Visitors to the East Hawaiʻi Veterans Cemetery No.1 grounds in Hilo have a new map to assist them in locating gravesites thanks to a map created by student geographers from the . The team used drones, hands-on fieldwork and extensive geographic information system (GIS) programming to create the map.

The gives viewers an overhead view of the cemetery allowing them to click on each gravesite to see a photo of each gravestone. Viewers can also search by name.

The project was conducted under the guidance of Ryan Perroy, a professor of and director of the 东精影业 Hilo .

“This has been a multi-year effort and we are now ready to share the mapping project with the public,” said Perroy. “We are honored to give something back to our veterans and their families.”

East Hawaiʻi Veterans Cemetery No. 1 is a resting place for more than 1,500 fallen soldiers and family members. Veterans from World War I, World War II, Vietnam and Afghanistan are laid to rest there.

GIS is the . Students utilized integrated computer hardware and software to analyze and visualize geographic data.

The project served as a learning experience for 48 students in various classes throughout the past three semesters such as , and . The work involved differential global positioning systems or GPS, GIS, photogrammetry, fieldwork, drones and web mapping. 东精影业 Hilo undergraduate geography student Kanoa Lindiwe took the lead on the project, and graduate student Trina “Nikki” Henry, currently in the master鈥檚 program, also contributed.

The mapping project was conducted in partnership with the County of Hawaiʻi Department of Parks and Recreation. Staff from the 东精影业 Hilo Spatial Data Analysis and Visualization Lab also contributed.

—By Susan Enright

A team of researchers from the and are leading the charge to explore the relationship between hooved animals and the spread of Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD). Maps of hard hit districts on Hawaiʻi Island were recently released online from a collaborative study involving community, county, state and federal experts and in infecting ʻōhiʻa trees with the fatal fungus, Ceratocystis lukuohia, that cause ROD and how fencing can help prevent the spread of the disease.

According to 东精影业 researchers, the animals damage healthy trees by digging up roots and stripping off bark. The damage makes the tree more susceptible to infection by the fungal spores carried in soil or the wind.

Fence-off Hawaiʻi鈥檚 forests

Spatial data, collected using remote-sensing technology, high-resolution satellite and helicopter imagery obtained from January 2019 through January 2023, show a greater spread of ʻōhiʻa die off in unfenced areas hooved animals can access and significantly lower ʻōhiʻa mortality in forest areas where hooved animals are blocked out by fencing. The 东精影业 researchers teamed with the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Department of Hawaiian Homelands, The Nature Conservancy, National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to assess data from forested areas within H膩m膩kua to Kaʻū on Hawaiʻi Island. The project is funded by the DLNR and U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.

“The surveying and monitoring of ʻōhiʻa forests remains one of our team鈥檚 top priorities,” said Brian Tucker, a ROD data specialist at 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 through the university鈥檚 Research Corporation. “These observations help guide our research projects, forest management practices and public outreach. We noticed a trend where the forests have less mortality due to ROD when protected from feral animals, especially cattle and pigs. We love our forests and it gives us hope because there are tools available for meaningful action to minimize the most devastating effects of ROD.”

Closer-look at ROD impacts

In October 2022, high-resolution satellite imagery analysis of two equally sized areas across the fenced boundary of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park showed 99% of the 3,398 suspected trees impacted by ROD were in the unfenced area.

Analysis of remote-sensing and high-resolution satellite imagery occurred collaboratively with Tucker and researchers at the 东精影业 Hilo (SDAV) laboratory, with 东精影业 Hilo student geospatial analyst Naiʻa Odachi performing much of the work. The lab specializes in geospatial technology, which is integral in obtaining aerial imagery to detect ʻōhiʻa mortality at an individual tree level.

“Remote sensing using aerial and high-resolution satellite imagery has allowed researchers to expand monitoring capabilities on Hawaiʻi Island,” said Odachi, who is pursuing a master鈥檚 in at 东精影业 Hilo. “This imagery is used to identify individual dying ʻōhiʻa trees and can be used to direct field crews for sampling and ultimately lab analysis to confirm ROD infection.”

