Sample records for area index mapping
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Rosacea assessment by erythema index and principal component analysis segmentation maps
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kuzmina, Ilona; Rubins, Uldis; Saknite, Inga; Spigulis, Janis
2017-12-01
RGB images of rosacea were analyzed using segmentation maps of principal component analysis (PCA) and erythema index (EI). Areas of segmented clusters were compared to Clinician's Erythema Assessment (CEA) values given by two dermatologists. The results show that visible blood vessels are segmented more precisely on maps of the erythema index and the third principal component (PC3). In many cases, a distribution of clusters on EI and PC3 maps are very similar. Mean values of clusters' areas on these maps show a decrease of the area of blood vessels and erythema and an increase of lighter skin area after the therapy for the patients with diagnosis CEA = 2 on the first visit and CEA=1 on the second visit. This study shows that EI and PC3 maps are more useful than the maps of the first (PC1) and second (PC2) principal components for indicating vascular structures and erythema on the skin of rosacea patients and therapy monitoring.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Setyowati, H. A.; S, S. H. Murti B.; Sukentyas, E. S.
2016-11-01
The reflection of land surface, atmosphere and vegetation conditions affect the reflectance value of the object is recorded on remote sensing image so that it can affect the outcome of information extraction from remote sensing imagery one multispectral classification. This study aims to assess the ability of the transformation of generic vegetation index (Wide Dynamic Range Vegetation Index), the vegetation index transformation that is capable reducing the influence of the atmosphere (Atmospherically Resistant Vegetation Index), and the transformation of vegetation index that is capable of reducing the influence of the background soil (Second Modified Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index) for the identification and mapping of land use in the oil palm plantation area based on SPOT-6 archived on June 13, 2013 from LAPAN. The study area selected oil palm plantations PT. Tunggal Perkasa Plantations, Air Molek, Indragiri Hulu, Riau Province. The method is using the transformation of the vegetation index ARVI, MSAVI2, and WDRVI. Sample selection method used was stratified random sampling. The test method used mapping accuracy of the confusion matrix. The results showed that the best transformation of the vegetation index for the identification and mapping of land use in the plantation area is ARVI transformation with a total of accuracy is 96%. Accuracy of mapping land use settlements 100%, replanting 82.35%, 81.25% young oil palm, old oil palm 99.46%, 100% bush, body of water 100%, and 100% bare-soil.
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A temperature and vegetation adjusted NTL urban index for urban area mapping and analysis
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhang, Xiya; Li, Peijun
2018-01-01
Accurate and timely information regarding the extent and spatial distribution of urban areas on regional and global scales is crucially important for both scientific and policy-making communities. Stable nighttime light (NTL) data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Operational Linescan System (OLS) provides a unique proxy of human settlement and activity, which has been used in the mapping and analysis of urban areas and urbanization dynamics. However, blooming and saturation effects of DMSP/OLS NTL data are two unresolved problems in regional urban area mapping and analysis. This study proposed a new urban index termed the Temperature and Vegetation Adjusted NTL Urban Index (TVANUI). It is intended to reduce blooming and saturation effects and to enhance urban features by combining DMSP/OLS NTL data with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and land surface temperature (LST) data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer onboard the Terra satellite. The proposed index was evaluated in two study areas by comparison with established urban indices. The results demonstrated the proposed TVANUI was effective in enhancing the variation of DMSP/OLS light in urban areas and in reducing blooming and saturation effects, showing better performance than three established urban indices. The TVANUI also significantly outperformed the established urban indices in urban area mapping using both the global-fixed threshold and the local-optimal threshold methods. Thus, the proposed TVANUI provides a useful variable for urban area mapping and analysis on regional scale, as well as for urbanization dynamics using time-series DMSP/OLS and related satellite data.
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Nadal, Martí; Kumar, Vikas; Schuhmacher, Marta; Domingo, José L
2006-08-01
A risk map of the chemical/petrochemical industrial area of Tarragona (Catalonia, Spain) was designed following a two-stage procedure. The first step was the creation of a ranking system (Hazard Index) for a number of different inorganic and organic pollutants: heavy metals, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by applying self-organizing maps (SOM) to persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity properties of the chemicals. PCBs seemed to be the most hazardous compounds, while the light PAHs showed the minimum values. Subsequently, an Integral Risk Index was developed taking into account the Hazard Index and the concentrations of all pollutants in soil samples collected in the assessed area of Tarragona. Finally, a risk map was elaborated by representing the spatial distribution of the Integral Risk Index with a geographic information system (GIS). The results of the present study seem to indicate that the development of an integral risk map might be useful to help in making-decision processes concerning environmental pollutants.
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Method for the Preparation of Hazard Map in Urban Area Using Soil Depth and Groundwater Level
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kim, Sung-Wook; Choi, Eun-Kyeong; Cho, Jin Woo; Lee, Ju-Hyoung
2017-04-01
The hazard maps for predicting collapse on natural slopes consists of a combination of topographic, hydrological, and geological factors. Topographic factors are extracted from DEM, including aspect, slope, curvature, and topographic index. Hydrological factors, such as distance to drainage, drainage density, stream-power index, and wetness index are most important factors for slope instability. However, most of the urban areas are located on the plains and it is difficult to apply the hazard map using the topography and hydrological factors. In order to evaluate the risk of collapse of flat and low slope areas, soil depth and groundwater level data were collected and used as a factor for interpretation. In addition, the reliability of the hazard map was compared with the disaster history of the study area (Gangnam-gu and Yeouido district). In the disaster map of the disaster prevention agency, the urban area was mostly classified as the stable area and did not reflect the collapse history. Soil depth, drainage conditions and groundwater level obtained from boreholes were added as input data of hazard map, and disaster vulnerability increased at the location where the actual collapse points. In the study area where damage occurred, the moderate and low grades of the vulnerability of previous hazard map were 12% and 88%, respectively. While, the improved map showed 2% high grade, moderate grade 29%, low grade 66% and very low grade 2%. These results were similar to actual damage. Keywords: hazard map, urban area, soil depth, ground water level Acknowledgement This research was supported by a Grant from a Strategic Research Project (Horizontal Drilling and Stabilization Technologies for Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Operation) funded by the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology.
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The validation process for a moderate resolution leaf area index (LAI) product (i.e., MODIS) involves the creation of a high spatial resolution LAI reference map (Lai-RM), which when scaled to the moderate LAI resolution (i.e., >1 km) allows for comparison and analysis with this ...
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A new catalog of planetary maps
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Batson, R. M.; Inge, J. L.
1991-01-01
A single, concise reference to all existing planetary maps, including lunar ones, is being prepared that will allow map users to identify and locate maps of their areas of interest. This will be the first such comprehensive listing of planetary maps. Although the USGS shows index maps on the collar of each map sheet, periodically publishes index maps of Mars, and provides informal listings of the USGS map database, no tabulation exists that identifies all planetary maps, including those published by DMA and other organizations. The catalog will consist of a booklet containing small-scale image maps with superimposed quadrangle boundaries and map data tabulations.
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Hammarstrom, Jane M.; Van Gosen, Bradley S.; Carlson, Robert R.; Kulik, Dolores M.
1998-01-01
In response to requests from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a mineral resource assessment in the Dillon BLM Resource Area in Beaverhead and Madison Counties, southwestern Montana. These agencies use mineral resource data in creating and updating land-use management plans for federal lands for the reasonably foreseeable future. Mineral resources that have not been developed in the past may be developed in the future, based on changing commodity demands and market conditions. Therefore, federal land managers need geologic information on known mineral occurrences as well as on areas that are permissive for the occurrence of undiscovered mineral resources. This map was prepared to provide this type of geologic information for mineral deposits that can be associated with ultramafic rocks. Areas of exposed Precambrian ultramafic rocks are labeled with uppercase letters (A-F). Sources of geologic maps used to compile this map are shown on the smaller index map ("Index to Geologic Mapping"); lowercase letters (a-m) on the index map are keyed to the reference list.
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Harik, G; Alameddine, I; Maroun, R; Rachid, G; Bruschi, D; Astiaso Garcia, D; El-Fadel, M
2017-02-01
In this study, a multi-criteria index was developed to assess anthropogenic stressors along the Mediterranean coastline. The index aimed at geo-locating pollution hotspots for informed decision making related to coastal zone management. The index was integrated in a Geographical Information System based geodatabase implemented at several pilot areas along the Northern (Italy and France), Eastern (Lebanon), and Southern (Tunisia) Mediterranean coastlines. The generated stressor maps were coupled with a biodiversity richness index and an environmental sensitivity index to produce vulnerability maps that can form the basis for prioritizing management and mitigation interventions towards the identification of pollution hotspots and the promotion of sustainable coastal zone management. The results identified significant differences between the two assessment methods, which can bias prioritization in decision making and policy planning depending on stakeholders' interests. The discrepancies emphasize the need for transparency and understanding of the underlying foundations behind vulnerability indices and mapping development. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Mercedes Berterretche; Andrew T. Hudak; Warren B. Cohen; Thomas K. Maiersperger; Stith T. Gower; Jennifer Dungan
2005-01-01
This study compared aspatial and spatial methods of using remote sensing and field data to predict maximum growing season leaf area index (LAI) maps in a boreal forest in Manitoba, Canada. The methods tested were orthogonal regression analysis (reduced major axis, RMA) and two geostatistical techniques: kriging with an external drift (KED) and sequential Gaussian...
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Indexing, screening, coding and cataloging of earth resources aircraft mission data
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1977-01-01
Tasks completed are as follows: (1) preparation of large Area Crop Inventory experiment for data base entry;(2) preparation of Earth Observations Aircraft Flight summary reports for publication; (3) updating of the aircraft mission index coverage map and Ames aircraft flight map; (4) Prepared of Earth Observation Helicopter Flight reports for publication; and (5) indexing of LANDSAT imagery. (6) formulation of phase 3 biowindows 1, 2, 3, and 4 listings by country, footprint, and acqusition dates; (7) preparation of flight summary reports; and (8) preparation of an Alaska state index coverage map.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gad, A.; Lotfy, I.
2008-06-01
Desertification is defined in the first art of the convention to combat desertification as "land degradation in arid, semiarid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from climatic variations and human activities". Its consequence include a set of important processes which are active in arid and semi arid environment, where water is the main limiting factor of land use performance in such ecosystem . Desertification indicators or the groups of associated indicators should be focused on a single process. They should be based on available reliable information sources, including remotely sensed images, topographic data (maps or DEM'S), climate, soils and geological data. The current work aims to map the Environmental Sensitivity Areas (ESA's) to desertification in whole territory of Egypt at a scale of 1:1 000 000. ETM satellite images, geologic and soil maps were used as main sources for calculating the index of Environmental Sensitivity Areas (ESAI) for desertification. The algorism is adopted from MEDALLUS methodology as follows; ESAI = (SQI * CQI * VQI)1/3 Where SQI is the soil quality index, CQI is the climate quality index and VQI is the vegetation quality index. The SQI is based on rating the parent material, slope, soil texture, and soil depth. The VQI is computed on bases of rating three categories (i.e. erosion protection, drought resistance and plant cover). The CQI is based on the aridity index, derived from values of annual rainfall and potential evapotranspiration. Arc-GIS 9 software was used for the computation and sensitivity maps production. The results show that the soil of the Nile Valley are characterized by a moderate SQI, however the those in the interference zone are low soil quality indexed. The dense vegetation of the valley has raised its VQI to be good, however coastal areas are average and interference zones are low. The maps of ESA's for desertification show that 86.1% of Egyptian territory is classified as very sensitive areas, while 4.3% as Moderately sensitive, and 9.6% as sensitive. It can be concluded that implementing the maps of sensitivity to desertification is rather useful in the arid and semi arid areas as they give more likely quantitative trend for frequency of sensitive areas. The integration of different factors contributing to desertification sensitivity may lead to plan a successful combating. The usage of space data and GIS proved to be suitable tools to rely estimation and to fulfill the needed large computational requirements. They are also useful in visualizing the sensitivity situation of different desertification parameters.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Preliminary Image Map of the 2007 Ranch Fire Perimeter, Piru Quadrangle, Ventura County, California
Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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Clark, Perry S.; Scratch, Wendy S.; Bias, Gaylord W.; Stander, Gregory B.; Sexton, Jenne L.; Krawczak, Bridgette J.
2008-01-01
In the fall of 2007, wildfires burned out of control in southern California. The extent of these fires encompassed large geographic areas that included a variety of landscapes from urban to wilderness. The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is currently (2008) developing a quadrangle-based 1:24,000-scale image map product. One of the concepts behind the image map product is to provide an updated map in electronic format to assist with emergency response. This image map is one of 55 preliminary image map quadrangles covering the areas burned by the southern California wildfires. Each map is a layered, geo-registered Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. For more information about the layered geo-registered .pdf, see the readme file (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_Agua_Dulce_of2008-1029_README.txt). To view the areas affected and the quadrangles mapped in this preliminary project, see the map index (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1029/downloads/CA_of2008_1029-1083_index.pdf) provided with this report.
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A LANDSCAPE DEVELOPMENT INTENSITY MAP OF MARYLAND, USA
We present a map of human development intensity for central and eastern Maryland using an index derived from energy systems principles. Brown and Vivas developed a measure of the intensity of human development based on the nonrenewable energy use per unit area as an index to exp...
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Mapping Collective Identity: Territories and Boundaries of Human Terrain
2011-06-10
Line MAP-HT Mapping the Human Terrain NDVI Normalized Difference Vegetation Index NGA National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency xi OBIA Object-Based...The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ( NDVI ) uses the red band to represent the low reflectance from vegetation and the expanded near infrared...spectrum to provide greater delineation of agricultural areas. This layer highlights different fields, crops, and their boundaries. NDVI layers are
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A LANDSCAPE DEVELOPMENT INTENSITY MAP OF MARYLAND, USA - 4/07
We present a map of human development intensity for central and eastern Maryland using an index derived from energy systems principles. Brown and Vivas developed a measure of the intensity of human development based on the nonrenewable energy use per unit area as an index to exp...
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Shankar, Shiva; Agrawal, Deepak Kumar
2016-03-01
Malaria is a serious disease which has repeatedly threatened Andaman, an island territory of India. Uncharted dense vegetation and inaccessibility are the salient features of the area and the major areas are covered by remotely sensed data to identify the malaria vector's natural habitat. The present investigation appraises the role of geospatial technologies in identifying the natural habitat of malarial vectors. The base map was prepared from Survey of India's toposheets, the landuse map was prepared from indices techniques like normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), normalised difference water index (NDWI), modified normalised difference water index (MNDWI), normalised difference pond index (NDPI), and normalized difference turbidity index (NDTI) in conjugation with visual interpretation. The soil moisture content map was reproduced from the soil atlas of Andaman and Nicobar Islands followed by generation of an aspect profile from ASTER-GDEM satellite data. Both the landuse map and aspect profile were validated for accuracy in the field. A weighted overlay analysis of the classes like landuse, soil moisture and aspect profile of the study area resulted in identification of the potential natural habitat map of malaria vector surrounding the areas of Tushnabad, Garacharma, Manglutan, Chouldari, Ferrargunj and Wimberlygunj hamlets. The natural habitat of malaria vector indicated that Tushnabad, Garacharma, Manglutan, Chouldari, Ferrargunj and Wimberlygunj hamlets are within the proximity of 2.5 km from the prime habitat location with more number of malaria positive cases. Also these hamlets are surrounded by dense evergreen forest and the land surface is draped by clay loam and clay soil texture exhibiting high soil moisture content warranting high rates of survival and proliferation of the vector ensuring resurgence of malaria every year. It is thus concluded that application of geospatial technologies plays an important role in identifying the natural habitat of malaria vector.
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Map visualization of groundwater withdrawals at the sub-basin scale
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Goode, Daniel J.
2016-06-01
A simple method is proposed to visualize the magnitude of groundwater withdrawals from wells relative to user-defined water-resource metrics. The map is solely an illustration of the withdrawal magnitudes, spatially centered on wells—it is not capture zones or source areas contributing recharge to wells. Common practice is to scale the size (area) of withdrawal well symbols proportional to pumping rate. Symbols are drawn large enough to be visible, but not so large that they overlap excessively. In contrast to such graphics-based symbol sizes, the proposed method uses a depth-rate index (length per time) to visualize the well withdrawal rates by volumetrically consistent areas, called "footprints". The area of each individual well's footprint is the withdrawal rate divided by the depth-rate index. For example, the groundwater recharge rate could be used as a depth-rate index to show how large withdrawals are relative to that recharge. To account for the interference of nearby wells, composite footprints are computed by iterative nearest-neighbor distribution of excess withdrawals on a computational and display grid having uniform square cells. The map shows circular footprints at individual isolated wells and merged footprint areas where wells' individual footprints overlap. Examples are presented for depth-rate indexes corresponding to recharge, to spatially variable stream baseflow (normalized by basin area), and to the average rate of water-table decline (scaled by specific yield). These depth-rate indexes are water-resource metrics, and the footprints visualize the magnitude of withdrawals relative to these metrics.
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Map visualization of groundwater withdrawals at the sub-basin scale
Goode, Daniel J.
2016-01-01
A simple method is proposed to visualize the magnitude of groundwater withdrawals from wells relative to user-defined water-resource metrics. The map is solely an illustration of the withdrawal magnitudes, spatially centered on wells—it is not capture zones or source areas contributing recharge to wells. Common practice is to scale the size (area) of withdrawal well symbols proportional to pumping rate. Symbols are drawn large enough to be visible, but not so large that they overlap excessively. In contrast to such graphics-based symbol sizes, the proposed method uses a depth-rate index (length per time) to visualize the well withdrawal rates by volumetrically consistent areas, called “footprints”. The area of each individual well’s footprint is the withdrawal rate divided by the depth-rate index. For example, the groundwater recharge rate could be used as a depth-rate index to show how large withdrawals are relative to that recharge. To account for the interference of nearby wells, composite footprints are computed by iterative nearest-neighbor distribution of excess withdrawals on a computational and display grid having uniform square cells. The map shows circular footprints at individual isolated wells and merged footprint areas where wells’ individual footprints overlap. Examples are presented for depth-rate indexes corresponding to recharge, to spatially variable stream baseflow (normalized by basin area), and to the average rate of water-table decline (scaled by specific yield). These depth-rate indexes are water-resource metrics, and the footprints visualize the magnitude of withdrawals relative to these metrics.
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Akgun, Aykut; Kıncal, Cem; Pradhan, Biswajeet
2012-09-01
In this study, landslide risk assessment for Izmir city (west Turkey) was carried out, and the environmental effects of landslides on further urban development were evaluated using geographical information systems and remote sensing techniques. For this purpose, two different data groups, namely conditioning and triggering data, were produced. With the help of conditioning data such as lithology, slope gradient, slope aspect, distance from roads, distance from faults and distance from drainage lines, a landslide susceptibility model was constructed by using logistic regression modelling approach. The accuracy assessment of the susceptibility map was carried out by the area under curvature (AUC) approach, and a 0.810 AUC value was obtained. This value shows that the map obtained is successful. Due to the fact that the study area is located in an active seismic region, earthquake data were considered as primary triggering factor contributing to landslide occurrence. In addition to this, precipitation data were also taken into account as a secondary triggering factor. Considering the susceptibility data and triggering factors, a landslide hazard index was obtained. Furthermore, using the Aster data, a land-cover map was produced with an overall kappa value of 0.94. From this map, settlement areas were extracted, and these extracted data were assessed as elements at risk in the study area. Next, a vulnerability index was created by using these data. Finally, the hazard index and the vulnerability index were combined, and a landslide risk map for Izmir city was obtained. Based on this final risk map, it was observed that especially south and north parts of the Izmir Bay, where urbanization is dense, are threatened to future landsliding. This result can be used for preliminary land use planning by local governmental authorities.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ozdemir, Adnan
2011-07-01
SummaryThe purpose of this study is to produce a groundwater spring potential map of the Sultan Mountains in central Turkey, based on a logistic regression method within a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. Using field surveys, the locations of the springs (440 springs) were determined in the study area. In this study, 17 spring-related factors were used in the analysis: geology, relative permeability, land use/land cover, precipitation, elevation, slope, aspect, total curvature, plan curvature, profile curvature, wetness index, stream power index, sediment transport capacity index, distance to drainage, distance to fault, drainage density, and fault density map. The coefficients of the predictor variables were estimated using binary logistic regression analysis and were used to calculate the groundwater spring potential for the entire study area. The accuracy of the final spring potential map was evaluated based on the observed springs. The accuracy of the model was evaluated by calculating the relative operating characteristics. The area value of the relative operating characteristic curve model was found to be 0.82. These results indicate that the model is a good estimator of the spring potential in the study area. The spring potential map shows that the areas of very low, low, moderate and high groundwater spring potential classes are 105.586 km 2 (28.99%), 74.271 km 2 (19.906%), 101.203 km 2 (27.14%), and 90.05 km 2 (24.671%), respectively. The interpretations of the potential map showed that stream power index, relative permeability of lithologies, geology, elevation, aspect, wetness index, plan curvature, and drainage density play major roles in spring occurrence and distribution in the Sultan Mountains. The logistic regression approach has not yet been used to delineate groundwater potential zones. In this study, the logistic regression method was used to locate potential zones for groundwater springs in the Sultan Mountains. The evolved model was found to be in strong agreement with the available groundwater spring test data. Hence, this method can be used routinely in groundwater exploration under favourable conditions.
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Mapping Air Quality Index of Carbon Monoxide (CO) in Medan City
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Suryati, I.; Khair, H.
2017-03-01
This study aims to map and analyze air quality index of carbon monoxide (CO) in Medan City. This research used 12 (twelve) sampling points around in Medan with an hour duration each point. CO concentration was analyzed using the NDIR CO Analyzer sampling tool. The concentration CO was obtained between 1 ppm - 23 ppm, with an average concentration was 9.5 ppm. This condition is still below the national ambient air quality standard set by Government Regulation of Indonesian Republic Number 41-1999 amounted to 29 ppm. The result of CO concentration measurements was converted into air pollutant standard index, obtained the index value of 58 - 204. Surfer 10 was used to create map of air pollutant standard index for CO. The map illustrates very unhealthy area where located in the Medan Belawan district. The main factors affecting the concentration of CO are from transportation and meteorological factors.
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Groundwater vulnerability and risk mapping using GIS, modeling and a fuzzy logic tool.
Nobre, R C M; Rotunno Filho, O C; Mansur, W J; Nobre, M M M; Cosenza, C A N
2007-12-07
A groundwater vulnerability and risk mapping assessment, based on a source-pathway-receptor approach, is presented for an urban coastal aquifer in northeastern Brazil. A modified version of the DRASTIC methodology was used to map the intrinsic and specific groundwater vulnerability of a 292 km(2) study area. A fuzzy hierarchy methodology was adopted to evaluate the potential contaminant source index, including diffuse and point sources. Numerical modeling was performed for delineation of well capture zones, using MODFLOW and MODPATH. The integration of these elements provided the mechanism to assess groundwater pollution risks and identify areas that must be prioritized in terms of groundwater monitoring and restriction on use. A groundwater quality index based on nitrate and chloride concentrations was calculated, which had a positive correlation with the specific vulnerability index.
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Geomorphodiversity index: Quantifying the diversity of landforms and physical landscape.
Melelli, Laura; Vergari, Francesca; Liucci, Luisa; Del Monte, Maurizio
2017-04-15
The physical landscape is the mosaic resulting from a wide spectrum of environmental components. The landforms define the variety, or diversity, of the geomorphological component: the geomorphodiversity. Landforms are usually represented in thematic maps where the scale and the graphic solutions are widely heterogeneous. Since geomorphological maps are not always easy to obtain and standardize, topography might be used as a proxy to infer the morphological signature. To recognize, evaluate, and in some cases promote the geomorphodiversity of an area, a numerical assessment is preferable. Through the use of quantitative approaches, indexes can be defined which quantitatively characterize the physical landscape in a discretized space consisting of continuous and regular cells. In this approach each cell is labelled with an algebraic value, which increases with the diversity degree. In this paper a quantitative index for geomorphodiversity is estimated stressing the topographic variables derived from Digital Elevation Models in a GIS environment. The resulting index is the sum of the variety of each terrain parameter taken into account. The areas characterized by the highest value of geomorphodiversity index show a good correspondence with well-known situations in the region where not always the geological heritage is properly acknowledged. The areas characterized by the lowest value of geodiversity correspond to the center of some intermountain basins of the region. Being the index strictly related to the topographic variety, this result is quite obvious but not easily predictable since in some flat areas the index is higher. Comparing the results with the geomorphological map of the area performs a validation procedure for the method. A positive correlation is found between the index calculated and the presence/absence of landforms. The paper shows that the index is a useful and simple tool for the identification, analysis and promotion of the geological heritage. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mogaji, K. A.
2017-04-01
Producing a bias-free vulnerability assessment map model is significantly needed for planning a scheme of groundwater quality protection. This study developed a GIS-based AHPDST vulnerability index model for producing groundwater vulnerability model map in the hard rock terrain, Nigeria by exploiting the potentials of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and Dempster-Shafer theory (DST) data mining models. The acquired borehole and geophysical data in the study area were processed to derive five groundwater vulnerability conditioning factors (GVCFs), namely recharge rate, aquifer transmissivity, hydraulic conductivity, transverse resistance and longitudinal conductance. The produced GVCFs' thematic maps were multi-criterially analyzed by employing the mechanisms of AHP and DST models to determine the normalized weight ( W) parameter for the GVCFs and mass function factors (MFFs) parameter for the GVCFs' thematic maps' class boundaries, respectively. Based on the application of the weighted linear average technique, the determined W and MFFs parameters were synthesized to develop groundwater vulnerability potential index (GVPI)-based AHPDST model algorithm. The developed model was applied to establish four GVPI mass/belief function indices. The estimates based on the applied GVPI belief function indices were processed in GIS environment to create prospective groundwater vulnerability potential index maps. The most representative of the resulting vulnerability maps (the GVPIBel map) was considered for producing the groundwater vulnerability potential zones (GVPZ) map for the area. The produced GVPZ map established 48 and 52% of the areal extent to be covered by the lows/moderate and highs vulnerable zones, respectively. The success and the prediction rates of the produced GVPZ map were determined using the relative operating characteristics technique to give 82.3 and 77.7%, respectively. The analyzed results reveal that the developed GVPI-based AHPDST model algorithm is capable of producing efficient groundwater vulnerability potential zones prediction map and characterizing the predicted zones uncertainty via the DST mechanism processes in the area. The produced GVPZ map in this study can be used by decision makers to formulate appropriate groundwater management strategies and the approach may be well opted in other hard rock regions of the world, especially in economically poor nations.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is interested in leaf area index as it pertains to biogenic emissions, atmospheric pollutant deposition, ecological indicators, vegetation phenology, and land cover mapping.
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Heimann, David C.; Kelly, Brian P.; Studley, Seth E.
2015-01-01
Additional information in this report includes maps of simulated stream velocity for an 8.2-mile, two-dimensional modeled reach of the Blue River and a Wetland Restoration Suitability Index (WRSI) generated for the study area that was based on hydrologic, topographic, and land-use digital feature layers. The calculated WRSI for the selected flood-plain area ranged from 1 (least suitable for possible wetland mitigation efforts) to 10 (most suitable for possible wetland mitigation efforts). A WRSI of 5 to 10 is most closely associated with existing riparian wetlands in the study area. The WRSI allows for the identification of lands along the Blue River and selected tributaries that are most suitable for restoration or creation of wetlands. Alternatively, the index can be used to identify and avoid disturbances to areas with the highest potential to support healthy sustainable riparian wetlands.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Huang, Dong; Yang, Wenze; Tan, Bin; Rautiainen, Miina; Zhang, Ping; Hu, Jiannan; Shabanov, Nikolay V.; Linder, Sune; Knyazikhin, Yuri; Myneni, Ranga B.
2006-01-01
The validation of moderate-resolution satellite leaf area index (LAI) products such as those operationally generated from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor data requires reference LAI maps developed from field LAI measurements and fine-resolution satellite data. Errors in field measurements and satellite data determine the accuracy of the reference LAI maps. This paper describes a method by which reference maps of known accuracy can be generated with knowledge of errors in fine-resolution satellite data. The method is demonstrated with data from an international field campaign in a boreal coniferous forest in northern Sweden, and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus images. The reference LAI map thus generated is used to assess modifications to the MODIS LAI/fPAR algorithm recently implemented to derive the next generation of the MODIS LAI/fPAR product for this important biome type.
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Parresol, B. R.; Scott, D. A.; Zarnoch, S. J.; ...
2017-12-15
Spatially explicit mapping of forest productivity is important to assess many forest management alternatives. We assessed the relationship between mapped variables and site index of forests ranging from southern pine plantations to natural hardwoods on a 74,000-ha landscape in South Carolina, USA. Mapped features used in the analysis were soil association, land use condition in 1951, depth to groundwater, slope and aspect. Basal area, species composition, age and height were the tree variables measured. Linear modelling identified that plot basal area, depth to groundwater, soils association and the interactions between depth to groundwater and forest group, and between land usemore » in 1951 and forest group were related to site index (SI) (R 2 =0.37), but this model had regression attenuation. We then used structural equation modeling to incorporate error-in-measurement corrections for basal area and groundwater to remove bias in the model. We validated this model using 89 independent observations and found the 95% confidence intervals for the slope and intercept of an observed vs. predicted site index error-corrected regression included zero and one, respectively, indicating a good fit. With error in measurement incorporated, only basal area, soil association, and the interaction between forest groups and land use were important predictors (R2 =0.57). Thus, we were able to develop an unbiased model of SI that could be applied to create a spatially explicit map based primarily on soils as modified by past (land use and forest type) and recent forest management (basal area).« less
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Parresol, B. R.; Scott, D. A.; Zarnoch, S. J.
Spatially explicit mapping of forest productivity is important to assess many forest management alternatives. We assessed the relationship between mapped variables and site index of forests ranging from southern pine plantations to natural hardwoods on a 74,000-ha landscape in South Carolina, USA. Mapped features used in the analysis were soil association, land use condition in 1951, depth to groundwater, slope and aspect. Basal area, species composition, age and height were the tree variables measured. Linear modelling identified that plot basal area, depth to groundwater, soils association and the interactions between depth to groundwater and forest group, and between land usemore » in 1951 and forest group were related to site index (SI) (R 2 =0.37), but this model had regression attenuation. We then used structural equation modeling to incorporate error-in-measurement corrections for basal area and groundwater to remove bias in the model. We validated this model using 89 independent observations and found the 95% confidence intervals for the slope and intercept of an observed vs. predicted site index error-corrected regression included zero and one, respectively, indicating a good fit. With error in measurement incorporated, only basal area, soil association, and the interaction between forest groups and land use were important predictors (R2 =0.57). Thus, we were able to develop an unbiased model of SI that could be applied to create a spatially explicit map based primarily on soils as modified by past (land use and forest type) and recent forest management (basal area).« less
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del-Moral-Martínez, Ignacio; Rosell-Polo, Joan R.; Company, Joaquim; Sanz, Ricardo; Escolà, Alexandre; Masip, Joan; Martínez-Casasnovas, José A.; Arnó, Jaume
2016-01-01
The leaf area index (LAI) is defined as the one-side leaf area per unit ground area, and is probably the most widely used index to characterize grapevine vigor. However, LAI varies spatially within vineyard plots. Mapping and quantifying this variability is very important for improving management decisions and agricultural practices. In this study, a mobile terrestrial laser scanner (MTLS) was used to map the LAI of a vineyard, and then to examine how different scanning methods (on-the-go or discontinuous systematic sampling) may affect the reliability of the resulting raster maps. The use of the MTLS allows calculating the enveloping vegetative area of the canopy, which is the sum of the leaf wall areas for both sides of the row (excluding gaps) and the projected upper area. Obtaining the enveloping areas requires scanning from both sides one meter length section along the row at each systematic sampling point. By converting the enveloping areas into LAI values, a raster map of the latter can be obtained by spatial interpolation (kriging). However, the user can opt for scanning on-the-go in a continuous way and compute 1-m LAI values along the rows, or instead, perform the scanning at discontinuous systematic sampling within the plot. An analysis of correlation between maps indicated that MTLS can be used discontinuously in specific sampling sections separated by up to 15 m along the rows. This capability significantly reduces the amount of data to be acquired at field level, the data storage capacity and the processing power of computers. PMID:26797618
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del-Moral-Martínez, Ignacio; Rosell-Polo, Joan R; Company, Joaquim; Sanz, Ricardo; Escolà, Alexandre; Masip, Joan; Martínez-Casasnovas, José A; Arnó, Jaume
2016-01-19
The leaf area index (LAI) is defined as the one-side leaf area per unit ground area, and is probably the most widely used index to characterize grapevine vigor. However, LAI varies spatially within vineyard plots. Mapping and quantifying this variability is very important for improving management decisions and agricultural practices. In this study, a mobile terrestrial laser scanner (MTLS) was used to map the LAI of a vineyard, and then to examine how different scanning methods (on-the-go or discontinuous systematic sampling) may affect the reliability of the resulting raster maps. The use of the MTLS allows calculating the enveloping vegetative area of the canopy, which is the sum of the leaf wall areas for both sides of the row (excluding gaps) and the projected upper area. Obtaining the enveloping areas requires scanning from both sides one meter length section along the row at each systematic sampling point. By converting the enveloping areas into LAI values, a raster map of the latter can be obtained by spatial interpolation (kriging). However, the user can opt for scanning on-the-go in a continuous way and compute 1-m LAI values along the rows, or instead, perform the scanning at discontinuous systematic sampling within the plot. An analysis of correlation between maps indicated that MTLS can be used discontinuously in specific sampling sections separated by up to 15 m along the rows. This capability significantly reduces the amount of data to be acquired at field level, the data storage capacity and the processing power of computers.
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Assessment of Three Flood Hazard Mapping Methods: A Case Study of Perlis
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Azizat, Nazirah; Omar, Wan Mohd Sabki Wan
2018-03-01
Flood is a common natural disaster and also affect the all state in Malaysia. Regarding to Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) in 2007, about 29, 270 km2 or 9 percent of region of the country is prone to flooding. Flood can be such devastating catastrophic which can effected to people, economy and environment. Flood hazard mapping can be used is an important part in flood assessment to define those high risk area prone to flooding. The purposes of this study are to prepare a flood hazard mapping in Perlis and to evaluate flood hazard using frequency ratio, statistical index and Poisson method. The six factors affecting the occurrence of flood including elevation, distance from the drainage network, rainfall, soil texture, geology and erosion were created using ArcGIS 10.1 software. Flood location map in this study has been generated based on flooded area in year 2010 from DID. These parameters and flood location map were analysed to prepare flood hazard mapping in representing the probability of flood area. The results of the analysis were verified using flood location data in year 2013, 2014, 2015. The comparison result showed statistical index method is better in prediction of flood area rather than frequency ratio and Poisson method.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Xu, Hanqiu; Huang, Shaolin; Zhang, Tiejun
2013-10-01
Worldwide urbanization has accelerated expansion of urban built-up lands and resulted in substantial negative impacts on the global environments. Precisely measuring the urban sprawl is becoming an increasing need. Among the satellite-based earth observation systems, the Landsat and ASTER data are most suitable for mesoscale measurements of urban changes. Nevertheless, to date the difference in the capability of mapping built-up land between the two sensors is not clear. Therefore, this study compared the performances of the Landsat-7 ETM+ and ASTER sensors for built-up land mapping in the coastal areas of southeastern China. The comparison was implemented on three date-coincident image pairs and achieved by using three approaches, including per-band-based, index-based, and classification-based comparisons. The index used is the Index-based Built-up Index (IBI), while the classification algorithm employed is the Support Vector Machine (SVM). Results show that in the study areas, ETM+ and ASTER have an overall similar performance in built-up land mapping but also differ in several aspects. The IBI values determined from ASTER were consistently higher than from ETM+ by up to 45.54% according to percentage difference. The ASTER also estimates more built-up land area than ETM+ by 5.9-6.3% estimated with the IBI-based approach or 3.9-6.1% with the SVM classification. The differences in the spectral response functions and spatial resolution between relative spectral bands of the two sensors are attributed to these different performances.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zaharia, Liliana; Costache, Romulus; Prăvălie, Remus; Ioana-Toroimac, Gabriela
2017-04-01
Given that floods continue to cause yearly significant worldwide human and material damages, flood risk mitigation is a key issue and a permanent challenge in developing policies and strategies at various spatial scales. Therefore, a basic phase is elaborating hazard and flood risk maps, documents which are an essential support for flood risk management. The aim of this paper is to develop an approach that allows for the identification of flash-flood and flood-prone susceptible areas based on computing and mapping of two indices: FFPI (Flash-Flood Potential Index) and FPI (Flooding Potential Index). These indices are obtained by integrating in a GIS environment several geographical variables which control runoff (in the case of the FFPI) and favour flooding (in the case of the FPI). The methodology was applied in the upper (mountainous) and middle (hilly) catchment of the Prahova River, a densely populated and socioeconomically well-developed area which has been affected repeatedly by water-related hazards over the past decades. The resulting maps showing the spatialization of the FFPI and FPI allow for the identification of areas with high susceptibility to flashfloods and flooding. This approach can provide useful mapped information, especially for areas (generally large) where there are no flood/hazard risk maps. Moreover, the FFPI and FPI maps can constitute a preliminary step for flood risk and vulnerability assessment.
