‘The Multi-scale monitoring tools for managing Australian tree crops’ initiative funded by the Federal government and supported by Hort Innovation is now in its second phase. This includes a significant increase in the validation of remote sensing for the mapping and prediction of mango yield across the Northern Territory and Queensland, and the update of national tree crop maps of all commercial orchards in collaboration with industry.
Australian Tree Crop Map Dashboard example.
For the latter, the University of New England’s Applied Agricultural Remote Sensing Centre (AARSC) have now completed the update of the map for Queensland, which shows 7,887 hectares of commercial mango orchards across the state. This information, essential for natural disaster and biosecurity responses has been updated in a variety of theme-based web applications, all available from the Industry Applications and Maps webpage: www.une.edu.au/webapps.
The ‘Dashboard’ app is a great tool for understanding the distribution of each tree crop, as it summarises the extent (area) of each tree crop by state/territory or local government area (LGA) in the pop-up. Panning and zooming around the map will update the statistics interactively, on-the-fly.
Geographically by LGA, the largest totals of mango orchards are in the Mareeba Shire (2,846ha), Burdekin Shire (1,350ha) and Whitsunday Regional Council area (1,045ha).
To help maintain and update the national map, stakeholders are encouraged to contribute by completing a ‘Land Use Survey’ or reviewing the draft mapping in the ‘Industry Engagement Web App’. Input from industry experts is extremely valuable, especially for mapping new crops which are not yet visible in satellite imagery.
Importantly, no personal or commercial information is acquired or presented within this map, and the map adheres to the national standards of the Australian Collaborative Land Use and Management Program.
Our national mapping program is now focused on updating the growing regions in Northern NSW.
ATCM: Severe Weather App
In response to increasing severe weather events, especially now Australia is in a La Niña phase, the AARSC has developed the Australian Tree Crop Map: Severe Weather App. The app is built upon the national map of commercial tree crops, overlayed by Bureau of Meteorology data, including a satellite image of Australia which is updated in near-real time (every 10 minutes).
ATCM Severe Weather App featuring “TC Imogen” (4th Jan 2021).
It will assist growers and their industries to respond to severe weather events, including tropical cyclones, thunderstorms, hazardous winds, hail and rain. It’s a practical example of how the AARSC, in collaboration with industry, is using satellite imagery, engagement and ground-truthing to support Australia’s multibillion dollar tree crop industries.
“With many of our most lucrative tree crops concentrated in small geographical regions, the impact of a single severe weather event can be significant”, says AARSC founder and director Professor Andrew Robson.
The severe weather app has already been useful in identifying the path and orchards at risk of impact from Tropical Cyclone (TC) Imogen, which crossed the Queensland coastline just north of Karumba on 3rd January. It was downgraded to a tropical low as it tracked east toward the major horticulture growing regions of North Queensland.
Mapping non-commercial mangoes in the Cape
To further assist the mango industry to be better prepared for future biosecurity threats, particularly those coming from our northern neighbours, the AARSC, together with AMIA and state (Department of Agriculture and Fisheries) and federal biosecurity agencies (Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy, Department of Agriculture Water and the Environment), are undertaking a challenging project to map all non-commercial mangoes in the Cape York Peninsula.
The project has commenced with the collation and geocoding of existing data as shown in the heat map, which features 1,580 observations. This information will be interpreted against high-resolution imagery in combination with other ancillary data, to compile a draft baseline map, prior to field validation and peer review. The AARSC will develop more location-based tools (apps) to engage experts in contributing to this project. Once developed, the mapped location of non-commercial mangoes can be monitored both on-ground and using remote sensing for potential biosecurity threats.
Heatmap of non-commercial mangoes, Cape York and Torres Strait Islands.
For more information
Contact: Craig Shephard
E: cshepha2@une.edu.au
W: une.edu.au/aarsc
Acknowledgement
The Multi-scale monitoring tools for managing Australian tree crops initiative is led by the University of New England, and supported by Hort Innovation under the Australian Government’s Rural Research and Development for Profit program.