In support of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Southwest Biological Science Center researchers, and in coordination with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), the USGS National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO) conducted uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) remote sensing flights over two BLM Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) plots at the NEON Moab site in Utah for multi-scale carbon sequestration research on public lands. The UAS data collected include natural color, multispectral, and hyperspectral imagery, and lidar to capture diverse information about vegetation and soils on drylands. The first site (“site 1”) features intact sagebrush and was mapped on May 3, 2023. The second site (“site 7”) is located on a grazed rangeland environment and was mapped on May 5, 2023. These UAS surveys were conducted in early May 2023 to coincide spatially and temporally with ground-based BLM AIM sampling and airplane-based remote sensing surveys by NEON. This portion of the data release presents natural color data products from low-altitude UAS flights at two dryland sites approximately 40 km south of Moab, Utah. A Skydio X2D UAS was flown at an altitude of 15 meters above ground level to capture natural color imagery. Survey control was established using Propeller AeroPoint temporary ground control points (GCPs) distributed throughout the survey area. GCPs were post-processed with corrections from a concurrently operating Trimble R8s GNSS base station. Natural color images were processed in photogrammetry software using the GCPs to yield structure-from-motion (SfM) point clouds (.las format), digital surface models (DSM, in .tif format), and red, green, blue (RGB) 3-band orthomosaics (.tif format).

In support of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Southwest Biological Science Center researchers, and in coordination with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), the USGS National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO) conducted uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) remote sensing flights over two BLM Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) plots at the NEON Moab site in Utah for multi-scale carbon sequestration research on public lands. The UAS data collected include natural color, multispectral, and hyperspectral imagery, and lidar to capture diverse information about vegetation and soils on drylands. The first site (“site 1”) features intact sagebrush and was mapped on May 3, 2023. The second site (“site 7”) is located on a grazed rangeland environment and was mapped on May 5, 2023. These UAS surveys were conducted in early May 2023 to coincide spatially and temporally with ground-based BLM AIM sampling and airplane-based remote sensing surveys by NEON. This portion of the data release presents multispectral data products from low-altitude UAS flights at two dryland sites approximately 40 km south of Moab, Utah. A DJI Matrice 600 Pro UAS with approved government edition firmware carrying an AgEagle MicaSense Altum-PT sensor was flown at an altitude of 31 meters above ground level to capture multispectral imagery. Survey control was established using Propeller AeroPoint temporary ground control points (GCPs) distributed throughout the survey area. GCPs were post-processed with corrections from a concurrently operating Trimble R8s GNSS base station. Multispectral images were processed in photogrammetry software using the GCPs to yield structure-from-motion (SfM) point clouds (.las format), digital surface models (DSM, in .tif format), and 5-band orthomosaics (.tif format). The 5-band orthomosaics were radiometrically calibrated to units of reflectance in each spectral band (blue, green, red, red edge, and near infrared) spanning the visible and near infrared wavelengths, 475 – 842 nm.

In support of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Southwest Biological Science Center researchers, and in coordination with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), the USGS National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO) conducted uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) remote sensing flights over two BLM Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) plots at the NEON Moab site in Utah for multi-scale carbon sequestration research on public lands. The UAS data collected include natural color, multispectral, and hyperspectral imagery, and lidar to capture diverse information about vegetation and soils on drylands. The first site (“site 1”) features intact sagebrush and was mapped on May 3, 2023. The second site (“site 7”) is located on a grazed rangeland environment and was mapped on May 5, 2023. These UAS surveys were conducted in early May 2023 to coincide spatially and temporally with ground-based BLM AIM sampling and airplane-based remote sensing surveys by NEON. This portion of the data release presents multispectral data products from low-altitude UAS flights at two dryland sites approximately 40 km south of Moab, Utah. A DJI Matrice 600 Pro UAS with approved government edition firmware carrying an AgEagle MicaSense Altum-PT sensor was flown at an altitude of 31 meters above ground level to capture multispectral imagery. Survey control was established using Propeller AeroPoint temporary ground control points (GCPs) distributed throughout the survey area. GCPs were post-processed with corrections from a concurrently operating Trimble R8s GNSS base station. Multispectral images were processed in photogrammetry software using the GCPs to yield structure-from-motion (SfM) point clouds (.las format), digital surface models (DSM, in .tif format), and 5-band orthomosaics (.tif format). The 5-band orthomosaics were radiometrically calibrated to units of reflectance in each spectral band (blue, green, red, red edge, and near infrared) spanning the visible and near infrared wavelengths, 475 – 842 nm.