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Bou Kheir, Rania; Greve, Mogens H; Bøcher, Peder K; Greve, Mette B; Larsen, René; McCloy, Keith
2010-05-01
Soil organic carbon (SOC) is one of the most important carbon stocks globally and has large potential to affect global climate. Distribution patterns of SOC in Denmark constitute a nation-wide baseline for studies on soil carbon changes (with respect to Kyoto protocol). This paper predicts and maps the geographic distribution of SOC across Denmark using remote sensing (RS), geographic information systems (GISs) and decision-tree modeling (un-pruned and pruned classification trees). Seventeen parameters, i.e. parent material, soil type, landscape type, elevation, slope gradient, slope aspect, mean curvature, plan curvature, profile curvature, flow accumulation, specific catchment area, tangent slope, tangent curvature, steady-state wetness index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Wetness Index (NDWI) and Soil Color Index (SCI) were generated to statistically explain SOC field measurements in the area of interest (Denmark). A large number of tree-based classification models (588) were developed using (i) all of the parameters, (ii) all Digital Elevation Model (DEM) parameters only, (iii) the primary DEM parameters only, (iv), the remote sensing (RS) indices only, (v) selected pairs of parameters, (vi) soil type, parent material and landscape type only, and (vii) the parameters having a high impact on SOC distribution in built pruned trees. The best constructed classification tree models (in the number of three) with the lowest misclassification error (ME) and the lowest number of nodes (N) as well are: (i) the tree (T1) combining all of the parameters (ME=29.5%; N=54); (ii) the tree (T2) based on the parent material, soil type and landscape type (ME=31.5%; N=14); and (iii) the tree (T3) constructed using parent material, soil type, landscape type, elevation, tangent slope and SCI (ME=30%; N=39). The produced SOC maps at 1:50,000 cartographic scale using these trees are highly matching with coincidence values equal to 90.5% (Map T1/Map T2), 95% (Map T1/Map T3) and 91% (Map T2/Map T3). The overall accuracies of these maps once compared with field observations were estimated to be 69.54% (Map T1), 68.87% (Map T2) and 69.41% (Map T3). The proposed tree models are relatively simple, and may be also applied to other areas. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Al-Nahmi, F.; Saddiqi, O.; Hilali, A.; Rhinane, H.; Baidder, L.; El arabi, H.; Khanbari, K.
2017-11-01
Remote sensing technology plays an important role today in the geological survey, mapping, analysis and interpretation, which provides a unique opportunity to investigate the geological characteristics of the remote areas of the earth's surface without the need to gain access to an area on the ground. The aim of this study is achievement a geological map of the study area. The data utilizes is Sentinel-2 imagery, the processes used in this study, the OIF Optimum Index Factor is a statistic value that can be used to select the optimum combination of three bands in a satellite image. It's based on the total variance within bands and correlation coefficient between bands, ICA Independent component analysis (3, 4, 6) is a statistical and computational technique for revealing hidden factors that underlie sets of random variables, measurements, or signals, MNF Minimum Noise Fraction (1, 2, 3) is used to determine the inherent dimensionality of image data to segregate noise in the data and to reduce the computational requirements for subsequent processing, Optimum Index Factor is a good method for choosing the best band for lithological mapping. ICA, MNF, also a practical way to extract the structural geology maps. The results in this paper indicate that, the studied area can be divided into four main geological units: Basement rocks (Meta volcanic, Meta sediments), Sedimentary rocks, Intrusive rocks, volcanic rocks. The method used in this study offers great potential for lithological mapping, by using Sentinel-2 imagery, the results were compared with existing geologic maps and were superior and could be used to update the existing maps.
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Krstic, Nikolas; Yuchi, Weiran; Ho, Hung Chak; Walker, Blake B; Knudby, Anders J; Henderson, Sarah B
2017-12-01
Mortality attributable to extreme hot weather is a growing concern in many urban environments, and spatial heat vulnerability indexes are often used to identify areas at relatively higher and lower risk. Three indexes were developed for greater Vancouver, Canada using a pool of 20 potentially predictive variables categorized to reflect social vulnerability, population density, temperature exposure, and urban form. One variable was chosen from each category: an existing deprivation index, senior population density, apparent temperature, and road density, respectively. The three indexes were constructed from these variables using (1) unweighted, (2) weighted, and (3) data-driven Heat Exposure Integrated Deprivation Index (HEIDI) approaches. The performance of each index was assessed using mortality data from 1998-2014, and the maps were compared with respect to spatial patterns identified. The population-weighted spatial correlation between the three indexes ranged from 0.68-0.89. The HEIDI approach produced a graduated map of vulnerability, whereas the other approaches primarily identified areas of highest risk. All indexes performed best under extreme temperatures, but HEIDI was more useful at lower thresholds. Each of the indexes in isolation provides valuable information for public health protection, but combining the HEIDI approach with unweighted and weighted methods provides richer information about areas most vulnerable to heat. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pasqualotto, Nieves; Delegido, Jesús; Van Wittenberghe, Shari; Verrelst, Jochem; Rivera, Juan Pablo; Moreno, José
2018-05-01
Crop canopy water content (CWC) is an essential indicator of the crop's physiological state. While a diverse range of vegetation indices have earlier been developed for the remote estimation of CWC, most of them are defined for specific crop types and areas, making them less universally applicable. We propose two new water content indices applicable to a wide variety of crop types, allowing to derive CWC maps at a large spatial scale. These indices were developed based on PROSAIL simulations and then optimized with an experimental dataset (SPARC03; Barrax, Spain). This dataset consists of water content and other biophysical variables for five common crop types (lucerne, corn, potato, sugar beet and onion) and corresponding top-of-canopy (TOC) reflectance spectra acquired by the hyperspectral HyMap airborne sensor. First, commonly used water content index formulations were analysed and validated for the variety of crops, overall resulting in a R2 lower than 0.6. In an attempt to move towards more generically applicable indices, the two new CWC indices exploit the principal water absorption features in the near-infrared by using multiple bands sensitive to water content. We propose the Water Absorption Area Index (WAAI) as the difference between the area under the null water content of TOC reflectance (reference line) simulated with PROSAIL and the area under measured TOC reflectance between 911 and 1271 nm. We also propose the Depth Water Index (DWI), a simplified four-band index based on the spectral depths produced by the water absorption at 970 and 1200 nm and two reference bands. Both the WAAI and DWI outperform established indices in predicting CWC when applied to heterogeneous croplands, with a R2 of 0.8 and 0.7, respectively, using an exponential fit. However, these indices did not perform well for species with a low fractional vegetation cover (<30%). HyMap CWC maps calculated with both indices are shown for the Barrax region. The results confirmed the potential of using generically applicable indices for calculating CWC over a great variety of crops.
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Fast mapping algorithm of lighting spectrum and GPS coordinates for a large area
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lin, Chih-Wei; Hsu, Ke-Fang; Hwang, Jung-Min
2016-09-01
In this study, we propose a fast rebuild technology for evaluating light quality in large areas. Outdoor light quality, which is measured by illuminance uniformity and the color rendering index, is difficult to conform after improvement. We develop an algorithm for a lighting quality mapping system and coordinates using a micro spectrometer and GPS tracker integrated with a quadcopter or unmanned aerial vehicle. After cruising at a constant altitude, lighting quality data is transmitted and immediately mapped to evaluate the light quality in a large area.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hafizt, M.; Manessa, M. D. M.; Adi, N. S.; Prayudha, B.
2017-12-01
Benthic habitat mapping using satellite data is one challenging task for practitioners and academician as benthic objects are covered by light-attenuating water column obscuring object discrimination. One common method to reduce this water-column effect is by using depth-invariant index (DII) image. However, the application of the correction in shallow coastal areas is challenging as a dark object such as seagrass could have a very low pixel value, preventing its reliable identification and classification. This limitation can be solved by specifically applying a classification process to areas with different water depth levels. The water depth level can be extracted from satellite imagery using Relative Water Depth Index (RWDI). This study proposed a new approach to improve the mapping accuracy, particularly for benthic dark objects by combining the DII of Lyzenga’s water column correction method and the RWDI of Stumpt’s method. This research was conducted in Lintea Island which has a high variation of benthic cover using Sentinel-2A imagery. To assess the effectiveness of the proposed new approach for benthic habitat mapping two different classification procedures are implemented. The first procedure is the commonly applied method in benthic habitat mapping where DII image is used as input data to all coastal area for image classification process regardless of depth variation. The second procedure is the proposed new approach where its initial step begins with the separation of the study area into shallow and deep waters using the RWDI image. Shallow area was then classified using the sunglint-corrected image as input data and the deep area was classified using DII image as input data. The final classification maps of those two areas were merged as a single benthic habitat map. A confusion matrix was then applied to evaluate the mapping accuracy of the final map. The result shows that the new proposed mapping approach can be used to map all benthic objects in all depth ranges and shows a better accuracy compared to that of classification map produced using only with DII.
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Erosion Resistance Index (ERI) to Assess Surface Stability in Desert Environments
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Hamada, Yuki; Grippo, Mark A.
2015-11-01
A new spectral index—erosion resistance index (ERI)—was developed to assess erosion risks in desert landscapes. The index was developed by applying trigonometry to the combination of the green/red band-ratio and the red/near infrared band-ratio from very high spatial resolution imagery. The resultant ERI maps showed spatially cohesive distributions of high and low index values across the study areas. High index values were observed over areas that were resistant to erosion (such as desert pavement and dense vegetation), while low index values overlapped with areas likely dominated by loose sandy soils, such as stream beds and access roads. Although further investigationmore » is warranted, this new index, ERI, shows promise for the assessment of erosion risks in desert regions.« less
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Regional Disparities in Online Map User Access Volume and Determining Factors
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Li, R.; Yang, N.; Li, R.; Huang, W.; Wu, H.
2017-09-01
The regional disparities of online map user access volume (use `user access volume' in this paper to indicate briefly) is a topic of growing interest with the increment of popularity in public users, which helps to target the construction of geographic information services for different areas. At first place we statistically analysed the online map user access logs and quantified these regional access disparities on different scales. The results show that the volume of user access is decreasing from east to the west in China as a whole, while East China produces the most access volume; these cities are also the crucial economic and transport centres. Then Principal Component Regression (PCR) is applied to explore the regional disparities of user access volume. A determining model for Online Map access volume is proposed afterwards, which indicates that area scale is the primary determining factor for regional disparities, followed by public transport development level and public service development level. Other factors like user quality index and financial index have very limited influence on the user access volume. According to the study of regional disparities in user access volume, map providers can reasonably dispatch and allocate the data resources and service resources in each area and improve the operational efficiency of the Online Map server cluster.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wardlow, Brian Douglas
The objectives of this research were to: (1) investigate time-series MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) 250-meter EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index) and NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) data for regional-scale crop-related land use/land cover characterization in the U.S. Central Great Plains and (2) develop and test a MODIS-based crop mapping protocol. A pixel-level analysis of the time-series MODIS 250-m VIs for 2,000+ field sites across Kansas found that unique spectral-temporal signatures were detected for the region's major crop types, consistent with the crops' phenology. Intra-class variations were detected in VI data associated with different land use practices, climatic conditions, and planting dates for the crops. The VIs depicted similar seasonal variations and were highly correlated. A pilot study in southwest Kansas found that accurate and detailed cropping patterns could be mapped using the MODIS 250-m VI data. Overall and class-specific accuracies were generally greater than 90% for mapping crop/non-crop, general crops (alfalfa, summer crops, winter wheat, and fallow), summer crops (corn, sorghum, and soybeans), and irrigated/non-irrigated crops using either VI dataset. The classified crop areas also had a high level of agreement (<5% difference) with the USDA reported crop areas. Both VIs produced comparable crop maps with only a 1-2% difference between their classification accuracies and a high level of pixel-level agreement (>90%) between their classified crop patterns. This hierarchical crop mapping protocol was tested for Kansas and produced similar classification results over a larger and more diverse area. Overall and class-specific accuracies were typically between 85% and 95% for the crop maps. At the state level, the maps had a high level of areal agreement (<5% difference) with the USDA crop area figures and their classified patterns were consistent with the state's cropping practices. In general, the protocol's performance was relatively consistent across the state's range of environmental conditions, landscape patterns, and cropping practices. The largest areal differences occurred in eastern Kansas due to the omission of many small cropland areas that were not resolvable at MODIS' 250-m resolution. Notable regional deviations in classified areas also occurred for selected classes due to localized precipitation patterns and specific cropping practices.
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Forest fire risk zonation mapping using remote sensing technology
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chandra, Sunil; Arora, M. K.
2006-12-01
Forest fires cause major losses to forest cover and disturb the ecological balance in our region. Rise in temperature during summer season causing increased dryness, increased activity of human beings in the forest areas, and the type of forest cover in the Garhwal Himalayas are some of the reasons that lead to forest fires. Therefore, generation of forest fire risk maps becomes necessary so that preventive measures can be taken at appropriate time. These risk maps shall indicate the zonation of the areas which are in very high, high, medium and low risk zones with regard to forest fire in the region. In this paper, an attempt has been made to generate the forest fire risk maps based on remote sensing data and other geographical variables responsible for the occurrence of fire. These include altitude, temperature and soil variations. Key thematic data layers pertaining to these variables have been generated using various techniques. A rule-based approach has been used and implemented in GIS environment to estimate fuel load and fuel index leading to the derivation of fire risk zonation index and subsequently to fire risk zonation maps. The fire risk maps thus generated have been validated on the ground for forest types as well as for forest fire risk areas. These maps would help the state forest departments in prioritizing their strategy for combating forest fires particularly during the fire seasons.
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Finding the proper methodology for geodiversity assessment: a recent approach in Brazil and Portugal
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pereira, D.; Santos, L.; Silva, J.; Pereira, P.; Brilha, J.; França, J.; Rodrigues, C.
2012-04-01
Quantification of geodiversity is a quite new topic. A first set of assessment methodologies was developed during the last years, although with no fully satisfactory results. This is mainly because the whole concept of geodiversity does not tend to be considered, but also because the results are difficult to apply practically. Several major key-points remain unsolved, including the criteria to be used, the scale-factor to be dealt with, the influence of the size of the area under analysis in the type of criteria and indicators, and the graphic presentation of the results. A methodology for the quantitative assessment of geodiversity was defined and tested at various scales. It was applied to the Xingu River Basin, Amazon, Brazil (about 510,000 km2), Paraná state, Brazil (about 200,000 km2), and Portugal mainland (about 89,000 km2). This method is intended to assess all geodiversity components and to avoid overrating any particular component, such as lithology or relief, a common weakness of other methods. The method is based on the overlay of a grid over different maps at scales that range according to the areas under analysis, with the final Geodiversity Index being the sum of five partial indexes calculated on the grid. The partial indexes represent the main components of geodiversity, namely geology (stratigraphy and lithology), geomorphology, palaeontology and soils. Another partial index covers singular occurrences of geodiversity, such precious stones and metals, energy and industrial minerals, mineral waters and springs. Partial indexes were calculated using GIS software by counting all the occurrences present in the selected maps for each grid square. The Geodiversity Index can take the form of a GIS automatically generated isoline map, allowing an easy interpretation by those without or with little geological background. The map can be used as a tool in land-use planning, particularly in identifying priority areas for conservation, management and use of natural resources.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bhatt, Jay P.; Manish, Kumar; Mehta, Rajender; Pandit, Maharaj K.
2016-05-01
Conservation efforts globally are skewed toward terrestrial ecosystems. To date, conservation of aquatic ecosystems, in particular fish fauna, is largely neglected. We provide a country-wide assessment of Indian river ecosystems in order to identify and prioritize areas for protection and restoration of freshwater fish fauna. Using various biodiversity and anthropogenic attributes, coupled with tools of ecological modeling, we delineated areas for fish fauna conservation and restoration in the 20 major river basins of India. To do this, we used prioritization analyses and reserve selection algorithms to derive conservation value index (CVI) and vulnerability index (VI) of the river basins. CVI was estimated using endemicity, rarity, conservation value, and taxonomic singularity, while VI was estimated using a disturbance index derived from percent geographic area of the basin under human settlements, human population density, predominant land use, and total number of exotic fish species in each basin. The two indices, CVI and VI, were converted into geo-referenced maps, and each map was super-imposed onto species richness and forest cover maps, respectively. After superimposition, areas with high CVI and low VI shade intensities were delineated for conservation, while areas with high CVI and high VI shade intensities were demarcated for restoration. In view of the importance of freshwater fish for human livelihoods and consumption, and ecosystems of India's rivers, we call for urgent attention to the conservation of their fish fauna along with restoration of their degraded habitats.
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Bhatt, Jay P; Manish, Kumar; Mehta, Rajender; Pandit, Maharaj K
2016-05-01
Conservation efforts globally are skewed toward terrestrial ecosystems. To date, conservation of aquatic ecosystems, in particular fish fauna, is largely neglected. We provide a country-wide assessment of Indian river ecosystems in order to identify and prioritize areas for protection and restoration of freshwater fish fauna. Using various biodiversity and anthropogenic attributes, coupled with tools of ecological modeling, we delineated areas for fish fauna conservation and restoration in the 20 major river basins of India. To do this, we used prioritization analyses and reserve selection algorithms to derive conservation value index (CVI) and vulnerability index (VI) of the river basins. CVI was estimated using endemicity, rarity, conservation value, and taxonomic singularity, while VI was estimated using a disturbance index derived from percent geographic area of the basin under human settlements, human population density, predominant land use, and total number of exotic fish species in each basin. The two indices, CVI and VI, were converted into geo-referenced maps, and each map was super-imposed onto species richness and forest cover maps, respectively. After superimposition, areas with high CVI and low VI shade intensities were delineated for conservation, while areas with high CVI and high VI shade intensities were demarcated for restoration. In view of the importance of freshwater fish for human livelihoods and consumption, and ecosystems of India's rivers, we call for urgent attention to the conservation of their fish fauna along with restoration of their degraded habitats.
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Risk analysis of landslide disaster in Ponorogo, East Java, Indonesia
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Koesuma, S.; Saido, A. P.; Fukuda, Y.
2016-11-01
Ponorogo is one of regency in South-West of East Java Province, Indonesia, where located in subduction zone between Eurasia and Australia plate tectonics. It has a lot of mountain area which is disaster-prone area for landslide. We have collected landslide data in 305 villages in Ponorogo and make it to be Hazards Index. Then we also calculate Vulnerability Index, Economic Loss index, Environmental Damage Index and Capacity Index. The risk analysis map is composed of three components H (Hazards), V (Vulnerability, Economic Loss index, Environmental Damage Index) and C (Capacity Index). The method is based on regulations of National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB) number 02/2012 and number 03/2012. It has three classes of risk index, i.e. Low, Medium and High. Ponorogo city has a medium landslide risk index.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhang, X.; Wu, B.; Zhang, M.; Zeng, H.
2017-12-01
Rice is one of the main staple foods in East Asia and Southeast Asia, which has occupied more than half of the world's population with 11% of cultivated land. Study on rice can provide direct or indirect information on food security and water source management. Remote sensing has proven to be the most effective method to monitoring the cropland in large scale by using temporary and spectral information. There are two main kinds of satellite have been used to mapping rice including microwave and optical. Rice, as the main crop of paddy fields, the main feature different from other crops is flooding phenomenon at planning stage (Figure 1). Microwave satellites can penetrate through clouds and efficiency on monitoring flooding phenomenon. Meanwhile, the vegetation index based on optical satellite can well distinguish rice from other vegetation. Google Earth Engine is a cloud-based platform that makes it easy to access high-performance computing resources for processing very large geospatial datasets. Google has collected large number of remote sensing satellite data around the world, which providing researchers with the possibility of doing application by using multi-source remote sensing data in a large area. In this work, we map rice planting area in south China through integration of Landsat-8 OLI, Sentienl-2, and Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images. The flowchart is shown in figure 2. First, a threshold method the VH polarized backscatter from SAR sensor and vegetation index including normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI) from optical sensor were used the classify the rice extent map. The forest and water surface extent map provided by earth engine were used to mask forest and water. To overcome the problem of the "salt and pepper effect" by Pixel-based classification when the spatial resolution increased, we segment the optical image and use the pixel- based classification results to merge the object-oriented segmentation data, and finally get the rice extent map. At last, by using the time series analysis, the peak count was obtained for each rice area to ensure the crop intensity. In this work, the rice ground point from a GVG crowdsourcing smartphone and rice area statistical results from National Bureau of Statistics were used to validate and evaluate our result.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bellón, Beatriz; Bégué, Agnès; Lo Seen, Danny; Lebourgeois, Valentine; Evangelista, Balbino Antônio; Simões, Margareth; Demonte Ferraz, Rodrigo Peçanha
2018-06-01
Cropping systems' maps at fine scale over large areas provide key information for further agricultural production and environmental impact assessments, and thus represent a valuable tool for effective land-use planning. There is, therefore, a growing interest in mapping cropping systems in an operational manner over large areas, and remote sensing approaches based on vegetation index time series analysis have proven to be an efficient tool. However, supervised pixel-based approaches are commonly adopted, requiring resource consuming field campaigns to gather training data. In this paper, we present a new object-based unsupervised classification approach tested on an annual MODIS 16-day composite Normalized Difference Vegetation Index time series and a Landsat 8 mosaic of the State of Tocantins, Brazil, for the 2014-2015 growing season. Two variants of the approach are compared: an hyperclustering approach, and a landscape-clustering approach involving a previous stratification of the study area into landscape units on which the clustering is then performed. The main cropping systems of Tocantins, characterized by the crop types and cropping patterns, were efficiently mapped with the landscape-clustering approach. Results show that stratification prior to clustering significantly improves the classification accuracies for underrepresented and sparsely distributed cropping systems. This study illustrates the potential of unsupervised classification for large area cropping systems' mapping and contributes to the development of generic tools for supporting large-scale agricultural monitoring across regions.
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A heat vulnerability index to improve urban public health management in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Méndez-Lázaro, Pablo; Muller-Karger, Frank E; Otis, Daniel; McCarthy, Matthew J; Rodríguez, Ernesto
2018-05-01
Increased frequency and length of high heat episodes are leading to more cardiovascular issues and asthmatic responses among the population of San Juan, the capital of the island of Puerto Rico, USA. An urban heat island effect, which leads to foci of higher temperatures in some urban areas, can raise heat-related mortality. The objective of this research is to map the risk of high temperature in particular locations by creating heat maps of the city of San Juan. The heat vulnerability index (HVI) maps were developed using images collected by satellite-based remote sensing combined with census data. Land surface temperature was assessed using images from the Thermal Infrared Sensor flown on Landsat 8. Social determinants (e.g., age, unemployment, education and social isolation, and health insurance coverage) were analyzed by census tract. The data were examined in the context of land cover maps generated using products from the Puerto Rico Terrestrial Gap Analysis Project (USDA Forest Service). All variables were set in order to transform the indicators expressed in different units into indices between 0 and 1, and the HVI was calculated as sum of score. The tract with highest index was considered to be the most vulnerable and the lowest to be the least vulnerable. Five vulnerability classes were mapped (very high, high, moderate, low, and very low). The hottest and the most vulnerable tracts corresponded to highly built areas, including the Luis Munoz International Airport, seaports, parking lots, and high-density residential areas. Several variables contributed to increased vulnerability, including higher rates of the population living alone, disabilities, advanced age, and lack of health insurance coverage. Coolest areas corresponded to vegetated landscapes and urban water bodies. The urban HVI map will be useful to health officers, emergency preparedness personnel, the National Weather Service, and San Juan residents, as it helps to prepare for and to mitigate the potential effects of heat-related illnesses.
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A heat vulnerability index to improve urban public health management in San Juan, Puerto Rico
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Méndez-Lázaro, Pablo; Muller-Karger, Frank E.; Otis, Daniel; McCarthy, Matthew J.; Rodríguez, Ernesto
2018-05-01
Increased frequency and length of high heat episodes are leading to more cardiovascular issues and asthmatic responses among the population of San Juan, the capital of the island of Puerto Rico, USA. An urban heat island effect, which leads to foci of higher temperatures in some urban areas, can raise heat-related mortality. The objective of this research is to map the risk of high temperature in particular locations by creating heat maps of the city of San Juan. The heat vulnerability index (HVI) maps were developed using images collected by satellite-based remote sensing combined with census data. Land surface temperature was assessed using images from the Thermal Infrared Sensor flown on Landsat 8. Social determinants (e.g., age, unemployment, education and social isolation, and health insurance coverage) were analyzed by census tract. The data were examined in the context of land cover maps generated using products from the Puerto Rico Terrestrial Gap Analysis Project (USDA Forest Service). All variables were set in order to transform the indicators expressed in different units into indices between 0 and 1, and the HVI was calculated as sum of score. The tract with highest index was considered to be the most vulnerable and the lowest to be the least vulnerable. Five vulnerability classes were mapped (very high, high, moderate, low, and very low). The hottest and the most vulnerable tracts corresponded to highly built areas, including the Luis Munoz International Airport, seaports, parking lots, and high-density residential areas. Several variables contributed to increased vulnerability, including higher rates of the population living alone, disabilities, advanced age, and lack of health insurance coverage. Coolest areas corresponded to vegetated landscapes and urban water bodies. The urban HVI map will be useful to health officers, emergency preparedness personnel, the National Weather Service, and San Juan residents, as it helps to prepare for and to mitigate the potential effects of heat-related illnesses.
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A heat vulnerability index to improve urban public health management in San Juan, Puerto Rico
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Méndez-Lázaro, Pablo; Muller-Karger, Frank E.; Otis, Daniel; McCarthy, Matthew J.; Rodríguez, Ernesto
2017-02-01
Increased frequency and length of high heat episodes are leading to more cardiovascular issues and asthmatic responses among the population of San Juan, the capital of the island of Puerto Rico, USA. An urban heat island effect, which leads to foci of higher temperatures in some urban areas, can raise heat-related mortality. The objective of this research is to map the risk of high temperature in particular locations by creating heat maps of the city of San Juan. The heat vulnerability index (HVI) maps were developed using images collected by satellite-based remote sensing combined with census data. Land surface temperature was assessed using images from the Thermal Infrared Sensor flown on Landsat 8. Social determinants (e.g., age, unemployment, education and social isolation, and health insurance coverage) were analyzed by census tract. The data were examined in the context of land cover maps generated using products from the Puerto Rico Terrestrial Gap Analysis Project (USDA Forest Service). All variables were set in order to transform the indicators expressed in different units into indices between 0 and 1, and the HVI was calculated as sum of score. The tract with highest index was considered to be the most vulnerable and the lowest to be the least vulnerable. Five vulnerability classes were mapped (very high, high, moderate, low, and very low). The hottest and the most vulnerable tracts corresponded to highly built areas, including the Luis Munoz International Airport, seaports, parking lots, and high-density residential areas. Several variables contributed to increased vulnerability, including higher rates of the population living alone, disabilities, advanced age, and lack of health insurance coverage. Coolest areas corresponded to vegetated landscapes and urban water bodies. The urban HVI map will be useful to health officers, emergency preparedness personnel, the National Weather Service, and San Juan residents, as it helps to prepare for and to mitigate the potential effects of heat-related illnesses.
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Analysis of Environmental Vulnerability in The Landslide Areas (Case Study: Semarang Regency)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hani'ah; Firdaus, H. S.; Nugraha, A. L.
2017-12-01
The Land conversion can increase the risk of landslide disaster in Semarang Regency caused by human activity. Remote sensing and geographic information system to be used in this study to mapping the landslide areas because satellite image data can represent the object on the earth surface in wide area coverage. Satellite image Landsat 8 is used to mapping land cover that processed by supervised classification method. The parameters to mapping landslide areas are based on land cover, rainfall, slope, geological factors and soil types. Semarang Regency have the minimum value of landslide is 1.6 and the maximum value is 4.3, which is dominated by landslide prone areas about 791.27 km2. The calculation of the environmental vulnerability index in the study area is based on Perka BNPB No. 2/2012. Accumulation score of environmental vulnerability index is moderate value, that means environment condition must be considered, such as vegetation as ground cover and many others aspects. The range of NDVI value shows that density level in conservation areas (0.030 - 0.844) and conservation forest (0.045 - 0.849), which rarely until high density level. The results of this study furthermore can be assessed to reduce disaster risks from landslide as an effort of disaster preventive.
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Gusso, Anibal; Arvor, Damien; Ducati, Jorge Ricardo; Veronez, Mauricio Roberto; da Silveira, Luiz Gonzaga
2014-01-01
Estimations of crop area were made based on the temporal profiles of the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) obtained from moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) images. Evaluation of the ability of the MODIS crop detection algorithm (MCDA) to estimate soybean crop areas was performed for fields in the Mato Grosso state, Brazil. Using the MCDA approach, soybean crop area estimations can be provided for December (first forecast) using images from the sowing period and for February (second forecast) using images from the sowing period and the maximum crop development period. The area estimates were compared to official agricultural statistics from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and from the National Company of Food Supply (CONAB) at different crop levels from 2000/2001 to 2010/2011. At the municipality level, the estimates were highly correlated, with R (2) = 0.97 and RMSD = 13,142 ha. The MCDA was validated using field campaign data from the 2006/2007 crop year. The overall map accuracy was 88.25%, and the Kappa Index of Agreement was 0.765. By using pre-defined parameters, MCDA is able to provide the evolution of annual soybean maps, forecast of soybean cropping areas, and the crop area expansion in the Mato Grosso state.
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Analysis of malaria endemic areas on the Indochina Peninsula using remote sensing.
Nihei, Naoko; Hashida, Yoshihiko; Kobayashi, Mutsuo; Ishii, Akira
2002-10-01
We applied remote sensing using satellite images capable of obtaining data over a broad range, transcending national borders, as a method of rapidly, precisely, and safely increasing our understanding of the potential distribution of malaria. Our target region was the so-called Mekong malaria region on the Indochina Peninsula. As a malaria index, we used existing distribution maps of total reported malaria cases, malaria mortality, vivax malaria and falciparum malaria incidences, and so forth for 1997 and 1998. We produced monthly distribution maps of a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) with values of 0.2+, 0.3+, 0.35+, and 0.4+ using the geographical information system/remote sensing software based on the East Asia monthly NDVI maps of 1997. These maps were overlaid with various malaria index distribution maps, and cross-tabulations were carried out. The resulting maps with NDVI values of 0.3+ and 0.4+ matched the falciparum malaria distribution well, and we realized, in particular, that falciparum malaria is prevalent in regions in which NDVI values of 0.4+ continue for 6 months or more, while cases are fewer in regions with NDVI values of 0.4+ that continue for 5 months or less. It will be necessary in the future to examine the relationship between NDVI values and the habitats of the various vector mosquitoes using high-resolution satellite images and to implement detailed forecasts for malaria endemic areas by means of NDVI.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ninomiya, Yoshiki; Fu, Bihong
2017-07-01
After the authors have proposed the mineralogical indices, e.g., Quartz Index (QI), Carbonate Index (CI), Mafic Index (MI) for ASTER thermal infrared (TIR) data, many articles have been applied the indices for the geological case studies and proved to be robust in extracting geological information at the local scale. The authors also have developed a system for producing the regional map with the indices, which needs mosaicking of many scenes considering the relatively narrow spatial coverage of each ASTER scene. The system executes the procedures very efficiently to find ASTER data covering a wide target area in the vast and expanding ASTER data archive. Then the searched ASTER data are conditioned, prioritized, and the indices are calculated before finally mosaicking the imagery. Here in this paper, we will present two case studies of the regional lithologic and mineralogic mapping of the indices covering very wide regions in and around the Pamir Mountains and the Tarim basin. The characteristic features of the indices related to geology are analysed, interpreted and discussed.
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130. ARAII Administration building (ARA613) vicinity map and plot plan ...
130. ARA-II Administration building (ARA-613) vicinity map and plot plan showing relationship to other existing buildings on site and to ARA-602, to which this building was attached. F.C. Torkelson Comapny 842-area/SL-1-101-U-1. Date: October 1959. Ineel index code no. 070-0101-65-851-150053. - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Army Reactors Experimental Area, Scoville, Butte County, ID
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Remotely sensed high resolution irrigated area mapping in India for 2000 to 2015
Ambika, Anukesh Krishnankutty; Wardlow, Brian; Mishra, Vimal
2016-01-01
India is among the countries that uses a significant fraction of available water for irrigation. Irrigated area in India has increased substantially after the Green revolution and both surface and groundwater have been extensively used. Under warming climate projections, irrigation frequency may increase leading to increased irrigation water demands. Water resources planning and management in agriculture need spatially-explicit irrigated area information for different crops and different crop growing seasons. However, annual, high-resolution irrigated area maps for India for an extended historical record that can be used for water resources planning and management are unavailable. Using 250 m normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and 56 m land use/land cover data, high-resolution irrigated area maps are developed for all the agroecological zones in India for the period of 2000–2015. The irrigated area maps were evaluated using the agricultural statistics data from ground surveys and were compared with the previously developed irrigation maps. High resolution (250 m) irrigated area maps showed satisfactory accuracy (R2=0.95) and can be used to understand interannual variability in irrigated area at various spatial scales. PMID:27996974
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Jamrah, Ahmad; Al-Futaisi, Ahmed; Rajmohan, Natarajan; Al-Yaroubi, Saif
2008-12-01
A study was carried out to develop a vulnerability map for Barka region in the North Batina of Oman using DRASTIC vulnerability index method in GIS environment. DRASTIC layers were created using data from published reports and the seven DRASTIC layers were processed by the ArcGIS geographic information system. Finally, DRASTIC maps were created for 1995 and 2004 to understand the long-term changes in the vulnerability index. DRASTIC vulnerability maps were evaluated using groundwater quality data such as chemical and biological parameters. DRASTIC vulnerability maps of 1995 and 2004 indicate that the northern part of Barka is more vulnerable to pollution than southern part and the central part of Barka also shows high relative vulnerability which is mostly related to the high conductivity values. Moreover, the changes in water level due to high abstraction rate of groundwater reflect in the vulnerability maps and low vulnerability area is increased in the southern part during 2004 compared to 1995. Moreover, regional distribution maps of nitrate, chloride and total and fecal coliforms are well correlated with DRASTIC vulnerability maps. In contrast to this, even though DRASTIC method predicted the central part of the study region is highly vulnerable, both chemical and biological parameters show lower concentrations in this region compared to coastal belt, which is mainly due to agricultural and urban development. In Barka, urban development and agricultural activities are very high in coastal region compared to southern and central part of the study area. Hence, this study concluded that DRASTIC method is also applicable in coastal region having ubiquitous contamination sources.
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134. ARAII SL1 decontamination and lay down building (ARA614) erected ...
134. ARA-II SL-1 decontamination and lay down building (ARA-614) erected after accidental explosion of SL-1 reactor. Shows vicinity map, index of related drawings, plot plan and other detail. F.C. Torkelson Company 842-area/SL-1-101-U-2. Date: September 1962. Ineel index code no. 070-0101-65-851-150713. - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Army Reactors Experimental Area, Scoville, Butte County, ID
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yilmaz, Işik; Marschalko, Marian; Bednarik, Martin
2013-04-01
The paper presented herein compares and discusses the use of bivariate, multivariate and soft computing techniques for collapse susceptibility modelling. Conditional probability (CP), logistic regression (LR) and artificial neural networks (ANN) models representing the bivariate, multivariate and soft computing techniques were used in GIS based collapse susceptibility mapping in an area from Sivas basin (Turkey). Collapse-related factors, directly or indirectly related to the causes of collapse occurrence, such as distance from faults, slope angle and aspect, topographical elevation, distance from drainage, topographic wetness index (TWI), stream power index (SPI), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) by means of vegetation cover, distance from roads and settlements were used in the collapse susceptibility analyses. In the last stage of the analyses, collapse susceptibility maps were produced from the models, and they were then compared by means of their validations. However, Area Under Curve (AUC) values obtained from all three models showed that the map obtained from soft computing (ANN) model looks like more accurate than the other models, accuracies of all three models can be evaluated relatively similar. The results also showed that the conditional probability is an essential method in preparation of collapse susceptibility map and highly compatible with GIS operating features.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
D'Amore, D. V.; Biles, F. E.
