Design of a remote-controlled platform for green roof plants monitoring via hyperspectral sensors

The combination of an appropriate design and careful management of green infrastructures may contribute to mitigate flooding (stormwater quantity) and pollutant discharges (stormwater quality) into receiving water bodies and to coping with other extreme climate impacts (such as temperature regime) on a long-term basis and water cycle variability. The vegetation health state ensures the green infrastructure's effectiveness. Due to their remarkable spatial and spectral resolution, hyperspectral sensing devices appear to be the most suited for green infrastructure vegetation monitoring according to the peculiar spectral features that vegetation exhibits. In particular, vegetation health-state detection is feasible due to the modifications the typical vegetation spectral signature undergoes when abnormalities are present. This paper presents a ground spectroscopy monitoring survey of the green roof installed at the University of Calabria fulfilled via the acquisition and analysis of hyperspectral data. The spectroradiometer, placed on a fixed stand, was used to identify stress conditions of vegetation located in areas where drought could affect the plant health state. Broadband vegetation indices were employed for this purpose. For the test case presented, data acquired agreed well with direct observations on the ground. The analyses carried out showed the remarkable performances of the broadband indices Red Difference Vegetation Index (Red DVI), Simple Ratio (SR) and Triangular Vegetation Index (TVI) in highlighting the vegetation health state and encouraged the design of a remote-controlled platform for monitoring purposes.