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Volume 12
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10.3390/rs12132093
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Article

Multi-Temporal UAV Data and Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA) for Estimation of Substrate Changes in a Post-Bleaching Scenario on a Maldivian Reef

by
Luca Fallati
1,2,
Luca Saponari
1,2,
Alessandra Savini
1,2,*,
Fabio Marchese
1,3,
Cesare Corselli
1 and
Paolo Galli
1,2
1
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 4, 20126 Milan, Italy
2
MaRHE Center (Marine Research and High Education Center), Magoodhoo Island, 20217 Faafu Atoll, Maldives
3
Habitat and Benthic Biodiversity Laboratory, Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), 23955-6900 Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Remote Sens. 2020, 12(13), 2093; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12132093
Submission received: 12 May 2020 / Revised: 17 June 2020 / Accepted: 25 June 2020 / Published: 30 June 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Remote Sensing of Coral Reefs)
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Abstract

Coral reefs are declining worldwide as a result of the effects of multiple natural and anthropogenic stressors, including regional-scale temperature-induced coral bleaching. Such events have caused significant coral mortality, leading to an evident structural collapse of reefs and shifts in associated benthic communities. In this scenario, reasonable mapping techniques and best practices are critical to improving data collection to describe spatial and temporal patterns of coral reefs after a significant bleaching impact. Our study employed the potential of a consumer-grade drone, coupled with structure from motion and object-based image analysis to investigate for the first time a tool to monitor changes in substrate composition and the associated deterioration in reef environments in a Maldivian shallow-water coral reef. Three key substrate types (hard coral, coral rubble and sand) were detected with high accuracy on high-resolution orthomosaics collected from four sub-areas. Multi-temporal acquisition of UAV data allowed us to compare the classified maps over time (February 2017, November 2018) and obtain evidence of the relevant deterioration in structural complexity of flat reef environments that occurred after the 2016 mass bleaching event. We believe that our proposed methodology offers a cost-effective procedure that is well suited to generate maps for the long-term monitoring of changes in substrate type and reef complexity in shallow water.
Keywords: coral reefs; unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV); structure from motion (SfM); object-based image analysis (OBIA); coral bleaching; Republic of Maldives coral reefs; unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV); structure from motion (SfM); object-based image analysis (OBIA); coral bleaching; Republic of Maldives
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MDPI and ACS Style

Fallati, L.; Saponari, L.; Savini, A.; Marchese, F.; Corselli, C.; Galli, P. Multi-Temporal UAV Data and Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA) for Estimation of Substrate Changes in a Post-Bleaching Scenario on a Maldivian Reef. Remote Sens. 2020, 12, 2093. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12132093

AMA Style

Fallati L, Saponari L, Savini A, Marchese F, Corselli C, Galli P. Multi-Temporal UAV Data and Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA) for Estimation of Substrate Changes in a Post-Bleaching Scenario on a Maldivian Reef. Remote Sensing. 2020; 12(13):2093. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12132093

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fallati, Luca, Luca Saponari, Alessandra Savini, Fabio Marchese, Cesare Corselli, and Paolo Galli. 2020. "Multi-Temporal UAV Data and Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA) for Estimation of Substrate Changes in a Post-Bleaching Scenario on a Maldivian Reef" Remote Sensing 12, no. 13: 2093. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12132093

APA Style

Fallati, L., Saponari, L., Savini, A., Marchese, F., Corselli, C., & Galli, P. (2020). Multi-Temporal UAV Data and Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA) for Estimation of Substrate Changes in a Post-Bleaching Scenario on a Maldivian Reef. Remote Sensing, 12(13), 2093. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12132093

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