. Aerial images were processed in photogrammetry software using the GCPs to yield SfM digital elevation models (DEMs) and orthomosaics. The natural color and thermal orthomosaics are uncalibrated and contain digital numbers that represent relative brightness and temperatures across the site, respectively. The multispectral 10-band orthomosaic was radiometrically calibrated to units of reflectance. |
| distribution |
[
{
"@type": "dcat:Distribution",
"title": "Digital Data",
"format": "XML",
"accessURL": "https://doi.org/10.5066/P14QORRX",
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"description": "Landing page for access to the data"
},
{
"@type": "dcat:Distribution",
"title": "Original Metadata",
"format": "XML",
"mediaType": "text/xml",
"description": "The metadata original format",
"downloadURL": "https://data.usgs.gov/datacatalog/metadata/USGS.67783264d34edab7af6e3183.xml"
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|
| identifier | http://datainventory.doi.gov/id/dataset/USGS_67783264d34edab7af6e3183 |
| keyword |
[
"AgEagle MicaSense RedEdge-MX Dual",
"Castle Valley",
"Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center",
"Grand County",
"Moab",
"RGB",
"Ricoh GR II",
"U.S. Geological Survey",
"UAS",
"USGS",
"USGS:67783264d34edab7af6e3183",
"Uncrewed Aircraft System",
"United States",
"Utah",
"Zenmuse XT2",
"digital elevation model",
"drone",
"geospatial datasets",
"multispectral",
"natural color",
"orthomosaic",
"photogrammetry",
"reflectance",
"remote sensing",
"structure from motion",
"temperature"
]
|
| modified | 2025-07-01T00:00:00Z |
| publisher |
{
"name": "U.S. Geological Survey",
"@type": "org:Organization"
}
|
| spatial | -109.416335, 38.674144, -109.414612, 38.674767 |
| theme |
[
"geospatial"
]
|
| title | Structure-from-motion digital elevation and orthomosaic data products from Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) surveys at a biocrust monitoring site located near Castle Valley, Utah in February 2022 |
