Litchfield Savanna Phenocam Images and Phenology Data Collection 

Fixed cameras installed at the Litchfield Savanna 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 Litchfield Savanna SuperSite was established in 2013 in Litchfield National Park. Site selection was influenced by the history of long-term monitoring work undertaken in this area by the Darwin Centre for Bushfire Research (formerly Bushfires NT). The core 1ha plot is dominated by Eucalyptus miniata and Eucalyptus tetrodonta. The site is representative of the dominant ecosystem type across northern Australia: frequently burnt tropical savanna in high rainfall areas. For additional site information, see https://www.tern.org.au/tern-observatory/tern-ecosystem-processes/litchfield-savanna-supersite/ . Other images collected at the site include photopoints, digital cover photography (DCP), and ancillary images of 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. Research collaborators at the Litchfield Savanna SuperSite include: Charles Darwin University, Maitec (Dr Stefan Maier), CSIRO (Dr Shaun Levick), OzFlux, TERN, Darwin Centre for Bushfire Research, Northern Territory Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security and the University of Western Australia. The SuperSite is managed by Charles Darwin University and The University of Western Australia. 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.