PT03 Landscape-Scale Ecological Risk Assessment
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Tuesday, 11 November 2003
(PT046) Industry Applications of Remote Sensing for Environmental Management.
Korenaga, G1, Smart, D1, Samuels, P1, Hall, L1, Jackson, L1, Ainodion, J1, Evans, M1, Hanrahan, F1, Ellis, J2, Davis, H3, 1 ChevronTexaco, Richmond, CA, USA2 Ellis Geospatial, Walnut Creek, CA, USA3 Artistic Earth, San Ramon, CA, USA
ABSTRACT- Environmental applications of remote sensing are evolving rapidly and in tandem with sensor development and increasing data availability. Much of the current work with remote sensing for biological uses focuses on agriculture or forest management. The petroleum industry has long used remote sensing for oil exploration, but the recent availability of higher resolution multispectral and hyperspectral data provides a new tool for environmental management. This work specifically deals with vegetation-related environmental applications of hyperspectral data to site and lease management. ChevronTexaco is using both satellite and airborne sensors to collect new data on company assets. Enhanced imagery and derived maps are loaded into GIS to facilitate analysis, integration with other databases, and decision-making by technical staff and managers. Current field applications will be discussed, including improved land cover mapping, mapping coastal vegetation to avoid operational impacts, identification of sites suitable for mangrove restoration projects, mapping non-native species as an indicator of low-value habitat in order to prioritize mitigation efforts, and development of an environmental baseline prior to property relinquishment.
Key words: sensing, remote, environmental, management