At the 2023 Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference this summer, Odachi presented ROD investigations she conducted at 东精影业 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 SDAV and won the Outstanding Graduate Student Oral Presentation Award.

This newly published study stems from led by 东精影业 Hilo Geographer Ryan Perroy, a professor of and director of the SDAV research lab. Perroy鈥檚 team revealed significant differences in areas on Hawaiʻi Island with and without ungulates, suggesting that ungulate exclusion is an effective management tool to lessen the impacts of ROD in forested areas in Hawaiʻi.

• Related 东精影业 News story: Rapid ʻōhiʻa death linked to hoofed animals in 东精影业 Hilo research, August 17, 2021

“With ʻōhiʻa making up 80% of our remaining native forests, preventing or reducing damage from ROD and hooved animals is critical for protecting our watersheds and only source of fresh water in Hawaiʻi,” said Rob Hauff, state protection forester at Hawaiʻi DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife.

ROD spread outlook

ʻŌhiʻa mortality has been observed in every district on Hawaiʻi Island, with some areas showing very high rates of mortality. Outbreaks with significant ROD mortality were also reported on Kauaʻi. This collaborative study is geared toward building upon effective management strategies already in place to help protect Hawaiʻi鈥檚 remaining ʻōhiʻa, and increase native forest regeneration and restoration.

Two graduate students from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo joined scientists from around the world who gathered in Aotearoa New Zealand in May to share new findings on invasive alien species and their impact on biodiversity, ecological systems and food production. Olivia Jarvis and Naiʻa Odachi presented their research at the .

Both budding researchers are investigating the use of satellite imagery to map the spread of invasive species in Hawaiʻi鈥檚 native forests. For Jarvis, it鈥檚 strawberry guava pushing out native trees, and for Odachi, it鈥檚 the fungus that causes Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death, which is killing—at an alarming rate—a culturally and environmentally important tree in Hawaiʻi.

The students鈥� mentor, Ryan Perroy, a professor of geography who specializes in aerial imagery of vast and remote native forests suffering from Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death, accompanied the two students to the meeting. Perroy is principal investigator at the 东精影业 Hilo laboratory (SDAV), a research unit applying geospatial tools to local environmental problems in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific region.

“Being able to present at an international conference was an incredible opportunity that allowed me to share the work our lab does with a larger audience,” said Odachi. “Additionally, it was amazing to hear about ongoing research that scientists are conducting, not only in the United States but also in other countries.”

“I had the opportunity to have interesting conversations and make some meaningful connections with scientists from around the world,” Jarvis said. “I learned a lot from talks on invasive species work from other countries and found a small community of scientists there interested in how to use machine learning and species distribution modeling to answer questions about alien plant species and climate change, similar to my project.”

Multiple funding sources

Jarvis鈥檚 funding for the trip came from the Hawaiʻi Data Science Institute and through Perroy鈥檚 SDAV lab. She also received support from a National Science Foundation cybertraining award through 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 that is being used across the 东精影业 System to create workshops and curriculum for undergraduate and graduate students to increase cyberinfrastructure skills across environmental science fields.

Conference fees and accommodations for Odachi were covered by The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research. Her trip was also supported by the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and funding through the SDAV lab. DLNR provided funding for Perroy to attend the conference, where he also presented his research on Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death.

To read more, visit .
—By Susan Enright

A new aerial chainsaw device that could assist in the battle to save Hawaiʻi鈥檚 ʻōhiʻa trees from a deadly fungal pathogen is being put to the test by a geographer. Professor Ryan Perroy and his research team have developed a drone attachment capable of sampling tree branch samples for diagnostic laboratory testing and other purposes.

The device, named K奴k奴au, consists of a small rotating chainsaw with a robotic gripper claw mounted beneath a drone, and can cut and retrieve branches up to seven centimeters in diameter. The samples are collected for diagnostic testing of forest fungal pathogens, including those responsible for Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD).

