GPS in Support of

Biodiversity and
Ecosystem
Databases
by
Greg Carlino, Ben Schmitz, and Erin Martin
 Definitions
Biodiversity Earths rich variety of
distinct species, the genetic variability within
them, and the natural communities and
ecosystems they inhabit. (The Earth in Balance)
Ecosystem A community of plants and
animals together with the physical
environment they inhabit. (American Heritage Dictionary)
 Importance of
Biodiversity
Leads to a sustainable environment
Less susceptible to disease, drought, etc.
Economic value of diversity
Culture and identity
Widely researched topic
GPS and Environmental
Databases
Speed
Large datasets

Variable accuracy

Compatible with remote sensing, GIS,

and traditional surveying
Economic method of data collection
 Biodiversity in Brazil
Nature Conservancy Study
Needs info about flora (plants) and fauna
(animals), and their habitats in order to
prioritize conservation efforts.
Often needs to make informed decisions
quickly
Use REA coarse/fine filter approach (6 mo.)
Remote Sensing (initial classification)
Field Observations (verify classifications)
Overflights (verify areas inaccessible by foot)
 Results
Assumption that drier highland areas
were located outside the existing park
was proven correct
Total of 148,200 acres of land
identified as prime conservation areas
and acquired
 Gone Fishing in the
Pacific Northwest
GPS Used to Map Chinook Salmon
Spawning Habitat
Salmon part of identity, culture, religion,
and economic system of people
Series of hydroelectric dams built on
Snake River
Salmon listed as endangered
Corps required to do a study
 PNNL Study
Search for redds (salmon nests)
One month window
Used GPS, GIS, Underwater Video
Method
GIS query to find likely locations
Transects set up
Boat location tracked with 12-channel, L1,
C/A code Trimble Pro XR GPS receiver
Underwater camera

Onboard PC for real-time visualization

 Redd Spottings
Shore-based surveyor with laser
transit and prism on boat
Also depthfinder, current profiler, camera
Rebar with survey tape used to mark
DGPS later used
Submeter accuracy obtained on a moving
boat on a reference-free river with high
canyon walls
 Results
Redds mapped at around 1m accuracy

Corps could plan construction projects

and dam operations that would
minimize effect on Chinook Salmon

Technique has been applied elsewhere

Saving an Endangered Species
GPS Used to Monitor and Manage
Wild Horse and Burro Herds in West

Symbols of the West

By mid 19th Century, 2 million horses
roamed North America
Inhumane capture and destruction for
commercial purposes reduced numbers
to 17,000 by 1971
Congress passes Wild Free-Roaming
Horse and Burro Act (1971)
Resource Management
Jurisdiction of Bureau of Land
Management (div. of Dpt. of Interior)
Collecting base information 80% of
total cost (gather, analyze, display)
Tracking Horses
Use GPS in conjunction with PC to
provide automated field data collection
system
Supplies needed reference framework
(grounding) for GIS mapping and analysis
 Why GPS ?
BLMs findings are often challenged
Need to display current and past flight
paths and other supporting data
System must be accurate to 40 meters
System must be capable of recording
data in a downloadable format for use
in subsequent Land Information
Systems
 Using GPS to Research
Animal Species
1995 study of Southern Elephant Seals in
Falkland Islands
Goal to reach conclusion about individual
variation and evolution of social behavior
Why use mapping to study seals?
Space related phenomenon
Territorial defense
Tracking of tagged individuals provides
huge amounts of data (activity, movement)
Study of long-distance migratory species
 GPS in Use
Mapping perimeter of harems
Tracking of Alpha-males and primary
breeding females
Data used to tabulate census numbers
and population density
 Advantages of GPS
Operates under any weather conditions
Harsh Falkland Island climate
Poor land mobility of seals means that
spatial relationships must be defined
over short distances
Sub meter accuracy required
Ease and speed of use
Data format easily transformed
 National Institute of Water and
Atmospheric Research (NIWA)
Another agency that has implemented GPS into
many research projects involving marine taxonomy
biodiversity inventory
40 years of oceanographic sampling in New
Zealand, Australia, Pacific Islands, and Antarctica
1992 Convention on Biological Diversity ruled that
member nations must inventory habitats and
species for sustainable resource management
GPS helped NIWA accomplish this goal.
Underwater cameras aided by satellite navigation
system to create a biodiversity research library
http://katipo.niwa.cri.nz/taxonomy/
Save the Elephant Organization
Charity founded in 1993 by
Dr. Ian Douglas-Hamilton
who made a pioneering
study of elephant behavior
Used GPS collars to study
long distance movements
of herds
Needed to determine how
elephants make decisions
concerning where to roam
in order to predict
ecological changes on
elephants and the
biodiversity of the area
 Elephant Migration Map
Map created by
collecting and
plotting GPS co-
ordinates of Stratus
(family matriarch)
Proved long
standing theory that
elephants were
traveling from
Samburu all the
way to Il Ngwesi

www.savetheelephants.org
 Forest Fragment
Project
Manaus, Brazil
Objective to map biomass changes in
central Amazonia
Relate field data with remote sensing
data from Landsat TM images
GPS and Environmental
Databases
Speed
Large datasets

Variable accuracy

Compatible with remote sensing, GIS,

and traditional surveying
Economic method of data collection
 References
The Earth in Balance, Maintaining Brazils Biodiversity, GPS
World, June 1996.
Track em Cowboy! GPS Rides the Range, GPS World,
September 1995.
Reed Recon: Mapping Chinook Spawning Habitat, GPS
World, January 1999.
A Very Spatial Relationship, GPS Mapping Aids
Understanding of Elephant Seal Behavior, GPS World, July
1999.
The American Heritage Dictionary, 2nd Edition, Houghton
Mifflin Company, Boston, 1985.