KAPTAGAT FOREST PLANTATION ASSESSMENT
Location: Kenya
Project Type: Research
Project Size: Medium
Forest plantations were assessed using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Technology in Kaptagat forest plantation to analyse the different vegetation types in Kaptagat forest plantation and also determine the degree of healthy vegetation in Kaptagat forest.
Monitoring forest plantations is of great importance in this contemporary time as this helps in the preservation, development and sustainability of the existing forest reserve. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Technology is the modern and effective powerful means for monitoring forest plantation. They fasted, easiest and safest means of monitoring forest plantation in the world today is through Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Technology.
The new aerial platform has risen recently for military and civilian applications that dynamically develop presently, the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The term “Unmanned Aerial Vehicle” (UAV) is interchangeable with the terms “Remotely Piloted Vehicle” (RPV) and “Remotely Operated Aircraft” (ROA). The term is also commonly used interchangeably with “drone” (Anil, 2013). Advances in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology and data processing capabilities have made it feasible to obtain high-resolution imagery and three dimensional (3D) data which can be used for forest monitoring and assessing tree attributes. Sustainable forest management requires an understanding of how macroscopic patterns of forests emerge, in a timely and accurate manner, in order to make informed decisions (Gatziolis et al., 2015; Cubbage et al., 2016).
The Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) heralds a new convergence of aeronautics, robotics, control and mechatronics. The technology is expected to find numerous unforeseen applications, much in the same way as mobile phone technology has revolutionised the way people work and socialise in the early 21st century. The main segmentation for applications of UAS are in Energy; Agriculture, forestry and fisheries; Earth Observation and Remote Sensing; Communication and Broadcasting; Firefighting and others (Daniel et al., 2013).
Kaptagat Forest is located in a village near 25 kilometers east of Eldoret along the B54 road in the Rift Valley Province. It is situated near the edge of the Great Rift Valley just to the southeast of the village of Chepkorio. Kenya forest in (Rift Valley), Kenya (Africa) with the region font code of Africa/Middle East. Its coordinates are 35°30’0″ E, 35°36’0” E and 0°21’0” N, 0°31’0″ N in DMS (Degrees Minutes Seconds) or 0.466667 and 35.4833 (in decimal degrees). One of the nearest towns is Kimwarer, located 10 kilometers east of Kapatagat.
