The main objective of this research project was to qualitatively and quantitatively assess the interference of tree cover when making observations with GNSS receivers in both static mode (requiring post-processing) and real-time mode. The key findings were: i) defining a protocol for GNSS observations in wooded environments, ii) the type and model of the receiver significantly influence the precision, accuracy, and efficiency of positioning, iii) receivers working exclusively with the GPS constellation outperform those working with both GPS and GLONASS simultaneously, iv) in real-time, the best results (accuracy, precision, and efficiency) were obtained when using a base located in the same working area, v) Scots pine is the species that most interferes with GNSS signal, while poplar has the least impact on positioning accuracy, vi) the forestry variables that most affect accuracy are wood volume per unit area, mean diameter, Hart-Becking index, and mean square diameter. Additionally, three networks for evaluating GNSS receivers under tree cover have been established for radiata pine, Scots pine, and poplar
The objective of this proposal has been to demonstrate that the precise and exhaustive detection of Senecio vulgaris plants is possible through the use of high-resolution images taken with UAVs. Senecio vulgaris is a plant with a high content of pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are a toxic substance that, in high concentrations, causes liver malfunction with symptoms similar to cirrhosis. Like any toxic substance, at low concentrations, it does not have immediate and evident symptoms; however, there is a high interest in eliminating it from hot infusions in countries with more demanding and protective agri-food legislations
This proof of concept achieved the implementation of a system for: 1.Acquiring high spatial resolution aerial images using special cameras that capture information in the red and infrared bands, mounted on an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). 2. Estimating the vegetative vigor of fruit trees by calculating vegetation indices (which are related to plant vigor). 3.Identifying and locating areas with less vigorous trees in fruit orchards to target interventions only in the affected areas.
The purpose of this technical service was to create topographic maps of the areas degraded by mining in the area of interest for the Comprehensive Environmental Restoration Project of the Mining Section of the Cua River (PIRAC). These lands are located in the municipality of Fabero (León) and cover an approximate area of 70 hectares. Detailed field data was collected for mapping at a 1:1000 scale in areas requiring more detail, while data for mapping at a 1:5000 scale was collected in less detailed areas. The topographic survey was conducted using dual-frequency GPS receivers working in real-time (RTK) with corrections from its own base transmitted by radio (RTCM). The reference system used was ERTS89, representing points in UTM projection (zone 29N).
This study examined the temporal and spatial variability of variables related to grape quality and production. To identify homogeneous zones in the vineyard, quality variables (GAP and AT) and vine vigor variables (LME) were used. The best results were obtained for qualitative variables in the Merlot variety plot. As a final result, homogeneous zones in the vineyard have been delineated, which should be treated with differentiated viticultural techniques to correct deficiencies in areas with lower viticultural potential and thus achieve the production goals of the winery.
The Land Bank of El Bierzo (BTB) is an intermediation center created by the El Bierzo Regional Council, whose purpose is the mobilization of land for agricultural, livestock, or forestry purposes. The Geographic Information System of the Land Bank of El Bierzo (BaTiBiSIG) is implemented with gvSIG. The project has three components: one dedicated to the consultation and visualization of BTB plots; another serves for the consultation of urban information in the municipalities of El Bierzo, and the last one is used for the update of the BTB land registry. The BTB has 820 plots (total area of 199.71 hectares) belonging to 172 owners, who have an average of 5 plots and an average area of 1.16 hectares.
