Land and water resources largely determine the economic situation of any country. Natural resources provide raw materials for the industry. The population receives food, medicine, and energy due to them. However, these resources are not unlimited, and it is vital to ensure access to these benefits for future generations. Therefore, humanity needs to use natural resources efficiently and sustainably.
Sustainable management consists of many components, and information technology is the most important. Today, natural resource managers are actively using remote sensing technologies. These technologies provide informative data and support informed and effective decisions in the sustainable consumption of natural resources.
Planet Resources Management
At planet natural resources management, remote sensing is combined with GIS technology to create the land cover, soil, vegetation, and geology maps. Aerial photographs, ground photographs, and satellite images of the studied area are the resources of this data. The valuable information obtained with remote sensing technologies allows you to track and regulate natural resource consumption in various fields of activity.
Crops
Remote sensing provides agriculture with a suite of crop monitoring tools. Optical sensing (VIR) allows you to see what is invisible to the human eye, namely wavelengths sensitive to vigor yield, stress and damage. Throughout the growing season, farmers can receive images that can detect problems in the fields and monitor the process of their elimination. Issues that can be detected using remote sensing include identifying diseases, pests, drought, excessive moisture, and weather-related damage.
Remote sensing tools provide an opportunity to study the relationship between reflected infrared and red wavelengths. It helps to assess the health of the vegetation in the fields. Color infrared images of crops underlie several vegetation indices, including the normalized differential vegetation index, high in healthy plants. By analogy with the NDVI, a formula for calculating the normalized differential water index was created. However, instead of using the red range, in which the chlorophyll determines the reflection intensity, NDWI is determined using a short wavelength near-infrared radiation. There is a high absorption of light from the water. This index identifies water scarcity or excess, which helps farmers use water more efficiently.
Forest
Forest ecosystems are crucial for the ecology and economies of countries. Moreover, forests are most often under biotic and abiotic threats. Due to climate change, the frequency and intensity of these threats will increase in the future. However, remote sensing provides better control and prevention of hazardous situations for forest ecosystems. Remote sensing technology and tools help monitor and combat wildfires, illegal logging, hurricanes, droughts, pests, diseases, phenological shifts and other factors that cause deforestation.
Forest fires are one of the main threats to forest ecosystems, as they can significantly change the composition of vegetation, hydrological picture, soil characteristics, and biodiversity. In addition, forest fires often cause death and significant material damage, so the consequences of this phenomenon need to be mitigated. Remote sensing technologies play an essential role in fighting wildfires. They help improve preparedness for this kind of threat by identifying potential fires and minimizing damage. The discussed technology also allows timely and effective responses to fires and help carry out a complete work cycle to combat forest fires.
Soil
Salinization of soils is one of the most acute problems in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. As a result, the productivity of fields is significantly reduced. Salt accumulation in the soil and waterlogging occur due to outdated methods and unconsciousness regarding irrigation.
Traditional soil salinity assessment and mapping techniques include soil sampling and laboratory analysis. However, these methods are expensive and time-consuming, and limited to a small area. RS technologies significantly expand the possibilities of assessing and mapping soils, including large areas. The data can also be integrated with field salinity measurements for assessment and monitoring.
Remote sensing also provides valuable data for mapping, monitoring, and predicting soil erosion. Its tools allow obtaining information about the development of erosion processes quickly. In addition, specialists can use satellite images to track changes over time or observe the process at a particular moment.
Conclusion
Increased production and population growth are placing additional pressure on natural resources. Remote sensing technologies are used to manage limited natural resources effectively. The data obtained from RS and its tools make it possible to identify and analyze the factors that influence the use of resources. Understanding these factors allows for more thoughtful and more effective management decisions, increasing sustainability and ensuring access to natural resources for present and future generations.
