Finding Mangroves in Indonesia
Background
Joining Professor Suchi Gopal's team at Boston University marked my foray into remote sensing and environmental sustainability, focusing on Indonesia's mangroves.
The Importance of Mangroves
Professor Gopal emphasized mangroves' critical roles:
- Flood protection
- Biodiversity hotspots
- Carbon storage
- Coastal erosion prevention
Indonesia, with its rich mangrove biodiversity, faces significant ecological pressures.
The Approach
Data and Collaboration
The project leveraged shapefiles from Professor Muhammad Helmi, detailing spectral signatures of Indonesian coastal areas in Sumatra and Java.
Key Features Analyzed
- Spectral Bands (B1 to B12): Capturing unique wavelength information
- Vegetation Indices (NDVI): Measuring plant health and density
- Water Indices (MNDWI): Identifying water features
- Advanced Water Indices (AWEI_NSH): Differentiating water and land
- Topographical Features (GDEM): Elevation data
- Proximity Features: Distance to coastline
Technological Approach
CNN Analysis
- Developed using PyTorch
- Analyzed spatial relationships in satellite images
Pixel-Based Exploration
- TensorFlow-based classification
- Feed-forward neural network
- Batch normalization
- 30% dropout rate
- Learning rate of 0.001
Tools and Platforms
- Google Earth Engine
- PyTorch
- TensorFlow
Conclusion
The project demonstrated AI and remote sensing's potential in environmental conservation. Presented at the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco, December 2023.
Future work focuses on refining models with additional training data to enhance habitat protection understanding.