“There have been times when we detected an ʻōhiʻa tree suspected of infection with the pathogens responsible for Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death, but because of the location, it was too dangerous or problematic to send field crews out to sample it for confirmation,” said Perroy. “K奴k奴au has the potential to help in those types of situations.”

The cutting-edge device was developed by Perroy and his team in collaboration with researchers at ETH Z眉rich, a public research university in Switzerland, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and R&R Machining/Welding in Hilo on Hawaiʻi Island. Perroy鈥檚 research on aerial branch sampling was recently published and featured on the cover of the journal .

Project funding was provided by the U.S. Department of the Interior鈥檚 Office of Native Hawaiian Relations, the National Park Service, and Conservation X Labs. The the 3D printer used in the project.

K奴k奴au is the name of an ahupuaʻa (land subdivision) in the Hilo area, and is also a term for a type of crab, Metopograpsus thukuhar, or ʻalamihi in Hawaiian.

Critical modifications

Researchers at ETH Z眉rich had previously developed a drone attachment capable of cutting small tree branches, however, when the 东精影业 Hilo team used the device they found that the samples of twigs were often too small to detect the fungal pathogens. In July 2019, Perroy鈥檚 team collaborated with the Swiss researchers and a Hilo welding company to develop a new drone attachment equipped to saw off larger branches.

“We successfully detected the target fungal pathogen from the collected branches and found that branch diameter, leaf presence and condition, as well as wood moisture content are important factors in pathogen detection in sampled branches,” Perroy explained.

None of the smallest branch samples tested positive for C. lukuohia, while 77% of the largest diameter branch samples produced positive results. The research shows that the new branch sampler, capable of retrieving the larger branches, provides the right size for a higher rate of successful diagnostic testing.

Since 2014, researchers discovered ROD killed hundreds of thousands of mature ʻōhiʻa trees (Metrosideros polymorpha) throughout the Hawaiian Islands and continues to spread. ROD is caused by two invasive fungi, Ceratocystis huliohia and Ceratocystis lukuohia, and has the potential to irreversibly change some Native Hawaiian ecosystems.

More on 东精影业 Hilo aerial survey research

Perroy is principal investigator at the 东精影业 Hilo , a research unit applying geospatial tools to local environmental problems in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific region. His group has been working on the detection of ROD and invasive species populations over forests across Hawaiʻi using high-resolution cameras and other sensors carried by drones and helicopters. The collected images and data provide managers precious time to respond to outbreaks, and gives scientists better information on how diseases and invasive species spread.

In 2019, Perroy won $70,000 in a competition sponsored by the National Park Service for his innovative use of drones and remote sensing devices to detect ROD. Throughout the last three years, Perroy and his team have continued to hone and refine the equipment needed to conduct aerial sampling using a small unoccupied aerial system.

Geographers at the recently completed a pilot project with the County of Hawaiʻi Department of Planning to help modernize the county鈥檚 public access program. Shoreline public access locations and associated permitting documents were digitized in a pilot geospatial database by 东精影业 Hilo geographical data experts and 东精影业 Hilo students and recent graduates.

The collaborative project focused on the South Kona district but includes a feasibility analysis for extending the project to an island-wide scale.

Ryan Perroy, an associate professor of geography who founded the 东精影业 Hilo research laboratory, said the work features a partnership between 东精影业 Hilo and the county on a project that benefits the local community and gives university students experience in the real world.

“This project highlights the ability of 东精影业 Hilo to contribute to local governance by using our expertise in geospatial technology to improve an existing antiquated system for accessing information,” said Perroy. “In this case, files and permits associated with public access issues.”

The pilot project鈥檚 purpose was to digitize paper files and link them to an interactive map interface, so that county planners can simply click on a few lines on a map on screen and access relevant files instead of having to physically pull and pore over physical paper documents.

“So this means some major time savings that will allow them to better and more quickly serve the public when there are queries about public access,” Perroy explained.

