Assessing Vegetation Function with Imaging Spectroscopy

Healthy vegetation function supports diverse biological communities and ecosystem processes, and provides crops, forest products, forage, and countless other benefits. Vegetation function can be assessed by examining dynamic processes and by evaluating plant traits, which themselves are dynamic. Using both trait-based and process-based approaches, spectroscopy can assess vegetation function at multiple scales using a variety of sensors and platforms ranging from proximal to airborne and satellite measurements. Since spectroscopic data are defned by the instruments and platforms available, along with their corresponding spatial, temporal and spectral scales, and since these scales may not always match those of the function of interest, consideration of scale is a necessary focus. For a full understanding of vegetation processes, combined (multi-scale) sampling methods using empirical and theoretical approaches are required, along with improved informatics

Authors: J. A. Gamon | B. Somers | Z. Malenovský | E. M. Middleton | U. Rascher | M. E. Schaepman

Institutions: 

• Departments of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences & Biological Sciences, University of Alberta
• School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska
• Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven)
• Surveying and Spatial Sciences Group, School of Technology Environments and Design, University of Tasmania
• Remote Sensing Department, Global Change Research Institute Czechglobe, CAS
• Biospheric Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
• Institute of Bio and Geosciences, IBG‑2: Plant Sciences at Forschungszentrum Julich
• Remote Sensing Laboratories, Department of Geography, University of Zurich
• University Research Priority Program on Global Change and Biodiversity, University of Zurich

Spectral Evolution is a leading manufacturer of field-portable UV-Vis-NIR remote sensing spectroradiometers and spectrometers for applications including geological remote sensing, ground-truthing, spectral remote sensing, environmental and climate research, crop and soil research, vegetative studies, forestry and canopy studies, radiometric calibration transfer, upwelling and downwelling measurement and more. Our UV-Vis-NIR spectrometers and spectroradiometers provide the best combination of high resolution and high sensitivity resulting in the most precise field portable instruments available on the market.

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All Spectral Evolution UV-Vis-NIR spectroradiometers include our exclusive DARWin™ SP Data Acquisition and Analysis software for one-touch, full range spectroscopic analysis of samples. DARWin™ SP automatically saves data as ASCII files for use with 3rd party software without post-processing.