University of Leicester joins forces with Bluesky to advance tree mapping technology

The University of Leicester has joined forces with one of the UK’s leading providers of aerial survey and geospatial data, Bluesky International, to transform the way we understand trees. This Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) will enhance Bluesky’s National Tree Map product, providing unprecedented insights into the UK’s forests and green spaces.

As a three-way partnership between an academic institution, a business and a suitably qualified graduate, a KTP helps companies innovate for growth. Supported by Innovate UK, the 26-month project will introduce a novel capability to classify tree species using remotely sensed data. This breakthrough will provide vital information on tree growth, disease vulnerability and carbon storage, benefitting sectors ranging from environmental conservation to urban planning.

A cloud-based architecture will be developed to integrate this advanced classification system into Bluesky’s workflows, ensuring cost-effective and energy-efficient service delivery. University of Leicester academics Professors Kevin Tansey and Huiyu Zhou are the project leads alongside KTP Associate, Dr M. Amin Khalili, a PhD graduate from the University of Naples Federico II.

Exploring the fusion of multimodal data

Professor of Remote Sensing Kevin Tansey, from the School of Geography, Geology and the Environment at the University of Leicester, commented: “Tree species mapping and labelling with Earth observation data remains elusive. Current approaches work well for certain species but when scaled up to large areas or complex regions such as the urban environment, accuracy decreases and uncertainty increases.”

“By combining our specialist knowledge in deep learning, optical and Lidar image processing and management of big data with Bluesky’s geospatial and data capture expertise, this KTP will create a first-of-its kind solution that will set new industry standards.”

Professor of Machine Learning Huiyu Zhou, from the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, added: “This project gives us an opportunity to explore the fusion of multimodal data, such as point of cloud from Lidar and colour information from a standard CCTV camera, in order to identify tree species in a large-scale image. This is a challenging task due to the size of the targets, but we believe that this research exploration will be rewarding to both the University and Bluesky due to the complementary skills each party brings to the project.”

Species identification

According to Rachel Tidmarsh, CEO at Bluesky,  the KTP underlines their commitment to innovation. The National Tree Map (NTM) dataset was launched in 2012. Tidmarsh said: “Since then we have been continually updating and enhancing to ensure we have the most comprehensive product commercially available. Our customer feedback drives the focus of our R&D team, and species identification is one theme that has consistently been requested so we are striving to deliver this through the KTP. “ She added: “We are excited to see where this partnership takes the NTM and we very much look forward to working closely with Dr Amin Khalili and the team at the University of Leicester.”

Bluesky International is a key partner in the METEOR programme, a research and innovation initiative run out of Space Park Leicester, the University’s GBP100m space campus. The Manufacturing, Engineering, Technology and Earth Observation Research (METEOR) Centre brings together academia and industry to drive new space innovation. With GBP13.75 million from Research England and GBP27.5 million in co-investment, it delivers world-class labs, clean rooms, VR and design studios – accelerating space R&D, skills development and low-cost satellite access.