> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://vecihi.gitbook.io/vecihi/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://vecihi.gitbook.io/vecihi/environmental-monitoring.md).

# Environmental Monitoring

What is environmental monitoring? What are the tasks of environmental monitoring?

Environmental monitoring as described in European Commission's Environmental monitoring (2018) article, persistent systematic studies in which the environmental conditions are unveiled with the purpose of appraising the progress made to accomplish given environmental targets, also to facilitate the detection of new environmental circumstances. Results of environmental monitoring effects outlines of environmental policies. 

Environmental monitoring is being used to determine possible harm caused by human to environment. Responsible foundations and governments try to monitor and manage natural resources, track species at risk, and save protected areas. Environmental monitoring tasks depends high level observation ability. Furthermore, observer should be able to observe specified environment periodically or continuously. Depending to target of observations, observer needs to track several data sources. Due to big size of fields monitoring tasks takes long time. Monitoring tasks often depends access to uncivilized areas. Apart from these challenging conditions, quality of gathered data and certainty of complete coverage is key to characterize the environment. Because of compelling conditions of environmental monitoring, it is difficult to maintain these processes in perspective of workforce and cost. Because of high intention of organizations to reduce human workforce and costs, as in many modern applications such as unmanned vehicles and personal assistants, demand for capability of higher level of autonomy is increasing. In this manner, autonomous systems are a good candidate for environmental monitoring to reduce cost and expedite the monitoring process and be used in conditions where a manned investigation is not possible.\
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To solve autonomous environmental monitoring problem, designed system should be able to manage certain tasks such as coverage and object detection. Between tasks there should be a robust decision making mechanism to protect drone and accomplish a successful mission. We suggest to divide monitoring task to cognition and vision layers to distinct autonomy of drone and object detection. 

![Designed autonomous system structure](https://3396257085-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-LMlCY4qwSfU-4YHwSLY%2F-LMlKgWJTV0tRKRuBUSI%2F-LMlfE3thh14DFK1PgLA%2FMindmap%201.png?alt=media\&token=a05543a7-1213-406b-98b0-36df1492f18b)

Vision layer is responsible to detect and identify targets. It detect objects and estimates target possibility. In further, it tries to identify possible target.

Cognition layer is responsible to create an efficient path for total coverage of monitored field, to make decision to switch between tasks, and to protect drone from possible harm.