2016-12-01
The flow of water is often highlighted as a priority in land management planning and assessments related to climate change. Improved measurement and modeling of soil moisture is required to develop predictive estimates for plant distributions, soil moisture, and snowpack, which all play important roles in ecosystem planning in the face of climate change. Drainage indexes are commonly derived from GIS tools with digital elevation models. Soil moisture classes derived from these tools are useful digital proxies for ecosystem functions associated with the concentration of water on the landscape. We developed a spatially explicit topographically derived soil wetness index (TWI) across the perhumid coastal temperate rainforest (PCTR) of Alaska and British Columbia. Developing applicable drainage indexes in complex terrain and across broad areas required careful application of the appropriate DEM, caution with artifacts in GIS covers and mapping realistic zones of wetlands with the indicator. The large spatial extent of the model has facilitated the mapping of forest habitat and the development of water table depth mapping in the region. A key element of the TWI is the merging of elevation datasets across the US-Canada border where major rivers transect the international boundary. The unified TWI allows for seemless mapping across the international border and unified ecological applications. A python program combined with the unified DEM allows end users to quickly apply the TWI to all areas of the PCTR. This common platform can facilitate model comparison and improvements to local soil moisture conditions, generation of streamflow, and ecological site conditions. In this presentation we highlight the application of the TWI for mapping risk factors related to forest decline and the development of a regional water table depth map. Improved soil moisture maps are critical for deriving spatial models of changes in soil moisture for both plant growth and streamflow across future climate conditions.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Wallace, R. E.
1969-01-01
Nine-frame multiband aerial photography of a sample area 4500 feet on a side was processed to enhance spectral contrasts. The area concerned is in the Carrizo Plain, 45 miles west of Bakersfield, California, in sec. 29, T 31 S., R. 21 E., as shown on the Panorama Hills quadrangle topographic map published by the U. S. Geological Survey. The accompany illustrations include an index map showing the location of the Carrizo Plain area; a geologic map of the area based on field studies and examination of black and white aerial photographs; an enhanced multiband aerial photograph; an Aero Ektachrome photograph; black and white aerial photographs; and infrared image in the 8-13 micron band.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pisek, Jan; He, Liming; Chen, Jing; Govind, Ajit; Sprintsin, Michael; Ryu, Youngryel; Arndt, Stefan; Hocking, Darren; Wardlaw, Timothy; Kuusk, Joel; Oliphant, Andrew; Korhonen, Lauri; Fang, Hongliang; Matteucci, Giorgio; Longdoz, Bernard; Raabe, Kairi
2015-04-01
Vegetation foliage clumping significantly alters its radiation environment and therefore affects vegetation growth as well as water and carbon cycles. The clumping index is useful in ecological and meteorological models because it provides new structural information in addition to the effective leaf area index (LAI) retrieved from mono-angle remote sensing and allows accurate separation of sunlit and shaded leaves in the canopy. Not accounting for the foliage clumping in LAI retrieval algorithms leads to substantial underestimation of actual LAI, especially for needleleaf forests. Normalized Difference between Hotspot and Darkspot (NDHD) index has been previously used to retrieve global clumping index maps from POLarization and Directionality of the Earth's Reflectances (POLDER) data at ~6 km resolution, from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) product at 500 m resolution. Most recently the algorithm was applied with Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) data at 275 m resolution over selected areas. In this presentation we characterize and intercompare the three products over a set of sites representing diverse biomes and different canopy structures. The products are also directly validated with both in-situ vertical profiles and seasonal trajectories of clumping index. We illustrate that the vertical distribution of foliage and especially the effect of understory needs to be taken into account while validating foliage clumping products from remote sensing products with values measured in the field. Satellite measurements respond to the structural effects near the top of canopies, while ground measurements may be biased by the lower vegetation layers. Additionally, caution should be taken regarding the misclassification in land cover maps as their errors can be propagated into the foliage clumping maps. Our results indicate that MODIS data and MISR data with 275 m in particular can provide good quality clumping index estimates at pertinent scales for modeling local carbon and energy fluxes.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pisek, J.; He, L.; Chen, J. M.; Govind, A.; Sprintsin, M.; Ryu, Y.; Arndt, S. K.; Hocking, D.; Wardlaw, T.; Kuusk, J.; Oliphant, A. J.; Korhonen, L.; Fang, H.; Matteucci, G.; Longdoz, B.; Raabe, K.
2015-12-01
Vegetation foliage clumping significantly alters its radiation environment and therefore affects vegetation growth as well as water and carbon cycles. The clumping index is useful in ecological and meteorological models because it provides new structural information in addition to the effective leaf area index (LAI) retrieved from mono-angle remote sensing and allows accurate separation of sunlit and shaded leaves in the canopy. Not accounting for the foliage clumping in LAI retrieval algorithms leads to substantial underestimation of actual LAI, especially for needleleaf forests. Normalized Difference between Hotspot and Darkspot (NDHD) index has been previously used to retrieve global clumping index maps from POLarization and Directionality of the Earth's Reflectances (POLDER) data at ~6 km resolution, from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) product at 500 m resolution. Most recently the algorithm was applied with Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) data at 275 m resolution over selected areas. In this presentation we characterize and intercompare the three products over a set of sites representing diverse biomes and different canopy structures. The products are also directly validated with both in-situ vertical profiles and seasonal trajectories of clumping index. We illustrate that the vertical distribution of foliage and especially the effect of understory needs to be taken into account while validating foliage clumping products from remote sensing products with values measured in the field. Satellite measurements respond to the structural effects near the top of canopies, while ground measurements may be biased by the lower vegetation layers. Additionally, caution should be taken regarding the misclassification in land cover maps as their errors can be propagated into the foliage clumping maps. Our results indicate that MODIS data and MISR data with 275 m resolution in particular can provide good quality clumping index estimates at pertinent scales for modeling local carbon and energy fluxes.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Teodoro, A.; Duarte, L.; Sillero, N.; Gonçalves, J. A.; Fonte, J.; Gonçalves-Seco, L.; Pinheiro da Luz, L. M.; dos Santos Beja, N. M. R.
2015-10-01
Herdade da Contenda (HC), located in Moura municipality, Beja district (Alentejo province) in the south of Portugal (southwestern Iberia Peninsula), is a national hunting area with 5270ha. The development of an integrated system that aims to make the management of the natural and cultural heritage resources will be very useful for an effective management of this area. This integrated system should include the physical characterization of the territory, natural conservation, land use and land management themes, as well the cultural heritage resources. This paper presents a new tool for an integrated environmental management system of the HC, which aims to produce maps under a GIS open source environment (QGIS). The application is composed by a single button which opens a window. The window is composed by twelve menus (File, DRASTIC, Forest Fire Risk, Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), Bioclimatic Index, Cultural Heritage, Fauna and Flora, Ortofoto, Normalizes Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Digital Elevation Model (DEM), Land Use Land Cover Cover (LULC) and Help. Several inputs are requires to generate these maps, e.g. DEM, geologic information, soil map, hydraulic conductivity information, LULC map, vulnerability and economic information, NDVI. Six buttons were added to the toolbar which allows to manipulate the information in the map canvas: Zoom in, Zoom out, Pan, Print/Layout and Clear. This integrated and open source GIS environment management system was developed for the HC area, but could be easily adapted to other natural or protected area. Despite the lack of data, the methodology presented fulfills the objectives.
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Fire season climatic zones of mainland Alaska.
William M. Trigg
1971-01-01
Calculated values of precipitation effectiveness index and temperature efficiency index for 48 weather observation stations on the Alaska mainland are used to delineate areas that have different climatic subclassifications during the wildfire season of April through September. The paper outlines procedures, provides maps showing step- by- step analysis along with the...
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The Quality of Urban Environments: Mapping Variation in Access to Community Resources.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Witten, Karen; Exeter, Daniel; Field, Adrian
2003-01-01
Discusses the relationship between community infrastructure and health through the development of the Community Resource Accessibility Index (CRAI) research tool.This area-based index of community services, facilities, and amenities enables comparisons between opportunity structures in the local environment and residents' health and wellbeing. It…
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Automating the selection of standard parallels for conic map projections
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Šavriǒ, Bojan; Jenny, Bernhard
2016-05-01
Conic map projections are appropriate for mapping regions at medium and large scales with east-west extents at intermediate latitudes. Conic projections are appropriate for these cases because they show the mapped area with less distortion than other projections. In order to minimize the distortion of the mapped area, the two standard parallels of conic projections need to be selected carefully. Rules of thumb exist for placing the standard parallels based on the width-to-height ratio of the map. These rules of thumb are simple to apply, but do not result in maps with minimum distortion. There also exist more sophisticated methods that determine standard parallels such that distortion in the mapped area is minimized. These methods are computationally expensive and cannot be used for real-time web mapping and GIS applications where the projection is adjusted automatically to the displayed area. This article presents a polynomial model that quickly provides the standard parallels for the three most common conic map projections: the Albers equal-area, the Lambert conformal, and the equidistant conic projection. The model defines the standard parallels with polynomial expressions based on the spatial extent of the mapped area. The spatial extent is defined by the length of the mapped central meridian segment, the central latitude of the displayed area, and the width-to-height ratio of the map. The polynomial model was derived from 3825 maps-each with a different spatial extent and computationally determined standard parallels that minimize the mean scale distortion index. The resulting model is computationally simple and can be used for the automatic selection of the standard parallels of conic map projections in GIS software and web mapping applications.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Omitaomu, Olufemi A.; Carvalhaes, Thomaz M.
Census American Community Survey 2008-2012 data are used to construct a spatially explicit Climate-Induced Social Vulnerability Index (CSVI) for the East Tennessee area. This CSVI is a combination of a Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) and a Climate Index. A method is replicated and adapted to derive a custom SVI by Census tract for the counties participating in the East Tennessee Index, and a Climate Index is developed for the same area based on indicators for climate hazards. The resulting datasets are exported as a raster to be integrated and combined within the Urban Climate Adaptation Tool (Urban-CAT) to act asmore » an indicator for communities which may be differentially vulnerable to changes in climate. Results for the SVI are mapped separately from the complete CSVI in this document as results for the latter are in development.« less
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hassan, Safaa M.; El kazzaz, Yahiya A.; Taha, Maysa M. N.; Mohammad, Abdullah T.
2017-07-01
Meatiq dome is one of the mysteries of the basement rocks in Central Eastern Desert (CED) of Egypt. Its mode of formation, and tectonic evolution are still controversial and not fully understood. Satellite remote sensing is a powerful tool for geologic applications, especially in inaccessible regions of the Earth's surface. In this study, three proposed Landsat-8 band ratios (6/2, 6/7, (6/4*4/3)), (6/7, 6/4, 4/2), and (7/5, 7/6, 5/3) are successfully used for detailed geological mapping of the different lithological rock units exposed in Meatiq dome area in the CED. Landsat-8 Principal component (PC) images is also used for refinement the boundaries between the widely-exposed rock units in the study area. Fourteen spectral bands of Advanced Space borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data are successfully used to emphasize the distribution of some rock forming minerals (i.e. muscovite, quartz, ferrous oxides, ferrous silicates and hydroxyl-bearing minerals) in the lithological rock units of Meatiq dome area. ASTER muscovite index (B7/B6) and quartz index (B14/B12), ferrous iron index (B5/B3), ferrous silicates index (B5/B4), mafic index (B12/B13) and hydroxyl-bearing minerals index ((B7/B6)*(B4/B6)) discriminate muscovite bearing rocks, Granitoids, and other felsic rocks, amphibolite and other mafic rocks. The proposed image processing methods effectively discriminates between four granitic varieties existed in Meatiq area. They are namely; Abu Ziran, Ariki, Fawakhir and Atalla Plutons. This study reveals that the applied data of ASTER and Landsat-8 enhanced images produced a modified geological map with well emphasized rock units which are verified with field observations, and petrographic study.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ballesteros, Daniel; Jiménez-Sánchez, Montserrat; José Domínguez-Cuestra, María; García-Sansegundo, Joaquín; Meléndez-Asensio, Mónica
2014-05-01
Karst areas show a lot of kilometers of cave conduits with a hidden Geoheritage poorly investigated in previous works that concerning with their cultural, scientific and education values. The evaluation of cave Geoheritage is complex due to methodological constrains. One of the most important karst areas in the World is the Picos de Europa National Park (North Spain) that was declared as a Global Geosite in 2007 and includes 14 % of the World's Deepest Caves. The GEOCAVE research project is being developed in several caves from the Picos de Europa National Park since 2012 in order to characterize geomorphology and geochronology of the cavities, proposing and validating new methodologies adapted to these environments. The aim of this work is to evaluate the Geoheritage of the Picos de Europa caves based on the studies made in nine selected caves. The methodology includes: 1) elaboration of geomorphological maps of the nine selected caves, projecting geomorphological, geological, hydrogeological, paleontological and cultural forms on the caves surveys; and 2) definition and calculation of three indexes useful to evaluate the Geoheritage of the caves. The indexes are: a) Cave Geoheritage Extension Index (CGhEI), defined as the percentage of the area occupied by the entire features divided by the cave area (excluding the forms that represent the conduits themselves), b) Feature Extension Index (FEI), defined as the area occupied by each group of form divided by the cave area, and c) Cave Geodiversity Index (CGdI), defined as the number of forms divided by the cave area. The nine cave geomorphological maps cover 178,639 m2 of caves and include a whole of 14.9 km of karst conduits, representing these caves the 4.1 % of the conduits of the Picos de Europa. The values of the Cave Geoheritage Extension Index range from 22 to 82 %, while the values of the Feature Extension Indexes for each group of features reach the following values: Geomorphological FEI take values of 20-80 % (speleothems FEI is 15-60 %, fluviokarst FEI is 5-25 %, gravity FEI is 10-40 %); Geological FEI is 4-5 %; Hydrogeological FEI is 0-3 %; Paleontological FEI is 0-0.1% and cultural FEI is 0-4 %. the On the other hand, 84 features are recognized into the caves and the Cave Geodiversity Index ranges from 0.3 to 1.1 features/cm2. These results evidence that 22 to 82 % of the cave conduits are occupy with Geoheritage features, being most of them geomorphological forms (speleothems, fluviokarst and gravity forms). The Geodiversity of the karst caves is high, recognizing a whole of 84 features into the caves and showing a high density of forms. Consequently, underground Geoheritage from karst areas can be estimated combining geomorphological maps few selected caves and three indexes based on number and extensions of the features. These indexes allow us to assign a preliminary weight of the geomorphological, geological, hydrogeological, paleontological and cultural features in a karst area.
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Nixdorf, Erik; Sun, Yuanyuan; Lin, Mao; Kolditz, Olaf
2017-12-15
The main objective of this study is to quantify the groundwater contamination risk of Songhua River Basin by applying a novel approach of integrating public datasets, web services and numerical modelling techniques. To our knowledge, this study is the first to establish groundwater risk maps for the entire Songhua River Basin, one of the largest and most contamination-endangered river basins in China. Index-based groundwater risk maps were created with GIS tools at a spatial resolution of 30arc sec by combining the results of groundwater vulnerability and hazard assessment. Groundwater vulnerability was evaluated using the DRASTIC index method based on public datasets at the highest available resolution in combination with numerical groundwater modelling. As a novel approach to overcome data scarcity at large scales, a web mapping service based data query was applied to obtain an inventory for potential hazardous sites within the basin. The groundwater risk assessment demonstrated that <1% of Songhua River Basin is at high or very high contamination risk. These areas were mainly located in the vast plain areas with hotspots particularly in the Changchun metropolitan area. Moreover, groundwater levels and pollution point sources were found to play a significantly larger impact in assessing these areas than originally assumed by the index scheme. Moderate contamination risk was assigned to 27% of the aquifers, predominantly associated with less densely populated agricultural areas. However, the majority of aquifer area in the sparsely populated mountain ranges displayed low groundwater contamination risk. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that this novel method is valid for regional assessments of groundwater contamination risk. Despite limitations in resolution and input data consistency, the obtained groundwater contamination risk maps will be beneficial for regional and local decision-making processes with regard to groundwater protection measures, particularly if other data availability is limited. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rodrigues, M. A.; Monteiro, A.; Rocha, A.; Quenol, H.; de Freita, J. R.
2012-04-01
The aim of this study was to determine the climatic zones in Demarcated Douro Region (DDR), based on meso-climatic analyses for the region. We have used eighteen meteorological stations from very different areas in the region and using the meteorological data we have determined the bioclimatic indexes and afterwards we have created in SIG the representative maps of the areas with different aptitudes for the vineyards.
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Land area change and fractional water maps in the Chenier Plain, Louisiana, following hurricane Rita
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Palaseanu-Lovejoy, M.; Kranenburg, C.; Brock, J. C.
2009-12-01
The objective of this study is to develop a fractional water map at 30-m resolution scale using QuickBird and/or IKONOS high-resolution imagery as dependent variable to investigate the impact of hurricane Rita in the Chenier Plain, Louisiana. Eleven different indices were tested to obtain a high-resolution land / water classification on QuickBird (acquired on 05/23/2003) and IKONOS (acquired on 03/25/2006) images. The percent area covered by water in the high resolution images varied from 22 to 26% depending on the index used , with the simple ratio index (red band / NIR band) accounting for the lowest percent and the blue ratio index (blue band / sum(all bands)) for the highest percent. Using the ERDAS NLCD (National Land Cover Data) Mapping tool module, 100, 000 stratified random sample points with minimum 1000 points per stratum were selected from the high resolution dependent variable as training information for the independent variable layers. The rules for the regression tree were created using the data mining software Rulequest Cubist v. 2.05. This information was used to generate a fractional water map for the entire Landsat scene. The increase in water areas of about 10 - 15% between 2003 to 2006, as well as temporary changes in the water - land configurations are attributed to remnant flooding and removal of aquatic vegetation caused by hurricane Rita, and water level variations caused by tidal and / or meteorological variations between the acquisition dates of the satellite images. This analysis can assist in monitoring post-hurricane wetland recovery and assess trends in land loss due to extreme storm events, although estimation of permanent land loss cannot be made until wetland areas have the opportunity to recover from hurricane impacts.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yilmaz, Isik; Keskin, Inan; Marschalko, Marian; Bednarik, Martin
2010-05-01
This study compares the GIS based collapse susceptibility mapping methods such as; conditional probability (CP), logistic regression (LR) and artificial neural networks (ANN) applied in gypsum rock masses in Sivas basin (Turkey). Digital Elevation Model (DEM) was first constructed using GIS software. Collapse-related factors, directly or indirectly related to the causes of collapse occurrence, such as distance from faults, slope angle and aspect, topographical elevation, distance from drainage, topographic wetness index- TWI, stream power index- SPI, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) by means of vegetation cover, distance from roads and settlements were used in the collapse susceptibility analyses. In the last stage of the analyses, collapse susceptibility maps were produced from CP, LR and ANN models, and they were then compared by means of their validations. Area Under Curve (AUC) values obtained from all three methodologies showed that the map obtained from ANN model looks like more accurate than the other models, and the results also showed that the artificial neural networks is a usefull tool in preparation of collapse susceptibility map and highly compatible with GIS operating features. Key words: Collapse; doline; susceptibility map; gypsum; GIS; conditional probability; logistic regression; artificial neural networks.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hong, H.; Zhu, A. X.
2017-12-01
Climate change is a common phenomenon and it is very serious all over the world. The intensification of rainfall extremes with climate change is of key importance to society and then it may induce a large impact through landslides. This paper presents GIS-based new ensemble data mining techniques that weight-of-evidence, logistic model tree, linear and quadratic discriminant for landslide spatial modelling. This research was applied in Anfu County, which is a landslide-prone area in Jiangxi Province, China. According to a literature review and research the study area, we select the landslide influencing factor and their maps were digitized in a GIS environment. These landslide influencing factors are the altitude, plan curvature, profile curvature, slope degree, slope aspect, topographic wetness index (TWI), Stream Power Index (SPI), Topographic Wetness Index (SPI), distance to faults, distance to rivers, distance to roads, soil, lithology, normalized difference vegetation index and land use. According to historical information of individual landslide events, interpretation of the aerial photographs, and field surveys supported by the government of Jiangxi Meteorological Bureau of China, 367 landslides were identified in the study area. The landslide locations were divided into two subsets, namely, training and validating (70/30), based on a random selection scheme. In this research, Pearson's correlation was used for the evaluation of the relationship between the landslides and influencing factors. In the next step, three data mining techniques combined with the weight-of-evidence, logistic model tree, linear and quadratic discriminant, were used for the landslide spatial modelling and its zonation. Finally, the landslide susceptibility maps produced by the mentioned models were evaluated by the ROC curve. The results showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of all of the models was > 0.80. At the same time, the highest AUC value was for the linear and quadratic discriminant model (0.864), followed by logistic model tree (0.832), and weight-of-evidence (0.819). In general, the landslide maps can be applied for land use planning and management in the Anfu area.
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Detailed interpretation of aeromagnetic data from the Patagonia Mountains area, southeastern Arizona
Bultman, Mark W.
2015-01-01
Euler deconvolution depth estimates derived from aeromagnetic data with a structural index of 0 show that mapped faults on the northern margin of the Patagonia Mountains generally agree with the depth estimates in the new geologic model. The deconvolution depth estimates also show that the concealed Patagonia Fault southwest of the Patagonia Mountains is more complex than recent geologic mapping represents. Additionally, Euler deconvolution depth estimates with a structural index of 2 locate many potential intrusive bodies that might be associated with known and unknown mineralization.
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Nowlan, G.A.; Ficklin, Walter H.; Dover, Robert A.
1985-01-01
This report presents results of geochemical studies carried out in June and July of 1982 in the Buffalo Peaks Wilderness Study Area, Colo. (see index map). Samples of water were collected from 84 streams and 18 springs draining the study area. Tabulations of the analyses and a sample locality map are in Ficklin and others (1984). The geochemistry of stream sediments and panned concentrates of the study area is in Nowlan and Gerstel (1985). The geology of the study area and vicinity is in Hedlund (1985). The mineral resource potential of the study area is described in Hedlund and others (1983). This report (1) assists in the assessment of the mineral resource potential of the Buffalo Peaks Wilderness Study Area; and (2) compares analyses of water samples with analyses of stream-sediment and panned-concentrate samples (Nowlan and Gerstel, 1985).
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Estimating malaria burden in Nigeria: a geostatistical modelling approach.
Onyiri, Nnadozie
2015-11-04
This study has produced a map of malaria prevalence in Nigeria based on available data from the Mapping Malaria Risk in Africa (MARA) database, including all malaria prevalence surveys in Nigeria that could be geolocated, as well as data collected during fieldwork in Nigeria between March and June 2007. Logistic regression was fitted to malaria prevalence to identify significant demographic (age) and environmental covariates in STATA. The following environmental covariates were included in the spatial model: the normalized difference vegetation index, the enhanced vegetation index, the leaf area index, the land surface temperature for day and night, land use/landcover (LULC), distance to water bodies, and rainfall. The spatial model created suggests that the two main environmental covariates correlating with malaria presence were land surface temperature for day and rainfall. It was also found that malaria prevalence increased with distance to water bodies up to 4 km. The malaria risk map estimated from the spatial model shows that malaria prevalence in Nigeria varies from 20% in certain areas to 70% in others. The highest prevalence rates were found in the Niger Delta states of Rivers and Bayelsa, the areas surrounding the confluence of the rivers Niger and Benue, and also isolated parts of the north-eastern and north-western parts of the country. Isolated patches of low malaria prevalence were found to be scattered around the country with northern Nigeria having more such areas than the rest of the country. Nigeria's belt of middle regions generally has malaria prevalence of 40% and above.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
He, Yaqian; Bo, Yanchen; Chai, Leilei; Liu, Xiaolong; Li, Aihua
2016-08-01
Leaf Area Index (LAI) is an important parameter of vegetation structure. A number of moderate resolution LAI products have been produced in urgent need of large scale vegetation monitoring. High resolution LAI reference maps are necessary to validate these LAI products. This study used a geostatistical regression (GR) method to estimate LAI reference maps by linking in situ LAI and Landsat TM/ETM+ and SPOT-HRV data over two cropland and two grassland sites. To explore the discrepancies of employing different vegetation indices (VIs) on estimating LAI reference maps, this study established the GR models for different VIs, including difference vegetation index (DVI), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and ratio vegetation index (RVI). To further assess the performance of the GR model, the results from the GR and Reduced Major Axis (RMA) models were compared. The results show that the performance of the GR model varies between the cropland and grassland sites. At the cropland sites, the GR model based on DVI provides the best estimation, while at the grassland sites, the GR model based on DVI performs poorly. Compared to the RMA model, the GR model improves the accuracy of reference LAI maps in terms of root mean square errors (RMSE) and bias.
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Data resources for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) Integrated Assessment (IA)
Assal, Timothy J.; Garman, Steven L.; Bowen, Zachary H.; Anderson, Patrick J.; Manier, Daniel J.; McDougal, Robert R.
2012-01-01
The data contained in this report were compiled, modified, and analyzed for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) Integrated Assessment (IA). The WLCI is a long-term science based effort to assess and enhance aquatic and terrestrial habitats at a landscape scale in southwest Wyoming while facilitating responsible energy development through local collaboration and partnerships. The IA is an integrated synthesis and analysis of WLCI resource values based on best available data and information collected from multiple agencies and organizations. It is a support tool for landscape-scale conservation planning and evaluation, and a data and analysis resource that can be used for addressing specific management questions. The IA analysis was conducted using a Geographic Information System in a raster (that is, a grid) environment using a cell size of 30 meters. To facilitate the interpretation of the data in a regional context, mean values were summarized and displayed at the subwatershed unit (WLCI subwatersheds were subset from the National Hydrography Dataset, Hydrologic Unit Code 12/Level 6). A dynamic mapping platform, accessed via the WLCI webpage at http://www.wlci.gov is used to display the mapped information, and to access underlying resource values that were combined to produce the final mapped results. The raster data used in the IA are provided here for use by interested parties to conduct additional analyses and can be accessed via the WLCI webpage. This series contains 74 spatial data sets: WLCI subwatersheds (vector) and 73 geotiffs (raster) that are segregated into the major categories of Multicriteria Index (including Resource Index and Condition), Change Agents, and Future Change. The Total Multicriteria Index is composed of the Aquatic Multicriteria Index and the Terrestrial Multicriteria Index. The Aquatic Multicriteria Index is composed of the Aquatic Resource Index and the Aquatic Condition. The Aquatic Resource Index is composed of the following components: Groundwater, Special Management Areas, and Priority Areas. The Aquatic Condition is composed of the following components: Focal Species, Species of Concern, Focal Ecosystems, and Proper Functioning Condition. The Terrestrial Multicriteria Index is composed of the Terrestrial Resource Index and the Terrestrial Condition. The Terrestrial Resource Index is composed of the following components: Special Management Areas, Agriculture, and Priority Areas. The Terrestrial Condition is composed of the following components: Focal Species, Big Game, Species of Concern, Rare Plants, and Focal Ecosystems. The Change Agents are composed the following components: Roads, Energy, Mines, and Urban. The Future Change is composed of the following components: Oil-Gas-Coal, Wind, Minerals, Climate-Temperature, Invasive Species, and Urban.
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Ensemble of ground subsidence hazard maps using fuzzy logic
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Park, Inhye; Lee, Jiyeong; Saro, Lee
2014-06-01
Hazard maps of ground subsidence around abandoned underground coal mines (AUCMs) in Samcheok, Korea, were constructed using fuzzy ensemble techniques and a geographical information system (GIS). To evaluate the factors related to ground subsidence, a spatial database was constructed from topographic, geologic, mine tunnel, land use, groundwater, and ground subsidence maps. Spatial data, topography, geology, and various ground-engineering data for the subsidence area were collected and compiled in a database for mapping ground-subsidence hazard (GSH). The subsidence area was randomly split 70/30 for training and validation of the models. The relationships between the detected ground-subsidence area and the factors were identified and quantified by frequency ratio (FR), logistic regression (LR) and artificial neural network (ANN) models. The relationships were used as factor ratings in the overlay analysis to create ground-subsidence hazard indexes and maps. The three GSH maps were then used as new input factors and integrated using fuzzy-ensemble methods to make better hazard maps. All of the hazard maps were validated by comparison with known subsidence areas that were not used directly in the analysis. As the result, the ensemble model was found to be more effective in terms of prediction accuracy than the individual model.
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DeWitt, Ed; Buscher, David; Wilson, A.B.; Johnson, Thomas
1988-01-01
This map is one in a set of 26 maps (see index map) at 1:24,000 scale of the Black Hills region of South Dakota and Wyoming om which are shown a geologic classification of mines, a bibliography of mineral deposits, and locations of active and inactive mines, prospects, and patented mining claims. Some of these maps are published as U. S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Maps (MF series) and some as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports (QF series); see index map. An earlier unpublished version of this set of maps was the data base from which plate 4 (scale 1:250,000) of DeWitt and others (1986) was compiled. Subsequent to that publication, the set has been revised and updated, and prospects and patented claims have been added. These revised and more detailed 1:24,000-scale maps should be used for the equivalent areas of plate 4 of DeWitt and others (1986).
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Geologic map of the Middletown quadrangle, Frederick, Shenandoah, and Warren Counties, Virginia
Orndorff, Randall C.; Epstein, Jack Burton; McDowell, Robert C.
1999-01-01
The Middletown 1:24,000-scale quadrangle is one of several quadrangles in Frederick County, Virginia mapped or being mapped by geologists from the U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, VA with funding from the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program. This map was originally published as a paper product in 1999. It has been converted to GIS-based digital form. This work is part of a project being lead by the U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Discipline, Virginia District, to investigate the geologic framework and groundwater resources of Frederick County as well as other areas in the northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and West Virginia. For more information about the Project see: http://geology.er.usgs.gov/eespteam/Karst/index.html for Geologic Discipline efforts and http://va.water.usgs.gov/va134/index.htm for Water Resources Discipline efforts.
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Transferability of multi- and hyperspectral optical biocrust indices
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rodríguez-Caballero, E.; Escribano, P.; Olehowski, C.; Chamizo, S.; Hill, J.; Cantón, Y.; Weber, B.
2017-04-01
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are communities of cyanobacteria, algae, microfungi, lichens and bryophytes in varying proportions, which live within or immediately on top of the uppermost millimeters of the soil in arid and semiarid regions. As biocrusts are highly relevant for ecosystem processes like carbon, nitrogen, and water cycling, a correct characterization of their spatial distribution is required. Following this objective, considerable efforts have been devoted to the identification and mapping of biocrusts using remote sensing data, and several mapping indices have been developed. However, their transferability to different regions has only rarely been tested. In this study we investigated the transferability of two multispectral indices, i.e. the Crust Index (CI) and the Biological Soil Crust Index (BSCI), and two hyperspectral indices, i.e. the Continuum Removal Crust Identification Algorithm (CRCIA) and the Crust Development Index (CDI), in three sites dominated by biocrusts, but with differences in soil and vegetation composition. Whereas multispectral indices have been important and valuable tools for first approaches to map and classify biological soil crusts, hyperspectral data and indices developed for these allowed to classify biocrusts at much higher accuracy. While multispectral indices showed Kappa (κ) values below 0.6, hyperspectral indices obtained good classification accuracy (κ ∼ 0.8) in both the study area where they had been developed and in the newly tested region. These results highlight the capability of hyperspectral sensors to identify specific absorption features related to photosynthetic pigments as chlorophyll and carotenoids, but also the limitation of multispectral information to discriminate between areas dominated by biocrusts, vegetation or bare soil. Based on these results we conclude that remote sensing offers an important and valid tool to map biocrusts. However, the spectral similarity between the main surface components of drylands and biocrusts demand for mapping indices based on hyperspectral information to correctly map areas dominated by biocrusts at ecosystem scale.
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Estimating the Effect of Gypsy Moth Defloiation Using MODIS
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
deBeurs, K. M.; Townsend, P. A.
2008-01-01
The area of North American forests affected by gypsy moth defoliation continues to expand despite efforts to slow the spread. With the increased area of infestation, ecological, environmental and economic concerns about gypsy moth disturbance remain significant, necessitating coordinated, repeatable and comprehensive monitoring of the areas affected. In this study, our primary objective was to estimate the magnitude of defoliation using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) imagery for a gypsy moth outbreak that occurred in the US central Appalachian Mountains in 2000 and 2001. We focused on determining the appropriate spectral MODIS indices and temporal compositing method to best monitor the effects of gypsy moth defoliation. We tested MODIS-based Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), and two versions of the Normalized Difference Infrared index (NDIIb6 and NDIIb7, using the channels centered on 1640 nm and 2130 nm respectively) for their capacity to map defoliation as estimated by ground observations. In addition, we evaluated three temporal resolutions: daily, 8-day and 16-day data. We validated the results through quantitative comparison to Landsat based defoliation estimates and traditional sketch maps. Our MODIS based defoliation estimates based on NDIIb6 and NDIIb7 closely matched Landsat defoliation estimates derived from field data as well as sketch maps. We conclude that daily MODIS data can be used with confidence to monitor insect defoliation on an annual time scale, at least for larger patches (greater than 0.63 km2). Eight-day and 16-day MODIS composites may be of lesser use due to the ephemeral character of disturbance by the gypsy moth.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yang, Dedi; Chen, Jin; Zhou, Yuan; Chen, Xiang; Chen, Xuehong; Cao, Xin
2017-06-01
Plastic greenhouses (PGs) are an important agriculture development technique to protect and control the growing environment for food crops. The extensive use of PGs can change the agriculture landscape and affects the local environment. Accurately mapping and estimating the coverage of PGs is a necessity to the strategic planning of modern agriculture. Unfortunately, PG mapping over large areas is methodologically challenging, as the medium spatial resolution satellite imagery (such as Landsat data) used for analysis lacks spatial details and spectral variations. To fill the gap, the paper proposes a new plastic greenhouse index (PGI) based on the spectral, sensitivity, and separability analysis of PGs using medium spatial resolution images. In the context of the Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) imagery, the paper examines the effectiveness and capability of the proposed PGI. The results indicate that PGs in Landsat ETM+ image can be successfully detected by the PGI if the PG fraction is greater than 12% in a mixed pixel. A kappa coefficient of 0.83 and overall accuracy of 91.2% were achieved when applying the proposed PGI in the case of Weifang District, Shandong, China. These results show that the proposed index can be applied to identifying transparent PGs in atmospheric corrected Landsat image and has the potential for the digital mapping of plastic greenhouse coverage over a large area.
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Geologic Map and Map Database of Eastern Sonoma and Western Napa Counties, California
Graymer, R.W.; Brabb, E.E.; Jones, D.L.; Barnes, J.; Nicholson, R.S.; Stamski, R.E.
2007-01-01
Introduction This report contains a new 1:100,000-scale geologic map, derived from a set of geologic map databases (Arc-Info coverages) containing information at 1:62,500-scale resolution, and a new description of the geologic map units and structural relations in the map area. Prepared as part of the San Francisco Bay Region Mapping Project, the study area includes the north-central part of the San Francisco Bay region, and forms the final piece of the effort to generate new, digital geologic maps and map databases for an area which includes Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, and Sonoma Counties. Geologic mapping in Lake County in the north-central part of the map extent was not within the scope of the Project. The map and map database integrates both previously published reports and new geologic mapping and field checking by the authors (see Sources of Data index map on the map sheet or the Arc-Info coverage eswn-so and the textfile eswn-so.txt). This report contains new ideas about the geologic structures in the map area, including the active San Andreas Fault system, as well as the geologic units and their relations. Together, the map (or map database) and the unit descriptions in this report describe the composition, distribution, and orientation of geologic materials and structures within the study area at regional scale. Regional geologic information is important for analysis of earthquake shaking, liquifaction susceptibility, landslide susceptibility, engineering materials properties, mineral resources and hazards, as well as groundwater resources and hazards. These data also assist in answering questions about the geologic history and development of the California Coast Ranges.
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Evansville Area Earthquake Hazards Mapping Project (EAEHMP) - Progress Report, 2008
Boyd, Oliver S.; Haase, Jennifer L.; Moore, David W.
2009-01-01
Maps of surficial geology, deterministic and probabilistic seismic hazard, and liquefaction potential index have been prepared by various members of the Evansville Area Earthquake Hazard Mapping Project for seven quadrangles in the Evansville, Indiana, and Henderson, Kentucky, metropolitan areas. The surficial geologic maps feature 23 types of surficial geologic deposits, artificial fill, and undifferentiated bedrock outcrop and include alluvial and lake deposits of the Ohio River valley. Probabilistic and deterministic seismic hazard and liquefaction hazard mapping is made possible by drawing on a wealth of information including surficial geologic maps, water well logs, and in-situ testing profiles using the cone penetration test, standard penetration test, down-hole shear wave velocity tests, and seismic refraction tests. These data were compiled and collected with contributions from the Indiana Geological Survey, Kentucky Geological Survey, Illinois State Geological Survey, United States Geological Survey, and Purdue University. Hazard map products are in progress and are expected to be completed by the end of 2009, with a public roll out in early 2010. Preliminary results suggest that there is a 2 percent probability that peak ground accelerations of about 0.3 g will be exceeded in much of the study area within 50 years, which is similar to the 2002 USGS National Seismic Hazard Maps for a firm rock site value. Accelerations as high as 0.4-0.5 g may be exceeded along the edge of the Ohio River basin. Most of the region outside of the river basin has a low liquefaction potential index (LPI), where the probability that LPI is greater than 5 (that is, there is a high potential for liquefaction) for a M7.7 New Madrid type event is only 20-30 percent. Within the river basin, most of the region has high LPI, where the probability that LPI is greater than 5 for a New Madrid type event is 80-100 percent.
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Geologic Map of the Atlin Quadrangle, Southeastern Alaska
Brew, David A.; Himmelberg, Glen R.; Ford, Arthur B.
