Hyperspectral diversity vs. in situ diversity: are they the same or different?
We ask if measures of plant diversity (alpha, beta, and gamma) are comparable between ground-truthed estimates (estimates generated by workers in the field) and remote sensed / hyperspectral imaging (NEON Airborne Observation platform) estimates.
We used data from the San Joaquin Experimental Range (SJER) located ~25km north of Fresno, California; the data are taken from 16 40m x 40m plots. On the ground ecologists noted all non-grass vegetation within each plot and recorded 18 species at the SJER site (note: there are a total of 25 species recorded in the data set because the Soap Root site was included).