AB
Canada
Ducks Unlimited Canada’s Satellite-Based Wetland Inventories: Advancements and Applications
Presented by Becky Edwards, Ducks Unlimited Canada
Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is leading the effort to provide detailed, accurate, and spatially extensive wetland maps for Canada’s boreal region. DUC’s wetland inventories assist industry, government, indigenous peoples, and conservation organizations in developing comprehensive policies and sustainable management practices around wetlands, as well as assess current and future changes in wetland abundance and type in relation to climate and land use change. Recent advancements in satellite sensor design, image cost and accessibility, and data analysis techniques have significantly improved our ability to efficiently map boreal wetlands.
In this presentation, Becky will provide an overview of wetland remote sensing, and wetland classification systems (e.g. the Canadian Wetland Classification System and DUC’s Enhanced Wetland Classification System) followed by new remote sensing techniques and applications of our wetland mapping products. These recent techniques include a multi-date and multi-sensor image fusion approach, and the first results using a deep learning neural network algorithm to map open water wetlands. Lastly, Becky will present how detailed wetland maps are used to monitor woodland caribou range in the boreal plains, understand seasonal habitat selection by the Ronald Lake Bison Herd, and landscape change at the Evergreen Centre in Grand Prairie.