2009-01-01
This map presents the results of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) geologic bedrock mapping studies in the mostly glacier covered Atlin 1:250,000-scale quadrangle, northern southeastern Alaska. These studies are part of a long-term systematic effort by the USGS to provide bedrock geologic and mineral-resource information for all of southeastern Alaska, covering all of the Tongass National Forest (including Wilderness Areas) and Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Some contributions to this effort are those concerned with southwesternmost part of the region, the Craig and Dixon Entrance quadrangles (Brew, 1994; 1996) and with the Wrangell-Petersburg area (Brew, 1997a-m; Brew and Grybeck, 1997; Brew and Koch, 1997). As shown on the index map (fig. 1), the study area is almost entirely in the northern Coast Mountains adjacent to British Columbia, Canada. No previous geologic map has been published for the area, although Brew and Ford (1985) included a small part of it in a preliminary compilation of the adjoining Juneau quadrangle; and Brew and others (1991a) showed the geology at 1:500,000 scale. Areas mapped nearby in British Columbia and the United States are also shown on figure 1. All of the map area is in the Coast Mountains Complex as defined by Brew and others (1995a). A comprehensive bibliography is available for this and adjacent areas (Brew, 1997n).
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kappas, M.; Propastin, P.; Degener, J.; Renchin, T.
2014-12-01
Long-term global data sets of Leaf Area Index (LAI) are important for monitoring global vegetation dynamics. LAI indicating phenological development of vegetation is an important state variable for modeling land surface processes. The comparison of long-term data sets is based on two recently available data sets both derived from AVHRR time series. The LAI 3g data set introduced by Zaichun Zhu et al. (2013) is developed from the new improved third generation Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI3g) and best-quality MODIS LAI data. The second long-term data set is based on the 8 km spatial resolution GIMMS-AVHRR data (GGRS-data set by Propastin et al. 2012). The GGRS-LAI product uses a three-dimensional physical radiative transfer model which establishes relationship between LAI, vegetation fractional cover and given patterns of surface reflectance, view-illumination conditions and optical properties of vegetation. The model incorporates a number of site/region specific parameters, including the vegetation architecture variables such as leaf angle distribution, clumping index, and light extinction coefficient. For the application of the model to Kazakhstan, the vegetation architecture variables were computed at the local (pixel) level based on extensive field surveys of the biophysical properties of vegetation in representative grassland areas of Kazakhstan. The comparison of both long-term data sets will be used to interpret their quality for scientific research in other disciplines. References:Propastin, P., Kappas, M. (2012). Retrieval of coarse-resolution leaf area index over the Republic of Kazakhstan using NOAA AVHRR satellite data and ground measurements," Remote Sensing, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 220-246. Zaichun Zhu, Jian Bi, Yaozhong Pan, Sangram Ganguly, Alessandro Anav, Liang Xu, Arindam Samanta, Shilong Piao, Ramakrishna R. Nemani and Ranga B. Myneni (2013). Global Data Sets of Vegetation Leaf Area Index (LAI)3g and Fraction of photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR)3g Derived from Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI3g) for the Period 1981 to 2011. Remote Sens. 2013, 5, 927-948; doi:10.3390/rs5020927
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Marine oil spill risk mapping for accidental pollution and its application in a coastal city.
Lan, Dongdong; Liang, Bin; Bao, Chenguang; Ma, Minghui; Xu, Yan; Yu, Chunyan
2015-07-15
Accidental marine oil spill pollution can result in severe environmental, ecological, economic and other consequences. This paper discussed the model of Marine Oil Spill Risk Mapping (MOSRM), which was constructed as follows: (1) proposing a marine oil spill risk system based on the typical marine oil spill pollution accidents and prevailing risk theories; (2) identifying suitable indexes that are supported by quantitative sub-indexes; (3) constructing the risk measuring models according to the actual interactions between the factors in the risk system; and (4) assessing marine oil spill risk on coastal city scale with GIS to map the overall risk. The case study of accidental marine oil spill pollution in the coastal area of Dalian, China was used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the model. The coastal areas of Dalian were divided into three zones with risk degrees of high, medium, and low. And detailed countermeasures were proposed for specific risk zones. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Saputra, Agus Dwi; Setiabudidaya, Dedi; Setyawan, Dwi; Khakim, M. Yusup Nur; Iskandar, Iskhaq
2017-07-01
Forest fire, classified as a natural hazard or human-induced hazard, has negative impacts on humans. These negative impacts are including economic loss, health problems, transportation disruption and land degradation or even biodiversity loss. During 2015, forest fire had occurred at the Merang-Kepahyang peat forest that has a total area of about 69.837,00 ha. In order to set a rehabilitation plan for recovering the impact of forest fire, information on the total burnscar area and severity level is required. In this study, the total burnscar area and severity level is evaluated using a calculation on the Normalized Burning Ratio (NBR) Index. The calculation is based on the Near Infra Red (NIR) and Short Wave Infra Red (SWIR) of the satellite imageries from LANDSAT. The images of pre-and post-fire are used to evaluate the severity level, which is defined as a difference in NBR Index of pre- and post-fire. It is found that about 42.906,00 ha of the total area of Merang-Kepahyang peat area have been fired in 2015. These burned area are classified into four categories, i.e., unburned, low, extreme and moderate extreme. By overlying the spatial map of burning level with other thematic maps, it is expected that strategy for rehabilitation plan can be well developed.
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Conception of a method for the creation of volcanic risk index maps
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bion, P.; Van Wyk de Vries, B.; Valentine, G.
2012-04-01
Risk index maps are a variant of risk maps, having the advantage of containing unique kinds of information - levels of risk spatially represented - and can therefore be a more effective communication tool than traditional risk maps. Nevertheless, despite their apparent simplicity, their achievement is the result of a complex risk analysis, requiring the consideration of multidisciplinary indicators, expressing different parameters of the physical and human dimensions of the environment and their interactions. The risk index is obtained in three main stages: the definition of hazard and vulnerability indicators, the transformation of the indicators into subindices through mathematical processes (formulation, standardization, weighting), and the combination of the subindices into a final index. As of now, only few attempts of risk quantification have been done, related to landslide, flood or seismic hazards, and those linked to volcanic hazards are very incomplete because of the specificities and complexities of these kinds of events and their effects. Volcanic hazards have the particularity of being of different types, moreover all events can combine together or be combined with other external events (e.g. meteorological), and they can reach and therefore affect extensive areas by different phenomena. The methodology developed here assesses risk levels in regions potentially impacted by volcanic hazards. It incorporates volcanic hazard specificities and nuances of "vulnerability" by integrating the diversity of the environmental components. It analyses the natural and human strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, which are located within the areas potentially "at risk". Consequently, it considers negative but also positive indicators (respectively aggravating and improving the potential consequences), which can be internal but also external to the volcanic hazards. The approach also considers a temporal variability of the events and their direct or indirect associated effects. The developed approach tends to be especially aimed at urban planners, who would possess a new fundamental tool for organizing the territories located "nearby" volcanoes, in which population density is continually increasing. The volcanic risk index maps would give indications on the areas with the highest risk level, and the urban planners would also be able to determine the elements causing such level. This would lead them to the possibility of proposing recommendations and adequate measures to participate to the reduction of vulnerability, in particular in limiting the exposure and the impacts associated with the volcanic hazards, which would consequently reduce the volcanic risks.
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Tran, Annelise; Ponçon, Nicolas; Toty, Céline; Linard, Catherine; Guis, Hélène; Ferré, Jean-Baptiste; Lo Seen, Danny; Roger, François; de la Rocque, Stéphane; Fontenille, Didier; Baldet, Thierry
2008-01-01
Background Although malaria disappeared from southern France more than 60 years ago, suspicions of recent autochthonous transmission in the French Mediterranean coast support the idea that the area could still be subject to malaria transmission. The main potential vector of malaria in the Camargue area, the largest river delta in southern France, is the mosquito Anopheles hyrcanus (Diptera: Culicidae). In the context of recent climatic and landscape changes, the evaluation of the risk of emergence or re-emergence of such a major disease is of great importance in Europe. When assessing the risk of emergence of vector-borne diseases, it is crucial to be able to characterize the arthropod vector's spatial distribution. Given that remote sensing techniques can describe some of the environmental parameters which drive this distribution, satellite imagery or aerial photographs could be used for vector mapping. Results In this study, we propose a method to map larval and adult populations of An. hyrcanus based on environmental indices derived from high spatial resolution imagery. The analysis of the link between entomological field data on An. hyrcanus larvae and environmental indices (biotopes, distance to the nearest main productive breeding sites of this species i.e., rice fields) led to the definition of a larval index, defined as the probability of observing An. hyrcanus larvae in a given site at least once over a year. Independent accuracy assessments showed a good agreement between observed and predicted values (sensitivity and specificity of the logistic regression model being 0.76 and 0.78, respectively). An adult index was derived from the larval index by averaging the larval index within a buffer around the trap location. This index was highly correlated with observed adult abundance values (Pearson r = 0.97, p < 0.05). This allowed us to generate predictive maps of An. hyrcanus larval and adult populations from the landscape indices. Conclusion This work shows that it is possible to use high resolution satellite imagery to map malaria vector spatial distribution. It also confirms the potential of remote sensing to help target risk areas, and constitutes a first essential step in assessing the risk of re-emergence of malaria in southern France. PMID:18302749
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A LiDAR based analysis of hydraulic hazard mapping
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cazorzi, F.; De Luca, A.; Checchinato, A.; Segna, F.; Dalla Fontana, G.
2012-04-01
Mapping hydraulic hazard is a ticklish procedure as it involves technical and socio-economic aspects. On the one hand no dangerous areas should be excluded, on the other hand it is important not to exceed, beyond the necessary, with the surface assigned to some use limitations. The availability of a high resolution topographic survey allows nowadays to face this task with innovative procedures, both in the planning (mapping) and in the map validation phases. The latter is the object of the present work. It should be stressed that the described procedure is proposed purely as a preliminary analysis based on topography only, and therefore does not intend in any way to replace more sophisticated analysis methods requiring based on hydraulic modelling. The reference elevation model is a combination of the digital terrain model and the digital building model (DTM+DBM). The option of using the standard surface model (DSM) is not viable, as the DSM represents the vegetation canopy as a solid volume. This has the consequence of unrealistically considering the vegetation as a geometric obstacle to water flow. In some cases the topographic model construction requires the identification and digitization of the principal breaklines, such as river banks, ditches and similar natural or artificial structures. The geometrical and topological procedure for the validation of the hydraulic hazard maps is made of two steps. In the first step the whole area is subdivided into fluvial segments, with length chosen as a reasonable trade-off between the need to keep the hydrographical unit as complete as possible, and the need to separate sections of the river bed with significantly different morphology. Each of these segments is made of a single elongated polygon, whose shape can be quite complex, especially for meandering river sections, where the flow direction (i.e. the potential energy gradient associated to the talweg) is often inverted. In the second step the segments are analysed one by one. Therefore, each segment was split into many reaches, so that within any of them the slope of the piezometric line can be approximated to zero. As a consequence, the hydraulic profile (open channel flow) in every reach is assumed horizontal both downslope and on the cross-section. Each reach can be seen as a polygon, delimited laterally by the hazard mapping boundaries and longitudinally by two successive cross sections, usually orthogonal to the talweg line. Simulating the progressive increase of the river stage, with a horizontal piezometric line, allow the definition of the stage-area and stage-volume relationships. Such relationships are obtained exclusively by the geometric information as provided by the high resolution elevation model. The maximum flooded area resulting from the simulation is finally compared to the potentially floodable area described by the hazard maps, to give a flooding index for every reach. Index values lower than 100% show that the mapped hazard area exceeds the maximum floodable area. Very low index values identify spots where there is a significant incongruity between the hazard map and the topography, and where a specific verification is probably needed. The procedure was successfully used for the validation of many hazard maps across Italy.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sahin, E. K.; Colkesen, I., , Dr; Kavzoglu, T.
2017-12-01
Identification of localities prone to landslide areas plays an important role for emergency planning, disaster management and recovery planning. Due to its great importance for disaster management, producing accurate and up-to-date landslide susceptibility maps is essential for hazard mitigation purpose and regional planning. The main objective of the present study was to apply multi-collinearity based model selection approach for the production of a landslide susceptibility map of Ulus district of Karabuk, Turkey. It is a fact that data do not contain enough information to describe the problem under consideration when the factors are highly correlated with each other. In such cases, choosing a subset of the original features will often lead to better performance. This paper presents multi-collinearity based model selection approach to deal with the high correlation within the dataset. Two collinearity diagnostic factors (Tolerance (TOL) and the Variance Inflation Factor (VIF)) are commonly used to identify multi-collinearity. Values of VIF that exceed 10.0 and TOL values less than 1.0 are often regarded as indicating multi-collinearity. Five causative factors (slope length, curvature, plan curvature, profile curvature and topographical roughness index) were found highly correlated with each other among 15 factors available for the study area. As a result, the five correlated factors were removed from the model estimation, and performances of the models including the remaining 10 factors (aspect, drainage density, elevation, lithology, land use/land cover, NDVI, slope, sediment transport index, topographical position index and topographical wetness index) were evaluated using logistic regression. The performance of prediction model constructed with 10 factors was compared to that of 15-factor model. The prediction performance of two susceptibility maps was evaluated by overall accuracy and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) values. Results showed that overall accuracy and AUC was calculated as 77.15% and 96.62% respectively for the model with 10 selected factors whilst they were estimated as 73.45% and 89.45% respectively for the model with all factors. It is clear that the multi-collinearity based model outperformed the conventional model in the mapping of landslide susceptibility.
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Void-Filled SRTM Digital Elevation Model of Afghanistan
Chirico, Peter G.; Barrios, Boris
2005-01-01
EXPLANATION The purpose of this data set is to provide a single consistent elevation model to be used for national scale mapping, GIS, remote sensing applications, and natural resource assessments for Afghanistan's reconstruction. For 11 days in February of 2000, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency ian Space Agency (ASI) flew X-band and C-band radar interferometry onboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor. The mission covered the Earth between 60?N and 57?S and will provide interferometric digital elevation models (DEMs) of approximately 80% of the Earth's land mass when processing is complete. The radar-pointing angle was approximately 55? at scene center. Ascending and descending orbital passes generated multiple interferometric data scenes for nearly all areas. Up to eight passes of data were merged to form the final processed Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) DEMs. The effect of merging scenes averages elevation values recorded in coincident scenes and reduces, but does not completely eliminate, the amount of area with layover and terrain shadow effects. The most significant form of data processing for the Afghanistan DEM was gap-filling areas where the SRTM data contained a data void. These void areas are as a result of radar shadow, layover, standing water, and other effects of terrain as well as technical radar interferometry phase unwrapping issues. To fill these gaps, topographic contours were digitized from 1:200,000 - scale Soviet General Staff Topographic Maps which date from the middle to late 1980's. Digital contours were gridded to form elevation models for void areas and subsequently were merged with the SRTM data through GIS and image processing techniques. The data contained in this publication includes SRTM DEM quadrangles projected and clipped in geographic coordinates for the entire country. An index of all available SRTM DEM quadrangles is displayed here: Index_Geo_DD.pdf. Also included are quadrangles projected into their appropriate Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) projection. The country of Afghanistan spans three UTM Zones: Zone 41, Zone 42, and Zone 43. Maps are stored in their respective UTM Zone projection. Indexes of all available SRTM DEM quadrangles in their respective UTM zone are displayed here: Index_UTM_Z41.pdf, Index_UTM_Z42.pdf, Index_UTM_Z43.pdf.
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A GIS application for assessing, mapping, and quantifying the social values of ecosystem services
Sherrouse, Benson C.; Clement, Jessica M.; Semmens, Darius J.
2011-01-01
As human pressures on ecosystems continue to increase, research involving the effective incorporation of social values information into the context of comprehensive ecosystem services assessments is becoming more important. Including quantified, spatially explicit social value metrics in such assessments will improve the analysis of relative tradeoffs among ecosystem services. This paper describes a GIS application, Social Values for Ecosystem Services (SolVES), developed to assess, map, and quantify the perceived social values of ecosystem services by deriving a non-monetary Value Index from responses to a public attitude and preference survey. SolVES calculates and maps the Value Index for social values held by various survey subgroups, as distinguished by their attitudes regarding ecosystem use. Index values can be compared within and among survey subgroups to explore the effect of social contexts on the valuation of ecosystem services. Index values can also be correlated and regressed against landscape metrics SolVES calculates from various environmental data layers. Coefficients derived through these analyses were applied to their corresponding data layers to generate a predicted social value map. This map compared favorably with other SolVES output and led to the addition of a predictive mapping function to SolVES for value transfer to areas where survey data are unavailable. A more robust application is being developed as a public domain tool for decision makers and researchers to map social values of ecosystem services and to facilitate discussions among diverse stakeholders involving relative tradeoffs among different ecosystem services in a variety of physical and social contexts.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Seutloali, Khoboso E.; Dube, Timothy; Mutanga, Onisimo
2017-08-01
Soil erosion is increasingly recognised as the principal cause of land degradation, loss of agricultural land area and siltation of surrounding water waterbodies. Accurate and up-to-date soil erosion mapping is key in understanding its severity if these negative impacts are to be minimised and affected areas rehabilitated. The aim of this work was to map the severity of soil erosion, based on the 30-m Landsat series multispectral satellite data in the former South African homelands of Transkei between the year 1994 and 2010. Further, the study assessed if the observed soil erosion trends and morphology that existed in this area could be explained by biophysical factors (i.e. slope, stream erosivity, topographic wetness index) retrieved from the 30-m ASTER Digital Elevation Model (DEM). The results of this study indicate that the Transkei region experiences varying erosion levels from moderate to very severe. The large portion of the land area under the former homelands was largely affected by rill erosion with approximately 74% occurring in the year 1984 and 54% in 2010. The results also revealed specific thresholds of soil erosion drivers. These include steeper areas (≥30°), high stream power index greater than 2.0 (stream erosivity), relatively lower vegetation cover (≤15%) and low topographic wetness index (≤5%). The results of this work demonstrate the severity of soil erosion in the Southern African former homelands of Transkei for the year 1984 and 2010. Additionally, this work has demonstrated the significance of the 30-m Landsat multispectral sensor in examining soil erosion occurrence at a regional scale where in-depth field work still remains a challenging task.
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The Effect of Molecular Contamination on the Emissivity Spectral Index in Orion A
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Coudé, Simon; Bastien, Pierre; Drabek, Emily; Johnstone, Doug; Hatchell, Jennifer
2013-07-01
The emissivity spectral index is a critical component in the study of the physical properties of dust grains in cold and optically thin interstellar star forming regions. Since submillimeter astronomy is an ideal tool to measure the thermal emission of those dust grains, it can be used to characterize this important parameter. We present the SCUBA-2 shared risks observations at 450 μm and 850 μm of the Orion A molecular cloud obtained at the James-Clerk-Maxwell telescope. Previous studies showed that molecular emission lines can also contribute significantly to the measured fluxes in those continuum bands. We use HARP 12CO 3-2 maps to evaluate the total molecular line contamination in the SCUBA-2 maps and its effect on the determination of the spectral index in highly contaminated areas. With the corrected fluxes, we have obtained new spectral index maps for different regions of the well-known integral-shaped filament. This work is part of an ongoing effort to characterize the properties of star forming regions in the Gould belt with the new instruments available at the JCMT.
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Highlighting landslides and other geomorphological features using sediment connectivity maps
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bossi, Giulia; Crema, Stefano; Cavalli, Marco; Marcato, Gianluca; Pasuto, Alessandro
2016-04-01
Landslide identification is usually made through interpreting geomorphological features in the field or with remote sensing imagery. In recent years, airborne laser scanning (LiDAR) has enhanced the potentiality of geomorphological investigations by providing a detailed and diffuse representation of the land surface. The development of algorithms for geomorphological analysis based on LiDAR derived high-resolution Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) is increasing. Among them, the sediment connectivity index (IC) has been used to quantify sediment dynamics in alpine catchments. In this work, maps of the sediment connectivity index are used for detecting geomorphological features and processes not exclusively related to water-laden processes or debris flows. The test area is located in the upper Passer Valley in South Tyrol (Italy). Here a 4 km2 Deep-seated Gravitational Slope Deformation (DGSD) with several secondary phenomena has been studied for years. The connectivity index was applied to a well-known study area in order to evaluate its effectiveness as an interpretative layer to assist geomorphological analysis. Results were cross checked with evidence previously identified by means of in situ investigations, photointerpretation and monitoring data. IC was applied to a 2.5 m LiDAR derived DTM using two different scenarios in order to test their effectiveness: i) IC derived on the hydrologically correct DTM; ii) IC derived on the original DTM. In the resulting maps a cluster of low-connectivity areas appears as the deformation of the DGSD induce a convexity in the central part of the phenomenon. The double crests, product of the sagging of the landslide, are extremely evident since in those areas the flow directions diverge from the general drainage pattern, which is directed towards the valley river. In the crown area a rock-slab that shows clear evidence of incumbent detachment is clearly highlighted since the maps emphasize the presence of traction trenches and reverse slope. In the second scenario, rockfall activity is more evident since the collapse path induces scars in the slope that locally are identified as flow paths, moreover the presence of the block remnants creates an obstruction (i.e., a sink) for the algorithm. On the other hand, the presence of a smaller rotational landslide at the toe of the DGSD is more detectable in the map derived from the first scenario that shows a rapid change in slope together with a high drainage concentration. An integrated approach that assists the geomorphologic analysis based on aerial images and shaded relief maps with an IC map has proven to be a valuable tool as it allows to highlight different gravitational processes.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ismaeel, A.; Zhou, Q.
2018-04-01
Accurate information of crop rotation in large basin is essential for policy decisions on land, water and nutrient resources around the world. Crop area estimation using low spatial resolution remote sensing data is challenging in a large heterogeneous basin having more than one cropping seasons. This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of two phenological datasets individually and in combined form to map crop rotations in complex irrigated Indus basin without image segmentation. Phenology information derived from Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Leaf Area Index (LAI) of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor, having 8-day temporal and 1000 m spatial resolution, was used in the analysis. An unsupervised (temporal space clustering) to supervised (area knowledge and phenology behavior) classification approach was adopted to identify 13 crop rotations. Estimated crop area was compared with reported area collected by field census. Results reveal that combined dataset (NDVI*LAI) performs better in mapping wheat-rice, wheat-cotton and wheat-fodder rotation by attaining root mean square error (RMSE) of 34.55, 16.84, 20.58 and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 24.56 %, 36.82 %, 30.21 % for wheat, rice and cotton crop respectively. For sugarcane crop mapping, LAI produce good results by achieving RMSE of 8.60 and MAPE of 34.58 %, as compared to NDVI (10.08, 40.53 %) and NDVI*LAI (10.83, 39.45 %). The availability of major crop rotation statistics provides insight to develop better strategies for land, water and nutrient accounting frameworks to improve agriculture productivity.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Nisha, N.; Punia, M.
2016-12-01
Mountain stratigraphic system cannot be claimed as the extraordinarily fragile but a greater range of vulnerability to disturbance than many landscape, in the physical space leading to disturbance in social space, makes it special eco-sensitive zone with greater degree of fragility. The present study furnishes socio-economic vulnerability mapping of the Bhagirathi basin through computation of the Socio vulnerability Index (SoVI). SoVI correlates vulnerability to natural or anthropogenic disasters to socio - economic development and illustrates how developmental parameters alter equation of potential effect and recovery in event of a natural catastrophe in the study region. Use of time-series datasets from different sources, including the optical remote sensing data and the use of social and/or economic data to quantify the vulnerabilities during extreme events is attempted. From the analysis it has been found that the areas with high social vulnerability index are might prone to disaster than low index area. However, the analysis of social vulnerability not only helps to identify flood risk area but also raises the question how the key drivers trigger flood and controlled by the governments and local authorities.
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View Angle Effects on MODIS Snow Mapping in Forests
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Xin, Qinchuan; Woodcock, Curtis E.; Liu, Jicheng; Tan, Bin; Melloh, Rae A.; Davis, Robert E.
2012-01-01
Binary snow maps and fractional snow cover data are provided routinely from MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer). This paper investigates how the wide observation angles of MODIS influence the current snow mapping algorithm in forested areas. Theoretical modeling results indicate that large view zenith angles (VZA) can lead to underestimation of fractional snow cover (FSC) by reducing the amount of the ground surface that is viewable through forest canopies, and by increasing uncertainties during the gridding of MODIS data. At the end of the MODIS scan line, the total modeled error can be as much as 50% for FSC. Empirical analysis of MODIS/Terra snow products in four forest sites shows high fluctuation in FSC estimates on consecutive days. In addition, the normalized difference snow index (NDSI) values, which are the primary input to the MODIS snow mapping algorithms, decrease as VZA increases at the site level. At the pixel level, NDSI values have higher variances, and are correlated with the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in snow covered forests. These findings are consistent with our modeled results, and imply that consideration of view angle effects could improve MODIS snow monitoring in forested areas.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Al-Akad, S.; Akensous, Y.; Hakdaoui, M.
2017-11-01
This research article is summarize the applications of remote sensing and GIS to study the urban floods risk in Al Mukalla. Satellite acquisition of a flood event on October 2015 in Al Mukalla (Yemen) by using flood risk mapping techniques illustrate the potential risk present in this city. Satellite images (The Landsat and DEM images data were atmospherically corrected, radiometric corrected, and geometric and topographic distortions rectified.) are used for flood risk mapping to afford a hazard (vulnerability) map. This map is provided by applying image-processing techniques and using geographic information system (GIS) environment also the application of NDVI, NDWI index, and a method to estimate the flood-hazard areas. Four factors were considered in order to estimate the spatial distribution of the hazardous areas: flow accumulation, slope, land use, geology and elevation. The multi-criteria analysis, allowing to deal with vulnerability to flooding, as well as mapping areas at the risk of flooding of the city Al Mukalla. The main object of this research is to provide a simple and rapid method to reduce and manage the risks caused by flood in Yemen by take as example the city of Al Mukalla.
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Hong, Haoyuan; Tsangaratos, Paraskevas; Ilia, Ioanna; Liu, Junzhi; Zhu, A-Xing; Chen, Wei
2018-06-01
In China, floods are considered as the most frequent natural disaster responsible for severe economic losses and serious damages recorded in agriculture and urban infrastructure. Based on the international experience prevention of flood events may not be completely possible, however identifying susceptible and vulnerable areas through prediction models is considered as a more visible task with flood susceptibility mapping being an essential tool for flood mitigation strategies and disaster preparedness. In this context, the present study proposes a novel approach to construct a flood susceptibility map in the Poyang County, JiangXi Province, China by implementing fuzzy weight of evidence (fuzzy-WofE) and data mining methods. The novelty of the presented approach is the usage of fuzzy-WofE that had a twofold purpose. Firstly, to create an initial flood susceptibility map in order to identify non-flood areas and secondly to weight the importance of flood related variables which influence flooding. Logistic Regression (LR), Random Forest (RF) and Support Vector Machines (SVM) were implemented considering eleven flood related variables, namely: lithology, soil cover, elevation, slope angle, aspect, topographic wetness index, stream power index, sediment transport index, plan curvature, profile curvature and distance from river network. The efficiency of this new approach was evaluated using area under curve (AUC) which measured the prediction and success rates. According to the outcomes of the performed analysis, the fuzzy WofE-SVM model was the model with the highest predictive performance (AUC value, 0.9865) which also appeared to be statistical significant different from the other predictive models, fuzzy WofE-RF (AUC value, 0.9756) and fuzzy WofE-LR (AUC value, 0.9652). The proposed methodology and the produced flood susceptibility map could assist researchers and local governments in flood mitigation strategies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Index of flood maps prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey through 1973
Carrigan, Philip Hadley
1974-01-01
A listing is presented of flood maps prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey through 1973. Maps are listed by State and county and the list provides information on the type of flooding depicted and the reliability of the delineation.The list was prepared from a computer file, and an available program allows retrieval of data by land-line location, State and county, and Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA). The file will be continuously updated.
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Identifying Population Vulnerable to Extreme Heat Events in San Jose, California.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rivera, A. L.
2016-12-01
The extreme heat days not only make cities less comfortable for living but also they are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Mapping studies have demonstrated spatial variability in heat vulnerability. A study conducted between 2000 and 2011 in New York City shows that deaths during heat waves was more likely to occur in black individuals, at home in census tracts which received greater public assistance. This map project intends to portray areas in San Jose California that are vulnerable to extreme heat events. The variables considered to build a vulnerability index are: land surface temperature, vegetated areas (NDVI), and people exposed to these area (population density).
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Gray, T. I., Jr.; Mccrary, D. G. (Principal Investigator)
1981-01-01
The NOAA-6 AVHRR data sets acquired over South Texas and Mexico during the spring of 1980 and after Hurricane Allen passed inland are analyzed. These data were processed to produce the Gray-McCrary Index (GMI's) for each pixel location over the selected area, which area contained rangeland and cropland, both irrigated and nonirrigated. The variations in the GMI's appear to reflect well the availability of water for vegetation. The GMI area maps are shown to delineate and to aid in defining the duration of drought; suggesting the possibility that time changes over a selected area could be useful for irrigation management.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Martínez-Murillo, Juan F.; Remond, Ricardo; Ruiz-Sinoga, José D.
2015-04-01
The study aim was to characterize the vegetation cover in a burned area 22-years ago considering the previous situation to wildfire in 1991 and the current one in 2013. The objectives were to: (i) compare the current and previous vegetation cover to widlfire; (ii) evaluate whether the current vegetation has recovered the previous cover to wildfire; and (iii) determine the spatial variability of vegetation recovery after 22-years since the wildfire. The study area is located in Sierra de las Nieves, South of Spain. It corresponds to an area affected by a wildfire in August 8th, 1991. The burned area was equal to 8156 ha. The burn severity was spatially very high. The main geographic features of the burned area are: mountainous topography (altitudes ranging from 250 m to 1500 m; slope gradient >25%; exposure mainly southfacing); igneous (peridotites), metamorphic (gneiss) and calcareous rocks (limestones); and predominant forest land use (Pinus pinaster sp. woodlands, 10%; pinus opened forest + shrubland, 40%; shrubland, 35%; and bare soil + grassland, 15%). Remote sensing techniques and GIS analysis has been applied to achieve the objectives. Landsat 5 and Landsat 8 images were used: July 13th, 1991 and July 1st, 2013, for the previous wildfire situation and 22-years after, respectively. The 1990 CORINE land cover was also considered to map 1991 land uses prior the wildfire. Likewise, the Andalucía Regional Government wildfire historic records were used to select the burned area and its geographical limit. 1991 and 2013 land cover map were obtained by means of object-oriented classifications. Also, NDVI and PVI1 vegetation indexes were calculated and mapped for both years. Finally, some images transformations and kernel density images were applied to determine the most recovered areas and to map the spatial concentration of bare soil and pine cover areas in 1991 and 2013, respectively. According to the results, the combination of remote sensing and GIS analysis let map the most recovered areas affected by the wildfire in 1991. The vegetation indexes indicated that the vegetation cover in 2013 was still lower than that mapped just before the 1991 widlfire in most of the burned area after 22-years. This result was also confirmed by other techniques applied. Finally, the kernel density surface let identify and locate the most recovered areas of pine cover as well as those areas that still remain totally or partially uncovered (bare soil.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hong, Haoyuan; Pourghasemi, Hamid Reza; Pourtaghi, Zohre Sadat
2016-04-01
Landslides are an important natural hazard that causes a great amount of damage around the world every year, especially during the rainy season. The Lianhua area is located in the middle of China's southern mountainous area, west of Jiangxi Province, and is known to be an area prone to landslides. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare landslide susceptibility maps produced using the random forest (RF) data mining technique with those produced by bivariate (evidential belief function and frequency ratio) and multivariate (logistic regression) statistical models for Lianhua County, China. First, a landslide inventory map was prepared using aerial photograph interpretation, satellite images, and extensive field surveys. In total, 163 landslide events were recognized in the study area, with 114 landslides (70%) used for training and 49 landslides (30%) used for validation. Next, the landslide conditioning factors-including the slope angle, altitude, slope aspect, topographic wetness index (TWI), slope-length (LS), plan curvature, profile curvature, distance to rivers, distance to faults, distance to roads, annual precipitation, land use, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and lithology-were derived from the spatial database. Finally, the landslide susceptibility maps of Lianhua County were generated in ArcGIS 10.1 based on the random forest (RF), evidential belief function (EBF), frequency ratio (FR), and logistic regression (LR) approaches and were validated using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The ROC plot assessment results showed that for landslide susceptibility maps produced using the EBF, FR, LR, and RF models, the area under the curve (AUC) values were 0.8122, 0.8134, 0.7751, and 0.7172, respectively. Therefore, we can conclude that all four models have an AUC of more than 0.70 and can be used in landslide susceptibility mapping in the study area; meanwhile, the EBF and FR models had the best performance for Lianhua County, China. Thus, the resultant susceptibility maps will be useful for land use planning and hazard mitigation aims.
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Development of potential map for landslides by comparing instability indices of various time periods
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chiang, Jie-Lun; Tian, Yu-Qing; Chen, Yie-Ruey; Tsai, Kuang-Jung
2017-04-01
In recent years, extreme rainfall events occur frequently and induced serious landslides and debris flow disasters in Taiwan. The instability indices will differ when using landslide maps of different time periods. We analyzed the landslide records during the period year, 2008 2012, the landslide area contributed 0.42% 2.94% of the total watershed area, the 2.94% was caused by the typhoon Morakot in August, 2009, which brought massive rainfall in which the cumulative maximum rainfall was up to 2900 mm. We analyzed the instability factors including elevation, slope, aspect, soil, and geology. And comparing the instability indices by using individual landslide map of 2008 2012, the landslide maps of the union of the five years, and interaction of the five years. The landslide area from union of the five years contributed 3.71%,the landslide area from interaction of the five years contributed 0.14%. In this study, Kriging was used to establish the susceptibility map in selected watershed. From interaction of the five years, we found the instability index above 4.3 can correspond to those landslide records. The potential landslide area of the selected watershed, where collapses occur more likely, belongs to high level and medium-high level; the area is 13.43% and 3.04% respectively.
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Calibration of groundwater vulnerability mapping using the generalized reduced gradient method.
Elçi, Alper
2017-12-01
Groundwater vulnerability assessment studies are essential in water resources management. Overlay-and-index methods such as DRASTIC are widely used for mapping of groundwater vulnerability, however, these methods mainly suffer from a subjective selection of model parameters. The objective of this study is to introduce a calibration procedure that results in a more accurate assessment of groundwater vulnerability. The improvement of the assessment is formulated as a parameter optimization problem using an objective function that is based on the correlation between actual groundwater contamination and vulnerability index values. The non-linear optimization problem is solved with the generalized-reduced-gradient (GRG) method, which is numerical algorithm based optimization method. To demonstrate the applicability of the procedure, a vulnerability map for the Tahtali stream basin is calibrated using nitrate concentration data. The calibration procedure is easy to implement and aims the maximization of correlation between observed pollutant concentrations and groundwater vulnerability index values. The influence of each vulnerability parameter in the calculation of the vulnerability index is assessed by performing a single-parameter sensitivity analysis. Results of the sensitivity analysis show that all factors are effective on the final vulnerability index. Calibration of the vulnerability map improves the correlation between index values and measured nitrate concentrations by 19%. The regression coefficient increases from 0.280 to 0.485. It is evident that the spatial distribution and the proportions of vulnerability class areas are significantly altered with the calibration process. Although the applicability of the calibration method is demonstrated on the DRASTIC model, the applicability of the approach is not specific to a certain model and can also be easily applied to other overlay-and-index methods. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Calibration of groundwater vulnerability mapping using the generalized reduced gradient method
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Elçi, Alper
2017-12-01
Groundwater vulnerability assessment studies are essential in water resources management. Overlay-and-index methods such as DRASTIC are widely used for mapping of groundwater vulnerability, however, these methods mainly suffer from a subjective selection of model parameters. The objective of this study is to introduce a calibration procedure that results in a more accurate assessment of groundwater vulnerability. The improvement of the assessment is formulated as a parameter optimization problem using an objective function that is based on the correlation between actual groundwater contamination and vulnerability index values. The non-linear optimization problem is solved with the generalized-reduced-gradient (GRG) method, which is numerical algorithm based optimization method. To demonstrate the applicability of the procedure, a vulnerability map for the Tahtali stream basin is calibrated using nitrate concentration data. The calibration procedure is easy to implement and aims the maximization of correlation between observed pollutant concentrations and groundwater vulnerability index values. The influence of each vulnerability parameter in the calculation of the vulnerability index is assessed by performing a single-parameter sensitivity analysis. Results of the sensitivity analysis show that all factors are effective on the final vulnerability index. Calibration of the vulnerability map improves the correlation between index values and measured nitrate concentrations by 19%. The regression coefficient increases from 0.280 to 0.485. It is evident that the spatial distribution and the proportions of vulnerability class areas are significantly altered with the calibration process. Although the applicability of the calibration method is demonstrated on the DRASTIC model, the applicability of the approach is not specific to a certain model and can also be easily applied to other overlay-and-index methods.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Farda, N. M.
