Using a Mobile App and Remote Sensing to Map, Monitor and Control Invasive Plants

Managers at the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma (MCASY) used a web-based weather-monitoring network and a cloud-based mapping app to help detect, map, monitor, and treat invasive Sahara mustard (Brassica tournefortii) and buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare) at the Barry M. Goldwater Range-West (BMGR-W) of the Sonoran Desert in southwestern Arizona. The weather-monitoring network tracks rainfall patterns across landscapes and identify areas where the subsequent germination and growth of non-native plants are likely. The mapping app uploaded photos, audio, or notes onto a GIS cloud website accessible to all partners to inform the invasive species management. Control treatments including manual removal and herbicide were subsequently implemented.