In support of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Southwest Biological Science Center researchers, and in coordination with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), the USGS National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO) conducted uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) remote sensing flights over two BLM Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) plots at the NEON Moab site in Utah for multi-scale carbon sequestration research on public lands. The UAS data collected include natural color, multispectral, and hyperspectral imagery, and lidar to capture diverse information about vegetation and soils on drylands. The first site (“site 1”) features intact sagebrush and was mapped on May 3, 2023. The second site (“site 7”) is located on a grazed rangeland environment and was mapped on May 5, 2023. These UAS surveys were conducted in early May 2023 to coincide spatially and temporally with ground-based BLM AIM sampling and airplane-based remote sensing surveys by NEON. This portion of the data release presents raw natural color and multispectral images collected during low-altitude UAS surveys at two dryland sites approximately 40 km south of Moab, Utah. A Skydio X2D UAS was flown at an altitude of 15 meters above ground level to capture natural color red, green, blue (RGB) imagery. A DJI Matrice 600 Pro UAS with approved government edition firmware carrying an AgEagle MicaSense Altum-PT sensor was flown at an altitude of 31 meters above ground level to capture multispectral imagery. The images are provided here in zip files to facilitate bulk download.

In support of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Southwest Biological Science Center researchers, and in coordination with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), the USGS National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO) conducted uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) remote sensing flights over two BLM Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) plots at the NEON Moab site in Utah for multi-scale carbon sequestration research on public lands. The UAS data collected include natural color, multispectral, and hyperspectral imagery, and lidar to capture diverse information about vegetation and soils on drylands. The first site (“site 1”) features intact sagebrush and was mapped on May 3, 2023. The second site (“site 7”) is located on a grazed rangeland environment and was mapped on May 5, 2023. These UAS surveys were conducted in early May 2023 to coincide spatially and temporally with ground-based BLM AIM sampling and airplane-based remote sensing surveys by NEON. This portion of the data release presents raw natural color and multispectral images collected during low-altitude UAS surveys at two dryland sites approximately 40 km south of Moab, Utah. A Skydio X2D UAS was flown at an altitude of 15 meters above ground level to capture natural color red, green, blue (RGB) imagery. A DJI Matrice 600 Pro UAS with approved government edition firmware carrying an AgEagle MicaSense Altum-PT sensor was flown at an altitude of 31 meters above ground level to capture multispectral imagery. The images are provided here in zip files to facilitate bulk download.

In February 2022, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO) conducted uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) remote sensing flights to support biological soil crust (biocrust) research at an experiment site located near Castle Valley, Utah. Researchers at the USGS Southwest Biological Science Center have managed this site for over 50 years to study the effects of a warming climate and precipitation changes on biocrust community behavior and composition. Natural color, multispectral, thermal infrared, and hyperspectral UAS image data were collected to capture information about the composition and temperature of biocrust plots subjected to various warming and watering treatments. This portion of the data release presents structure-from-motion (SfM) data products generated from natural color, multispectral, and thermal UAS aerial imagery. A DJI Matrice 600 Pro UAS with approved government edition firmware was flown carrying each of the following sensors during February 12 to 14, 2022: Ricoh GR II, MicaSense RedEdge-MX Dual, and Zenmuse XT2. Survey control was established using Propeller AeroPoint temporary ground control points (GCPs) distributed throughout the survey area. Aerial images were processed in photogrammetry software using the GCPs to yield SfM digital elevation models (DEMs) and orthomosaics. The natural color and thermal orthomosaics are uncalibrated and contain digital numbers that represent relative brightness and temperatures across the site, respectively. The multispectral 10-band orthomosaic was radiometrically calibrated to units of reflectance.

In February 2022, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO) conducted uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) remote sensing flights to support biological soil crust (biocrust) research at an experiment site located near Castle Valley, Utah. Researchers at the USGS Southwest Biological Science Center have managed this site for over 50 years to study the effects of a warming climate and precipitation changes on biocrust community behavior and composition. Natural color, multispectral, thermal infrared, and hyperspectral UAS image data were collected to capture information about the composition and temperature of biocrust plots subjected to various warming and watering treatments. This portion of the data release presents raw natural color, multispectral, and thermal images collected during the UAS surveys, all conducted at a flight altitude of 31 meters above ground level. A DJI Matrice 600 Pro UAS with approved government edition firmware carrying a Ricoh GR II sensor captured natural color red, green, blue (RGB) imagery on February 12, 2022. A MicaSense RedEdge-MX Dual was flown on February 13, 2022 over the same area to collect aerial 10-band multispectral imagery across the visible and near infrared wavelengths. Thermal data collection flights were conducted using a DJI Zenmuse XT2 camera at various local times of day across February 12 to 14 to capture diurnal changes in surface temperature. The images are provided here in zip files to facilitate bulk download.

