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About

About

Professor Auxiliar com Agregação da Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD) e doutorado em Ciências da Engenharia Geográfica, pela Universidade do Porto e pela Universidade de Delft (Holanda), tendo apresenta a tese “Potential of integrating PSInSAR Methodologies in the Detection of Surface Deformation”. Atualmente, é Investigador (membro integrado) do Centre for Robotics in Industry and Intelligent Systems (CRISS), do INESC TEC/Polo UTAD, e investigador (colaborador) do CITAB (Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences). Nos últimos anos tem-se dedicado, sobretudo, à utilização de Veículos Aéreos Não Tripulados (UAV) para aplicações agroflorestais. Utiliza imagens aéreas de elevada resolução, obtidas por diferentes sensores (RGB, NIR, Multiespectrais, Hiperespectrais e Térmicos) para, usando técnicas de processamento de imagem e desenvolvimento de algoritmos, extrair informações e parâmetros relevantes, sobretudo, na vinha, soutos e olivais. Estas técnicas são, no entanto, extensíveis à deteção e monitorização de grande parte das espécies arbóreas, que integram as nossas florestas, e de vegetação rasteira. É autor de várias publicações em revistas internacionais da especialidade do Remote Sensing. Participa em vários projetos de investigação, destacando-se o PARRA (Plataforma integrAda de monitoRização e avaliação da doença da flavescência douRada na vinha), em que é líder por parte da UTAD (SI I&DT, aviso Nº 08/SI/2015, Projeto em Co-Promoção, parceiros do projeto: TEKEVER ASDS - empresa líder, UTAD, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, INIAV, Agrociência. Montante total atribuído 1.602.245,58€) e é membro do projeto Plataforma de Inovação da Vinha e do Vinho, linha Remote sensing and detection of grapevine diseases (Projeto I&DT pelo Norte2020, com um financiamento global de 4.500.000,00 €).

Interest
Topics
Details

Details

  • Name

    Joaquim João Sousa
  • Role

    Senior Researcher
  • Since

    01st January 2014
005
Publications

2025

Assessing the Impacts of Selective Logging on the Forest Understory in the Amazon Using Airborne LiDAR

Authors
Ferreira, L; Bias, ED; Barros, QS; Pádua, L; Matricardi, EAT; Sousa, JJ;

Publication
FORESTS

Abstract
Reduced-impact logging (RIL) has been recognized as a promising strategy for biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration within sustainable forest management (SFM) areas. However, monitoring the forest understory-a critical area for assessing logging impacts-remains challenging due to limitations in conventional methods such as field inventories and global navigation satellite system (GNSS) surveys, which are time-consuming, costly, and often lack accuracy in complex environments. Additionally, aerial and satellite imagery frequently underestimate the full extent of disturbances as the forest canopy obscures understory impacts. This study examines the effectiveness of the relative density model (RDM), derived from airborne LiDAR data, for mapping and monitoring understory disturbances. A field-based validation of LiDAR-derived RDM was conducted across 25 sites, totaling 5504.5 hectares within the Jamari National Forest, Rond & ocirc;nia, Brazil. The results indicate that the RDM accurately delineates disturbances caused by logging infrastructure, with over 90% agreement with GNSS field data. However, the model showed the greatest discrepancy for skid trails, which, despite their lower accuracy in modeling, accounted for the largest proportion of the total impacted area among infrastructure. The findings include the mapping of 35.1 km of primary roads, 117.4 km of secondary roads, 595.6 km of skid trails, and 323 log landings, with skid trails comprising the largest proportion of area occupied by logging infrastructure. It is recommended that airborne LiDAR assessments be conducted up to two years post-logging, as impacts become less detectable over time. This study highlights LiDAR data as a reliable alternative to traditional monitoring approaches, with the ability to detect understory impacts more comprehensively for monitoring selective logging in SFM areas of the Amazon, providing a valuable tool for both conservation and climate mitigation efforts.

2025

MT-InSAR and Dam Modeling for the Comprehensive Monitoring of an Earth-Fill Dam: The Case of the Beninar Dam (Almeria, Spain) (vol 15, 2802, 2023)

Authors
Marchamalo-Sacristán, M; Ruiz-Armenteros, AM; Lamas-Fernández, F; González-Rodrigo, B; Martínez-Marín, R; Delgado-Blasco, JM; Bakon, M; Lazecky, M; Perissin, D; Papco, J; Sousa, JJ;

Publication
REMOTE SENSING

Abstract
The authors wish to make the following corrections to this manuscript [...]