2017-12-01
Coastal wetlands provide ecosystem services essential to people and the environment. Changes in coastal wetlands, especially on land use, are important to monitor by utilizing multi-temporal imagery. The Google Earth Engine (GEE) provides many machine learning algorithms (10 algorithms) that are very useful for extracting land use from imagery. The research objective is to explore machine learning in Google Earth Engine and its accuracy for multi-temporal land use mapping of coastal wetland area. Landsat 3 MSS (1978), Landsat 5 TM (1991), Landsat 7 ETM+ (2001), and Landsat 8 OLI (2014) images located in Segara Anakan lagoon are selected to represent multi temporal images. The input for machine learning are visible and near infrared bands, PCA band, invers PCA bands, bare soil index, vegetation index, wetness index, elevation from ASTER GDEM, and GLCM (Harralick) texture, and also polygon samples in 140 locations. There are 10 machine learning algorithms applied to extract coastal wetlands land use from Landsat imagery. The algorithms are Fast Naive Bayes, CART (Classification and Regression Tree), Random Forests, GMO Max Entropy, Perceptron (Multi Class Perceptron), Winnow, Voting SVM, Margin SVM, Pegasos (Primal Estimated sub-GrAdient SOlver for Svm), IKPamir (Intersection Kernel Passive Aggressive Method for Information Retrieval, SVM). Machine learning in Google Earth Engine are very helpful in multi-temporal land use mapping, the highest accuracy for land use mapping of coastal wetland is CART with 96.98 % Overall Accuracy using K-Fold Cross Validation (K = 10). GEE is particularly useful for multi-temporal land use mapping with ready used image and classification algorithms, and also very challenging for other applications.
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XIAO, Xiangming; DONG, Jinwei; QIN, Yuanwei; WANG, Zongming
2016-01-01
Information of paddy rice distribution is essential for food production and methane emission calculation. Phenology-based algorithms have been utilized in the mapping of paddy rice fields by identifying the unique flooding and seedling transplanting phases using multi-temporal moderate resolution (500 m to 1 km) images. In this study, we developed simple algorithms to identify paddy rice at a fine resolution at the regional scale using multi-temporal Landsat imagery. Sixteen Landsat images from 2010–2012 were used to generate the 30 m paddy rice map in the Sanjiang Plain, northeast China—one of the major paddy rice cultivation regions in China. Three vegetation indices, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), and Land Surface Water Index (LSWI), were used to identify rice fields during the flooding/transplanting and ripening phases. The user and producer accuracies of paddy rice on the resultant Landsat-based paddy rice map were 90% and 94%, respectively. The Landsat-based paddy rice map was an improvement over the paddy rice layer on the National Land Cover Dataset, which was generated through visual interpretation and digitalization on the fine-resolution images. The agricultural census data substantially underreported paddy rice area, raising serious concern about its use for studies on food security. PMID:27695637
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Coastal Area Tactical-mapping System (CATS)
2007-09-30
file (I.STD) file. A direct comparison to the timetag of the scanner index wedge times should then yield the shot number that corresponds to the...output of 4 relevant timing files. They are as follows: A.STD: The time at which the A-Scan Wedge index mark was detected. This is recorded as...a coarse time (seconds) and a fine time (microseconds). B.STD: The time at which the B-Scan Wedge index mark was detected. This is recorded as a
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The Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map: A tool for analysis of change in permafrost regions
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Walker, D. A.; Raynolds, M. K.; Maier, H. A.
2003-12-01
Arctic vegetation occurs beyond the northern limit of trees, in areas that have an Arctic climate and Arctic flora. Here we present an overview of the recently published Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map (CAVM), an area analysis of the vegetation map, and a discussion of its potential for analysis of change in the Arctic. Six countries have Arctic tundra vegetation, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Russia, Norway (Svalbard), and the US (Total Arctic area = 7.1 million km2). Some treeless areas, such as most of Iceland and the Aluetian Islands are excluded from the map because they lack an Arctic climate. The CAVM divides the Arctic into five bioclimate subzones, A thru E (Subzone A is the coldest and Subzone E is the warmest), based on a combination of summer temperature and vegetation. Fifteen vegetation types are mapped based on the dominant plant growth forms. More detailed, plant-community-level, information is contained in the database used to construct the map. The reverse side of the vegetation map has a false-color infrared image constructed from Advanced Very-High Resolution (AVHRR) satellite-derived raster data, and maps of bioclimate subzones, elevation, landscape types, lake cover, substrate chemistry, floristic provinces, the maximum normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and aboveground phytomass. The vegetation map was analyzed by vegetation type and biomass for each county, bioclimate subzone, and floristic province. Biomass distribution was analyzed by means of a correlation between aboveground phytomass and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), a remote-sensing index of surface greenness. Biomass on zonal surfaces roughly doubles within each successively warmer subzone, from about 50 g m-2 in Subzone A to 800 g m-2- in Subzone E. But the pattern of vegetation increase is highly variable, and depends on a number of other factors. The most important appears to be the glacial history of the landscape. Areas that were glaciated during the late-Pleistocene, such as Canada, Svalbard, and Greenland, do not show such strong increases in NDVI with temperature as do areas that were not glaciated. Abundant lakes and rocky surfaces limit the greenness of these recently glaciated surfaces. The highest NDVI and phytomass are found in non-glaciated regions of Alaska and Russia. Soil acidity also affects NDVI patterns. In Subzone D, where the NDVI/ soil acidity relationship has been studied most closely, NDVI is lower on nonacidic surfaces. This has been attributed to fewer shrubs and higher proportion of graminoids (more standing dead sedge leaves) in nonacidic areas. This trend is probably caused by generally drier soils, with less production, on limestone-derived soils. The trend is less clear in Subzone E because of fewer nonacidic surfaces, and the abundance of glacial lakes with low NDVI on the acidic shield areas of Canada. Time series analysis of trends in NDVI in Subzones C, D, and E in Alaska have shown a 17% increase in the NDVI over the 21-year record. The increases have been greatest in moist nonacidic tundra. Future analyses of the circumpolar database will be directed at examining which geographic regions and vegetation types have shown the strongest increases, and how these are correlated with temperature changes.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Li, S.; Ganguly, S.; Dungan, J. L.; Zhang, G.; Ju, J.; Claverie, M.
2015-12-01
The European Space Agency's Sentinel-2 mission successfully launched the first of two satellites in June, 2015. Sentinel 2A's MSI instrument is now providing optical data similar to Landsat 8's OLI imagery and, with its global repeat of 10 days, has the potential to increase the availability of 30m resolution high level products such as leaf area index (LAI). Prior to the launch of S-2A, we simulated MSI imagery using EO-1 Hyperion data and estimated green LAI using an algorithm based on canopy spectral invariants theory. Comparison of the resulting LAI maps resulting from the simulated MSI and corresponding maps derived from OLI data showed a RMSE of 0.1875. Uncertainty bounds on actual MSI data promise to be narrower because of the superior signal-to-noise ratio of MSI. A workflow for the production of LAI and other high level products including data ingest, BRDF correction, cloud masking and atmospheric correction is being developed using the NASA Earth Exchange (NEX) and will improve the capability to examine seasonal changes in canopy LAI.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kesuma, D. A.; Purwanto, P.; Putranto, T. T.; Rahmani, T. P. D.
2017-06-01
The increase in human population as well as area development in Salatiga Groundwater Basin, Central Java Province, will increase the potency of groundwater contamination in that area. Groundwater quality, especially the shallow groundwater, is very vulnerable to the contamination from industrial waste, fertilizer/agricultural waste, and domestic waste. The first step in the conservation of groundwater quality is by conducting the mapping of the groundwater vulnerability zonation against the contamination. The result of this research was groundwater vulnerability map which showed the areas vulnerable to the groundwater contamination. In this study, groundwater vulnerability map was assessed based on the DRASTIC Method and was processed spatially using Geographic Information System. The DRASTIC method is used to assess the level of groundwater vulnerability based on weighting on seven parameters, which are: depth to the water table (D), recharge (R), aquifer material (A), soil media (S), topography (T), impact of vadose zone (I), and hydraulic conductivity (C). The higher the DRASTIC Index will result in the higher vulnerability level of groundwater contamination in that area. The DRASTIC Indexes in the researched area were 85 - 100 (low vulnerability level), 101 -120 (low to moderate vulnerability level), 121 - 140 (moderate vulnerability level), 141 - 150, (moderate to high vulnerability level), and 151 - 159 (high vulnerability level). The output of this study can be used by local authority as a tool for consideration to arrange the policy for sustainable area development, especially the development in an area affecting the quality of Salatiga Groundwater Basin.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Oni, T. E.; Omosuyi, G. O.; Akinlalu, A. A.
2017-12-01
Groundwater vulnerability assessment was carried out at Igbara Oke Southwestern Nigeria, with a view to classify the area into vulnerability zones, by applying the electrical resistivity method, using Schlumberger electrode arrays with maximum electrode separation (AB/2) of 65 m in (41) different locations for data acquisition. Geoelectric parameters (layer resistivity and thickness) were determined from the interpreted data. The study area comprises four geoelectric layers (topsoil, lateritic layer, weathered/fractured layer and fresh basement). The geoelectric parameters of the overlying layers across the area were used to assess the vulnerability of the underlying aquifers to near-surface contaminants with the aid of vulnerability maps generated. Three models were compared by maps using geo-electrically derived models; longitudinal conductance, GOD (groundwater occurrence, overlying lithology and depth to the aquifer) and GLSI (geoelectric layer susceptibility indexing). The total longitudinal conductance map shows the north central part of the study area as a weakly protected (0.1-0.19) area, while the northern and southern parts have poor protective capacity (<0.1); this is in agreement with the GOD method which shows the northern part of the study area as less vulnerable (0-0.1) while the southern part has low/moderate (0.1-0.3) vulnerability to contamination. The longitudinal conductance exaggerates the degree of susceptibility to contamination than the GOD and GLSI models. From the models, vulnerability to contamination can be considered higher at the southern part than the northern part and therefore, sources of contamination like septic tank, refuse dump should be cited far from groundwater development area.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Naghibi, Seyed Amir; Moradi Dashtpagerdi, Mostafa
2017-01-01
One important tool for water resources management in arid and semi-arid areas is groundwater potential mapping. In this study, four data-mining models including K-nearest neighbor (KNN), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS), and quadric discriminant analysis (QDA) were used for groundwater potential mapping to get better and more accurate groundwater potential maps (GPMs). For this purpose, 14 groundwater influence factors were considered, such as altitude, slope angle, slope aspect, plan curvature, profile curvature, slope length, topographic wetness index (TWI), stream power index, distance from rivers, river density, distance from faults, fault density, land use, and lithology. From 842 springs in the study area, in the Khalkhal region of Iran, 70 % (589 springs) were considered for training and 30 % (253 springs) were used as a validation dataset. Then, KNN, LDA, MARS, and QDA models were applied in the R statistical software and the results were mapped as GPMs. Finally, the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was implemented to evaluate the performance of the models. According to the results, the area under the curve of ROCs were calculated as 81.4, 80.5, 79.6, and 79.2 % for MARS, QDA, KNN, and LDA, respectively. So, it can be concluded that the performances of KNN and LDA were acceptable and the performances of MARS and QDA were excellent. Also, the results depicted high contribution of altitude, TWI, slope angle, and fault density, while plan curvature and land use were seen to be the least important factors.
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Regional snow-avalanche detection using object-based image analysis of near-infrared aerial imagery
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Korzeniowska, Karolina; Bühler, Yves; Marty, Mauro; Korup, Oliver
2017-10-01
Snow avalanches are destructive mass movements in mountain regions that continue to claim lives and cause infrastructural damage and traffic detours. Given that avalanches often occur in remote and poorly accessible steep terrain, their detection and mapping is extensive and time consuming. Nonetheless, systematic avalanche detection over large areas could help to generate more complete and up-to-date inventories (cadastres) necessary for validating avalanche forecasting and hazard mapping. In this study, we focused on automatically detecting avalanches and classifying them into release zones, tracks, and run-out zones based on 0.25 m near-infrared (NIR) ADS80-SH92 aerial imagery using an object-based image analysis (OBIA) approach. Our algorithm takes into account the brightness, the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), the normalised difference water index (NDWI), and its standard deviation (SDNDWI) to distinguish avalanches from other land-surface elements. Using normalised parameters allows applying this method across large areas. We trained the method by analysing the properties of snow avalanches at three 4 km-2 areas near Davos, Switzerland. We compared the results with manually mapped avalanche polygons and obtained a user's accuracy of > 0.9 and a Cohen's kappa of 0.79-0.85. Testing the method for a larger area of 226.3 km-2, we estimated producer's and user's accuracies of 0.61 and 0.78, respectively, with a Cohen's kappa of 0.67. Detected avalanches that overlapped with reference data by > 80 % occurred randomly throughout the testing area, showing that our method avoids overfitting. Our method has potential for large-scale avalanche mapping, although further investigations into other regions are desirable to verify the robustness of our selected thresholds and the transferability of the method.
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Mapping the literature of diagnostic medical sonography.
Walcott, B M
1999-01-01
Diagnostic medical sonography has been evolving as a recognized allied health occupation since the early 1970s, but no bibliometric studies of the literature of the field have been published. This study, part of the Medical Library Association Nursing and Allied Health Resources Section's Project for Mapping the Literature of Allied Health, attempted to identify the core journals in diagnostic medical sonography and determine how well these journals are indexed by MEDLINE, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL). Citation analysis was done using the three journals listed for the field by the Brandon/Hill list. Characteristics of two of these three journals affected the results to the extent that more data should be gathered to reach conclusions about the literature of diagnostic medical sonography as a whole. Results of the analysis do suggest that the literature of echocardiography, which is a special area of diagnostic medical sonography, is indexed much more completely by MEDLINE and EMBASE/Excerpta Medica than by CINAHL. Suggestions are made for librarians making collection development decisions in this area of allied health. PMID:10427429
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Study of Wetland Ecosystem Vegetation Using Satellite Data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dyukarev, E. A.; Alekseeva, M. N.; Golovatskaya, E. A.
2017-12-01
The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is used to estimate the aboveground net production (ANP) of wetland ecosystems for the key area at the South Taiga zone of West Siberia. The vegetation index and aboveground production are related by linear dependence and are specific for each wetland ecosystem. The NDVI grows with an increase in the ANP at wooded oligotrophic ecosystems. Open oligotrophic bogs and eutrophic wetlands are characterized by an opposite relation. Maps of aboveground production for wetland ecosystems are constructed for each study year and for the whole period of studies. The average aboveground production for all wetland ecosystems of the key area, which was estimated with consideration for the area they occupy and using the data of satellite measurements of the vegetation index, is 305 g C/m2/yr. The total annual carbon accumulation in aboveground wetland vegetation in the key area is 794600 t.
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Urban ventilation corridors mapping using surface morphology data based GIS analysis
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wicht, Marzena; Wicht, Andreas; Osińska-Skotak, Katarzyna
2017-04-01
This paper describes deriving the most appropriate method for mapping urban ventilation corridors, which, if properly designed, reduce heat stress, air pollution and increase air quality, as well as increase the horizontal wind speed. Urban areas are - in terms of surface texture - recognized as one of the roughest surfaces, which results in wind obstruction and decreased ventilation of densely built up areas. As urban heat islands, private household and traffic emissions or large scale industries occur frequently in many cities, both in temperate and tropical regions. A proper ventilation system has been suggested as an appropriate mitigation mean [1] . Two concepts of morphometric analyses of the urban environment are used on the example of Warsaw, representing a dense, urban environment, located in the temperate zone. The utilized methods include firstly a roughness mapping calculation [2] , which analyses zero plane displacement height (zd) and roughness length (z0) and their distribution for the eight (inter-)cardinal wind directions and secondly a grid-based frontal area index mapping approach [3] , which uses least cost path analysis. Utilizing the advantages and minimizing the disadvantages of those two concepts, we propose a hybrid approach. All concepts are based on a 3D building database obtained from satellite imagery, aided by a cadastral building database. Derived areas (ventilation corridors), that facilitate the ventilation system, should be considered by the local authorities as worth preserving, if not expanding, in order to improve the air quality in the city. The results also include designation of the problematic areas, which greatly obscure the ventilation and might be investigated as to reshape or rebuilt to introduce the air flow in particularly dense areas like city centers. Keywords: roughness mapping; GIS; ventilation corridors; frontal area index Rizwan, A. M., Dennis, L. Y., & Chunho, L. I. U. (2008). A review on the generation, determination and mitigation of Urban Heat Island. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 20(1), 120-128. Gál, T., & Unger, J. (2009). Detection of ventilation paths using high-resolution roughness parameter mapping in a large urban area. Building and Environment, 44(1), 198-206. Wong, M. S., Nichol, J. E., To, P. H., & Wang, J. (2010). A simple method for designation of urban ventilation corridors and its application to urban heat island analysis. Building and Environment, 45(8), 1880-1889.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pahlavani, Parham; Sheikhian, Hossein; Bigdeli, Behnaz
2017-10-01
Air pollution assessment is an imperative part of megacities planning and control. Hence, a new comprehensive approach for air pollution monitoring and assessment was introduced in this research. It comprises of three main sections: optimizing the existing air pollutant monitoring network, locating new stations to complete the coverage of the existing network, and finally, generating an air pollution map. In the first section, Shannon information index was used to find less informative stations to be candidate for removal. Then, a methodology was proposed to determine the areas which are not sufficiently covered by the current network. These areas are candidates for establishing new monitoring stations. The current air pollution monitoring network of Tehran was used as a case study, where the air pollution issue has been worsened due to the huge population, considerable commuters' absorption and topographic barriers. In this regard, O3, NO, NO2, NOx, CO, PM10, and PM2.5 were considered as the main pollutants of Tehran. Optimization step concluded that all the 16 active monitoring stations should be preserved. Analysis showed that about 35% of the Tehran's area is not properly covered by monitoring stations and about 30% of the area needs additional stations. The winter period in Tehran always faces the most severe air pollution in the year. Hence, to produce the air pollution map of Tehran, three-month of winter measurements of the mentioned pollutants, repeated for five years in the same period, were selected and extended to the entire area using the kriging method. Experts specified the contribution of each pollutant in overall air pollution. Experts' rankings aggregated by a fuzzy-overlay process. Resulted maps characterized the study area with crucial air pollution situation. According to the maps, more than 45% of the city area faced high pollution in the study period, while only less than 10% of the area showed low pollution. This situation confirms the need for effective plans to mitigate the severity of the problem. In addition, an effort made to investigate the rationality of the acquired air pollution map respect to the urban, cultural, and environmental characteristics of Tehran, which also confirmed the results.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Othman, A. A.; Gloaguen, R.; Andreani, L.; Rahnama, M.
2015-03-01
During the last decades, expansion of settlements into areas prone to landslides in Iraq has increased the importance of accurate hazard assessment. Susceptibility mapping provides information about hazardous locations and thus helps to potentially prevent infrastructure damage due to mass wasting. The aim of this study is to evaluate and compare frequency ratio (FR), weight of evidence (WOE), logistic regression (LR) and probit regression (PR) approaches in combination with new geomorphological indices to determine the landslide susceptibility index (LSI). We tested these four methods in Mawat area, Kurdistan Region, NE Iraq, where landslides occur frequently. For this purpose, we evaluated 16 geomorphological, geological and environmental predicting factors mainly derived from the advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer (ASTER) satellite. The available reference inventory includes 351 landslides representing a cumulative surface of 3.127 km2. This reference inventory was mapped from QuickBird data by manual delineation and partly verified by field survey. The areas under curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC), and relative landslide density (R index) show that all models perform similarly and that focus should be put on the careful selection of proxies. The results indicate that the lithology and the slope aspects play major roles for landslide occurrences. Furthermore, this paper demonstrates that using hypsometric integral as a prediction factor instead of slope curvature gives better results and increases the accuracy of the LSI.
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Marsh canopy leaf area and orientation calculated for improved marsh structure mapping
Ramsey, Elijah W.; Rangoonwala, Amina; Jones, Cathleen E.; Bannister, Terri
2015-01-01
An approach is presented for producing the spatiotemporal estimation of leaf area index (LAI) of a highly heterogeneous coastal marsh without reliance on user estimates of marsh leaf-stem orientation. The canopy LAI profile derivation used three years of field measured photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) vertical profiles at seven S. alterniflora marsh sites and iterative transform of those PAR attenuation profiles to best-fit light extinction coefficients (KM). KM sun zenith dependency was removed obtaining the leaf angle distribution (LAD) representing the average marsh orientation and the LAD used to calculate the LAI canopy profile. LAI and LAD reproduced measured PAR profiles with 99% accuracy and corresponded to field documented structures. LAI and LAD better reflect marsh structure and results substantiate the need to account for marsh orientation. The structure indexes are directly amenable to remote sensing spatiotemporal mapping and offer a more meaningful representation of wetland systems promoting biophysical function understanding.
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Geomorphometry-based method of landform assessment for geodiversity
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Najwer, Alicja; Zwoliński, Zbigniew
2015-04-01
Climate variability primarily induces the variations in the intensity and frequency of surface processes and consequently, principal changes in the landscape. As a result, abiotic heterogeneity may be threatened and the key elements of the natural diversity even decay. The concept of geodiversity was created recently and has rapidly gained the approval of scientists around the world. However, the problem recognition is still at an early stage. Moreover, little progress has been made concerning its assessment and geovisualisation. Geographical Information System (GIS) tools currently provide wide possibilities for the Earth's surface studies. Very often, the main limitation in that analysis is acquisition of geodata in appropriate resolution. The main objective of this study was to develop a proceeding algorithm for the landform geodiversity assessment using geomorphometric parameters. Furthermore, final maps were compared to those resulting from thematic layers method. The study area consists of two peculiar valleys, characterized by diverse landscape units and complex geological setting: Sucha Woda in Polish part of Tatra Mts. and Wrzosowka in Sudetes Mts. Both valleys are located in the National Park areas. The basis for the assessment is a proper selection of geomorphometric parameters with reference to the definition of geodiversity. Seven factor maps were prepared for each valley: General Curvature, Topographic Openness, Potential Incoming Solar Radiation, Topographic Position Index, Topographic Wetness Index, Convergence Index and Relative Heights. After the data integration and performing the necessary geoinformation analysis, the next step with a certain degree of subjectivity is score classification of the input maps using an expert system and geostatistical analysis. The crucial point to generate the final maps of geodiversity by multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) with GIS-based Weighted Sum technique is to assign appropriate weights for each factor map by determining the incoherence of the pairwise comparison matrices. The widely accepted rule of inconsistency is according to Saaty's ratio. The accuracy of the obtained final maps is strongly influenced by: the quality of the raw data and the cell size of the basic assessment. Furthermore, it can be stated that selected parameters: Topographic Position Index, Topographic Wetness Index and Total Incoming Solar Radiation could be a relevant choice for geodiversity assessment. The remaining ones are characterized by certain linear correlation and therefore their validity in the weighting process was lower. Geodiversity assessment method based on the geomorphometric parameters provides results at a level similar to the method using thematic layers. What is more significant, it is much less labor-intensive and does not require a whole set of geodata. Recognizing parts of the territory that are the most vulnerable to changes turns out to be very crucial for management and planning of natural protected areas. The proposed methodology meets these proposals well.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bratic, G.; Brovelli, M. A.; Molinari, M. E.
2018-04-01
The availability of thematic maps has significantly increased over the last few years. Validation of these maps is a key factor in assessing their suitability for different applications. The evaluation of the accuracy of classified data is carried out through a comparison with a reference dataset and the generation of a confusion matrix from which many quality indexes can be derived. In this work, an ad hoc free and open source Python tool was implemented to automatically compute all the matrix confusion-derived accuracy indexes proposed by literature. The tool was integrated into GRASS GIS environment and successfully applied to evaluate the quality of three high-resolution global datasets (GlobeLand30, Global Urban Footprint, Global Human Settlement Layer Built-Up Grid) in the Lombardy Region area (Italy). In addition to the most commonly used accuracy measures, e.g. overall accuracy and Kappa, the tool allowed to compute and investigate less known indexes such as the Ground Truth and the Classification Success Index. The promising tool will be further extended with spatial autocorrelation analysis functions and made available to researcher and user community.
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Geodiversity and biodiversity assessment of the Słupsk Bank, Baltic Sea
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Najwer, Alicja; Zelewska, Izabela; Zwoliński, Zbigniew
2017-04-01
Recognizing the most diversified parts of the territory turns out to be very crucial for management and planning of natural protected areas. There is an increasing number of studies concerning assessing geodiversity and biodiversity of the land areas. However, there is noticeable lack of such publications for submerged zones. The study area consists of 100km2 Słupsk sandy shoal sporadically covered with boulder layers, located in the southern part of the Baltic Sea. It is characterised by landscapes of a significant nature value protected by Natura 2000 and is as well designated as an open sea by Helsinki Commission Baltic Sea Protected Area (HELCOM BSPA). The main aim of the presentation is an attempt to integrate geodiversity and biodiversity assessments of the submerged area using GIS platform. The basis for the diversity assessment is the proper selection of features of the marine environment, its reclassification and integration by the map algebra analysis. The map of geodiversity is based on three factor maps: a relief energy map (classification based on bathymetric model, a landform fragmentation/geomorphological map (expert classification using BPI - Bathymetric Position Index), and a lithological map (classification of the average size of grain fraction). The map of biodiversity is based on the following factor maps: a map of biomass distribution of Ceraminum Diaphanum, a map of biomass distribution of Coccotylus Truncatus, a map of biomass distribution of Polysiphonia Fucoides, a map of biomass distribution of Mytilus Edulis Trossulus, a map of distribution of macroalgae, and finally a map of distribution of macrozoobenthos. It was decided to use four classes of diversity (from low through medium and high, up to very high). The designation of the lowest class was abandoned because it characterizes areas with high anthropopressure. Maps of geodiversity and biodiversity may prove to be helpful in determining the directions for management of the most valuable parts of the areas from the nature point of view, as well as delimitation of the geodiveristy/biodiversity hotspots for purpose of the strict nature protection. This study is the first attempt to use methods of diversity assessment for marine environment.
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Asadi, S S; Vuppala, Padmaja; Reddy, M Anji
2005-01-01
A preliminary survey of area under Zone-III of MCH was undertaken to assess the ground water quality, demonstrate its spatial distribution and correlate with the land use patterns using advance techniques of remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS). Twenty-seven ground water samples were collected and their chemical analysis was done to form the attribute database. Water quality index was calculated from the measured parameters, based on which the study area was classified into five groups with respect to suitability of water for drinking purpose. Thematic maps viz., base map, road network, drainage and land use/land cover were prepared from IRS ID PAN + LISS III merged satellite imagery forming the spatial database. Attribute database was integrated with spatial sampling locations map in Arc/Info and maps showing spatial distribution of water quality parameters were prepared in Arc View. Results indicated that high concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS), nitrates, fluorides and total hardness were observed in few industrial and densely populated areas indicating deteriorated water quality while the other areas exhibited moderate to good water quality.
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Bishop-Williams, Katherine E; Berke, Olaf; Pearl, David L; Kelton, David F
2016-07-03
Climate change has increased the occurrence of heat waves, causing heat stress among humans and livestock, with potentially fatal consequences. Heat stress maps provide information about related health risks and insight for control strategies. Weather data were collected throughout Southern Ontario, and the heat stress index (HSI) was estimated for 2010-2012. Geostatistical kriging was applied to map heat stress, heat waves, and control periods. Average HSI for each period ranged from 55 to 78 during control periods, and from 65 to 84 during heat waves, surpassing levels where morbidity is known to increase substantially. Heat stress followed a temporally consistent geographic pattern. HSI maps indicate high-risk areas for heat-related illness and indicate areas where agriculture and human health may be at increased risk in future.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Moustafa, Sayed, Sr.; Alarifi, Nassir S.; Lashin, Aref A.
2016-04-01
Urban areas along the western coast of Saudi Arabia are susceptible to natural disasters and environmental damages due to lack of planning. To produce a site-specific microzonation map of the rapidly growing Yanbu industrial city, spatial distribution of different hazard entities are assessed using the Analytical Hierarchal Process (AHP) together with Geographical Information System (GIS). For this purpose six hazard parameter layers are considered, namely; fundamental frequency, site amplification, soil strength in terms of effective shear-wave velocity, overburden sediment thickness, seismic vulnerability index and peak ground acceleration. The weight and rank values are determined during AHP and are assigned to each layer and its corresponding classes, respectively. An integrated seismic microzonation map was derived using GIS platform. Based on the derived map, the study area is classified into five hazard categories: very low, low, moderate high, and very high. The western and central parts of the study area, as indicated from the derived microzonation map, are categorized as a high hazard zone as compared to other surrounding places. The produced microzonation map of the current study is envisaged as a first-level assessment of the site specific hazards in the Yanbu city area, which can be used as a platform by different stakeholders in any future land-use planning and environmental hazard management.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Elhag, Mohamed; Bahrawi, Jarbou A.
2017-03-01
Vegetation indices are mostly described as crop water derivatives. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is one of the oldest remote sensing applications that is widely used to evaluate crop vigor directly and crop water relationships indirectly. Recently, several NDVI derivatives were exclusively used to assess crop water relationships. Four hydrological drought indices are examined in the current research study. The water supply vegetation index (WSVI), the soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), the moisture stress index (MSI) and the normalized difference infrared index (NDII) are implemented in the current study as an indirect tool to map the effect of different soil salinity levels on crop water stress in arid environments. In arid environments, such as Saudi Arabia, water resources are under pressure, especially groundwater levels. Groundwater wells are rapidly depleted due to the heavy abstraction of the reserved water. Heavy abstractions of groundwater, which exceed crop water requirements in most of the cases, are powered by high evaporation rates in the designated study area because of the long days of extremely hot summer. Landsat 8 OLI data were extensively used in the current research to obtain several vegetation indices in response to soil salinity in Wadi ad-Dawasir. Principal component analyses (PCA) and artificial neural network (ANN) analyses are complementary tools used to understand the regression pattern of the hydrological drought indices in the designated study area.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pradhan, Biswajeet
2010-05-01
This paper presents the results of the cross-validation of a multivariate logistic regression model using remote sensing data and GIS for landslide hazard analysis on the Penang, Cameron, and Selangor areas in Malaysia. Landslide locations in the study areas were identified by interpreting aerial photographs and satellite images, supported by field surveys. SPOT 5 and Landsat TM satellite imagery were used to map landcover and vegetation index, respectively. Maps of topography, soil type, lineaments and land cover were constructed from the spatial datasets. Ten factors which influence landslide occurrence, i.e., slope, aspect, curvature, distance from drainage, lithology, distance from lineaments, soil type, landcover, rainfall precipitation, and normalized difference vegetation index (ndvi), were extracted from the spatial database and the logistic regression coefficient of each factor was computed. Then the landslide hazard was analysed using the multivariate logistic regression coefficients derived not only from the data for the respective area but also using the logistic regression coefficients calculated from each of the other two areas (nine hazard maps in all) as a cross-validation of the model. For verification of the model, the results of the analyses were then compared with the field-verified landslide locations. Among the three cases of the application of logistic regression coefficient in the same study area, the case of Selangor based on the Selangor logistic regression coefficients showed the highest accuracy (94%), where as Penang based on the Penang coefficients showed the lowest accuracy (86%). Similarly, among the six cases from the cross application of logistic regression coefficient in other two areas, the case of Selangor based on logistic coefficient of Cameron showed highest (90%) prediction accuracy where as the case of Penang based on the Selangor logistic regression coefficients showed the lowest accuracy (79%). Qualitatively, the cross application model yields reasonable results which can be used for preliminary landslide hazard mapping.
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Mapping soil erosion risk in Serra de Grândola (Portugal)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Neto Paixão, H. M.; Granja Martins, F. M.; Zavala, L. M.; Jordán, A.; Bellinfante, N.
2012-04-01
Geomorphological processes can pose environmental risks to people and economical activities. Information and a better knowledge of the genesis of these processes is important for environmental planning, since it allows to model, quantify and classify risks, what can mitigate the threats. The objective of this research is to assess the soil erosion risk in Serra de Grândola, which is a north-south oriented mountain ridge with an altitude of 383 m, located in southwest of Alentejo (southern Portugal). The study area is 675 km2, including the councils of Grândola, Santiago do Cacém and Sines. The process for mapping of erosive status was based on the guidelines for measuring and mapping the processes of erosion of coastal areas of the Mediterranean proposed by PAP/RAC (1997), developed and later modified by other authors in different areas. This method is based on the application of a geographic information system that integrates different types of spatial information inserted into a digital terrain model and in their derivative models. Erosive status are classified using information from soil erodibility, slope, land use and vegetation cover. The rainfall erosivity map was obtained using the modified Fournier index, calculated from the mean monthly rainfall, as recorded in 30 meteorological stations with influence in the study area. Finally, the soil erosion risk map was designed by ovelaying the erosive status map and the rainfall erosivity map.
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Mineral mapping in the Maherabad area, eastern Iran, using the HyMap remote sensing data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Molan, Yusuf Eshqi; Refahi, Davood; Tarashti, Ali Hoseinmardi
2014-04-01
This study applies matched filtering on the HyMap airborne hyperspectral data to obtain the distribution map of alteration minerals in the Maherabad area and uses virtual verification to verify the results. This paper also introduces "moving threshold" which tries to find an appropriate threshold value to convert gray scale images, produced by mapping methods, to target and background pixels. The Maherabad area, located in the eastern part of the Lut block, is a Cu-Au porphyry system in which quartz-sericite-pyrite, argillic and propylitic alteration are most common. Minimum noise fraction transform coupled with a pixel purity index was applied on the HyMap images to extract the endmembers of the alteration minerals, including kaolinite, montmorillonite, sericite (muscovite/illite), calcite, chlorite, epidote, and goethite. Since there was no access to any portable spectrometer and/or lab spectral measurements for the verification of the remote sensing imagery results, virtual verification achieved using the USGS spectral library and showed an agreement of 83.19%. The comparison between the results of the matched filtering and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses also showed an agreement of 56.13%.
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Relative trace-element concern indexes for eastern Kentucky coals
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Collins, S.L.
Coal trace elements that could affect environmental quality were studied in 372 samples (collected and analyzed by the Kentucky Geological Survey and the United States Geological Survey) from 36 coal beds in eastern Kentucky. Relative trace-element concern indexes are defined as the weighted sum of standarized (substract mean; divide by standard deviation) concentrations. Index R is calculated from uranium and thorium, index 1 from elements of minor concern (antimony, barium, bromine, chloride, cobalt, lithium, manganese, sodium, and strontium), index 2 from elements of moderate concern (chromium, copper, fluorine, nickel, vanadium, and zinc), and index 4 from elements of greatest concernmore » (arsenic, boron, cadmium, lead, mercury, molybdenum, and selenium). Numericals indicate weights, except that index R is weighted by 1, and index 124 is the unweighted sum of indexes 1, 2, and 4. Contour mapping indexes is valid because all indexes have nonnugget effect variograms. Index 124 is low west of Lee and Bell counties, and in Pike County. Index 124 is high in the area bounded by Boyd, Menifee, Knott, and Martin counties and in Owsley, Clay, and Leslie counties. Coal from some areas of eastern Kentucky is less likely to cause environmental problems than that from other areas. Positive correlations of all indexes with the centered log ratios of ash, and negative correlations with centered log ratios of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur indicate that trace elements of concern are predominantly associated with ash. Beneficiation probably would reduce indexes significantly.« less
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Thomas, Ian; Jordan, Phil; Mellander, Per-Erik; Fenton, Owen; Shine, Oliver; hUallacháin, Daire Ó.; Creamer, Rachel; McDonald, Noeleen; Dunlop, Paul; Murphy, Paul
2016-04-01
Identifying critical source areas (CSAs) of diffuse pollution in agricultural catchments requires the accurate identification of hydrologically sensitive areas (HSAs) at highest propensity for generating surface runoff and transporting pollutants such as phosphorus (P). A new GIS-based HSA Index is presented that identifies HSAs at the sub-field scale. It uses a soil topographic index (STI) and accounts for the hydrological disconnection of overland flow via topographic impediment from flow sinks such as hedgerows and depressions. High resolution (0.25-2 m) LiDAR Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) are utilised to capture these microtopographic controls on flow pathways and hydrological connectivity. The HSA Index was applied to four agricultural catchments (~7.5-12 km2) with contrasting topography and soil types. Catchment HSA sizes were estimated using high resolution rainfall-quickflow measurements during saturated winter storm events in 2009-2014, and mapped using the HSA Index. HSA sizes ranged from 1.6-3.4% of the catchment area during median storm events and 2.9-8.5% during upper quartile events depending on whether well or poorly drained soils dominated, which validated HSA Index value distributions. Total flow sink volume capacities ranged from 8,298-59,584 m3 and caused 8.5-24.2% of overland-flow-generating-areas and 16.8-33.4% of catchment areas to become hydrologically disconnected from the open drainage channel network. HSA maps identified 'delivery points' along surface runoff pathways where transported pollutants such as P are delivered to the open drainage network. Using these as proposed locations for targeting mitigation measures such as riparian buffer strips (RBS) reduced costs compared to blanket implementation within an example agri-environment scheme by 66% and 91% over 1 and 5 years respectively, which included LiDAR DEM acquisition costs. Considering that HSAs are often the dominant P CSA factor in agricultural catchments and can override source pressures, targeting measures at HSAs is potentially a more sustainable, cost-effective and policy-applicable strategy for mitigating diffuse pollution.