In support of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Southwest Biological Science Center researchers, and in coordination with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), the USGS National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO) conducted uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) remote sensing flights over two BLM Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) plots at the NEON Moab site in Utah for multi-scale carbon sequestration research on public lands. The UAS data collected include natural color, multispectral, and hyperspectral imagery, and lidar to capture diverse information about vegetation and soils on drylands. The first site (“site 1”) features intact sagebrush and was mapped on May 3, 2023. The second site (“site 7”) is located on a grazed rangeland environment and was mapped on May 5, 2023. These UAS surveys were conducted in early May 2023 to coincide spatially and temporally with ground-based BLM AIM sampling and airplane-based remote sensing surveys by NEON. This portion of the data release presents hyperspectral data products from low-altitude UAS flights at two dryland sites approximately 40 km south of Moab, Utah. A Headwall Nano-Hyperspec line scanning sensor was flown at an altitude of 31 meters above ground level on a DJI Matrice 600 Pro UAS with approved government edition firmware. The hyperspectral images were post-processed using the sensor manufacturer's proprietary software and following their recommended workflow. The orthorectified hyperspectral reflectance images are stored as 32-bit single precision floating point numbers in flat binary files with a band sequential (BSQ) interleave. Each image is accompanied by an ASCII text header file (.hdr) containing band center wavelengths and other parameters relevant to the images. Each image has 274 spectral bands spanning the visible and near infrared wavelengths, 398 to 1002 nm. The images were georeferenced to a geographic coordinate system (latitude and longitude) and WGS84 datum with spatial resolution 1.7 cm (site 1) and 1.5 cm (site 7). There are 30 hyperspectral images with accompanying header files captured at site 1, provided in 5 zip folders to facilitate bulk download. There are 33 hyperspectral images with accompanying header files captured at site 7, provided in 5 zip folders.

In support of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Southwest Biological Science Center researchers, and in coordination with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), the USGS National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO) conducted uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) remote sensing flights over two BLM Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) plots at the NEON Moab site in Utah for multi-scale carbon sequestration research on public lands. The UAS data collected include natural color, multispectral, and hyperspectral imagery, and lidar to capture diverse information about vegetation and soils on drylands. The first site (“site 1”) features intact sagebrush and was mapped on May 3, 2023. The second site (“site 7”) is located on a grazed rangeland environment and was mapped on May 5, 2023. These UAS surveys were conducted in early May 2023 to coincide spatially and temporally with ground-based BLM AIM sampling and airplane-based remote sensing surveys by NEON. This portion of the data release presents hyperspectral data products from low-altitude UAS flights at two dryland sites approximately 40 km south of Moab, Utah. A Headwall Nano-Hyperspec line scanning sensor was flown at an altitude of 31 meters above ground level on a DJI Matrice 600 Pro UAS with approved government edition firmware. The hyperspectral images were post-processed using the sensor manufacturer's proprietary software and following their recommended workflow. The orthorectified hyperspectral reflectance images are stored as 32-bit single precision floating point numbers in flat binary files with a band sequential (BSQ) interleave. Each image is accompanied by an ASCII text header file (.hdr) containing band center wavelengths and other parameters relevant to the images. Each image has 274 spectral bands spanning the visible and near infrared wavelengths, 398 to 1002 nm. The images were georeferenced to a geographic coordinate system (latitude and longitude) and WGS84 datum with spatial resolution 1.7 cm (site 1) and 1.5 cm (site 7). There are 30 hyperspectral images with accompanying header files captured at site 1, provided in 5 zip folders to facilitate bulk download. There are 33 hyperspectral images with accompanying header files captured at site 7, provided in 5 zip folders.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO) supported the USGS National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program’s Geoheritage Sites of the Nation Project in July of 2024 with the collection of UAS-based high-resolution imagery of the Marsh-Felch Quarry site at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Garden Park Fossil Area. One of the most complete dinosaur skeletons ever unearthed was found here. These discoveries around present-day Garden Park Fossil Area sparked the “Bone Wars” of the late 1800s and inspired the selection of Colorado's state fossil, the Stegosaurus. Three-dimensional (3D) scan flights were conducted at the fossil site using a Skydio X10 UAS, in which the aircraft autonomously determined where to capture photos to achieve coverage across a volume of interest. The natural color UAS images were processed in photogrammetry software to generate a 3D model of this fossil site for inclusion in the Geoheritage web application. A two-dimensional (2D) mapping scan with the Skydio X10 UAS flown at 300 feet above ground level was also conducted to capture the topography of the surrounding area. This portion of the data release presents raw natural color images collected during the 2D mapping flights over the fossil site. Over the course of one 21-minute flight, a Skydio X10 UAS with an integrated VT300-Z Narrow sensor mapped a 36,483 square meter area and captured 456 natural color red, green, blue (RGB) photos to achieve 75% overlap and 75% sidelap. The images are provided here in a zip file to facilitate bulk download. Structure-from-motion (SfM) Digital Surface Model (DSM) and Orthomosaic data products were generated by processing these 2D Mapping images in photogrammetry software. These data products are provided here in .tif format zipped with supporting files. These DSM and orthomosaic data products were generated for visualization of the environment surrounding the quarry site.