"This study analyzed the spatial relationships between lightning-induced forest fires and topographic, vegetation, climate variables, and characteristics of lightning strikes in the province of León (northwestern Spain). Data on lightning-induced forest fires in the province during the period 2002-2007 were used. The probability of fire occurrence was estimated for a 3 km by 3 km grid using a logistic model. The study also analyzed the importance of an exact location of the fire starting point in the results of the developed model and its sensitivity to the uncertainty of the location. The model developed from all available fire starting points in the database showed worse predictive capacity than the one developed from exact fire starting point data. The latter was therefore selected for the long-term prediction of lightning-induced fires in the province. According to this model, the probability of a lightning-induced fire increases as the altitude decreases, when there is a high proportion of conifers, a high percentage of lightning strikes in forested areas, and a high number of days with dry storms
This work demonstrated the utility of GIS techniques for improving horticultural productions. Its primary objective is to create a tool for managing information about plots and owners covered by the Denomination of Origin 'Manzana Reineta del Bierzo' and the Guaranteed Brand 'Pera Conferencia del Bierzo.' With this tool, spatial analyses can be performed to assess optimal areas for the production of quality fruit in El Bierzo and facilitate the administrative procedures of the involved quality products.
This applied research contract led to the creation of a tool, based on GIS, for field location of vineyards belonging to grape suppliers for Bodega Martín Códax SAU in the Bierzo Designation of Origin (DO). The tool includes the location and attributes (yield, grape quality, grower data, etc.) and operates on any mobile device with the Android operating system. Additionally, a high-resolution orthoimage with the classification of a vineyard based on vine vegetative vigor was created.
The objective of this project was the development of an integrated management system for organic vineyard and olive orchard plots distributed across different provinces of Castilla y León, aiming to improve the quality of the fruit, and consequently, the wine and oil. The work of the GEOINCA group involved designing experiments, field reflectance measurements, and creating a georeferenced database. Additionally, they processed georeferenced data to estimate viticultural variables using non-destructive field techniques. As a result of the project, a program has been established to apply by-products of sugar manufacturing to the soil and monitor them using geospatial technologies
This project was part of the TCUE 2015-2017 Plan and was selected within a co-financed program by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) and the Regional Government of Castilla y León. The project has successfully created a system that allows the acquisition of aerial images using a compact photographic camera mounted on an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and processes these images with user-friendly software to create an automatic zoning of the photographed vineyards
The objective of the project was to generate a model for an efficient viticultural production system based on the knowledge of variables that influence grape quality (soil, plant material, etc.), in order to establish a differentiated block management system in viticultural exploitation. A protocol has been developed for continuous mapping of viticulturally relevant variables (probable alcohol content, must pH, total polyphenol index, etc.) through spatial interpolation. Regarding the application of remote sensing techniques to viticulture, a methodology has been used to estimate the surface area occupied by vines at the municipal scale, applying analysis on medium spatial resolution images. Classifying two Landsat images from different dates and combining them into one improves reliability by up to 30% compared to using a single image, although it results in a high number of pixels remaining unclassified.
In this study, spatial relationships between forest fires caused by lightning and topographic, vegetation, climate variables, and characteristics of lightning discharges in the province of León (NW Spain) were analyzed. Data from lightning-induced forest fires in the province were used for the period 2002-2007. The probability of fire occurrence was estimated for a 3 km x 3 km grid using a logistic model. The study also analyzed the importance of an exact location of the fire's starting point in the results of the developed model and its sensitivity to location uncertainty. The model developed using all available fire starting points in the database showed poorer predictive capacity than the model developed using exact starting point data. Therefore, the latter was selected for the long-term prediction of lightning-induced fires in the province. According to this model, the probability of a fire caused by lightning increases as altitude decreases, when there is a high proportion of conifers, a high percentage of lightning discharges on forest land, and a high number of days with dry storms.
The objective of this research project is to understand how the precision and accuracy of a photogrammetric model created from images taken with UAVs and processed using Structure from Motion (SfM) techniques evolve as the number of ground control points used increases. The study involves a UAV project with more than 2500 photographs and over 100 ground control points. The research compares the RMSEs measured at the control points themselves with the RMSEs measured at check points, thus calculating the overestimation involved in evaluating the geometric quality of a model when only control points are used.
