COLLEGE OF NEW CALEDONIA
CNC awarded $170K federal grant to launch remote sensing lab for forest stewardship

CNC's Applied Research team received a $170,775 Applied Research Tools and Instruments (ARTI) grant through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for the creation of a state-of-the-art remote sensing lab.

Credit : Natural Resources and Forestry Technology program

Remote sensing is the science of obtaining information about objects or areas from a distance, typically from aircraft or satellites. Remote sensing technologies have great potential to support the planning, execution, and monitoring of forestry, wildlife management, and other applications in natural resources. The grant allows for the acquisition of terrestrial LiDAR scanners, allowing researchers to capture, analyze and better understand individual tree characteristics, forest structure, and wildfire hazards, among other forest attributes.

CNC research fellow Dr. Pablo Crespell will lead research activities related to remote sensing lab purchases and operation, including drones, LiDAR sensors and scanners, multispectral sensors, software applications, and computer hardware. Grant funds will also be used to support the costs of relevant training for CNC research staff, such as drone pilot training and new analysis approaches.

"Remote-sensing technologies and software are continuously evolving, and we are committed to keeping up with these developments and their applications in natural resources management," said Dr. Crespell. "We anticipate a great deal of student and faculty involvement, in a mutually beneficial learning model, which guides our actions".

Access to a remote sensing lab will significantly benefit students in CNC's Natural Resources and Forestry Technology program, as well as other programs where learning outcomes involve surveying and mapping. It opens doors to gain practical research skills and professional experience in working with partners from industry, First Nations, academia, and government, as suggested by the ample support received from these stakeholders when applying for the grant.

According to Carl Pollard, director of applied research at CNC, the federal grant will also greatly improve CNC's capacity as a research and innovation service provider in forest management and stewardship.

"The ARTI grant allows us to acquire and apply the most current digital detection technology to address current innovation needs of communities and the forestry sector within our region, while offering students firsthand experience with important technologies that are reshaping natural resources stewardship," said Pollard.