Entomological Scheimpflug lidar for estimating unique insect classes in-situ field test from Ivory Coast

Abstract

Acquisition of entomological data with high-frequency lidar is an emerging research field in rapid development. The technique offers very high numbers of observations per time unit, suitable for statistical models. In this work, we use a near-infrared Scheimpflug lidar with a sampling frequency of 3.5 kHz to assess the activity of free flying organisms. In-situ measurements were done during the rainy season in Ivory Coast, and hierarchical cluster analysis was used to quantify the amount of unique modulation signatures. Here we propose a method to estimate the number of observed species within a certain air volume for a given time span. This paves the way for rapid in-situ biodiversity assessment in accordance with recent priorities for protection of pollinator diversity during global changes.