Public access project

The project will help the county fulfill its mandate to give the general public access to specific areas for activities related to valued cultural and natural resources. An updated and more comprehensive public access inventory management system will better enable the Department of Planning to execute its public access mandates in the areas of planning, permit vetting, implementation and enforcement. This is especially important for the issuance of land-use permits for developments such as subdivisions and certain developments within the Special Management Area.

Perroy is principal investigator with a team of geospatial research specialists; 东精影业 Hilo alumni Shawna Blackford and Eszter Collier from the lab are critical contributors. This first phase was done in coordination with two county land-use planners, Kamuela Plunkett and Rob Leasure. Plunkett earned his master of arts in heritage management in 2018 from 东精影业 Hilo.

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—Story by Susan Enright

The , working with University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s , has released a study on agricultural land use which provides information on the location of commercial agriculture activities statewide.

The study updates a 1980 survey and provides current information and maps on the locations of Hawaiʻi’s farms and ranches. The baseline study is intended to help industry, government and the community in making decisions that affect agriculture land use in the state.

The 100-page report was prepared by the 东精影业 Hilo Spatial Data Analysis and Visualization Lab. The project used geographic information systems technology and aerial imagery from several sources to digitally document the footprint of lands engaged in commercial scale agriculture statewide. , 东精影业 Hilo assistant professor of geography, is primary investigator on the project.

Report maps agricultural activity around the state

The report provides a wide range of maps and graphics depicting the location of 15 crop categories with island-by-island summaries and regional descriptions of some of the factors that drive ongoing agricultural activity around the state. It is a snap shot in time from which to measure change in agricultural land use patterns both historically and for measuring change in the future.

“This has been a very interesting project and long overdue as the last statewide assessment took place 35 years ago,” says Perroy. “Obviously a lot has changed in the meantime and we, meaning the 东精影业 Hilo Spatial Data Analysis and Visualization Lab and , were very happy to work with the Department of Agriculture to produce this dataset and accompanying report.”

Also working on the project are , a land use planning and resource management expert, as project manager, Sylvana Cares as cartographer and geospatial analyst, and former 东精影业 Hilo student interns Leilani Yamasaki and Ian Seely.

In addition to incorporating spatial data and satellite imagery, the project also included many field visits and days of interviews and community outreach events with representatives from the local farming and ranching communities and different agencies across the Hawaiian islands.

A tool for increasing agricultural production statewide

“We also created a web portal for soliciting feedback on our draft crop boundary layers, to try and make sure everyone had a chance to comment on the new layer,” explains Perroy. “Agriculture in Hawaiʻi continues to evolve, given the recent announcement by HC&S on Maui to cease operations, and having the maps and other geovisualizations we’ve put together, along with the GIS dataset itself, will be useful to see where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are headed in terms of commercial agriculture in the state.”

He adds, “If we are serious about increasing our level of local food production here in Hawaiʻi, there are opportunities to do that and some bright spots across the state, but the overall signal we are seeing on the landscape is one of major contraction of agricultural lands.”

The report also will serve as a planning tool for agency, industry and community interests to think collaboratively about future directions in agriculture based on what is currently taking place on a region-by-region basis around the state.

“This baseline study is one of several projects we are working on to lay a foundation for measuring our progress toward increasing agricultural production statewide,” says Scott Enright, chairperson of the Hawaiʻi Board of Agriculture. “We look forward to using this tool in making informed decisions about current agricultural enterprises and in the planning and promoting of new agricultural investment to increase our food security.”

For more on this project, go to the to read the full story.

—By Susan Enright

The (HDOA) is collaborating with the on a statewide agricultural survey to provide a digital depiction of the 2015 agricultural footprint of the state. The project will include mapping current agricultural activity statewide, as well as water systems and irrigation options available to farmers and ranchers.

“The product is intended as a baseline depiction of our current agricultural use and will help to measure progress in the expansion of all agriculture, and particularly local food production, across the state,” says Jeff Melrose, a land planner and longtime agricultural land manager who is serving at HDOA as project manager of the survey.