The main goal of this work was to develop and apply a multi-sensor and multi-scale system to monitor the defoliation caused by Lymantria dispar in radiata pine stands and find out its effects on forest health and growth. Three objectives were defined in order to achieve the main goal: (i) to map defoliation at stand level (no defoliation, intermediate defoliation, severe defoliation) using UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) and satellite imagery, (ii) to map defoliation at individual tree level (4 classes) using UAV imagery, and (iii) to establish a relationship between the degree of defoliation and the growth rate/mortality of the trees.The results showed that defoliation at stand level can be successfully mapped using Landsat OLI imagery, since the overall accuracy of the classification was higher than 75%. As expected, the ”intermediate defoliation” class showed the lowest accuracy among the three. At stand level, using the UAV imagery as input data showed similar accuracies, although some areas without vegetation were considered severely defoliated areas, since the analysis which was carried out for this image was not a multi-date analysis. Regarding the estimation of defoliation at tree level, the most accurate results were obtained when the images of each stand were classified independently. The most and least defoliated classes (1-25% and 75-100%) showed higher accuracies, while the intermediate classes (25-50% and 50-75%) showed a higher level of confusion. More research is being conducted in order to establish the correlation between degree of defoliation at tree level and the radial growth.
The main objective of this project was to develop and validate a non-destructive methodology for estimating aerial biomass in herbaceous formations using multispectral images from a digital aerial camera. Different methods were developed and compared. The results indicate that the images from this camera, once radiometrically calibrated, are suitable for estimating herbaceous aerial biomass. The most accurate models were obtained from the reflectance of the 4 bands (R, G, B, NIR) adjusted by PLS regression (R2=0.90; RMSE=4.096 g/m2; %RMSE=12.92%), which were superior to linear models based on vegetation indices (NDVI, SR, NLI, SAVI, and MARAVI). Therefore, Ultracam-XP WP images are suitable for estimating aerial biomass once calibrated to surface reflectance using PLS and spectral information from the 4 bands of the image.
Project aimed at mapping and characterizing geomorphological forms to provide analysis tools for the discrimination of anthropic and natural structures linked to Roman gold mining. The project uses geomatics techniques, such as LiDAR and drones, to obtain digital information on which image processing techniques are applied to identify geomorphological forms and structures of mining origin
Determination of Geochemical Baselines for Environmental Sustainability from Heavy Metal Analysis in Stream Sediments and Soils.""This project aims to analyze the presence of heavy metals in soils and riverbeds. The geochemical study in stream sediments allows us to understand the state of river basins and possible natural and/or anthropogenic effects (i.e., those produced by mining, industrial, and/or agricultural activities) that may be recorded over time associated with different flood episodes in riverbeds and their adjacent floodplains. In turn, calculating reference levels (NR) for soils, in accordance with Royal Decree 9/2005, is a fundamental tool as a basis for more detailed studies that allow us to understand the Generic Reference Levels and the impact that this type of metals can have on human health and ecosystems.
This project is based on the use of geomatic tools such as LiDAR and Drones in combination with remote sensing techniques for the identification and preservation of elements of the Roman mining heritage in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. The use of RGB images for mapping through photogrammetric methods and multispectral cameras for the study of hydraulic infrastructure allows qualitative and quantitative analysis with high-resolution products. The study of the hydraulic network, which constitutes a network of over 1000 km in the province, with some channels exceeding 140 km, allows for the identification of its trace in areas with intense vegetation by implementing the study of spectral parameters, such as NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), LCI (Leaf Chlorophyll Index), etc
This project focuses on the search for gold deposits and the calculation of grades in placer and primary deposits in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. The study is conducted using traditional mineralometric techniques, excavation of test pits and boreholes, and the application of geostatistics for the calculation and interpolation of mining grades.
Use of advanced material characterization techniques, which allow the characterization of sediments or residues not only for their effects on the environment but also to obtain relevant information for their treatment, potentially for decontamination or even valorization. Therefore, it is considered that in the mining restoration proposal phase, the analysis of the different agents involved in the process is of great importance for its proper execution
With the aim of meeting new needs in mineral resources, including critical materials, as well as maintaining circularity in mining processes of extraction and treatment, the evaluation of waste that can be utilized and optimized for a new application is being studied.
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