MAMBO partners have co-authored a paper on how airborne laser scanning (LiDAR) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be used to measure habitat condition more consistently across multiple sites.

The study outlines current challenges, such as differences in sensor equipment, varied survey designs, complex datasets and the difficulty of applying the same models in different locations. Managing the large amount of data these technologies produce is another key issue.

The authors suggest creating a cloud-based virtual research environment (VRE) where data can be stored, processed and shared in a standardised way. This would improve workflow reproducibility, support the use of machine learning, and help produce consistent indicators of habitat condition, for example, for Natura 2000 sites.

The full paper is available here and can be found alongside other relevant research in MAMBO's library.