GEOTHERMAL MONITORING USING REMOTELY SENSED DATA AND CLOUD COMPUTING

Abstract

Geothermal features have great social and economic values, which may be impacted by the development of geothermal energy. This report provides a summary of recent environmental monitoring activities undertaken by the Waikato Regional Council utilising modern methods. Activities include mapping large areas using drones and crewed aircraft, equipped with a variety of sensors including thermal infrared, visible and near-infrared. The resulting imagery was processed using desktop and powerful cloud-based virtual machines, providing high-resolution 3D models and aerial orthophotos for areas in the TVZ (Waikite, Wairakei, Tauhara, Reporoa and Waiotapu) and northern Waikato (Gravesons Rd). Visualisation of 3D models has benefited from recent advances in immersive virtual reality (VR) technology. Ground-based surveying has utilised detailed soil CO2 flux measurements in combination with traditional temperature probe methods on areas of steaming ground at Wairakei, Tauhara and Reporoa. These methods have provided localised estimates of heat and CO2 flow of interest to ongoing monitoring, while addressing broader questions on the characteristics of the underlying geothermal systems.