New and changing use of technologies in monitoring: drones, artificial intelligence, and environmental DNA

Abstract

This chapter shows the emerging uses in monitoring, using new as well as older technology in new or developed ways, finding new ways to collect data at different scales, from space down to genetic material. As has been stressed in other chapters, the planet and its biodiversity are closely linked to humans making decisions on land use, through history, and the research into older landscapes gives insights into the landscape of today. In many ways, the possibilities of data science, including the computer capacity to handle very large datasets, have changed the way environmental data can be modelled and understood. With the new possibilities, new challenges also become evident, such as the enormous amounts of training data needed for modelling using deep learning techniques or to take on the challenge of creating virtual twins of European ecosystems for future policymaking.