Dear Ecologgers, The Charles Darwin Research Station is looking for a volunteer to map the distribution of invasive plants in Galápagos
Starting date: As soon as possible Duration: A minimum of 3 months Introduction We are looking for someone who can help us in the process of defining the distribution of invasive plant species using remote sensing techniques. The main resources to attain this goal are satellite and drone Imagery. The base methodology, which involves the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and a Random Forest model programmed in R, has already been developed. We are looking for help applying the same methodology to more areas of the inhabited Islands of the Galápagos archipelago, as well as exploring options to further refine the outcome of the model. Volunteer’s responsibilities • Carry out field trips to obtain ground data for geo-referencing of plant species • Continue deploying and developing a Random Forest model formulated using QGis, GDAL and R • Processing drone imagery into orthophotos • Documenting the methodology applied as well as all achieved results and challenges Required profile • A good understanding of the ensemble learning technique "Random Forest" and its application on satellite imagery • Previous experience with the R programming language. The volunteer will need to follow and understand already existing R scripts, and implement new scripts to further develop the modeling process • Previous experience with Geographic Information Systems, either QGIS or ArcGIS, and ideally having used GDAL before • Experience in the photogrammetric processing of drone aerial images, in order to generate 3D spatial data. Ideally, experience with the Agrisoft Photoscan software • Being familiarized with the management of a simple relational database • The willingness to carry out field work. This involves planning and going to field trips to geo-reference some of the most important invasive plant species of Galápagos • Ideally, the volunteer should have practical experience flying multirotor drones Terms and Conditions While we very much appreciate the support given to this project, we are currently not able to cover any expenses associated with this. The candidate will have to cover his/her own expenses for flight tickets, transportation, health insurance, food etc. However, we have applied for additional funds and hope that we will be able to cover at least basic costs for the volunteer in the near future. If you are interested, please write to Heinke Jäger ([email protected]) at the Charles Darwin Foundation