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Geologic Map of the Wilderness and Handy Quadrangles, Oregon, Carter, and Ripley Counties, Missouri
Harrison, Richard W.; McDowell, Robert C.
2003-01-01
The bedrock exposed in the Wilderness and Handy Quadrangles, Missouri, comprises Early Ordovician aged dolomite, sandstone, and chert. The sedimentary rocks are nearly flat-lying except where they are adjacent to faults. The carbonate rocks are karstified and the area contains numerous sinkholes, springs, caves, and losing-streams. This map is one of several being produced under the U.S. Geological Survey National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program to provide geologic data applicable to land-use problems in the Ozarks of south-central Missouri. Ongoing and potential industrial and agricultural development in the Ozarks region has presented issues of ground-water quality in karst areas. These quadrangles contain significant areas of the Mark Twain National Forest, including part of the Eleven Point National Scenic Riverway and the Irish Wilderness Roadless Area. A National Park in this region (Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri ) is concerned about the effects of activities in areas outside of their stewardship on the water resources that define the heart of this Park. This task applies geologic mapping and karst investigations to address issues surrounding competing land use in south-central Missouri. For more information see: http://geology.er.usgs.gov/eespteam/Karst/index.html
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Rice crop risk map in Babahoyo canton (Ecuador)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Valverde Arias, Omar; Tarquis, Ana; Garrido, Alberto
2016-04-01
It is widely known that extreme climatic phenomena occur with more intensity and frequency. This fact has put more pressure over farming, making agricultural and livestock production riskier. In order to reduce hazards and economic loses that could jeopardize farmer's incomes and even its business continuity, it is very important to implement agriculture risk management plans by governments and institutions. One of the main strategies is transfer risk by agriculture insurance. Agriculture insurance based in indexes has a significant growth in the last decade. And consist in a comparison between measured index values with a defined threshold that triggers damage losses. However, based index insurance could not be based on an isolated measurement. It is necessary to be integrated in a complete monitoring system that uses many sources of information and tools. For example, index influence areas, crop production risk maps, crop yields, claim statistics, and so on. Crop production risk is related with yield variation of crops and livestock, due to weather, pests, diseases, and other factors that affect both the quantity and quality of commodities produced. This is the risk which farmers invest more time managing, and it is completely under their control. The aim of this study is generate a crop risk map of rice that can provide risk manager important information about the status of crop facing production risks. Then, based on this information, it will be possible to make best decisions to deal with production risk. The rice crop risk map was generated qualifying a 1:25000 scale soil and climatic map of Babahoyo canton, which is located in coast region of Ecuador, where rice is one of the main crops. The methodology to obtain crop risk map starts by establishing rice crop requirements and indentifying the risks associated with this crop. A second step is to evaluate soil and climatic conditions of the study area related to optimal crop requirements. Based on it, we can determinate which level of rice crop requirement is met. Finally we have established rice crop zones classified as: suitable, moderate suitable, marginal suitable and unsuitable. Several methods have been used to estimate the degree with which crop requirements are satisfied, pondering weights of limiting factors to adequate crop conditions. Better conditions for cropping in a specific area imply less risk in production. In this case, crop will be less affected by pests and disease, although this closely depends on crop management. Farmers have to invest less money to produce and could increase their benefit. Results are showed and discussed with the aim to study the efficiency and potential of this risk map.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Thompson, D. R.; Wehmanen, O. A. (Principal Investigator)
1978-01-01
The author has identified the following significant results. The Green Number Index technique which uses LANDSAT digital data from 5X6 nautical mile sampling frames was expanded to evaluate its usefulness in detecting and monitoring vegetative water stress over the Great Plains. At known growth stages for wheat, segments were classified as drought or non drought. Good agreement was found between the 18 day remotely sensed data and a weekly ground-based crop moisture index. Operational monitoring of the 1977 U.S.S.R. and Australian wheat crops indicated drought conditions. Drought isoline maps produced by the Green Number Index technique were in good agreement with conventional sources.
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AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF CLIMATIC MAPS OF ANGOLA,
Contents: Map of political divisions of Africa; Map of Angola; Sources with abstracts listed alphabetically by author; Alphabetical author index ; Subject heading index with period of record; Subject heading index with map scales.
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Land Capability Potential Index (LCPI) for the Lower Missouri River Valley
Jacobson, Robert B.; Chojnacki, Kimberly A.; Reuter, Joanna M.
2007-01-01
The Land Capability Potential Index (LCPI) was developed to serve as a relatively coarse-scale index to delineate broad land capability classes in the valley of the Lower Missouri River. The index integrates fundamental factors that determine suitability of land for various uses, and may provide a useful mechanism to guide land-management decisions. The LCPI was constructed from integration of hydrology, hydraulics, land-surface elevations, and soil permeability (or saturated hydraulic conductivity) datasets for an area of the Lower Missouri River, river miles 423–670. The LCPI estimates relative wetness based on intersecting water-surface elevations, interpolated from measurements or calculated from hydraulic models, with a high-resolution land-surface elevation dataset. The potential for wet areas to retain or drain water is assessed using soil-drainage classes that are estimated from saturated hydraulic conductivity of surface soils. Terrain mapping that delineates areas with convex, concave, and flat parts of the landscape provides another means to assess tendency of landscape patches to retain surface water.
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Estimation of the Forest Fire Risk in Indonesia based on Satellite Remote Sensing
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Suzuki, H.; Takahashi, Y.; Hashimoto, A.; Akita, M.; Hasegawa, Y.; Ogino, Y.; Naruse, N.; Takahashi, Y.
2016-12-01
To minimize forest fires in tropical area is extremely important, because the fire has a large impact on global warming, biodiversity, and human society. In the previous study, Shimada and Ishibashi monitored the ground-water lever from the value of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) obtained in Kalimantan Island to predict where the forest fires will happen. We have developed a method to map the forest fire risk by calculating the value of Modified Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index 2 (MSAVI2). Moreover, we investigated the relation between the distance from a road as an artificial factor and the occurrence of the fire.First, calculating the MSAVI2 from Landsat 7 and 8 images of August, 2015 around Martapura in South Sumatra, Indonesia, we mapped the area where the plants were stressed. Next, we checked the degrees of matching between the area of low MSAVI2 and the forest fire points.As a result, half of the fires happened in the area having the MSAVI2 values of 0.20 to 0.35. When we focused on only the area which is over 5 kilometers far from a road, the degrees of matching became higher; it rose up to 62 percent.Those results indicate that the fire risks relate to the dry area calculated as low MSAVI2 in the case with less human activities. We need to consider an effect of artificial factors to estimate the whole risk of forest fire.In conclusion, the map of forest fire risk by calculating the value of MSAVI2 is applicable to an area with less artificial factor, while we have to take the effect of artificial fire factor into the consideration.
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Data indexing techniques for the EUVE all-sky survey
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lewis, J.; Saba, V.; Dobson, C.
1992-01-01
This poster describes techniques developed for manipulating large full-sky data sets for the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer project. The authors have adapted the quatrilateralized cubic sphere indexing algorithm to allow us to efficiently store and process several types of large data sets, such as full-sky maps of photon counts, exposure time, and count rates. A variation of this scheme is used to index sparser data such as individual photon events and viewing times for selected areas of the sky, which are eventually used to create EUVE source catalogs.
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Sherrod, David R.; Scott, William E.
1995-01-01
This map shows the geology of the central and eastern parts of the Cascade Range in northern Oregon. The Quaternary andesitic stratovolcano of Mount Hood dominates the northwest quarter of the quadrangle, but nearly the entire area is underlain by arc-related volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks of the Cascade Range. Most stratigraphic units were emplaced since middle Miocene time, and all are Oligocene or younger. Despite the proximity of the map area to the Portland metropolitan area, large parts remained virtually unstudied or known only from limited reconnaissance until the late 1970s. A notable exception is the area surrounding Mount Hood, where mapping and chemical analyses by Wise (1969) provided a framework for geologic interpretation. Mapping since 1975 was conducted first to understand the stratigraphy and structure of the Columbia River Basalt Group (Anderson, 1978; Vogt, 1981; J.L. Anderson, in Swanson and others, 1981; Vandiver-Powell, 1978; Burck, 1986) and later to examine the geothermal potential of Mount Hood (Priest and others, 1982). Additional mapping was completed in 1985 for a geologic map of the Cascade Range in Oregon (Sherrod and Smith, 1989). From 1987 to 1990, detailed mapping was conducted in three 15-minute quadrangles on a limited basis (D.R. Sherrod, unpublished mapping) (see fig. 1 for index to mapping). An ongoing volcanic hazards study of Mount Hood by the U.S. Geological Survey (Scott and others, 1994) has provided the catalyst for completing the geologic map of the Mount Hood 30-minute by 60-minute quadrangle. As of June 1994, only two broad areas still remain largely unmapped. One of these areas, labeled 'unmapped' on the geologic map, lies in the Salmon River valley south of Zigzag along the west margin of the quadrangle. Although strata of the Columbia River Basalt Group in the Salmon River valley were mapped in detail by Burck (1986), the overlying middle and upper(?) Miocene lava flows, volcaniclastic strata, and intrusions have never been studied. The other poorly known area, the Mutton Mountains in the southeastern part of the map area, consists of Oligocene and lower Miocene volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks. Overlying lava flows of the Columbia River Basalt Group were mapped in some detail by Anderson (in Swanson and others, 1981).
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Remote sensing sensors and applications in environmental resources mapping and modeling
Melesse, Assefa M.; Weng, Qihao; Thenkabail, Prasad S.; Senay, Gabriel B.
2007-01-01
The history of remote sensing and development of different sensors for environmental and natural resources mapping and data acquisition is reviewed and reported. Application examples in urban studies, hydrological modeling such as land-cover and floodplain mapping, fractional vegetation cover and impervious surface area mapping, surface energy flux and micro-topography correlation studies is discussed. The review also discusses the use of remotely sensed-based rainfall and potential evapotranspiration for estimating crop water requirement satisfaction index and hence provides early warning information for growers. The review is not an exhaustive application of the remote sensing techniques rather a summary of some important applications in environmental studies and modeling.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
2004-01-01
This hematite abundance index map helps geologists choose hematite-rich locations to visit around Opportunity's landing site. Blue dots equal areas low in hematite and red dots equal areas high in hematite.
Why Hematite Geologists are eager to reach the hematite-rich area in the upper left to closely examine the soil, which may reveal secrets about how the hematite got to this location. Knowing how the hematite on Mars was formed may help scientists characterize the past environment and determine whether that environment provided favorable conditions for life.The Plan Over the next few sols, engineers and scientists plan to drive Opportunity to the hematite-rich area then attempt a 'pre-trench' sequence, taking measurements with the Moessbauer spectrometer, alpha particle X-ray spectrometer and microscopic imager. Next, the plan is to trench the hematite rich area by spinning one wheel in place to 'dig' a shallow hole. Finally, scientists will aim the instrument arm back at the same area where it pre-trenched to get post-trench data with the same instruments to compare and contrast the levels of hematite and revel how deep the hematite lays in the dirt.Index Map Details The hematite abundance index map was created using data from the miniature thermal emission instrument. The first layer is a mosaic of panoramic camera images taken prior to egress, when Opportunity was still on the lander. The colored dots represent data collected by the miniature thermal emission spectrometer on sol 11, after Opportunity had rolled off of the lander and the rover was located at the center of the blue semi-circle.The spectrometer is located on the panoramic camera mast. On sol 11, it took a low-angle 180-degree panorama of the area in front of the rover, indicated by the blue shaded dots. The instrument then raised the angle of its field of view a few degrees higher to sweep around behind the rover, indicated by the red and yellow dots offset at the far sides of the image.JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Exploration Rover project for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. -
Mapping the dengue scientific landscape worldwide: a bibliometric and network analysis.
Mota, Fabio Batista; Fonseca, Bruna de Paula Fonseca E; Galina, Andréia Cristina; Silva, Roseli Monteiro da
2017-05-01
Despite the current global trend of reduction in the morbidity and mortality of neglected diseases, dengue's incidence has increased and occurrence areas have expanded. Dengue also persists as a scientific and technological challenge since there is no effective treatment, vaccine, vector control or public health intervention. Combining bibliometrics and social network analysis methods can support the mapping of dengue research and development (R&D) activities worldwide. The aim of this paper is to map the scientific scenario related to dengue research worldwide. We use scientific publication data from Web of Science Core Collection - articles indexed in Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) - and combine bibliometrics and social network analysis techniques to identify the most relevant journals, scientific references, research areas, countries and research organisations in the dengue scientific landscape. Our results show a significant increase of dengue publications over time; tropical medicine and virology as the most frequent research areas and biochemistry and molecular biology as the most central area in the network; USA and Brazil as the most productive countries; and Mahidol University and Fundação Oswaldo Cruz as the main research organisations and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention as the most central organisation in the collaboration network. Our findings can be used to strengthen a global knowledge platform guiding policy, planning and funding decisions as well as to providing directions to researchers and institutions. So that, by offering to the scientific community, policy makers and public health practitioners a mapping of the dengue scientific landscape, this paper has aimed to contribute to upcoming debates, decision-making and planning on dengue R&D and public health strategies worldwide.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mogaji, Kehinde Anthony; Omobude, Osayande Bright
2017-12-01
Modeling of groundwater potentiality zones is a vital scheme for effective management of groundwater resources. This study developed a new multi-criteria decision making algorithm for groundwater potentiality modeling through modifying the standard GOD model. The developed model christened as GODT model was applied to assess groundwater potential in a multi-faceted crystalline geologic terrain, southwestern, Nigeria using the derived four unify groundwater potential conditioning factors namely: Groundwater hydraulic confinement (G), aquifer Overlying strata resistivity (O), Depth to water table (D) and Thickness of aquifer (T) from the interpreted geophysical data acquired in the area. With the developed model algorithm, the GIS-based produced G, O, D and T maps were synthesized to estimate groundwater potential index (GWPI) values for the area. The estimated GWPI values were processed in GIS environment to produce groundwater potential prediction index (GPPI) map which demarcate the area into four potential zones. The produced GODT model-based GPPI map was validated through application of both correlation technique and spatial attribute comparative scheme (SACS). The performance of the GODT model was compared with that of the standard analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model. The correlation technique results established 89% regression coefficients for the GODT modeling algorithm compared with 84% for the AHP model. On the other hand, the SACS validation results for the GODT and AHP models are 72.5% and 65%, respectively. The overall results indicate that both models have good capability for predicting groundwater potential zones with the GIS-based GODT model as a good alternative. The GPPI maps produced in this study can form part of decision making model for environmental planning and groundwater management in the area.
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Corruption Cases Mapping Based on Indonesia’s Corruption Perception Index
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Noerlina; Wulandhari, L. A.; Sasmoko; Muqsith, A. M.; Alamsyah, M.
2017-01-01
Government plays an important role in nation economic growth. Nevertheless, there are still many occurrences of government officers abusing their offices to do an act of corruption. In this order, the central government should pay attention to every area in the nation to avoid corruption case. Meanwhile, the news media always constantly preach about corruption case, this makes the news media relevant for being one of the sources of measurement of corruption perception index (CPI). It is required to map the corruption case in Indonesia so the central government can pay attention to every region in Indonesia. To develop the mapping system, researchers use Naïve Bayes Classifier to classify which news articles talk about corruption and which news articles are not, before implementing a Naïve Bayes Classifier there are some text processing such as tokenizing, stopping, and stemming.
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Li, Zhenwang; Tang, Huan; Zhang, Baohui; Yang, Guixia; Xin, Xiaoping
2015-01-01
This study investigated the performances of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and GEOLAND2 Version 1 (GEOV1) Leaf Area Index (LAI) products using ground measurements and LAI reference maps over four sites in North China for 2011–2013. The Terra + Aqua MODIS and Terra MODIS LAI retrieved by the main algorithm and GEOV1 LAI within the valid range were evaluated and intercompared using LAI reference maps to assess their uncertainty and seasonal variability The results showed that GEOV1 LAI is the most similar product with the LAI reference maps (R2 = 0.78 and RMSE = 0.59). The MODIS products performed well for biomes with low LAI values, but considerable uncertainty arose when the LAI was larger than 3. Terra + Aqua MODIS (R2 = 0.72 and RMSE = 0.68) was slightly more accurate than Terra MODIS (R2 = 0.57 and RMSE = 0.90) for producing slightly more successful observations. Both MODIS and GEOV1 products effectively followed the seasonal trajectory of the reference maps, and GEOV1 exhibited a smoother seasonal trajectory than MODIS. MODIS anomalies mainly occurred during summer and likely occurred because of surface reflectance uncertainty, shorter temporal resolutions and inconsistency between simulated and MODIS surface reflectances. This study suggests that further improvements of the MODIS LAI products should focus on finer algorithm inputs and improved seasonal variation modeling of MODIS observations. Future field work considering finer biome maps and better generation of LAI reference maps is still needed. PMID:25781509
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Sahoo, Satiprasad; Dhar, Anirban, E-mail: anirban.dhar@gmail.com; Kar, Amlanjyoti
Environmental management of an area describes a policy for its systematic and sustainable environmental protection. In the present study, regional environmental vulnerability assessment in Hirakud command area of Odisha, India is envisaged based on Grey Analytic Hierarchy Process method (Grey–AHP) using integrated remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS) techniques. Grey–AHP combines the advantages of classical analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and grey clustering method for accurate estimation of weight coefficients. It is a new method for environmental vulnerability assessment. Environmental vulnerability index (EVI) uses natural, environmental and human impact related factors, e.g., soil, geology, elevation, slope, rainfall, temperature, windmore » speed, normalized difference vegetation index, drainage density, crop intensity, agricultural DRASTIC value, population density and road density. EVI map has been classified into four environmental vulnerability zones (EVZs) namely: ‘low’, ‘moderate’ ‘high’, and ‘extreme’ encompassing 17.87%, 44.44%, 27.81% and 9.88% of the study area, respectively. EVI map indicates that the northern part of the study area is more vulnerable from an environmental point of view. EVI map shows close correlation with elevation. Effectiveness of the zone classification is evaluated by using grey clustering method. General effectiveness is in between “better” and “common classes”. This analysis demonstrates the potential applicability of the methodology. - Highlights: • Environmental vulnerability zone identification based on Grey Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) • The effectiveness evaluation by means of a grey clustering method with support from AHP • Use of grey approach eliminates the excessive dependency on the experience of experts.« less
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Pu, Ruiliang; Gong, Peng; Yu, Qian
2008-01-01
In this study, a comparative analysis of capabilities of three sensors for mapping forest crown closure (CC) and leaf area index (LAI) was conducted. The three sensors are Hyperspectral Imager (Hyperion) and Advanced Land Imager (ALI) onboard EO-1 satellite and Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+). A total of 38 mixed coniferous forest CC and 38 LAI measurements were collected at Blodgett Forest Research Station, University of California at Berkeley, USA. The analysis method consists of (1) extracting spectral vegetation indices (VIs), spectral texture information and maximum noise fractions (MNFs), (2) establishing multivariate prediction models, (3) predicting and mapping pixel-based CC and LAI values, and (4) validating the mapped CC and LAI results with field validated photo-interpreted CC and LAI values. The experimental results indicate that the Hyperion data are the most effective for mapping forest CC and LAI (CC mapped accuracy (MA) = 76.0%, LAI MA = 74.7%), followed by ALI data (CC MA = 74.5%, LAI MA = 70.7%), with ETM+ data results being least effective (CC MA = 71.1%, LAI MA = 63.4%). This analysis demonstrates that the Hyperion sensor outperforms the other two sensors: ALI and ETM+. This is because of its high spectral resolution with rich subtle spectral information, of its short-wave infrared data for constructing optimal VIs that are slightly affected by the atmosphere, and of its more available MNFs than the other two sensors to be selected for establishing prediction models. Compared to ETM+ data, ALI data are better for mapping forest CC and LAI due to ALI data with more bands and higher signal-to-noise ratios than those of ETM+ data. PMID:27879906
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Pu, Ruiliang; Gong, Peng; Yu, Qian
2008-06-06
In this study, a comparative analysis of capabilities of three sensors for mapping forest crown closure (CC) and leaf area index (LAI) was conducted. The three sensors are Hyperspectral Imager (Hyperion) and Advanced Land Imager (ALI) onboard EO-1 satellite and Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+). A total of 38 mixed coniferous forest CC and 38 LAI measurements were collected at Blodgett Forest Research Station, University of California at Berkeley, USA. The analysis method consists of (1) extracting spectral vegetation indices (VIs), spectral texture information and maximum noise fractions (MNFs), (2) establishing multivariate prediction models, (3) predicting and mapping pixel-based CC and LAI values, and (4) validating the mapped CC and LAI results with field validated photo-interpreted CC and LAI values. The experimental results indicate that the Hyperion data are the most effective for mapping forest CC and LAI (CC mapped accuracy (MA) = 76.0%, LAI MA = 74.7%), followed by ALI data (CC MA = 74.5%, LAI MA = 70.7%), with ETM+ data results being least effective (CC MA = 71.1%, LAI MA = 63.4%). This analysis demonstrates that the Hyperion sensor outperforms the other two sensors: ALI and ETM+. This is because of its high spectral resolution with rich subtle spectral information, of its short-wave infrared data for constructing optimal VIs that are slightly affected by the atmosphere, and of its more available MNFs than the other two sensors to be selected for establishing prediction models. Compared to ETM+ data, ALI data are better for mapping forest CC and LAI due to ALI data with more bands and higher signal-to-noise ratios than those of ETM+ data.
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A Spatial Framework to Map Heat Health Risks at Multiple Scales.
Ho, Hung Chak; Knudby, Anders; Huang, Wei
2015-12-18
In the last few decades extreme heat events have led to substantial excess mortality, most dramatically in Central Europe in 2003, in Russia in 2010, and even in typically cool locations such as Vancouver, Canada, in 2009. Heat-related morbidity and mortality is expected to increase over the coming centuries as the result of climate-driven global increases in the severity and frequency of extreme heat events. Spatial information on heat exposure and population vulnerability may be combined to map the areas of highest risk and focus mitigation efforts there. However, a mismatch in spatial resolution between heat exposure and vulnerability data can cause spatial scale issues such as the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP). We used a raster-based model to integrate heat exposure and vulnerability data in a multi-criteria decision analysis, and compared it to the traditional vector-based model. We then used the Getis-Ord G(i) index to generate spatially smoothed heat risk hotspot maps from fine to coarse spatial scales. The raster-based model allowed production of maps at spatial resolution, more description of local-scale heat risk variability, and identification of heat-risk areas not identified with the vector-based approach. Spatial smoothing with the Getis-Ord G(i) index produced heat risk hotspots from local to regional spatial scale. The approach is a framework for reducing spatial scale issues in future heat risk mapping, and for identifying heat risk hotspots at spatial scales ranging from the block-level to the municipality level.
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Peters, K.E.; Bird, K.J.; Keller, M.A.; Lillis, P.G.; Magoon, L.B.
2003-01-01
Four source rock units on the North Slope were identified, characterized, and mapped to better understand the origin of petroleum in the area: Hue-gamma ray zone (Hue-GRZ), pebble shale unit, Kingak Shale, and Shublik Formation. Rock-Eval pyrolysis, total organic carbon analysis, and well logs were used to map the present-day thickness, organic quantity (TOC), quality (hydrogen index, HI), and thermal maturity (Tmax) of each unit. To map these units, we screened all available geochemical data for wells in the study area and assumed that the top and bottom of the oil window occur at Tmax of ~440° and 470°C, respectively. Based on several assumptions related to carbon mass balance and regional distributions of TOC, the present-day source rock quantity and quality maps were used to determine the extent of fractional conversion of the kerogen to petroleum and to map the original organic richness prior to thermal maturation.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kayode, John Stephen; Nawawi, M. N. M.; Abdullah, Khiruddin B.; Khalil, Amin E.
2017-01-01
The integration of Aeromagnetic data and remotely sensed imagery with the intents of mapping the subsurface geological structures in part of the South-western basement complex of Nigeria was developed using the PCI Geomatica Software. 2013. The data obtained from the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency; was corrected using Regional Residual Separation of the Total Magnetic field anomalies enhanced, and International Geomagnetic Reference Field removed. The principal objective of this study is, therefore, to introduce a rapid and efficient method of subsurface structural depth estimate and structural index evaluation through the incorporation of the Euler Deconvolution technique into PCI Geomatica 2013 to prospect for subsurface geological structures. The shape and depth of burial helped to define these structures from the regional aeromagnetic map. The method enabled various structural indices to be automatically delineated for an index of between 0.5 SI and 3.0 SI at a maximum depth of 1.1 km that clearly showed the best depths estimate for all the structural indices. The results delineate two major magnetic belts in the area; the first belt shows an elongated ridge-like structure trending mostly along the NorthNortheast-SouthSouthwest and the other anomalies trends primarily in the Northeast, Northwest, Northeast-Southwest parts of the study area that could be attributed to basement complex granitic intrusions from the tectonic history of the area. The majority of the second structures showed various linear structures different from the first structure. Basically, a significant offset was delineated at the core segment of the study area, suggesting a major subsurface geological feature that controls mineralisation in this area.
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Tang, Zhenghong; Li, Yao; Gu, Yue; Jiang, Weiguo; Xue, Yuan; Hu, Qiao; LaGrange, Ted; Bishop, Andy; Drahota, Jeff; Li, Ruopu
2016-12-01
Playa wetlands in Nebraska provide globally important habitats for migratory waterfowl. Inundation condition is an important indicator of playa wetland functionality. However, there is a lack of long-term continuous monitoring records for playa wetlands. The objective of this study was to determine a suitable index for Landsat images to map the playa inundation status in March and April during 1985-2015. Four types of spectral indices-negative normalized vegetation index, Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), modified NDWI, and Tasseled Cap Wetness-Greenness Difference (TCWGD)-were evaluated to detect playa inundation conditions from Landsat images. The results indicate that the TCWGD is the most suitable index for distinguishing playa inundation status. By using Landsat images and Google Earth Engine, we mapped the spring inundation condition of Nebraska playas during 1985-2015. The results show that the total inundated areas were 176.79 km 2 in spring migratory season, representing 18.92% of the total area of playa wetlands. There were 9898 wetlands inundated at least once in either March or April during the past 30 years, representing 29.41% of a total of 33,659 historical wetlands. After comparing the historical hydric soil footprints and the inundated areas, the results indicate that the hydrological conditions of the majority of playas in Nebraska have changed. The inundated wetlands are candidates for protection and/or partial restoration, and the un-inundated wetlands need more attention for wetland restoration. Wetlands in areas enrolled in conservation easements had a significantly high level of playa inundation status than non-conserved wetlands during spring migratory seasons in the past decades.These conservation easements only count for 4.29% of the total footprint areas, but they have contributed 20.82% of the inundation areas in Nebraska during the past 30 years.
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Preliminary results of the PREFER FP7 Project
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fusilli, Lorenzo; Laneve, Giovanni; De Bonis, Roberto; Sebastian, Ana; Ferrucci, Fabrizio; Oliveira, Sandra
2014-05-01
The need to improve the information and intelligence support for forest fire prevention is widely recognized. Fire prevention is still the most cost-effective strategy when compared to firefighting and extinguishing that are costly, local, and triggered only in response to already ongoing crises. PREFER project, funded under the EU FP7 (G.A. 312931), intends to contribute at responding to such a pragmatic need of southern Europe's forests by: providing timely information products based on the exploitation of all available spacecraft sensors, offering a portfolio of products focused on pre- and post-crisis forest fire emergency, suitable for the users in the different countries of the European Mediterranean area. The PREFER Service portfolio consists of two main services: 1. Information Support to Fire Preparedness/Prevention Phase" (ISP) Service 2. Information Support to Fire Recovery/Reconstruction Phase" (ISR) Service This service is already at an advanced stage having completed the first year of activity. During this time several products have been consolidated: seasonal fuel maps; daily and seasonal fire hazard maps; seasonal risk maps; prescribed fire maps. This paper aims at presenting the preliminary results of the research activity carried out in the framework of the PREFER project, focusing, in particular, on these recalled above. As for Fire Risk and Hazard assessment, many indexes have been developed in the last years. Hardly any of them uses data derived from satellite images. The FPI index is an exception to this rule which, in addition, makes use of meteorological data. In spite of being a very complete index, the FPI still allows room for improvement which justify the interest of PREFER in it. PREFER's innovative approach to FPI will allow taking into account the effect of solar illumination conditions in determining the humidity present in the dead vegetation, and therefore its proneness to burn. PREFER innovation also focus in allowing the index to take into account the influence of water present in the alive vegetation (relevant in determining the fire regime) through the Equivalent Water Thickness. PREFER will use daily FPI forecasts to produce a seasonal fire hazard index by introducing in the model the human factor as captured by the fire occurrence statistics. PREFER will produce also seasonal fire risk maps by combining the seasonal hazard data with vulnerability and exposure maps. Finally, Prescribed Burning (PB) represents the controlled application of fire to vegetation under specific environmental conditions to attain planned resource management objectives. The main objective of the PREFER service for PB is to support the user in the identification of the areas and the time, that is where and when, the PB practice is applicable in a secure way. The main innovation, taking into account the results previously obtained in the frame work of other European projects (FIREPARADOX), will be the integration of the advanced remote sensing techniques that have not yet been developed for the problem under study, aiming at developing an index capable to provide the right time to intervene with the PB in the area of interest.
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Infrared thermal remote sensing for soil salinity assessment on landscape scale
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ivushkin, Konstantin; Bartholomeus, Harm; Bregt, Arnold K.; Pulatov, Alim; Bui, Elisabeth N.; Wilford, John
2017-04-01
Soil salinity is considered as one of the most severe land degradation aspects. An increased soil salt level inhibits growth and development of crops. Therefore, up to date soil salinity information is vital for appropriate management practices and reclamation strategies. This information is required at increasing spatial and temporal resolution for appropriate management adaptations. Conventional soil sampling and associated laboratory analyses are slow, expensive, and often cannot deliver the temporal and spatial resolution required. The change of canopy temperature is one of the stress indicators in plants. Its behaviour in response to salt stress on individual plant level is well studied in laboratory and greenhouse experiments, but its potential for landscape scale studies using remote sensing techniques is not investigated yet. In our study, possibilities of satellite thermography for landscape scale soil salinity assessment of cropped areas were studied. The performance of satellite thermography is compared with other approaches that have been used before, like Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI). The study areas were Syrdarya province of Uzbekistan and four study areas in four Australian states namely, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales. The diversity of the study areas allowed us to analyse behaviour of canopy temperature of different crops (wheat, cotton, barley) and different agriculture practices (rain fed and irrigated). MODIS and Landsat TM multiannual satellite images were used to measure canopy temperature. As ground truth for Uzbekistan study area we used a provincial soil salinity map. For the Australian study areas we used the EC map for the whole country. ANOVA was used to analyse relations between the soil salinity maps and canopy temperature, NDVI, EVI. Time series graphs were created to analyse the dynamics of the indicators during the growing season. The results showed significant relations between the soil salinity maps and canopy temperature. The amplitude of canopy temperature difference between salinity classes varies for different crops, but the trend of temperature increase under increased salinity is present in all cases. The calculated F-values were higher for canopy temperature than for all other compared indicators. The vegetation indices also showed significant differences, but F-values were lower compared to canopy temperature. Also the visual comparison of the soil salinity map and the canopy temperature map show similar spatial patterns. The NDVI and EVI maps look more random and noisy and patterns are less pronounced than for the canopy temperature map. The strongest relation between the soil salinity map and canopy temperature was usually observed at the end of a dry season and in the period of maximum crop development. Satellite thermography appeared to be a valuable approach to detect soil salinity under agricultural crops at landscape scale.
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Rice, Charles L.; Smith, J. Hiram
1980-01-01
The Pennsylvanian rocks of the eastern Kentucky coal field unlderlie an area of about 27,000 square kilometers (see index map). Largely because of the size and stratigraphic complexity of the area, Huddle and others (1963, p. 31) divided it into six coal reserve districts (unofficial), utilizing state and county lines as well as geologic features, drainage areas, and cola producing areas. This division is followed herein because, in general, each of these districts has a characteristic stratigraphic nomenclature, particularly as related to coal bed names. The six districts shown on the index mat, are the Princess, Licking River, Big Sandy, Hazard, Southwestern, and Upper Cumberland River; the Upper Cumberland River district has been divided into the Harlan and Middlesboro subdistricts.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Villarreal, M. L.; Webb, R. H.; Norman, L.; Psillas, J.; Rosenberg, A.; Carmichael, S.; Petrakis, R.; Sparks, P.
2014-12-01
Intensive off-road vehicle use for immigration, smuggling, and security of the United States-Mexico border has prompted concerns about long-term human impacts on sensitive desert ecosystems. To help managers identify areas susceptible to soil erosion from vehicle disturbances, we developed a series of erosion potential models based on factors from the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), with particular focus on the management factor (P-factor) and vegetation cover (C-factor). To better express the vulnerability of soils to human disturbances, a soil compaction index (applied as the P-factor) was calculated as the difference in saturated hydrologic conductivity (Ks) between disturbed and undisturbed soils, which was then scaled up to remote sensing-based maps of vehicle tracks and digital soils maps. The C-factor was improved using a satellite-based vegetation index, which was better correlated with estimated ground cover (r2 = 0.77) than data derived from regional land cover maps (r2 = 0.06). RUSLE factors were normalized to give equal weight to all contributing factors, which provided more management-specific information on vulnerable areas where vehicle compaction of sensitive soils intersects with steep slopes and low vegetation cover. Resulting spatial data on vulnerability and erosion potential provide land managers with information to identify critically disturbed areas and potential restoration sites where off-road driving should be restricted to reduce further degradation.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gidey, Amanuel
2018-06-01
Determining suitability and vulnerability of groundwater quality for irrigation use is a key alarm and first aid for careful management of groundwater resources to diminish the impacts on irrigation. This study was conducted to determine the overall suitability of groundwater quality for irrigation use and to generate their spatial distribution maps in Elala catchment, Northern Ethiopia. Thirty-nine groundwater samples were collected to analyze and map the water quality variables. Atomic absorption spectrophotometer, ultraviolet spectrophotometer, titration and calculation methods were used for laboratory groundwater quality analysis. Arc GIS, geospatial analysis tools, semivariogram model types and interpolation methods were used to generate geospatial distribution maps. Twelve and eight water quality variables were used to produce weighted overlay and irrigation water quality index models, respectively. Root-mean-square error, mean square error, absolute square error, mean error, root-mean-square standardized error, measured values versus predicted values were used for cross-validation. The overall weighted overlay model result showed that 146 km2 areas are highly suitable, 135 km2 moderately suitable and 60 km2 area unsuitable for irrigation use. The result of irrigation water quality index confirms 10.26% with no restriction, 23.08% with low restriction, 20.51% with moderate restriction, 15.38% with high restriction and 30.76% with the severe restriction for irrigation use. GIS and irrigation water quality index are better methods for irrigation water resources management to achieve a full yield irrigation production to improve food security and to sustain it for a long period, to avoid the possibility of increasing environmental problems for the future generation.
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A conceptual method for monitoring locust habitat
Howard, Stephen M.; Loveland, Thomas R.; Ohlen, Donald O.; Moore, Donald G.; Gallo, Kevin P.; Olsson, Jonathon
1987-01-01
A procedure to map and monitor vegetation conditions in near-real time was developed at the United States Geological Survey;s Earth Resources Observation Systems Data Center for use in locust control efforts. Meteorological satellite dat were acquired daily for 3 weeks in October and November 1986 over a 1.4-million-square-kilometer study area centered on Botswana in southern Africa. Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer data were screened to remove cloud-contaminated data and registered to a 1-kilometer geographic base. Each day the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was calculated to determine the presence and relative amounts of green vegetation in the area. Over a 10-day cycle, subsequent dates of NDVI data were composited to fill in data removed by the cloud-screening process. At any pixel location, the maximum NDVI value was retained. At the end of the 10-day cycle, a composite vegetation-greenness map was produced and another cycle started. Greenness-change maps were produced by comparing two 10-day composite greenness images. Automated map production procedures were used to merge the NDVI image data with cartographic data (boundaries, roads, tick marks) digitized from 1:1,000,000-scale operational navigation charts. The vegetation-greenness map shoes the current distribution of vegetation in the region and can be used to locate potential locust breeding area. The change map shows areas where increases and decreases in greenness have occurred between processing cycles. Significant areas of locust damage in remote regions are characterized by an unexpected decrease in greenness. These maps can be used by locust control teams to efficiently target areas for reconnaissance. In general, the procedures and products have utility for resource managers who are required to monitor vegetation resources over large geographic regions.
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United States crustal thickness
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Allenby, R. J.; Schnetzler, C. C.
