NASA is now scanning the Great Barrier Reef to monitor its health. The agency is using precision technology to build a complete image of the reef's structure and ecosystem.

In October, a Gulfstream IV jet would capture imagery from six sections of the reef via an onboard sensor. The images will be collected spanning from Torres Strait to Heron Island.

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According to lead scientist Eric Hochberg from the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, this special plane will serve as an observatory known as the Coral Reef Airborne Laboratory. He says that unlike smartphones and SLR cameras today that capture images in three colors, this state of the art camera that would be used for the project can take up to 250 colors spanning from ultraviolet to infrared.

Hochberg explains that this intensive data collecting will reveal the current atmosphere of the reef, the water's depths, as well as marine plants and animals dwelling at the bottom.

Scientists believe that this bird's eye view can reveal much more about reef ecosystems and its intricate inner workings. The aerial view from 28,000 feet would reveal the entirety of the reef in one picture.

Apart from NASA, CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) and the University of Queensland are also working together to study the Australian part of the reef.

Apart from Australian reefs, reef systems in Hawaii and Palau will also be scanned and studied by NASA's CORAL mission.