Geometry Optimization of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Hyperspectral Surveys for Water Quality Retrieval and Satellite Upscaling in Mining Impacted Waters (Pyrite Belt, Spain)

Dataset description:

Monitoring water quality is a critical component of environmental management at mining sites worldwide. This dataset accompanies the manuscript, " Geometry Optimization of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Hyperspectral Surveys for Water Quality Retrieval and Satellite Upscaling in Mining Impacted Waters." It contains UAV-based visible and near-infrared (VNIR) spectra, associated metadata, and laboratory water chemistry data used in the study.

Data collection and equipment:

The dataset features Savitzky–Golay filtered reflectance spectra acquired over mining-impacted waters in the Pyrite Belt in Spain. The spectral data were collected using an Ocean Optics STS-VIS sensor (337–823 nm; 40 × 42 × 24 mm) mounted on a DJI Phantom 3 Advanced platform. Alongside the spectra, detailed metadata is provided, including acquisition geometry (flight direction relative to water flow and solar azimuth) and site identifiers.

For every sampling location, the spectral data are paired with corresponding laboratory measurements of water quality parameters, including total suspended solids (TSS), dissolved iron (diss Fe), and various other comprehensive hydrochemical analytes.

Project context:

Please note that this dataset includes data for only one of the three study areas discussed in the associated manuscript (Pyrite Belt). This specific locality was surveyed as part of the Mineye project (European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovations actions programme under Grant Agreement No. 101138456).

Dataset structure and file overview:

• Dataset_description.docx:

A document providing an overview of the dataset and containing the detailed information presented in this text.

• Localities_of_water_samples_and_spectral_measurement.csv:

A master spreadsheet containing geospatial and descriptive metadata for all sampling locations. It includes longitude, latitude, altitude, and a brief description of the water body type (e.g., stream, pool, lake).

The dataset is organized into one summary file and two main directories:

• In_Situ_Spectrum (Folder):

This directory contains 12 files comprising the spectral data from the Pyrite Belt. The data within these files are organized by:

Filter settings: Processed using three different Savitzky-Golay filter configurations.

Flight direction: Categorized by the drone's flight path relative to the target (upstream, downstream, diagonal, as well as a combined/aggregated mean dataset).

• Lab_Analysis (Folder):

This directory contains the results of the comprehensive laboratory water chemistry analyses for all sampled geographic points in Pyrite Belt in Spain.