Orthomosaics, Digital Surface Models, and Multispectral Image Composites for Arctic Beaver Observation Network (ABON) Sites across Arctic Alaska in August 2024

This dataset contains orthomosaics, digital surface models (DSMs), and multispectral image composites for nine Arctic Beaver Observation Network (ABON) sites surveyed in August 2024. The data were collected to support research on the impacts of beaver engineering on tundra hydrology, vegetation, and permafrost dynamics across Arctic Alaska. Drone-based imagery was acquired using a DJI Mavic 3 Multispectral quadcopter equipped with a DJI D-RTK 2 Mobile Base Station for real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning. At each site, flight missions were conducted at 120 meters (m) above ground level with 80% along-track and 70% across-track overlap, using a nadir-oriented camera (90°) and the hover-and-capture-at-point mode. The resulting products include: (1) (Red, Green, Blue) RGB orthomosaics with a ground sampling distance of 5 centimeters (cm), (2) Digital Surface Models (DSMs) with 10 cm spatial resolution, and (3) multispectral composites (green, red, red edge, near-infrared bands) at 10 cm resolution. Radiometric calibration was performed using images of a MicaSense calibrated reflectance panel, and a Leica Viva differential global positioning system (GPS) provided ground control for the mission and the data were post-processed to WGS84 UTM Zone 3 North. All images were processed in Pix4D Mapper (v. 4.10.0). Elevation information derived over waterbodies is noisy and does not represent the surface elevation of the feature. These high-resolution datasets provide baseline observations of beaver pond morphology and vegetation dynamics, enabling long-term monitoring of ecosystem changes driven by beaver activity in Arctic tundra landscapes.