1983-01-01
The thickness of the crust, the thickness of the basal (intermediate or lower) crustal layer, and the average velocity at the top of the mantle have been mapped using all available deep-penetrating seismic-refraction profiles in the conterminous United States and surrounding border areas. These profiles are indexed to their literature data sources. The more significant long wavelength anomalies on the three maps are briefly discussed and analyzed. An attempt to use Bouguer gravity to validate mantle structure was inconclusive.
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A spatio-temporal index for heat vulnerability assessment.
Kershaw, Suzanne E; Millward, Andrew A
2012-12-01
The public health consequences of extreme heat events are felt most intensely in metropolitan areas where population density is high and the presence of the urban heat island phenomenon exacerbates the potential for prolonged exposure. This research develops an approach to map potential heat stress on humans by combining temperature and relative humidity into an index of apparent temperature. We use ordinary kriging to generate hourly prediction maps describing apparent temperature across the Greater Toronto Area, Canada. Meteorological data were obtained from 65 locations for 6 days in 2008 when extreme heat alerts were issued for the City of Toronto. Apparent temperature and exposure duration were integrated in a single metric, humidex degree hours (HDH), and mapped. The results show a significant difference in apparent temperature between built and natural locations from 3 PM to 7 AM; this discrepancy was greatest at 12 AM where built locations had a mean of 2.8 index values larger, t(71) = 5.379, p < 0.001. Spatial trends in exposure to heat stress (apparent temperature, ≥ 30°C) show the downtown core of the City of Toronto and much of Mississauga (west of Toronto) as likely to experience hazardous levels of prolonged heat and humidity (HDH ≥ 72) during a heat alert. We recommend that public health officials use apparent temperature and exposure duration to develop spatially explicit heat vulnerability assessment tools; HDH is one approach that unites these risk factors into a single metric.
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Developing a climate-based risk map of fascioliasis outbreaks in Iran.
Halimi, Mansour; Farajzadeh, Manuchehr; Delavari, Mahdi; Arbabi, Mohsen
2015-01-01
The strong relationship between climate and fascioliasis outbreaks enables the development of climate-based models to estimate the potential risk of fascioliasis outbreaks. This work aims to develop a climate-based risk map of fascioliasis outbreaks in Iran using Ollerenshaw's fascioliasis risk index incorporating geographical information system (GIS). Using this index, a risk map of fascioliasis outbreaks for the entire country was developed. We determined that the country can be divided into 4 fascioliasis outbreak risk categories. Class 1, in which the Mt value is less than 100, includes more than 0.91 of the country's area. The climate in this class is not conducive to fascioliasis outbreaks in any month. Dryness and low temperature in the wet season (December to April) are the key barriers against fascioliasis outbreaks in this class. The risk map developed based on climatic factors indicated that only 0.03 of the country's area, including Gilan province in the northern region of Iran, is highly suitable to fascioliasis outbreaks during September to January. The Mt value is greater than 500 in this class. Heavy rainfall in the summer and fall, especially in Rasht, Astara and Bandar Anzaly (≥ 1000 mm/year), creates more suitable breeding places for snail intermediate hosts. Copyright © 2015 King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Study and Evaluation of the Alcublas (Valencia, Spain) forest fire of Summer 2012
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mora Sanchez, Francisco; Lopez-Baeza, Ernesto
This work studies and quantifies the forest fire that took place in the province of Valencia, Spain, that particularly affected the municipality of Alcublas. This fire was one of the most intense and catastrophic fires that extended over the Valencian Community. Besides quantifying the area affected by the fire according to a severity index, the analysis was carried out from different viewpoints, namely land use, municipal, and cadastral. The data used were, on the one hand, two images from Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) satellite, respectively before and after the fire. On the other hand, we also used CORINE Land Cover 2006 Land Use data, a digital terrain model (DTM), the cadastre or land registration from Alcublas and the Spanish topographic map at scale 1:25000 (MTN25). The method used consisted of different steps: atmospheric correction of the images with the dark-object subtraction technique, topographic correction of the images with a 5 m resolution DTM and the Minnaert method, and the elimination of the Landsat 7 Scan Line Corrector (SLC-off) effect by using the Delaunay triangulation method. Once the images were corrected, we computed the Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) to highlight and characterise the areas that were burnt by means of a standard severity index. The estimation of the affected area was done through the difference of the images respectively before and after the fire that was also trimmed off to actually obtain the affected area. Once the forest fire was classified, the total affected area was estimated for each severity index and overlaid the Spanish topographic map (1:25000) thus being able to calculate the affected area for each municipality, land use and cadastrial property. The total burnt area was 19910 ha, the most affected municipality -in extension- was Andilla with 4966 ha. But the most significant one was precisely Alcublas with 60,64% of its area burnt. The area burnt for each land use was also estimated according to its severity by using the CORINE Land Cover Map. The most affected uses were transition forest shrubs (matorral) (11313 ha), sclerophyllous matorral (3966 ha) and coniferous forests (2821 ha). Finally, for the Alcublas cadastre, it was checked that the fire devastated all the natural vegetation of the hilly forests around the village but practically did not affect any urban or rural plot.
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Geologic map of the Fremont quadrangle, Shannon, Carter, and Oregon Counties, Missouri
Orndorff, Randall C.
2003-01-01
The bedrock exposed in the Fremont Quadrangle, Missouri, comprises Early Ordovician aged dolomite, sandstone, and chert. The sedimentary rocks are nearly flat-lying except where they are adjacent to faults. The carbonate rocks are karstified and the area contains numerous sinkholes, springs, caves, and losing-streams. This map is one of several being produced under the U.S. Geological Survey National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program to provide geologic data applicable to land-use problems in the Ozarks of south-central Missouri. Ongoing and potential industrial and agricultural development in the Ozarks region has presented issues of ground-water quality in karst areas. National Park in this region (Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri) is concerned about the effects of activities in areas outside of their stewardship on the water resources that define the heart of this Park. This task applies geologic mapping and karst investigations to address issues surrounding competing land use in south-central Missouri. This task keeps geologists from the USGS associated with the park and allows the Parks to utilize USGS expertise and aid the NPS on how to effectively use geologic maps for Park management. For more information see: http://geology.er.usgs.gov/eespteam/Karst/index.html
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Tappan, G. Gray; Wood, Lynette; Moore, Donald G.
1993-01-01
Seasonal herbaceous vegetation production on Senegal's native rangelands exhibits high spatial and temporal variability. This variability can be monitored using normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data computed from 1-km resolution Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) image data. Although annual fluctuations in rainfall account for some of the variability, numerous long-term production patterns are evident in the AVHRR time-series data. Different n productivity reflect variations in the region's climate, topography, soils, and land use. Areas of overgrazing and intensive cultivation have caused long-term soil and vegetation degradation. Rangelands of high and low productivity, and degraded rangelands were identified using NDVI. Time-series image data from 1987 though 1992 were used to map relative rangeland productivity. The results were compared to detailed resource maps on soils, vegetation and land use. Much of the variation in rangeland productivity correlated well to the known distribution of resources. The study developed an approach that identified a number of areas of degraded soils and low vegetation production.
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Analyzing the research in Integrative & Complementary Medicine by means of science mapping.
Moral-Muñoz, J A; Cobo, M J; Peis, E; Arroyo-Morales, M; Herrera-Viedma, E
2014-04-01
The research in the Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) field is analyzed according to the journals indexed in ISI Web of Science. Science Mapping Analysis (SMA) is used to provide and overview of the conceptual evolution of the CAM field. The software SciMAT is used to detect and visualize the hidden themes and their evolution over a consecutive span of years. It combines SMA and performance analysis. Twenty one journals related to CAM were analyzed, in four consecutive periods from 1974 to 2011. Strategic diagrams and the thematic evolution of CAM, together with performance indicators (h-index), were obtained. The results show that CAM research has focused on seven main thematic areas: MEDICINAL-PLANTS, CHIROPRACTIC-AND-LOW-BACK-PAIN, ACUPUNCTURE-AND-PAIN, CELL-PROCESSES-AND-DISEASES, LIPID-PEROXIDATION and DIABETES-AND-INSULIN. The research output could be used by the scientific community to identify thematic areas on which interest is focused. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Hydrological and hydraulic models for determination of flood-prone and flood inundation areas
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Aksoy, Hafzullah; Sadan Ozgur Kirca, Veysel; Burgan, Halil Ibrahim; Kellecioglu, Dorukhan
2016-05-01
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are widely used in most studies on water resources. Especially, when the topography and geomorphology of study area are considered, GIS can ease the work load. Detailed data should be used in this kind of studies. Because of, either the complication of the models or the requirement of highly detailed data, model outputs can be obtained fast only with a good optimization. The aim in this study, firstly, is to determine flood-prone areas in a watershed by using a hydrological model considering two wetness indexes; the topographical wetness index, and the SAGA (System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses) wetness index. The wetness indexes were obtained in the Quantum GIS (QGIS) software by using the Digital Elevation Model of the study area. Flood-prone areas are determined by considering the wetness index maps of the watershed. As the second stage of this study, a hydraulic model, HEC-RAS, was executed to determine flood inundation areas under different return period-flood events. River network cross-sections required for this study were derived from highly detailed digital elevation models by QGIS. Also river hydraulic parameters were used in the hydraulic model. Modelling technology used in this study is made of freely available open source softwares. Based on case studies performed on watersheds in Turkey, it is concluded that results of such studies can be used for taking precaution measures against life and monetary losses due to floods in urban areas particularly.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zeraatpisheh, Mojtaba; Ayoubi, Shamsollah; Jafari, Azam; Finke, Peter
2017-05-01
The efficiency of different digital and conventional soil mapping approaches to produce categorical maps of soil types is determined by cost, sample size, accuracy and the selected taxonomic level. The efficiency of digital and conventional soil mapping approaches was examined in the semi-arid region of Borujen, central Iran. This research aimed to (i) compare two digital soil mapping approaches including Multinomial logistic regression and random forest, with the conventional soil mapping approach at four soil taxonomic levels (order, suborder, great group and subgroup levels), (ii) validate the predicted soil maps by the same validation data set to determine the best method for producing the soil maps, and (iii) select the best soil taxonomic level by different approaches at three sample sizes (100, 80, and 60 point observations), in two scenarios with and without a geomorphology map as a spatial covariate. In most predicted maps, using both digital soil mapping approaches, the best results were obtained using the combination of terrain attributes and the geomorphology map, although differences between the scenarios with and without the geomorphology map were not significant. Employing the geomorphology map increased map purity and the Kappa index, and led to a decrease in the 'noisiness' of soil maps. Multinomial logistic regression had better performance at higher taxonomic levels (order and suborder levels); however, random forest showed better performance at lower taxonomic levels (great group and subgroup levels). Multinomial logistic regression was less sensitive than random forest to a decrease in the number of training observations. The conventional soil mapping method produced a map with larger minimum polygon size because of traditional cartographic criteria used to make the geological map 1:100,000 (on which the conventional soil mapping map was largely based). Likewise, conventional soil mapping map had also a larger average polygon size that resulted in a lower level of detail. Multinomial logistic regression at the order level (map purity of 0.80), random forest at the suborder (map purity of 0.72) and great group level (map purity of 0.60), and conventional soil mapping at the subgroup level (map purity of 0.48) produced the most accurate maps in the study area. The multinomial logistic regression method was identified as the most effective approach based on a combined index of map purity, map information content, and map production cost. The combined index also showed that smaller sample size led to a preference for the order level, while a larger sample size led to a preference for the great group level.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Oh, Hyun-Joo; Pradhan, Biswajeet
2011-09-01
This paper presents landslide-susceptibility mapping using an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) using a geographic information system (GIS) environment. In the first stage, landslide locations from the study area were identified by interpreting aerial photographs and supported by an extensive field survey. In the second stage, landslide-related conditioning factors such as altitude, slope angle, plan curvature, distance to drainage, distance to road, soil texture and stream power index (SPI) were extracted from the topographic and soil maps. Then, landslide-susceptible areas were analyzed by the ANFIS approach and mapped using landslide-conditioning factors. In particular, various membership functions (MFs) were applied for the landslide-susceptibility mapping and their results were compared with the field-verified landslide locations. Additionally, the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve for all landslide susceptibility maps were drawn and the areas under curve values were calculated. The ROC curve technique is based on the plotting of model sensitivity — true positive fraction values calculated for different threshold values, versus model specificity — true negative fraction values, on a graph. Landslide test locations that were not used during the ANFIS modeling purpose were used to validate the landslide susceptibility maps. The validation results revealed that the susceptibility maps constructed by the ANFIS predictive models using triangular, trapezoidal, generalized bell and polynomial MFs produced reasonable results (84.39%), which can be used for preliminary land-use planning. Finally, the authors concluded that ANFIS is a very useful and an effective tool in regional landslide susceptibility assessment.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wang, G.; Wang, D.; Zhou, W.; Chen, M.; Zhao, T.
2018-04-01
The research and compilation of new century version of the National Huge Atlas of the People's Republic of China is the special basic work project by Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China. Among them, the research and compilation of the National Geomatics Atlas of the People's Republic of China is its main content. The National Geomatics Atlas of China consists of 4 groups of maps and place name index. The 4 groups of maps are separately nationwide thematic map group, provincial fundamental geographical map group, landcover map group and city map group. The city map group is an important component part of the National Geomatics Atlas of China and mainly shows the process of urbanization in China. This paper, aim at design and compilation of 39 city-wide maps, briefly introduces mapping area research and scale design, mapping technical route, content selection and cartographic generalization, symbol design and visualization of map, etc.
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Bove, Dana J.; Yager, Douglas B.; Mast, M. Alisa; Dalton, J. Brad
2007-01-01
This map was produced to provide hard-copy and digital data for alteration assemblages in the historical mining area centered on the Tertiary San Juan and Silverton calderas. The data have direct application to geoenvironmental and mineral exploration objectives. This dataset represents alteration mapping for the upper Animas River watershed near Silverton, Colorado. The map is based on detailed 1:12,000-scale field mapping, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, mineral mapping by remote sensing (AVIRIS) data, and 1:24,000-scale aerial photographic interpretation. Geologic structures were compiled and generalized from multiple published and unpublished sources (Burbank and Luedke, 1964; Steven and others, 1974; Luedke and Burbank 1975a, b; Lipman, 1976; Luedke and Burbank, 1987; Luedke, 1996) (see Index Map). Unpublished mapping of the Ironton quadrangle by D.J. Bove and J.P. Kurtz in 1997-1999 was included.
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Patterns of tooth wear associated with methamphetamine use.
Richards, J R; Brofeldt, B T
2000-08-01
Methamphetamine (MAP) abuse is a significant worldwide problem. This prospective study was conducted to determine if MAP users had distinct patterns of tooth wear. Methamphetamine users were identified and interviewed about their duration and preferred route of MAP use. Study participants were interviewed in the emergency department of a large urban university hospital serving a geographic area with a high rate of illicit MAP production and consumption. Tooth wear was documented for each study participant and scored using a previously validated index and demographic information was obtained using a questionnaire. Forty-three MAP patients were interviewed. Preferred route of administration was injection (37%) followed by snorting (33%). Patients who preferentially snorted MAP had significantly higher tooth wear in the anterior maxillary teeth than patients who injected, smoked, or ingested MAP (P = 0.005). Patients who use MAP have distinct patterns of wear based on route of administration. This difference may be explained anatomically.
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Remote Sensing Sensors and Applications in Environmental Resources Mapping and Modelling
Melesse, Assefa M.; Weng, Qihao; S.Thenkabail, Prasad; Senay, Gabriel B.
2007-01-01
The history of remote sensing and development of different sensors for environmental and natural resources mapping and data acquisition is reviewed and reported. Application examples in urban studies, hydrological modeling such as land-cover and floodplain mapping, fractional vegetation cover and impervious surface area mapping, surface energy flux and micro-topography correlation studies is discussed. The review also discusses the use of remotely sensed-based rainfall and potential evapotranspiration for estimating crop water requirement satisfaction index and hence provides early warning information for growers. The review is not an exhaustive application of the remote sensing techniques rather a summary of some important applications in environmental studies and modeling. PMID:28903290
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Modeling Land Use/Cover Changes in an African Rural Landscape
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kamusoko, C.; Aniya, M.
2006-12-01
Land use/cover changes are analyzed in the Bindura district of Zimbabwe, Africa through the integration of data from a time series of Landsat imagery (1973, 1989 and 2000), a household survey and GIS coverages. We employed a hybrid supervised/unsupervised classification approach to generate land use/cover maps from which landscape metrics were calculated. Population and other household variables were derived from a sample of surveyed villages, while road accessibility and slope were obtained from topographic maps and digital elevation model, respectively. Markov-cellular automata modeling approach that incorporates Markov chain analysis, cellular automata and multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) / multi-objective allocation (MOLA) procedures was used to simulate land use/cover changes. A GIS-based MCE technique computed transition potential maps, whereas transition areas were derived from the 1973-2000 land use/cover maps using the Markov chain analysis. A 5 x 5 cellular automata filter was used to develop a spatially explicit contiguity- weighting factor to change the cells based on its previous state and those of its neighbors, while MOLA resolved land use/cover class allocation conflicts. The kappa index of agreement was used for model validation. Observed trends in land use/cover changes indicate that deforestation and the encroachment of cultivation in woodland areas is a continuous trend in the study area. This suggests that economic activities driven by agricultural expansion were the main causes of landscape fragmentation, leading to landscape degradation. Rigorous calibration of transition potential maps done by a MCE algorithm and Markovian transition probabilities produced accurate inputs for the simulation of land use/cover changes. Overall standard kappa index of agreement ranged from 0.73 to 0.83, which is sufficient for simulating land use/cover changes in the study area. Land use/cover simulations under the 1989 and 2000 scenario indicated further landscape degradation in the rural areas of the Bindura district. Keywords: Zimbabwe, land use/cover changes, landscape fragmentation, GIS, land use/cover change modeling, multi-criteria evaluation/multi-objective allocation procedures, Markov-cellular automata
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kuriqi, Alban; Rosário Fernandes, M.; Santos, Artur; Ferreira, M. Teresa
2017-04-01
Hydromorphological patterns changes in large rivers, result from a long history of human interventions. In this study, we evaluate the causes and effects of hydromorphological alterations in the Iberian Minho River using a planform change analysis. We performed a temporal comparison using historical maps (nineteen century) and contemporaneous maps. The studied river was divided in 2.5 km long river stretches in a total of 25 sampling units. The historical maps were initially georeferenced for the WGS84 coordinate system. We used Geographic Information System (GIS) to extract the hydromorphological features and to store and organised the spatial data. The hydromorphological features (sinuosity index, braiding intensity, river corridor and active channel width, lotic and lentic habitats) were mapped by visual interpretation of the historical and the contemporaneous maps on a scale 1:2500 by applying the same methodology. Also, we analysed certain Indicators of Hydrological Alteration (IHA) based on pre- and post-dam daily streamflow data obtained from the Spanish Water Information System (SIA). The results revealed a significant reduction in the active channel width and all sinuosity indexes representing an overall degradation of river conditions. We also noticed a drastic diminution in the number and total area of lentic habitats causing fish habitat shifts. Changes were less evident in upstream sampling units due to diverse Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) changes combine with some geological constraints. These responses were consistent with reductions in mean annual discharge, flood disturbance decrease and minimum flow increase during the summer season. This work allows to understand the evolutionary trajectory of large fluvial system over more than 100 years and to implement concrete measures for sustainable river management. Keywords: historical maps, large rivers, flow alteration, sinuosity index, lotic and lentic habitats, regulated rivers, river restoration.
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Grosz, A.E.; Schruben, P.G.; Atelsek, P.J.
1987-01-01
A geochemical survey of bedrock samples in the Bread Loaf Roadless Area (index map; fig. 1) was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) during October, 1981 in order to outline areas that may contain undiscovered mineral deposits. This report describes the results of a geochemical analysis of panned concentrates collected from stream sediments, and complements other geologic and geochemical investigations of the area (Slack and Bitar, 1983). The present study has offered us a chance to identify sampling media and a technique most appropriate for the enhancement of certain metallic elements in samples of panned concentrate. This study is important to the resource evaluation of the Bread Loaf Roadless Area because it reveals that geochemical anomalies produced by this technique are not evident in the standard magnetic and nonmagnetic fractions of panned concentrates.
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Sherrouse, Benson C.; Riegle, Jodi L.; Semmens, Darius J.
2010-01-01
In response to the need for incorporating quantified and spatially explicit measures of social values into ecosystem services assessments, the Rocky Mountain Geographic Science Center, in collaboration with Colorado State University, has developed a geographic information system application, Social Values for Ecosystem Services (SolVES). SolVES can be used to assess, map, and quantify the perceived social values of ecosystem services. SolVES derives a quantitative social values metric, the Value Index, from a combination of spatial and nonspatial responses to public attitude and preference surveys. SolVES also generates landscape metrics, such as average elevation and distance to water, calculated from spatial data layers describing the underlying physical environment. Using kernel density calculations and zonal statistics, SolVES derives and maps the 10-point Value Index and reports landscape metrics associated with each index value for social value types such as aesthetics, biodiversity, and recreation. This can be repeated for various survey subgroups as distinguished by their attitudes and preferences regarding public uses of the forests such as motorized recreation and logging for fuels reduction. The Value Index provides a basis of comparison within and among survey subgroups to consider the effect of social contexts on the valuation of ecosystem services. SolVES includes regression coefficients linking the predicted value (the Value Index) to landscape metrics. These coefficients are used to generate predicted social value maps using value transfer techniques for areas where primary survey data are not available. SolVES was developed, and will continue to be enhanced through future versions, as a public domain tool to enable decision makers and researchers to map the social values of ecosystem services and to facilitate discussions among diverse stakeholders regarding tradeoffs between different ecosystem services in a variety of physical and social contexts.
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Passive mapping and intermittent exploration for mobile robots
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Engleson, Sean P.
1994-01-01
An adaptive state space architecture is combined with diktiometric representation to provide the framework for designing a robot mapping system with flexible navigation planning tasks. This involves indexing waypoints described as expectations, geometric indexing, and perceptual indexing. Matching and updating the robot's projected position and sensory inputs with indexing waypoints involves matchers, dynamic priorities, transients, and waypoint restructuring. The robot's map learning can be opganized around the principles of passive mapping.
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Mosaic of Digital Raster Soviet Topographic Maps of Afghanistan
Chirico, Peter G.; Warner, Michael B.
2005-01-01
EXPLANATION The data contained in this publication include scanned, geographically referenced digital raster graphics (DRGs) of Soviet 1:200,000 - scale topographic map quadrangles. The original Afghanistan topographic map series at 1:200,000 scale, for the entire country, was published by the Soviet military between 1985 and 1991(MTDGS, 85-91). Hard copies of these original paper maps were scanned using a large format scanner, reprojected into Geographic Coordinate System (GCS) coordinates, and then clipped to remove the map collars to create a seamless, topographic map base for the entire country. An index of all available topographic map sheets is displayed here: Index_Geo_DD.pdf. This publication also includes the originial topographic map quadrangles projected in Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) projection. The country of Afghanistan spans three UTM Zones: Zone 41, Zone 42, and Zone 43. Maps are stored as GeoTIFFs in their respective UTM zone projection. Indexes of all available topographic map sheets in their respective UTM zone are displayed here: Index_UTM_Z41.pdf, Index_UTM_Z42.pdf, Index_UTM_Z43.pdf. An Adobe Acrobat PDF file of the U.S. Department of the Army's Technical Manual 30-548, is available (U.S. Army, 1958). This document has been translated into English for assistance in reading Soviet topographic map symbols.
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Mayne, Darren J; Morgan, Geoffrey G; Willmore, Alan; Rose, Nectarios; Jalaludin, Bin; Bambrick, Hilary; Bauman, Adrian
2013-12-24
Walkability describes the capacity of the built environment to support walking for various purposes. This paper describes the construction and validation of two objective walkability indexes for Sydney, Australia. Walkability indexes using residential density, intersection density, land use mix, with and without retail floor area ratio were calculated for 5,858 Sydney Census Collection Districts in a geographical information system. Associations between variables were evaluated using Spearman's rho (ρ). Internal consistency and factor structure of indexes were estimated with Cronbach's alpha and principal components analysis; convergent and predictive validity were measured using weighted kappa (κw) and by comparison with reported walking to work at the 2006 Australian Census using logistic regression. Spatial variation in walkability was assessed using choropleth maps and Moran's I. A three-attribute abridged Sydney Walkability Index comprising residential density, intersection density and land use mix was constructed for all Sydney as retail floor area was only available for 5.3% of Census Collection Districts. A four-attribute full index including retail floor area ratio was calculated for 263 Census Collection Districts in the Sydney Central Business District. Abridged and full walkability index scores for these 263 areas were strongly correlated (ρ=0.93) and there was good agreement between walkability quartiles (κw=0.73). Internal consistency ranged from 0.60 to 0.71, and all index variables loaded highly on a single factor. The percentage of employed persons who walked to work increased with increasing walkability: 3.0% in low income-low walkability areas versus 7.9% in low income-high walkability areas; and 2.1% in high income-low walkability areas versus 11% in high income-high walkability areas. The adjusted odds of walking to work were 1.05 (0.96-1.15), 1.58 (1.45-1.71) and 3.02 (2.76-3.30) times higher in medium, high and very high compared to low walkability areas. Associations were similar for full and abridged indexes. The abridged Sydney Walkability Index has predictive validity for utilitarian walking, will inform urban planning in Sydney, and will be used as an objective measure of neighbourhood walkability in a large population cohort. Abridged walkability indexes may be useful in settings where retail floor area data are unavailable.
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2013-01-01
Background Walkability describes the capacity of the built environment to support walking for various purposes. This paper describes the construction and validation of two objective walkability indexes for Sydney, Australia. Methods Walkability indexes using residential density, intersection density, land use mix, with and without retail floor area ratio were calculated for 5,858 Sydney Census Collection Districts in a geographical information system. Associations between variables were evaluated using Spearman’s rho (ρ). Internal consistency and factor structure of indexes were estimated with Cronbach’s alpha and principal components analysis; convergent and predictive validity were measured using weighted kappa (κw) and by comparison with reported walking to work at the 2006 Australian Census using logistic regression. Spatial variation in walkability was assessed using choropleth maps and Moran’s I. Results A three-attribute abridged Sydney Walkability Index comprising residential density, intersection density and land use mix was constructed for all Sydney as retail floor area was only available for 5.3% of Census Collection Districts. A four-attribute full index including retail floor area ratio was calculated for 263 Census Collection Districts in the Sydney Central Business District. Abridged and full walkability index scores for these 263 areas were strongly correlated (ρ=0.93) and there was good agreement between walkability quartiles (κw=0.73). Internal consistency ranged from 0.60 to 0.71, and all index variables loaded highly on a single factor. The percentage of employed persons who walked to work increased with increasing walkability: 3.0% in low income-low walkability areas versus 7.9% in low income-high walkability areas; and 2.1% in high income-low walkability areas versus 11% in high income-high walkability areas. The adjusted odds of walking to work were 1.05 (0.96–1.15), 1.58 (1.45–1.71) and 3.02 (2.76–3.30) times higher in medium, high and very high compared to low walkability areas. Associations were similar for full and abridged indexes. Conclusions The abridged Sydney Walkability Index has predictive validity for utilitarian walking, will inform urban planning in Sydney, and will be used as an objective measure of neighbourhood walkability in a large population cohort. Abridged walkability indexes may be useful in settings where retail floor area data are unavailable. PMID:24365133
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Spatial patterns of high Aedes aegypti oviposition activity in northwestern Argentina.
Estallo, Elizabet Lilia; Más, Guillermo; Vergara-Cid, Carolina; Lanfri, Mario Alberto; Ludueña-Almeida, Francisco; Scavuzzo, Carlos Marcelo; Introini, María Virginia; Zaidenberg, Mario; Almirón, Walter Ricardo
2013-01-01
In Argentina, dengue has affected mainly the Northern provinces, including Salta. The objective of this study was to analyze the spatial patterns of high Aedes aegypti oviposition activity in San Ramón de la Nueva Orán, northwestern Argentina. The location of clusters as hot spot areas should help control programs to identify priority areas and allocate their resources more effectively. Oviposition activity was detected in Orán City (Salta province) using ovitraps, weekly replaced (October 2005-2007). Spatial autocorrelation was measured with Moran's Index and depicted through cluster maps to identify hot spots. Total egg numbers were spatially interpolated and a classified map with Ae. aegypti high oviposition activity areas was performed. Potential breeding and resting (PBR) sites were geo-referenced. A logistic regression analysis of interpolated egg numbers and PBR location was performed to generate a predictive mapping of mosquito oviposition activity. Both cluster maps and predictive map were consistent, identifying in central and southern areas of the city high Ae. aegypti oviposition activity. A logistic regression model was successfully developed to predict Ae. aegypti oviposition activity based on distance to PBR sites, with tire dumps having the strongest association with mosquito oviposition activity. A predictive map reflecting probability of oviposition activity was produced. The predictive map delimitated an area of maximum probability of Ae. aegypti oviposition activity in the south of Orán city where tire dumps predominate. The overall fit of the model was acceptable (ROC=0.77), obtaining 99% of sensitivity and 75.29% of specificity. Distance to tire dumps is inversely associated with high mosquito activity, allowing us to identify hot spots. These methodologies are useful for prevention, surveillance, and control of tropical vector borne diseases and might assist National Health Ministry to focus resources more effectively.
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Fuentes, M V; Malone, J B; Mas-Coma, S
2001-04-27
The present paper aims to validate the usefulness of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) obtained by satellite remote sensing for the development of local maps of risk and for prediction of human fasciolosis in the Northern Bolivian Altiplano. The endemic area, which is located at very high altitudes (3800-4100 m) between Lake Titicaca and the valley of the city of La Paz, presents the highest prevalences and intensities of fasciolosis known in humans. NDVI images of 1.1 km resolution from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sensor on board the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) series of environmental satellites appear to provide adequate information for a study area such as that of the Northern Bolivian Altiplano. The predictive value of the remotely sensed map based on NDVI data appears to be better than that from forecast indices based only on climatic data. A close correspondence was observed between real ranges of human fasciolosis prevalence at 13 localities of known prevalence rates and the predicted ranges of fasciolosis prevalence using NDVI maps. However, results based on NDVI map data predicted zones as risk areas where, in fact, field studies have demonstrated the absence of lymnaeid populations during snail surveys, corroborated by the absence of the parasite in humans and livestock. NDVI data maps represent a useful data component in long-term efforts to develop a comprehensive geographical information system control program model that accurately fits real epidemiological and transmission situations of human fasciolosis in high altitude endemic areas in Andean countries.
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USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
The REGularized canopy reFLECtance (REGFLEC) modeling tool integrates leaf optics, canopy reflectance, and atmospheric radiative transfer model components, facilitating accurate retrieval of leaf area index (LAI) and leaf chlorophyll content (Cab) directly from at-sensor radiances in green, red and ...
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Regional pollution potential in the northwestern United States.
Sue A. Ferguson; Miriam L. Rorig
2003-01-01
The potential for air pollution from industrial sources to reach wilderness areas throughout the Northwestern United States is approximated from monthly mean emissions, along with wind speeds and directions. A simple index is derived to estimate downwind concentration. Maps of pollution potential were generated for each pollution component (particulates, sulfur oxides...
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Environmental applications based on GIS and GRID technologies
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Demontis, R.; Lorrai, E.; Marrone, V. A.; Muscas, L.; Spanu, V.; Vacca, A.; Valera, P.
2009-04-01
In the last decades, the collection and use of environmental data has enormously increased in a wide range of applications. Simultaneously, the explosive development of information technology and its ever wider data accessibility have made it possible to store and manipulate huge quantities of data. In this context, the GRID approach is emerging worldwide as a tool allowing to provision a computational task with administratively-distant resources. The aim of this paper is to present three environmental applications (Land Suitability, Desertification Risk Assessment, Georesources and Environmental Geochemistry) foreseen within the AGISGRID (Access and query of a distributed GIS/Database within the GRID infrastructure, http://grida3.crs4.it/enginframe/agisgrid/index.xml) activities of the GRIDA3 (Administrator of sharing resources for data analysis and environmental applications, http://grida3.crs4.it) project. This project, co-funded by the Italian Ministry of research, is based on the use of shared environmental data through GRID technologies and accessible by a WEB interface, aimed at public and private users in the field of environmental management and land use planning. The technologies used for AGISGRID include: - the client-server-middleware iRODS⢠(Integrated Rule-Oriented Data System) (https://irods.org); - the EnginFrame system (http://www.nice-italy.com/main/index.php?id=32), the grid portal that supplies a frame to make available, via Intranet/Internet, the developed GRID applications; - the software GIS GRASS (Geographic Resources Analysis Support System) (http://grass.itc.it); - the relational database PostgreSQL (http://www.posgresql.org) and the spatial database extension PostGis; - the open source multiplatform Mapserver (http://mapserver.gis.umn.edu), used to represent the geospatial data through typical WEB GIS functionalities. Three GRID nodes are directly involved in the applications: the application workflow is implemented at the CRS4 (Pula, Southern Sardinia, Italy), the soil database is managed at the DISTER node (Cagliari, southern Sardinia, Italy), and the geochemical database is managed at the DIGITA node (Cagliari, southern Sardinia, Italy). The input data are files (raster ASCII format) and database tables. The raster files have been zipped and stored in iRods. The tables are imported into a PostgreSQL database and accessed by the Rule-oriented Database Access (RDA) system available for PostgreSQL in iRODS 1.1. From the EnginFrame portal it is possible to view and use the applications through three services: "Upload Data", "View Data and Metadata", and "Execute Application". The Land Suitability application, based on the FAO framework for land evaluation, produces suitability maps (at the scale 1:10,000) for 11 different possible alternative uses. The maps, with a ASCII raster format, are downloadable by the user and viewable by Mapserver. This application has been implemented in an area of southern Sardinia (Monastir) and may be useful to direct municipal urban planning towards a rational land use. The Desertification Risk Assessment application produces, by means of biophysical and socioeconomic key indicators, a final combined map showing critical, fragile, and potential Environmentally Sensitive Areas to desertification. This application has been implemented in an area of south-west Sardinia (Muravera). The final index for the sensitivity is obtained by the geometric mean among four parameters: SQI (Soil Quality Index), CQI (Climate Quality Index), VQI (Vegetation Quality Index) e MQI (Management Quality Index). The final result (ESAs = (SQI * CQI * VQI * MQI)14) is a map at the scale 1:50,000, with a ASCII raster format, downloadable by the user and viewable by Mapserver. This type of map may be useful to direct land planning at catchment basin level. The Georesources and Environmental Geochemistry application, whose test is in progress in the area of Muravera (south-west Sardinia) through stream sediment sampling, aims at producing maps defining, with high precision, areas (hydrographic basins) where the values of a given element exceed the lithological background (i.e. geochemically anomalous). Such a product has a double purpose. First of all, it identifies releasing sources and may be useful for the necessary remediation actions, if they insist on areas historically prone to more or less intense anthropical activities. On the other hand, if these sources are of natural origin, they could also be interpreted as ore mineral occurrences. In the latter case the study of these occurrences could lead to discover economic ore bodies of small-to-medium size (at least in the present target area) and consequently to the revival of a local mining industry.
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Vulnerability of freshwater native biodiversity to non-native ...
Background/Question/Methods Non-native species pose one of the greatest threats to native biodiversity. The literature provides plentiful empirical and anecdotal evidence of this phenomenon; however, such evidence is limited to local or regional scales. Employing geospatial analyses, we investigate the potential threat of non-native species to threatened and endangered aquatic animal taxa inhabiting unprotected areas across the continental US. We compiled distribution information from existing publicly available databases at the watershed scale (12-digit hydrologic unit code). We mapped non-native aquatic plant and animal species richness, and an index of cumulative invasion pressure, which weights non-native richness by the time since invasion of each species. These distributions were compared to the distributions of native aquatic taxa (fish, amphibians, mollusks, and decapods) from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) database. We mapped the proportion of species listed by IUCN as threatened and endangered, and a species rarity index per watershed. An overlay analysis identified watersheds experiencing high pressure from non-native species and also containing high proportions of threatened and endangered species or exhibiting high species rarity. Conservation priorities were identified by generating priority indices from these overlays and mapping them relative to the distribution of protected areas across the US. Results/Conclusion
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Application of the Risk-Based Early Warning Method in a Fracture-Karst Water Source, North China.
Guo, Yongli; Wu, Qing; Li, Changsuo; Zhao, Zhenhua; Sun, Bin; He, Shiyi; Jiang, Guanghui; Zhai, Yuanzheng; Guo, Fang
2018-03-01
The paper proposes a risk-based early warning considering characteristics of fracture-karst aquifer in North China and applied it in a super-large fracture-karst water source. Groundwater vulnerability, types of land use, water abundance, transmissivity and spatial temporal variation of groundwater quality were chosen as indexes of the method. Weights of factors were obtained by using AHP method based on relative importance of factors, maps of factors were zoned by GIS, early warning map was conducted based on extension theory with the help of GIS, ENVI+IDL. The early warning map fused five factors very well, serious and tremendous warning areas are mainly located in northwest and east with high or relatively high transmissivity and groundwater pollutant loading, and obviously deteriorated or deteriorated trend of petroleum. The early warning map warns people where more attention should be paid, and the paper guides decision making to take appropriate protection actions in different warning levels areas.
