15.1 Introduction
The science of coral reef remote sensing has emerged, in many respects, in response
to management needs. Recent, rapid advances in processing systems, data storage
capacity, and ease of data dissemination via the internet have made remote sensing
data and data products integral parts of many early warning systems (e.g., NOAA
Coral Reef Watch Bleaching Outlook; Chap. 12), threat assessments (e.g., from oil
spills; Chap. 13) and monitoring campaigns (e.g., environmental change detection;
this chapter) in both the developed and developing world (Mumby et al. 2004a).
The confidence in coral reef remote sensing science has similarly grown such that
managers and decision makers now depend on remote sensing products to develop,
implement, assess and adapt management strategies and government policies.
Frequently there is still a broad gap between managers’ expectations and the
ability of remote sensing science to address their needs (Andréfouët 2008). These
gaps may exist due to cost, lack of technical capacity to use data, unrealistic
expectations and/or over-engineered products being used for more routine applications. Thus, in order to optimize the application of remote sensing science for
coral reef management, there needs to be ongoing communication between the
engineers who produce sensors, researchers who produce data products, and
managers and decision makers who use those products. Such communication is
instrumental for identifying which remote sensing tools are most appropriate to
address given coral reef research and management questions, as well as specifying
the best possible acquisition, operational and cost requirements necessary for
effective application.
In this chapter, we discuss how to fill some of these communication gaps by
presenting guidelines for selecting appropriate coral reef remote sensing data and
products to address research and management questions. In addition, we describe
some of the current limitations of remote sensing data in order to help bring the
loftier expectations for coral reef management back down to Earth. Lastly, we
provide clear examples of how remote sensing can be used from local to oceanic
basin scales to: (1) provide baseline inventories; (2) predict threats to marine
habitats; (3) assess ecosystem response to disturbance; and (4) understand ecological and biophysical dynamics at a range of spatial and temporal scales. For each
of the examples, we describe how coral reef remote sensing has been used to build
scientific understanding and to develop and implement management strategies.
15.2 Research and Management Needs
Most coral reef remote sensing research products have direct applications for
management, and the past few decades have seen significant advances in integration
of remote sensing products with other data to inform management decisions. Coral
reef managers often rely on remotely sensed data to provide information on:
404
S. Jupiter et al.
The science of coral reef remote sensing has emerged, in many respects, in response
to management needs. Recent, rapid advances in processing systems, data storage
capacity, and ease of data dissemination via the internet have made remote sensing
data and data products integral parts of many early warning systems (e.g., NOAA
Coral Reef Watch Bleaching Outlook; Chap. 12), threat assessments (e.g., from oil
spills; Chap. 13) and monitoring campaigns (e.g., environmental change detection;
this chapter) in both the developed and developing world (Mumby et al. 2004a).
The confidence in coral reef remote sensing science has similarly grown such that
managers and decision makers now depend on remote sensing products to develop,
implement, assess and adapt management strategies and government policies.
Frequently there is still a broad gap between managers’ expectations and the
ability of remote sensing science to address their needs (Andréfouët 2008). These
gaps may exist due to cost, lack of technical capacity to use data, unrealistic
expectations and/or over-engineered products being used for more routine applications. Thus, in order to optimize the application of remote sensing science for
coral reef management, there needs to be ongoing communication between the
engineers who produce sensors, researchers who produce data products, and
managers and decision makers who use those products. Such communication is
instrumental for identifying which remote sensing tools are most appropriate to
address given coral reef research and management questions, as well as specifying
the best possible acquisition, operational and cost requirements necessary for
effective application.
In this chapter, we discuss how to fill some of these communication gaps by
presenting guidelines for selecting appropriate coral reef remote sensing data and
products to address research and management questions. In addition, we describe
some of the current limitations of remote sensing data in order to help bring the
loftier expectations for coral reef management back down to Earth. Lastly, we
provide clear examples of how remote sensing can be used from local to oceanic
basin scales to: (1) provide baseline inventories; (2) predict threats to marine
habitats; (3) assess ecosystem response to disturbance; and (4) understand ecological and biophysical dynamics at a range of spatial and temporal scales. For each
of the examples, we describe how coral reef remote sensing has been used to build
scientific understanding and to develop and implement management strategies.
15.2 Research and Management Needs
Most coral reef remote sensing research products have direct applications for
management, and the past few decades have seen significant advances in integration
of remote sensing products with other data to inform management decisions. Coral
reef managers often rely on remotely sensed data to provide information on:
404
S. Jupiter et al.