Imagery - Historic and current

We get it. It’s tempting to screenshot web maps or reuse online imagery. But that approach often introduces copyright issues, visible watermarks, and unreliable data quality.

Instead, let TerraLab help you source authoritative and fit-for-purpose imagery tailored for your project, legally acquired, and delivered in a professional format. We procure aerial and satellite imagery from a wide range of sources, including:

• Satellites — global coverage, 10m to 1km resolution

• Manned aircraft — regional coverage, 1m to 100m resolution

• Drones — highly detailed site coverage, 1cm to 1m resolution

We deliver imagery in formats to suit your workflow: JPEG, PDF, or GeoTIFF, ready for analysis or use in reports, web apps, or spatial databases.

Whether you need:

• Aerial photography from 1960

• Multiband satellite imagery from last week

• Or custom drone capture tomorrow

… We’ll find it, process it, and deliver it.

Remote Sensing of Invasive Weeds

Objective:

To map and quantify the distribution of a specific weed species across a large site without requiring full ground-based surveys.

Approach:

TerraLab acquired near-infrared and visible spectrum imagery using aircraft and drone platforms. Small training areas were mapped on the ground using GPS tools developed in-house by TerraLab, creating a dataset to “teach” a classification model how to identify the target weed species from the imagery.

The model then produced predictive distribution maps for the entire site. To validate accuracy, random sampling points were generated and visited in the field. Presence or absence data from these sites confirmed the model’s reliability.

Result:

The client gained an accurate, repeatable method for quantifying weed cover saving hundreds of hours in labour. The process enables future monitoring using remote sensing to track progress and guide long-term weed control efforts.

Drone-Based Monitoring of Mine Site Rehabilitation

Objective:

To design a cost-effective, repeatable method for monitoring key ecological indicators on rehabilitated mine sites.

Approach:

TerraLab combined expertise in ecology and remote sensing to develop a drone-based monitoring workflow, drawing on current scientific literature and CSIRO methodologies. The system used low-cost drones equipped with near-infrared sensors and high-accuracy GPS units to capture imagery across rehabilitated areas.

The data was processed using desktop GIS software to generate spatial outputs aligned with ecological benchmarks including vegetation cover, species composition, and biomass indicators.

Result:

The resulting method enables the client to monitor extensive rehabilitation zones efficiently, with significant cost savings compared to manual fieldwork. The system is now being implemented as part of their long-term environmental compliance and performance strategy.