TERN Mitchell Grass Rangeland SuperSite Panoramic Photopoint Image Collection

High quality digital images are captured using a digital SLR camera at the plots (core 1 hectare vegetation plot) at the TERN Mitchell Grass Rangeland SuperSite using the panoramic photopoint method. The panoramic photopoint method may be the most informative in open forests/woodlands and rangelands. Three photopoints are established configured in an equilateral triangle (2.5m sides) with the centre marked with a star dropper and the location recorded with DGPS. At each photopoint take photographic sequences in a 360° panorama, with up to 40 photographs with a minimum 50% overlap between consecutive photographs. For more information about the method, see White, el al. (2012) AusPlots Rangelands Survey Protocols Manual Version 1.2.9.
The Mitchell Grass Rangeland SuperSite is located at Rosebank Station approximately 11 km south-east of Longreach in Queensland. The site is arid tussock grassland with a variety of grass species including Astrebla lappacea and Astrebla squarrosa over black vertosol soil that supports sheep and beef cattle grazing. Traditional owners at this site are the Iningai people. For additional site information, see https://www.tern.org.au/tern-observatory/tern-ecosystem-processes/mitchell-grass-rangeland-supersite/ .

Five-photopoint images are also collected at the site.

Credit
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 Mitchell Grass Rangelands site is located on a property currently managed by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (previously Longreach Pastoral College). Equipment and data collection are managed by Queensland University of Technology (QUT).

Purpose
The images are to be used where possible to supply images for analysis that produces 3D reconstructions to monitor change over time and provide an estimate of basal area and biomass.