“One of the basic problems this project addresses is that Hawaiʻi hasn’t had a statewide geographic assessment of agricultural activity since the mid-1980s,” explains principal investigator Ryan Perroy, an assistant professor of at UH Hilo.

The mapping work is being done within the 东精影业 Hilo (SDAV), drawing upon the lab staff’s expertise in Geographical Information System (GIS) software and analysis of remotely sensed data, including Google Earth, to help in digitizing active crop and ranching areas.

Sylvie Cares of the SDAV lab is GIS technician and cartographer on the project.

Digital mapping software is being used in the field to collect aerial and satellite imagery. Crops are being identified in 12 to 15 different categories from tropical fruit and forestry to coffee, papaya, seed production and sugar. The process also involves the use of county real property and agricultural water data to help identify smaller farm operations that may not appear clearly in aerial imagery.

Input from industry leaders, landowners, farmers and other stakeholders also will be incorporated into the survey.

“It will serve as a foundational document in future agricultural planning efforts and help to inform decision makers and the general public about what kind of farming is happening statewide and what key factors support its ongoing activity,” Melrose explains.

“The baseline data this project will generate should be incredibly useful for decision makers and farmers as we all consider how to move Hawaiian agriculture forward,” says Perroy.

Read the for more information.

—By Susan Enright

Reporters from spent a day with researchers from the to film the scientists’ work on mapping the lava flow in Puna.

The 东精影业 Hilo research team is using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a Swinglet CAM by Sensefly, fitted with a high resolution camera for collecting still imagery. The captured images are later merged into a large mosaic, creating a high resolution map for use by Civil Defense emergency planners.

The 东精影业 Hilo flight team includes Ryan Perroy, assistant professor of geography and environmental science; Nicolas Turner, cyber computer programming analyst and Arthur Cunningham, consultant for aeronautical science.

• 东精影业 Hilo Stories: November 7, 2014
• 东精影业 Hilo Stories: October 29, 2014

The Discovery Chanel’s video includes an excellent explanation of how the mapping is done from the UAV flights in the field to the data analysis and mosaic creation done at the .

“The UAV flies about 150 meters high in a grid pattern, kind of like a lawn mower,” explains the narrator in the video about the technique used to capture the images. “(In the lab) Ryan loads the photos into a software program that stitches them together into one big topographical map.”

Perroy explains, “The map is called an orthomosaic, and with the ground control information, which is incorporated into that, you get a very beautiful and very interesting and highly detailed large photo of the mission area.”

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—By Susan Enright

Researchers from the successfully mapped the active flow front of the June 27, 2014 Kīlauea lava flow on Hawaiʻi Island with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on October 22. In a collaborative partnership with and the , the flight team from the used a Sensefly SwingletCAM with a visible camera to collect high resolution stills later merged into a mosaic for use by Civil Defense emergency planners.

The 东精影业 Hilo flight team includes Ryan Perroy, assistant professor of geography and environmental science, Nicolas Turner, Spatial Data Analysis and Visualization Laboratory cyber computer programming analyst and Arthur Cunningham, consultant for aeronautical science.

The lava flow is headed toward the town of Pāhoa in the district of Puna, threatening to cut off the main highway and other access roads, thus isolating an area of about 10,000 residents from the rest of the island.

“The lava flow has already impacted the lives of many residents in Puna,” said Perroy. “Our UAV support can provide quick and accurate information to emergency responders.”

The team closely monitored the flight performance of the UAV aircraft as it travelled over the lava and noted minor turbulence as it crossed the thermally dynamic environment. A county helicopter provided support with an air observer on board from the UAV team during flight operations.

The Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Office of the Federal Aviation Administration worked closely with the Hilo research team on approval of their certificate of authorization. The flights are in direct support of disaster relief operations in the area and the FAA and flight team worked together to make sure all safety concerns were met.

The 东精影业 researchers plan to fly again and continue supporting relief operations with quick aerial assessments when needed. Sensefly representatives are closely monitoring and supporting the team’s mapping relief effort and are at-the-ready with additional equipment should it be needed.

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—By Susan Enright