Cumberland Plain Phenocam Images and Phenology Data Collection 

Fixed cameras installed at the Cumberland Plain SuperSite provide a time series of fine scale data as a long-term record of vegetation structure and condition. This dense time series of phenocam images provides data for analysis of ecological responses to climate variability, and when consolidated across the entire terrestrial ecosystem research network, supports calibration and validation of satellite-derived remote sensing data, ensuring delivery of higher quality results for broader scale environmental monitoring products. Images are captured half hourly during daylight hours. Images and data products, including timeseries of the Green Chromatic Coordinate (Gcc) for a region-of-interest (ROI) that delineates an area of specific vegetation type, are made available on an almost real-time basis. The Cumberland Plain SuperSite was established in 2012 in a protected remnant of Shale Gravel Transition Forest, located on the Hawkesbury Campus of the University of Western Sydney in New South Wales. The vegetation at the site and in the images is dominated by Eucalyptus moluccana and E. fibrosa, which have hosted a population of mistletoe (Amyema miquelii); a subcanopy of Melaleuca decora is visible in some gaps. More ecological details about the site are available in Griebel et al. (2021). The ecosystem is subject to pressure from altered fire regimes, urban development, conversion to agriculture and extreme climate events. However, the forest patch at the site is in excellent condition with the exception of edge effects. For additional site information, see https://deims.org/a1bb29d8-197c-4181-90d8-76083afd44bb/ . Other images collected at the site include photopoints, digital cover photography (DCP), and ancillary images of fauna and flora. 

We at TERN acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians throughout Australia, New Zealand and all nations. We honour their profound connections to land, water, biodiversity and culture and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. The Cumberland Plain SuperSite is managed by the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University. This work was jointly funded by the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), an Australian Government National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) project. 

Time series of vegetation phenological observations are collected to understand ecosystems annual cycles. Phenological timeseries can be used for ground-truthing remote sensing data products, for studies of climate change impacts on terrestrial ecosystems, and as a standard for earth system models. 

For generating ROI chromatic indices the python library vegindex (0.7.2) in python is used. For calculating hazeness values the R hazer (1.1.1.) and jpeg (0.1) libraries are used.