RANGELAND RESOURCE ASSESSMENT, MONITORING, AND MANAGEMENT USING UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE-BASED REMOTE SENSING

Civilian applications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) have rapidly been expanding recently. Thanks to military development many civil UAVs come via the defense sector. Although numerous UAVs can perform civilian tasks, the regulations imposed by FAA in the national airspace system and military equivalent agencies in restricted airspace need to be closely considered and followed in order to make progress in civilian applications. Personnel at the Jornada Experimental Range have developed approaches to abide by FAA and military regulations. Because of this, the enormous potential of UAVs for rangeland assessment, monitoring, and management is starting to be realized.