Topographic data, aerial imagery, and GPS data collected during uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) operations at Sesuit Marsh, Dennis, Massachusetts, August 12, 2024

Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (sUAS) were used to collect aerial remote sensing data over Sesuit Marsh in Dennis, MA. Raw data from aerial surveys include aerial images from natural color (RGB) and multispectral cameras and raw lidar data. These datasets were processed to produce high resolution digital elevation models (DEM), image mosaics, and lidar point clouds (LPC) to provide local partners with high resolution imagery and elevation data to monitor and identify vegetation cover of a salt marsh on Cape Cod during peak growing season. A YellowScan Mapper Plus lidar system with integrated RGB camera module were mounted to a DJI Matrice 600 to collect the raw lidar data and true-color imagery. A MicaSense Altum-PT was then mounted to the DJI Matrice 600 to collect the multispectral reflectance imagery. Black and white cross-coded ground control points (GCPs) were surveyed using RTK-GPS and RTK-enabled AeroPoints to georeference the model and orthomosaics during post-processing. This project was supported by grant funding from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Division of Conservation, awarded to Rick Rheinhardt in collaboration with the Cape Cod Conservation District.