Biodiversity has been quantified for the first time in the 200-year history of the railway in Britain. We can now view habitats on our land in the context of the landscape through which the railway passes. This landscape view allows our land managers to look after these habitats working with adjacent landowners to the benefit of us all and the wildlife.
Traditional surveying methods need somebody ‘out in the field’ which is time consuming and can be difficult and dangerous. This remote monitoring technology has kept our surveyors safe and delivered information that can be used by our managers to target where further information may be needed.
The satellite data were converted to the UK habitat classification system. Using the area of the habitats, determined from pixel count, the biodiversity metric was used to quantify the amount of biodiversity on the railway estate. Future, higher resolution data, together with imagery from helicopters, fixed wing aircraft and drones will enable artificial intelligence techniques to improve the analysis of habitats and their condition.
It will transform the way that the railway in Britain, and others, will collect and interrogate data and plan any intervention. This new knowledge informs the better, targeted management of the habitats on the railway estate. These green corridors help the movement of isolated species and wildlife communities, improving genetic diversity and helping to build resilience against changes in climate. Our good management of the railway estate will improve the health and well-being of millions of passengers and neighbours.
Remote Monitoring of Habitats to Support Management of Biodiversity Alongside Railways Across Britain
Lect.Notes Mobility
Transport Research Arena Conference ; 2024 ; Dublin, Ireland April 15, 2024 - April 18, 2024
Transport Transitions: Advancing Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility ; Chapter : 27 ; 185-191
2025-07-19
7 pages
Article/Chapter (Book)
Electronic Resource
English
Online Contents | 1995
|Preserving Biodiversity in Railways: Global Strategies for Sustainable Habitat Management
Springer Verlag | 2025
|Street railways of Great Britain
Engineering Index Backfile | 1889
Engineering Index Backfile | 1928
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