Application of unmanned aerial vehicles and ground-based research methods to study changes in the species composition of lawns in different ecological conditions under the influence of recreational load (by the example of Obukhovsky square, St. Petersburg)

The study of lawns in St. Petersburg within the framework of the project of the Russian Science Foundation "Lawn as an indicator of the state of a sustainable urban environment and adaptation to climate change" began in March 2022. The project involves the use of an interdisciplinary approach and innovative technologies, including GIS and remote sensing. It is necessary to study the role of lawns in the organization of urban space, ecological functions, as well as the species composition used in urban objects of landscape and landscape construction of St. Petersburg. The aim of the presented research is to study the species composition of lawns on test areas in the Obukhov Square of the Admiralteysky district and to identify changes in the projective coverage depending on environmental conditions. During the study, the following indicators were taken into account: the projective coverage of species on lawn profiles, the height of plants during the season, the phenological phase. According to the results of the study, information was collected by unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) of the quadrocopter type, the DJI Air 2s company. The volume of data collected at the end of September for 10 objects amounted to more than 10 GB. It is recommended to develop automatic marking of lawn images by artificial intelligence to analyze the condition of the lawn. These studies clearly show that within a relatively small object, the characteristics of the lawn vary significantly, the floral composition is a sensitive indicator of the intensity of sunlight of the place and its recreational load. The lawn is heterogeneous in its current state, the way it grows up and reaction to mowing. Further research will determine to what extent the identified heterogeneity of the lawn can be taken into account when its comes to management, namely, when it is economically and technologically appropriate to take it into account.

1. Alexeev A.S., Nikiforov A.A., Mikhailova A.A., Vagizov M.R. Method of determining the stock of stands based on the 3/2 rule and ultra high resolution images from an unmanned aerial vehicle. Forests of Russia: policy, industry, science, education: materials of scientific and technical conference, Saint-Petersburg, 13–15 April 2016 / ed. by V.M. Gedio. St. Petersburg: SPbGLTU, 2016. С. 17–20.

2. Berlyand M.E., Kondratyev K.Ya. Cities and the climate of the planet. L.: Gidrometeoizdat, 1972. 40 с.

3. Bulgakova A.G., Vagizov M.R., Eliseev D.I., Borisov R.B. Experience of using unmanned aerial vehicle DJI Air 2S to form geoinformation modeling data. Information technologies and systems: management, economy, transport, law, 2022, no. 2(42), pp. 72–77. (In Russ.)

4. Chepurina T.V. Lawn as an element of landscape: history, development, search for alternative lawns in St. Petersburg. Problems of Landscape Education in Russia. To the 80th anniversary of the department of landscape and garden construction / ed. by I.A. Melnichuk. St. Petersburg: Polytechnical University Press, 2013. С. 324–325. (In Russ.)

5. Dobrovolsky G.V. Soil, City, Ecology. M.: Publishing house of Fund of Economic Literacy, 1997. 310 p. (In Russ.)

6. Dvadtsatova T.V., Melnichuk I.A. Modern state of lawns in the historical center of St. Petersburg (on the example of Mars field). New direction in landscape architecture (design, planning and management): Proceedings of the International Conference. July 7-8, 2017. St. Petersburg, Russia. St. Petersburg: Publishing house of Polytechnic University, 2017, pp. 81–82. (In Russ.)

7. Ermachenko N.V., Evdokimov A.O. Vertical takeoff drones and safety. Methods of Science, 2017, no. 3(4), pp. 90–91. (In Russ.)

8. Frolov A.K. Environment of a large city and plant life in it: monograph. SPb.: Nauka, 1998. 328 p. (In Russ.)

9. Golovach A.G. Lawns, their arrangement and maintenance. M.; L.: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1955. 338 p. (In Russ.)

10. Goryshina T.K. Plants in the city. Leningrad: Leningrad University Press, 1991. 152 p. (In Russ.)

11. Ignatieva M., Haase D., Dushkova D., Haase A. Lawns in Cities: From a Globalised Urban Green SPACE phenomenon to Sustainable Nature-Based Solutions. Land, 2020, no. 9(3), pp. 1–27. DOI:10.3390/land9030073

12. Kavelenova L.M., Kweder L.V. Methods of controlling the state of the environment. Samara: Izd. of Samara University, 2006. 100 p. (In Russ.)

13. Methods of evaluation of ecological state of green spaces of Saint-Petersburg. URL: https://docs.cntd.ru/document/573573186?marker=6520IM (accession September 01, 2022). (In Russ.)

14. Order № 84-r of 01.04.2022 «About approval of address programs of territory of green plantings of general use for 2022». URL: https://www.gov.spb.ru (accession September 01, 2022). (In Russ.)

15. Rajabov R.A. Development of effective methods of cultivation of ornamental turf: specialty 06.01.07 «Horticulture, viticulture», abstract of the thesis for the degree of candidate of agricultural sciences / Rajabov Ruslan Agamagovedovich. M., 2009. 16 p. (In Russ.)

16. Tsymbal G.S., Trubacheva T.A., Dvadtsatova T.V. To the analysis of the assortment of lawn communities in the objects of plantations of Saint-Petersburg/ XII Readings in memory of T.B. Dubyago: collection of works of the international conference / ed. by A.S. Kryukovsky, G.S. Tsymbal. St. Petersburg: SPbGLTU, 2021, pp. 150–155. (In Russ.)

17. Volkova L.B., Sobolev N.A. Grass lawns in the modern concept of landscaping cities (by the example of Moscow). Bulletin of MSULE – Forest Bulletin, 2015, pp. 145–152. (In Russ.)