Participatory ground data are complementary to satellite bark beetle detection

Key message

During pest outbreaks, mapping tools play an important role. Participatory projects can provide useful ground data, which have a high accuracy in detecting early-stage infestations and small spots of the European spruce bark beetle Ips typographus. However, satellite approaches are fundamental to clearly estimate infestation occurrence because ground data are spatially biased. Here, we show how a participatory approach involving nonspecialized staff and based on GIS-based app may contribute ground truth data that are fully complementary to satellite data.

Keywords
Bark beetle; Citizen science; Digital technology; GIS; Smartphone application

Publication
Nardi, D., Bozzini, A., Morgante, G. et al. Participatory ground data are complementary to satellite bark beetle detection. Annals of Forest Science 80, 46 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13595-023-01216-5

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Data and/or Code availability
The dataset of the records validated within this study is available at https://researchdata.cab.unipd.it/id/eprint/1078

Handling Editor
Aurélien Sallé