2025

Improvement associated with mesh geometry for the decomposition of InSAR results

Authors
Alonso-Diaz, A; Solla, M; Bakon, M; Sousa, J;

Publication
GEO-SPATIAL INFORMATION SCIENCE

Abstract
This paper presents a novel approach to improve the conversion of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) ascending and descending orbit measurements into horizontal and vertical deformation components, explicitly considering SAR product characteristics (acquisition geometry, resolution, and positional accuracy). Conventional decomposition methods use square grids, inadequately addressing directional biases associated with satellite images characteristics, reducing measurement accuracy. It is proposed optimized alternative geometries - rectangle, hexagon, and double inverted isosceles trapezoid (diIT) - derived from theoretical analysis of scatterer influence areas for Sentinel-1 imagery and calibrated data from the European ground motion service (EGMS). Validation was conducted comparing results against global navigation satellite system (GNSS) ground-truth data. Accuracy was quantitatively evaluated using deformation velocity (DV) and average Euclidean distance (ED) metrics. Results demonstrated an average 25% improvement in DV detection over traditional square grids, with only minor trade-offs, such as lower scatterer density and sub-millimetric increases in error for hexagon and diIT geometries.

2025

Assessing the impacts of selective logging on the forest canopy in the Amazon using airborne LiDAR

Authors
Ferreira, L; Bias, E; Sousa, JJ; Matricardi, E; Pádua, L;

Publication
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

Abstract
Monitoring the impacts of selective logging in tropical forests remains challenging due to the reliance on labor intensive field surveys. This study relies on the use of pre- and post-logging airborne LiDAR data to provide a precise and scalable method for quantifying canopy disturbances, carried out within the Sustainable Management Plan for the Jamari National Forest in Rond & ocirc;nia. The analysis of the airborne LiDAR data revealed a significant increase in canopy gaps after logging (F= 63.5,p <0.001 ), with canopy gaps corresponding to an average increase of 3.9 +/- 0.4% relative to the total plot area due to logging activities. The mean canopy gap area per felled tree was 158.29 m(2) ( +/- 35.7). A strong positive correlation was found between canopy gaps that emerged after logging and the logged AGB (18.4 +/- 1.7Mg ha(-1) ). A significant reduction in mean canopy height was also observed, decreasing from 26.26 +/- 0.40 m before logging to 24.62 +/- 0.33 m after logging (F= 9.86,p= 0.005) . The mean canopy gap area shifted from 40.68 +/- 2.30 m(2) to 77.07 +/- 2.82 m(2). Furthermore, there was an increase of 14.6% in the total number of gaps. The average Gini coefficient was 0.50 +/- 0.02 before logging and 0.64 +/- 0.01 in the post-logging areas and the average total impact on the canopy was 16.6 +/- 1.5% of the selectively logged area. The results obtained using the proposed methodology were consistent with field observations, demonstrating high accuracy of LiDAR-detected impacts when compared with inventory and GNSS data. This high detection rate highlights the sensitivity of LiDAR point cloud data in capturing small structural changes. Compared to pre-logging conditions, the observed alterations demonstrate that LiDAR provides a more precise and scalable approach for quantifying the impact of selective logging on forest structure.

2025

Estimating Biomass in Eucalyptus globulus and Pinus pinaster Forests Using UAV-Based LiDAR in Central and Northern Portugal

Authors
Ferreira, L; Sandim, ASD; Lopes, DA; Sousa, JJ; Lopes, DMM; Silva, MECM; Padua, L;

Publication
LAND

Abstract
Accurate biomass estimation is important for forest management and climate change mitigation. This study evaluates the potential of using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data, acquired through Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), for estimating above-ground and total biomass in Eucalyptus globulus and Pinus pinaster stands in central and northern Portugal. The acquired LiDAR point clouds were processed to extract structural metrics such as canopy height, crown area, canopy density, and volume. A multistep variable selection procedure was applied to reduce collinearity and select the most informative predictors. Multiple linear regression (MLR) models were developed and validated using field inventory data. Random Forest (RF) models were also tested for E. globulus, enabling a comparative evaluation between parametric and machine learning regression models. The results show that the 25th height percentile, canopy cover density at two meters, and height variance demonstrated an accurate biomass estimation for E. globulus, with coefficients of determination (R2) varying between 0.86 for MLR and 0.90 for RF. Although RF demonstrated a similar predictive performance, MLR presented advantages in terms of interpretability and computational efficiency. For P. pinaster, only MLR was applied due to the limited number of field data, yet R2 exceeded 0.80. Although absolute errors were higher for Pinus pinaster due to greater biomass variability, relative performance remained consistent across species. The results demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of UAV LiDAR point cloud data for stand-level biomass estimation, providing simple and effective models for biomass estimation in these two species.

Supervised
thesis

2023

Automatic detection of abandoned vineyards using aerial imagery

Author
Igor Filipe Ribeiro Teixeira

Institution
UTAD

2023

Phase unwrapping using ml methods

Author
Diogo Gabriel da Silva Couto

Institution
UTAD

2021

Hyperspectral data analysis for agriculture applications

Author
Jonás Hruska

Institution
UTAD

2021

Irrigation management in olive groves with support of geomatics

Author
Pedro Miguel Mota Marques

Institution
UTAD

2021

Aerial high-resolution imagery to assess almond orchard conditions

Author
Nathalie dos Santos Guimarães

Institution
UTAD