Land cover classifications and associated data from treatment areas enrolled in the Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework, 2018

During 2018, uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs or 'drones') were used to collect spatially referenced aerial imagery from 20 management units (sites) enrolled in the Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework, a collective learning program developed by the Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative. Management units were located in Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin (USA). Invasive Phragmites australis (hereafter "Phragmites") had been managed at each management units some time previously by the landowner or land manager, and aerial imagery was then collected to create cover classifications distinguishing live and dead Phragmites from the surrounding landscape using object-based image analysis with training based on ground-truth field data and photos. Standard color (RGB) imagery was collected at all 20 management units, and near-infrared (NIR) imagery was collected at 2 of the 20 management units. Accuracy for the classifications was assessed by comparing cover classifications to ground truth data via confusion matrices. The accuracy associated with generating cover classifications by RGB and NIR imagery were also compared.