PARENT SESSION
Poster Session #18: Remote Sensing and GIS.
Tuesday, August 7, 2001. Presentation from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM. Exhibition Hall
90
Adapting remote sensing tools for rangeland monitoring.
Cadwell, Larry1, Petrie, Gregg1, Downs, Janelle1, Cullinan, Valerie1, Tagestad, Jerry, 1
ABSTRACT- Effective rangeland monitoring in the western U.S. is challenging because land areas are huge (the BLM alone manages 264,000,000 acres), environmental conditions are subject to rapid and continuous change, there are multiple land uses and stakeholders interests, and financial resources to conduct monitoring are limited. To increase both the efficiency and effectiveness of rangeland monitoring, we developed a monitoring strategy that combines the broad area coverage and low unit costs available through remote sensing with data fusion methods that invoke both statistical and GIS-based analytical tools. We chose a field site near Grand Junction, Colorado and Boise Idaho to demonstrate the methods. Our first step was to use GIS-based data to stratify the landscape into relatively homogenous zones and then use Landsat imagery to characterize the landscape. By customizing the use of Landsat imagery based on distinct zones, we found that we can better exploit information contained in an image to characterize the proportions of vegetation and bare ground. The second step identified and ranked anomalous areas (areas that deviate from expected spatial characteristics) across the landscape. Both spectral and temporal image data can be incorporated in these analyses. Once anomalous areas are located and mapped, resource managers can selectively apply more expensive methods (higher resolution imagery or field personnel) to characterize areas of management concern.
KEY WORDS: remote sensing, GIS, rangeland monitoring