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A radio spectral index map and catalogue at 147-1400 MHz covering 80 per cent of the sky
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
de Gasperin, F.; Intema, H. T.; Frail, D. A.
2018-03-01
The radio spectral index is a powerful probe for classifying cosmic radio sources and understanding the origin of the radio emission. Combining data at 147 MHz and 1.4 GHz from the TIFR GMRT Sky Survey (TGSS) and the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS), we produced a large-area radio spectral index map of ˜80 per cent of the sky (Dec. > - 40 deg), as well as a radio spectral index catalogue containing 1396 515 sources, of which 503 647 are not upper or lower limits. Almost every TGSS source has a detected counterpart, while this is true only for 36 per cent of NVSS sources. We released both the map and the catalogue to the astronomical community. The catalogue is analysed to discover systematic behaviours in the cosmic radio population. We find a differential spectral behaviour between faint and bright sources as well as between compact and extended sources. These trends are explained in terms of radio galaxy evolution. We also confirm earlier reports of an excess of steep-spectrum sources along the galactic plane. This corresponds to 86 compact and steep-spectrum source in excess compared to expectations. The properties of this excess are consistent with normal non-recycled pulsars, which may have been missed by pulsation searches due to larger than average scattering along the line of sight.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Schneider, F. D.; Morsdorf, F.; Schmid, B.; Petchey, O. L.; Hueni, A.; Schimel, D.; Schaepman, M. E.
2016-12-01
Forest functional traits offer a mechanistic link between ecological processes and community structure and assembly rules. However, measuring functional traits of forests in a continuous and consistent way is particularly difficult due to the complexity of in-situ measurements and geo-referencing. New imaging spectroscopy measurements overcome these limitations allowing to map physiological traits on broad spatial scales. We mapped leaf chlorophyll, carotenoids and leaf water content over 900 ha of temperate mixed forest (Fig. 1a). The selected traits are functionally important because they are indicating the photosynthetic potential of trees, leaf longevity and protection, as well as tree water and drought stress. Spatially continuous measurements on the scale of individual tree crowns allowed to assess functional diversity patterns on a range of ecological extents. We used indexes of functional richness, divergence and evenness to map different aspects of diversity. Fig. 1b shows an example of physiological richness at an extent of 240 m radius. We compared physiological to morphological diversity patterns, derived based on plant area index, canopy height and foliage height diversity. Our results show that patterns of physiological and morphological diversity generally agree, independently measured by airborne imaging spectroscopy and airborne laser scanning, respectively. The occurrence of disturbance areas and mixtures of broadleaf and needle trees were the main drivers of the observed diversity patterns. Spatial patterns at varying extents and richness-area relationships indicated that environmental filtering is the predominant community assembly process. Our results demonstrate the potential for mapping physiological and morphological diversity in a temperate mixed forest between and within species on scales relevant to study community assembly and structure from space and test the corresponding measurement schemes.
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Aquifer sensitivity to pesticide leaching: Testing a soils and hydrogeologic index method
Mehnert, E.; Keefer, D.A.; Dey, W.S.; Wehrmann, H.A.; Wilson, S.D.; Ray, C.
2005-01-01
For years, researchers have sought index and other methods to predict aquifer sensitivity and vulnerability to nonpoint pesticide contamination. In 1995, an index method and map were developed to define aquifer sensitivity to pesticide leaching based on a combination of soil and hydrogeologic factors. The soil factor incorporated three soil properties: hydraulic conductivity, amount of organic matter within individual soil layers, and drainage class. These properties were obtained from a digital soil association map. The hydrogeologic factor was depth to uppermost aquifer material. To test this index method, a shallow ground water monitoring well network was designed, installed, and sampled in Illinois. The monitoring wells had a median depth of 7.6 m and were located adjacent to corn and soybean fields where the only known sources of pesticides were those used in normal agricultural production. From September 1998 through February 2001, 159 monitoring wells were sampled for 14 pesticides but no pesticide metabolites. Samples were collected and analyzed to assess the distribution of pesticide occurrence across three units of aquifer sensitivity. Pesticides were detected in 18% of all samples and nearly uniformly from samples from the three units of aquifer sensitivity. The new index method did not predict pesticide occurrence because occurrence was not dependent on the combined soil and hydrogeologic factors. However, pesticide occurrence was dependent on the tested hydrogeologic factor and was three times higher in areas where the depth to the uppermost aquifer was <6 m than in areas where the depth to the uppermost aquifer was 6 to <15 m. Copyright ?? 2005 National Ground Water Association.
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Heat Vulnerability Index Mapping for Milwaukee and Wisconsin.
Christenson, Megan; Geiger, Sarah Dee; Phillips, Jeffrey; Anderson, Ben; Losurdo, Giovanna; Anderson, Henry A
Extreme heat waves elevate the population's risk for heat-related morbidity and mortality, specifically for vulnerable groups such as older adults and young children. In this context, we developed 2 Heat Vulnerability Indices (HVIs), one for the state of Wisconsin and one for the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Through the creation of an HVI, state and local agencies will be able to use the indices as a planning tool for extreme heat events. Data used for the HVIs were grouped into 4 categories: (1) population density; (2) health factors; (3) demographic and socioeconomic factors; and (4) natural and built environment factors. These categories were mapped at the Census block group level. Unweighted z-score data were used to determine index scores, which were then mapped by quantiles ranging from "high" to "low" vulnerability. Statewide, Menominee County exhibited the highest vulnerability to extreme heat. Milwaukee HVI findings indicated high vulnerability in the city's inner core versus low vulnerability along the lakeshore. Visualization of vulnerability could help local public health agencies prepare for future extreme heat events.
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St. Louis Area Earthquake Hazards Mapping Project - A Progress Report-November 2008
Karadeniz, D.; Rogers, J.D.; Williams, R.A.; Cramer, C.H.; Bauer, R.A.; Hoffman, D.; Chung, J.; Hempen, G.L.; Steckel, P.H.; Boyd, O.L.; Watkins, C.M.; McCallister, N.S.; Schweig, E.
2009-01-01
St. Louis has experienced minor earthquake damage at least 12 times in the past 200 years. Because of this history and its proximity to known active earthquake zones, the St. Louis Area Earthquake Hazards Mapping Project (SLAEHMP) is producing digital maps that show variability of earthquake hazards, including liquefaction and ground shaking, in the St. Louis area. The maps will be available free via the internet. Although not site specific enough to indicate the hazard at a house-by-house resolution, they can be customized by the user to show specific areas of interest, such as neighborhoods or transportation routes. Earthquakes currently cannot be predicted, but scientists can estimate how strongly the ground is likely to shake as the result of an earthquake. Earthquake hazard maps provide one way of conveying such estimates. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which produces earthquake hazard maps for the Nation, is working with local partners to develop detailed maps for urban areas vulnerable to strong ground shaking. These partners, which along with the USGS comprise the SLAEHMP, include the Missouri University of Science and Technology-Rolla (Missouri S&T), Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS), Saint Louis University, Missouri State Emergency Management Agency, and URS Corporation. Preliminary hazard maps covering a test portion of the 29-quadrangle St. Louis study area have been produced and are currently being evaluated by the SLAEHMP. A USGS Fact Sheet summarizing this project was produced and almost 1000 copies have been distributed at several public outreach meetings and field trips that have featured the SLAEHMP (Williams and others, 2007). In addition, a USGS website focusing on the SLAEHMP, which provides links to project results and relevant earthquake hazard information, can be found at: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/ceus/urban_map/st_louis/index.php. This progress report summarizes the methodology and data used to generate these preliminary maps. For more details about many of the topics in this summary the reader is referred to the Karadeniz (2007) and Chung (2007) Ph.D. theses.
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Noise pollution mapping approach and accuracy on landscape scales.
Iglesias Merchan, Carlos; Diaz-Balteiro, Luis
2013-04-01
Noise mapping allows the characterization of environmental variables, such as noise pollution or soundscape, depending on the task. Strategic noise mapping (as per Directive 2002/49/EC, 2002) is a tool intended for the assessment of noise pollution at the European level every five years. These maps are based on common methods and procedures intended for human exposure assessment in the European Union that could be also be adapted for assessing environmental noise pollution in natural parks. However, given the size of such areas, there could be an alternative approach to soundscape characterization rather than using human noise exposure procedures. It is possible to optimize the size of the mapping grid used for such work by taking into account the attributes of the area to be studied and the desired outcome. This would then optimize the mapping time and the cost. This type of optimization is important in noise assessment as well as in the study of other environmental variables. This study compares 15 models, using different grid sizes, to assess the accuracy of the noise mapping of the road traffic noise at a landscape scale, with respect to noise and landscape indicators. In a study area located in the Manzanares High River Basin Regional Park in Spain, different accuracy levels (Kappa index values from 0.725 to 0.987) were obtained depending on the terrain and noise source properties. The time taken for the calculations and the noise mapping accuracy results reveal the potential for setting the map resolution in line with decision-makers' criteria and budget considerations. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Use of Satellite Remote Sensing Data in the Mapping of Global Landslide Susceptibility
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Hong, Yang; Adler, Robert F.; Huffman, George J.
2007-01-01
Satellite remote sensing data has significant potential use in analysis of natural hazards such as landslides. Relying on the recent advances in satellite remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) techniques, this paper aims to map landslide susceptibility over most of the globe using a GIs-based weighted linear combination method. First , six relevant landslide-controlling factors are derived from geospatial remote sensing data and coded into a GIS system. Next, continuous susceptibility values from low to high are assigned to each of the six factors. Second, a continuous scale of a global landslide susceptibility index is derived using GIS weighted linear combination based on each factor's relative significance to the process of landslide occurrence (e.g., slope is the most important factor, soil types and soil texture are also primary-level parameters, while elevation, land cover types, and drainage density are secondary in importance). Finally, the continuous index map is further classified into six susceptibility categories. Results show the hot spots of landslide-prone regions include the Pacific Rim, the Himalayas and South Asia, Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains, Alps, and parts of the Middle East and Africa. India, China, Nepal, Japan, the USA, and Peru are shown to have landslide-prone areas. This first-cut global landslide susceptibility map forms a starting point to provide a global view of landslide risks and may be used in conjunction with satellite-based precipitation information to potentially detect areas with significant landslide potential due to heavy rainfall. 1
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Geologic Map of the Big Spring Quadrangle, Carter County, Missouri
Weary, David J.; McDowell, Robert C.
2006-01-01
The bedrock exposed in the Big Spring quadrangle of Missouri comprises Late Cambrian and Early Ordovician aged dolomite, sandstone, and chert. The sedimentary rocks are nearly flat lying except where they are adjacent to faults. The carbonate rocks are karstified, and the area contains numerous sinkholes, springs, caves, and losing streams. This map is one of several being produced under the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program to provide geologic data applicable to land-use problems in the Ozarks of south-central Missouri. Ongoing and potential industrial and agricultural development in the Ozarks region has presented issues of ground-water quality in karst areas. A national park in this region (Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri) is concerned about the effects of activities in areas outside of their stewardship on the water resources that define the heart of this park. This task applies geologic mapping and karst investigations to address issues surrounding competing land use in south-central Missouri. This task keeps geologists from the USGS associated with the park and allows the park to utilize USGS expertise and aid the NPS on how to effectively use geologic maps for park management. For more information, see: http://geology.er.usgs.gov/eespteam/Karst/index.html
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Geologic map of the Van Buren South quadrangle, Carter County, Missouri
Weary, D.J.; Schindler, J.S.
2004-01-01
The bedrock exposed in the Van Buren South quadrangle, Missouri, comprises Late Cambrian and Early Ordovician aged dolomite, sandstone, and chert. The sedimentary rocks are nearly flat-lying except where they are adjacent to faults. The carbonate rocks are karstified and the area contains numerous sinkholes, springs, caves, and losing-streams. This map is one of several being produced under the U.S. Geological Survey National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program to provide geologic data applicable to land-use problems in the Ozarks of south-central Missouri. Ongoing and potential industrial and agricultural development in the Ozarks region has presented issues of ground-water quality in karst areas. A National Park in this region (Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri ) is concerned about the effects of activities in areas outside of their stewardship on the water resources that define the heart of this Park. This task applies geologic mapping and karst investigations to address issues surrounding competing land use in south-central Missouri. This task keeps geologists from the USGS associated with the park and allows the Parks to utilize USGS expertise and aid the NPS on how to effectively use geologic maps for Park management. For more information see: http://geology.er.usgs.gov/eespteam/Karst/index.html
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Geologic map of the Low Wassie Quadrangle, Oregon and Shannon counties, Missouri
Weems, Robert E.
2002-01-01
The bedrock exposed in the Low Wassie Quadrangle, Missouri, comprises Late Cambrian and Early Ordovician aged dolomite, sandstone, and chert. The sedimentary rocks are nearly flat-lying except where they are adjacent to faults. The carbonates are karstified and the area contains numerous sinkholes, springs, caves, and losing-streams. This map is one of several being produced under the U.S. Geological Survey National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program to provide geologic data applicable to land-use problems in the Ozarks of south-central Missouri. Ongoing and potential industrial and agricultural development in the Ozarks region has presented issues of ground-water quality in karst areas. A National Park in this region (Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri ) is concerned about the effects of activities in areas outside of their stewardship on the water resources that define the heart of this Park. This task applies geologic mapping and karst investigations to address issues surrounding competing land use in south-central Missouri. This task keeps geologists from the USGS associated with the park and allows the Parks to utilize USGS expertise and aid the NPS on how to effectively use geologic maps for Park management. For more information see: http://geology.er.usgs.gov/eespteam/Karst/index.html.
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Geologic map of the Winona Quadrangle, Shannon County, Missouri
Orndorff, R.C.; Harrison, R.W.
2001-01-01
The bedrock exposed in the Winona Quadrangle, Missouri, comprises Mesoproterozoic aged volcanic rocks overlain by Late Cambrian and Early Ordovician aged dolomite, sandstone, and chert. The sedimentary rocks are nearly flat-lying except where they drape around knobs of the volcanic rocks or where they are adjacent to faults. The carbonates are karstified and the area contains numerous sinkholes, springs, caves, and losing-streams. This map is one of several being produced under the U.S. Geological Survey National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program to provide geologic data applicable to land-use problems in the Ozarks of south-central Missouri. Ongoing and potential industrial and agricultural development in the Ozarks region has presented issues of ground-water quality in karst areas. A National Park in this region (Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri ) is concerned about the effects of activities in areas outside of their stewardship on the water resources that define the heart of this Park. This task applies geologic mapping and karst investigations to address issues surrounding competing land use in south-central Missouri. This task keeps geologists from the USGS associated with the park and allows the Parks to utilize USGS expertise and aid the NPS on how to effectively use geologic maps for Park management. For more information see: http://geology.er.usgs.gov/eespteam/Karst/index.html
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Monitoring of wildfires in boreal forests using large area AVHRR NDVI composite image data
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Kasischke, E.S.; French, N.H.F.; Harrell, P.
1993-06-01
Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) composite image data, produced from AVHRR data collected in 1990, were evaluated for locating and mapping the areal extent of wildfires in the boreal forests of Alaska during that year. A technique was developed to map forest fire boundaries by subtracting a late-summer AVHRR NDVI image from an early summer scene. The locations and boundaries of wildfires within the interior region of Alaska were obtained from the Alaska Fire Service, and compared to the AVHRR-derived fire-boundary map. It was found that AVHRR detected 89.5% of all fires with sizes greater than 2,000ha with no falsemore » alarms and that, for most cases, the general shape of the fire boundary detected by AVHRR matched those mapped by field observers. However, the total area contained within the fire boundaries mapped by AVHRR were only 61% of those mapped by the field observers. However, the AVHRR data used in this study did not span the entire time period during which fires occurred, and it is believed the areal estimates could be improved significantly if an expanded AVHRR data set were used.« less
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Monitoring of wildfires in boreal forests using large area AVHRR NDVI composite image data
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Kasischke, Eric S.; French, Nancy H. F.; Harrell, Peter; Christensen, Norman L., Jr.; Ustin, Susan L.; Barry, Donald
1993-01-01
Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) composite image data, produced from AVHRR data collected in 1990, were evaluated for locating and mapping the areal extent of wildfires in the boreal forests of Alaska during that year. A technique was developed to map forest fire boundaries by subtracting a late-summer AVHRR NDVI image from an early summer scene. The locations and boundaries of wildfires within the interior region of Alaska were obtained from the Alaska Fire Service, and compared to the AVHRR-derived fire-boundary map. It was found that AVHRR detected 89.5 percent of all fires with sizes greater than 2000 ha with no false alarms and that, for most cases, the general shape of the fire boundary detected by AVHRR matched those mapped by field observers. However, the total area contained within the fire boundaries mapped by AVHRR were only 61 percent of those mapped by the field observers. However, the AVHRR data used in this study did not span the entire time period during which fires occurred, and it is believed the areal estimates could be improved significantly if an expanded AVHRR data set were used.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wakila, M. H.; Saepuloh, A.; Heriawan, M. N.; Susanto, A.
2016-09-01
Geothermal explorations and productions are currently being intensively conducted at certain areas in Indonesia such as Wayang Windu Geothermal Field (WWGF) in West Java, Indonesia. The WWGF is located at wide area covering about 40 km2. An accurate method to map the distribution of heterogeneity minerals is necessary for wide areas such as WWGF. Mineral mapping is an important method in geothermal explorations to determine the distribution of minerals which indicate the surface manifestations of geothermal system. This study is aimed to determine the most precise and accurate methods for minerals mapping at geothermal field. Field measurements were performed to assess the accuracy of three proposed methods: 1) Minimum Noise Fraction (MNF), utilizing the linear transformation method to eliminate the correlation among the spectra bands and to reduce the noise in the data, 2) Pixel Purity Index (PPI), a designed method to find the most extreme spectrum pixels and their characteristics due to end-members mixing, 3) Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM), an image classification technique by measuring the spectral similarity between an unknown object with spectral reference in n- dimension. The output of those methods were mineral distribution occurrence. The performance of each mapping method was analyzed based on the ground truth data. Among the three proposed method, the SAM classification method is the most appropriate and accurate for mineral mapping related to spatial distribution of alteration minerals.
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SINMAP Modeling of an active landslide area in the Swabian Alb
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Terhorst, Birgit; Jaeger, Daniel
2015-04-01
Landslides are a common hazard in German low mountain areas such as the Swabian Alb. As areas of former landslides are highly prone to secondary movements, this study aims to assess the susceptibility for landslide hazard around Mössingen-Öschingen, a region consistently affected by landslides during the last decades. Based on the history and development of mass movements and a detailed geomorphological map, slope stability was calculated using SINMAP (Stability Index Mapping). SINMAP (Pack et al., 1998; Tarboton, 1997) is based on the "infinite slope stability model" by Hammond et al. (1992) and Montgomery and Dietrich (1994) describing the ratio of slope stabilizing factors (e.g. cohesion) and slope destabilizing factors (e.g. gravitation) on a slip surface parallel to the slope. Most input parameters are determined by the relief and therefore, can be calculated from a digital terrain model (DTM, resolution 5 m). Based on the local morphology and geology, a total of 10 'calibration regions', each with similar hydrogeological characteristics, were defined. Further input parameters were: Shear strength via friction angle (Phi), cohesion (C) and hydraulic conductivity (T/R). The data was obtained from soil mechanical assessments and field/laboratory analyses. As a result, a specific stability index is calculated, describing the susceptibility of a slope movement. In a first step, the 'topographic wetness index' (derived from catchment area, slope gradient and hydraulic conductivity) was calculated. Results show several preferred (natural) drainage channels with generally higher water saturations in morphological depressions. Several of them can be linked to the location of damaged houses in the settlement area on the lower slope. The SINMAP calculation clearly revealed the impermeable Callovian clay layers as most prone to slope movements. A comparison of the susceptibility map with slide masses which were mapped during a field survey showed generally good agreements. This was in particular true for the slopes of the "Landhaussiedlung", a small settlement area east of Mössingen-Öschingen. In the uphill areas, a large landslide was triggered on June 3rd, 2013, mainly caused by heavy rainfalls during the days before. The scarp/slip surface was situated in the Callovian clay layers and in an area which was shown as susceptible for slope movements by the SINMAP model earlier Terhorst and Kreja (2009). The movement processes reactivated an old slide mass, which reached the outermost parts of the settlement area and damaged the densely built-up underground of the Landhaussiedlung. Although no house was destroyed completely by the slide mass, the induced pressure caused severe damages, rendering the buildings uninhabitable and leading to the evacuation of the Landhaussiedlung. The results show, that the modeling provided a solid identification of the vulnerable slope areas. The recent landslide area is almost completely situated in a region modeled as vulnerable for slope movements. Therefore, the landslide event of 2013 practically validated the susceptibility map. On the base of solid data and under consideration of detailed and differentiated information, SINMAP is a powerful tool for the assessment of susceptibilities for translational slides. Hammond, C., Hall, D., Miller, S., Swetik, P., 1992. Level I Stability Analysis (LISA) documentation for version 2.0. General Technical Report, INT-285. U.S. Deptartment of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Ogden. Montgomery, D.R., Dietrich, W.E., 1994. A Physically Based Model for the Topographic Control on Shallow Landsliding. Water Resources Research, 30(4), 1153-1171. Pack, R.T., Tarboton, D.G., Goodwin, C.N., 1998. The SINMAP approach to terrain stability mapping, 8th Congress of the International Association of Engineering Geology, Vancouver, Canada, pp. 8. Tarboton, D.G., 1997. A new method for the determination of flow directions and upslope areas in grid digital elevation models. Water Resources Research, 33(2), 309-319. Terhorst, B., Kreja, R., 2009. Slope stability modelling with SINMAP in a settlement area of the Swabian Alb. Landslides, 6(4), 309-319.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pisek, Jan; Govind, Ajit; Arndt, Stefan K.; Hocking, Darren; Wardlaw, Timothy J.; Fang, Hongliang; Matteucci, Giorgio; Longdoz, Bernard
2015-03-01
Clumping index is the measure of foliage grouping relative to a random distribution of leaves in space. It is a key structural parameter of plant canopies that influences canopy radiation regimes and controls canopy photosynthesis and other land-atmosphere interactions. The Normalized Difference between Hotspot and Darkspot (NDHD) index has been previously used to retrieve global clumping index maps from POLarization and Directionality of the Earth's Reflectances (POLDER) data at ˜6 km resolution and the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) product from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) at 500 m resolution. Most recently the algorithm was also applied with Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) data at 275 m resolution over selected areas. In this study for the first time we characterized and compared the three products over a set of sites representing diverse biomes and different canopy structures. The products were also directly validated with both in-situ vertical profiles and available seasonal trajectories of clumping index over several sites. We demonstrated that the vertical distribution of foliage and especially the effect of understory need to be taken into account while validating foliage clumping products from remote sensing products with values measured in the field. Satellite measurements responded to the structural effects near the top of canopies, while ground measurements may be biased by the lower vegetation layers. Additionally, caution should be taken regarding the misclassification in land cover maps as their errors can propagate into the foliage clumping maps. Our results indicate that MODIS data and MISR data, with 275 m in particular, can provide good quality clumping index estimates at spatial scales pertinent for modeling local carbon and energy fluxes.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lin, M.; Yang, Z.; Park, H.; Qian, S.; Chen, J.; Fan, P.
2017-12-01
Impervious surface area (ISA) has become an important indicator for studying urban environments, but mapping ISA at the regional or global scale is still challenging due to the complexity of impervious surface features. The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program's Operational Linescan System (DMSP-OLS) nighttime light data is (NTL) and Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) are the major remote sensing data source for regional ISA mapping. A single regression relationship between fractional ISA and NTL or various index derived based on NTL and MODIS vegetation index (NDVI) data was established in many previous studies for regional ISA mapping. However, due to the varying geographical, climatic, and socio-economic characteristics of different cities, the same regression relationship may vary significantly across different cities in the same region in terms of both fitting performance (i.e. R2) and the rate of change (Slope). In this study, we examined the regression relationship between fractional ISA and Vegetation Adjusted Nighttime light Urban Index (VANUI) for 120 randomly selected cities around the world with a multilevel regression model. We found that indeed there is substantial variability of both the R2 (0.68±0.29) and slopes (0.64±0.40) among individual regressions, which suggests that multilevel/hierarchical models are needed for accuracy improvement of future regional ISA mapping .Further analysis also let us find the this substantial variability are affected by climate conditions, socio-economic status, and urban spatial structures. However, all these effects are nonlinear rather than linear, thus could not modeled explicitly in multilevel linear regression models.
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The ability to effectively use remotely sensed data for environmental spatial analysis is dependent on understanding the underlying procedures and associated variances attributed to the data processing and image analysis technique. Equally important, also, is understanding the er...
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Water resources of Gove, Logan, and Wallace Counties, west-central Kansas
McClain, Thomas J.; Jenkins, Edward D.; Keene, Katherine M.; Pabst, Marilyn E.
1975-01-01
This atlas presents information on the geology and water resources of a three-county area in west-central Kansas (index map). The report is intended promarily as a guide to the availability of ground water, which is the main source of supply for domestic, stock, inductrial, irrigation, and municipal uses.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zeng, Xiangming; He, Ruoying; Zong, Haibo
2017-08-01
Based on long-term realistic ocean circulation hindcast for in the Bohai, Yellow, and East China Seas, 45 years (1961-2005) of sea surface salinity data were analyzed using Self-Organizing Maps (SOM) to have a better understanding of the Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW) variation. Three spatial patterns were revealed by the SOM: normal, transition, and extension. The normal pattern mainly occurs from December to May while the CDW hugs China's east coast closely and flows southward. The extension pattern is dominant from June to October when the CDW extends northwestward toward Jeju Island in an omega shape. The transition pattern prevails for the rest of the year. Pattern-averaged temperature, circulation, and chlorophyll-a concentration show significant differences. CDW area and its eastern most extension were explored as a function of the Changjiang runoff and regional upwelling index. We found that Changjiang runoff and upwelling index can be reasonable predictors for the overall CDW area, while ambient circulation determines the distribution and structure of the CDW, and thus the CDW eastern most extension.
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MetaMapping the nursing procedure manual.
Peace, Jane; Brennan, Patricia Flatley
2006-01-01
Nursing procedure manuals are an important resource for practice, but ensuring that the correct procedure can be located when needed is an ongoing challenge. This poster presents an approach used to automatically index nursing procedures with standardized nursing terminology. Although indexing yielded a low number of mappings, examination of successfully mapped terms, incorrect mappings, and unmapped terms reveals important information about the reasons automated indexing fails.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jia, Duo; Wang, Cangjiao; Lei, Shaogang
2018-01-01
Mapping vegetation dynamic types in mining areas is significant for revealing the mechanisms of environmental damage and for guiding ecological construction. Dynamic types of vegetation can be identified by applying interannual normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) time series. However, phase differences and time shifts in interannual time series decrease mapping accuracy in mining regions. To overcome these problems and to increase the accuracy of mapping vegetation dynamics, an interannual Landsat time series for optimum vegetation growing status was constructed first by using the enhanced spatial and temporal adaptive reflectance fusion model algorithm. We then proposed a Markov random field optimized semisupervised Gaussian dynamic time warping kernel-based fuzzy c-means (FCM) cluster algorithm for interannual NDVI time series to map dynamic vegetation types in mining regions. The proposed algorithm has been tested in the Shengli mining region and Shendong mining region, which are typical representatives of China's open-pit and underground mining regions, respectively. Experiments show that the proposed algorithm can solve the problems of phase differences and time shifts to achieve better performance when mapping vegetation dynamic types. The overall accuracies for the Shengli and Shendong mining regions were 93.32% and 89.60%, respectively, with improvements of 7.32% and 25.84% when compared with the original semisupervised FCM algorithm.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Maruyasu, T. (Principal Investigator); Nakajima, I.
1977-01-01
The author has identified the following significant results. Practical use of recognition results of LANDSAT data as the base map of the field survey or the retouching work of vegetation and land use has the effective benefit to cut down the cost, labor, and time lower than 10% of a conventional method. Correct and detailed vegetation maps were prepared using combined interpretation of repetition of data of different seasons at warm and temperate forested areas.
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West, Amanda M.; Evangelista, Paul H.; Jarnevich, Catherine S.; Young, Nicholas E.; Stohlgren, Thomas J.; Talbert, Colin; Talbert, Marian; Morisette, Jeffrey; Anderson, Ryan
2016-01-01
Early detection of invasive plant species is vital for the management of natural resources and protection of ecosystem processes. The use of satellite remote sensing for mapping the distribution of invasive plants is becoming more common, however conventional imaging software and classification methods have been shown to be unreliable. In this study, we test and evaluate the use of five species distribution model techniques fit with satellite remote sensing data to map invasive tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) along the Arkansas River in Southeastern Colorado. The models tested included boosted regression trees (BRT), Random Forest (RF), multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS), generalized linear model (GLM), and Maxent. These analyses were conducted using a newly developed software package called the Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling (SAHM). All models were trained with 499 presence points, 10,000 pseudo-absence points, and predictor variables acquired from the Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor over an eight-month period to distinguish tamarisk from native riparian vegetation using detection of phenological differences. From the Landsat scenes, we used individual bands and calculated Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), and tasseled capped transformations. All five models identified current tamarisk distribution on the landscape successfully based on threshold independent and threshold dependent evaluation metrics with independent location data. To account for model specific differences, we produced an ensemble of all five models with map output highlighting areas of agreement and areas of uncertainty. Our results demonstrate the usefulness of species distribution models in analyzing remotely sensed data and the utility of ensemble mapping, and showcase the capability of SAHM in pre-processing and executing multiple complex models.
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West, Amanda M; Evangelista, Paul H; Jarnevich, Catherine S; Young, Nicholas E; Stohlgren, Thomas J; Talbert, Colin; Talbert, Marian; Morisette, Jeffrey; Anderson, Ryan
2016-10-11
Early detection of invasive plant species is vital for the management of natural resources and protection of ecosystem processes. The use of satellite remote sensing for mapping the distribution of invasive plants is becoming more common, however conventional imaging software and classification methods have been shown to be unreliable. In this study, we test and evaluate the use of five species distribution model techniques fit with satellite remote sensing data to map invasive tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) along the Arkansas River in Southeastern Colorado. The models tested included boosted regression trees (BRT), Random Forest (RF), multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS), generalized linear model (GLM), and Maxent. These analyses were conducted using a newly developed software package called the Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling (SAHM). All models were trained with 499 presence points, 10,000 pseudo-absence points, and predictor variables acquired from the Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor over an eight-month period to distinguish tamarisk from native riparian vegetation using detection of phenological differences. From the Landsat scenes, we used individual bands and calculated Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), and tasseled capped transformations. All five models identified current tamarisk distribution on the landscape successfully based on threshold independent and threshold dependent evaluation metrics with independent location data. To account for model specific differences, we produced an ensemble of all five models with map output highlighting areas of agreement and areas of uncertainty. Our results demonstrate the usefulness of species distribution models in analyzing remotely sensed data and the utility of ensemble mapping, and showcase the capability of SAHM in pre-processing and executing multiple complex models.
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Geochemical baseline studies of soil in Finland
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pihlaja, Jouni
2017-04-01
The soil element concentrations regionally vary a lot in Finland. Mostly this is caused by the different bedrock types, which are reflected in the soil qualities. Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) is carrying out geochemical baseline studies in Finland. In the previous phase, the research is focusing on urban areas and mine environments. The information can, for example, be used to determine the need for soil remediation, to assess environmental impacts or to measure the natural state of soil in industrial areas or mine districts. The field work is done by taking soil samples, typically at depth between 0-10 cm. Sampling sites are chosen to represent the most vulnerable areas when thinking of human impacts by possible toxic soil element contents: playgrounds, day-care centers, schools, parks and residential areas. In the mine districts the samples are taken from the areas locating outside the airborne dust effected areas. Element contents of the soil samples are then analyzed with ICP-AES and ICP-MS, Hg with CV-AAS. The results of the geochemical baseline studies are published in the Finnish national geochemical baseline database (TAPIR). The geochemical baseline map service is free for all users via internet browser. Through this map service it is possible to calculate regional soil baseline values using geochemical data stored in the map service database. Baseline data for 17 elements in total is provided in the map service and it can be viewed on the GTK's web pages (http://gtkdata.gtk.fi/Tapir/indexEN.html).
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hohmann, Audrey; Dufréchou, Grégory; Grandjean, Gilles; Bourguignon, Anne
2014-05-01
Swelling soils contain clay minerals that change volume with water content and cause extensive and expensive damage on infrastructures. Based on spatial distribution of infrastructure damages and existing geological maps, the Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM, i.e. the French Geological Survey) published in 2010 a 1:50 000 swelling hazard map of France, indexing the territory to low, moderate, or high swelling risk. This study aims to use SWIR (1100-2500 nm) reflectance spectra of soils acquired under laboratory controlled conditions to estimate the swelling potential of soils and improve the swelling risk map of France. 332 samples were collected at the W of Orléans (France) in various geological formations and swelling risk areas. Comparisons of swelling potential of soil samples and swelling risk areas of the map show several inconsistent associations that confirm the necessity to redraw the actual swelling risk map of France. New swelling risk maps of the sampling area were produce from soil samples using three interpolation methods. Maps produce using kriging and Natural neighbour interpolation methods did not permit to show discrete lithological units, introduced unsupported swelling risk zones, and did not appear useful to refine swelling risk map of France. Voronoi polygon was also used to produce map where swelling potential estimated from each samples were extrapolated to a polygon and all polygons were thus supported by field information. From methods tested here, Voronoi polygon appears thus the most adapted method to produce expansive soils maps. However, size of polygon is highly dependent of the samples spacing and samples may not be representative of the entire polygon. More samples are thus needed to provide reliable map at the scale of the sampling area. Soils were also sampled along two sections with a sampling interval of ca. 260 m and ca. 50 m. Sample interval of 50 m appears more adapted for mapping of smallest lithological units. The presence of several samples close to themselves indicating the same swelling potential is a good indication of the presence of a zone with constant swelling potential. Combination of Voronoi method and sampling interval of ca. 50 m appear adapted to produce local swelling potential maps in areas where doubt remain or where infrastructure damages attributed to expansive soils are knew.
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An automated approach for mapping persistent ice and snow cover over high latitude regions
Selkowitz, David J.; Forster, Richard R.
2016-01-01
We developed an automated approach for mapping persistent ice and snow cover (glaciers and perennial snowfields) from Landsat TM and ETM+ data across a variety of topography, glacier types, and climatic conditions at high latitudes (above ~65°N). Our approach exploits all available Landsat scenes acquired during the late summer (1 August–15 September) over a multi-year period and employs an automated cloud masking algorithm optimized for snow and ice covered mountainous environments. Pixels from individual Landsat scenes were classified as snow/ice covered or snow/ice free based on the Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI), and pixels consistently identified as snow/ice covered over a five-year period were classified as persistent ice and snow cover. The same NDSI and ratio of snow/ice-covered days to total days thresholds applied consistently across eight study regions resulted in persistent ice and snow cover maps that agreed closely in most areas with glacier area mapped for the Randolph Glacier Inventory (RGI), with a mean accuracy (agreement with the RGI) of 0.96, a mean precision (user’s accuracy of the snow/ice cover class) of 0.92, a mean recall (producer’s accuracy of the snow/ice cover class) of 0.86, and a mean F-score (a measure that considers both precision and recall) of 0.88. We also compared results from our approach to glacier area mapped from high spatial resolution imagery at four study regions and found similar results. Accuracy was lowest in regions with substantial areas of debris-covered glacier ice, suggesting that manual editing would still be required in these regions to achieve reasonable results. The similarity of our results to those from the RGI as well as glacier area mapped from high spatial resolution imagery suggests it should be possible to apply this approach across large regions to produce updated 30-m resolution maps of persistent ice and snow cover. In the short term, automated PISC maps can be used to rapidly identify areas where substantial changes in glacier area have occurred since the most recent conventional glacier inventories, highlighting areas where updated inventories are most urgently needed. From a longer term perspective, the automated production of PISC maps represents an important step toward fully automated glacier extent monitoring using Landsat or similar sensors.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Muto, Francesco; Conforti, Massimo; Critelli, Salvatore; Fabbricatore, Davide; Filomena, Luciana; Rago, Valeria; Robustelli, Gaetano; Scarciglia, Fabio; Versace, Pasquale
2014-05-01
The interaction of landslides with linear infrastructures is often the cause of disasters. In Italy landslide impact on roads, railways and buildings cause millions of Euro per year in damage and restoration as well. The proposed study is aimed to the landslide susceptibility evaluation using a multidisciplinary approach: geological and geomorphological survey, statistical analysis and GIS technique, along a section of highway "A3 (Salerno-Reggio Calabria)" between Cosenza Sud and Altilia, northern Calabria. This study is included in a wider research project, named: PON01-01503, Landslides Early Warning-Sistemi integrati per il monitoraggio e la mitigazione del rischio idrogeologico lungo le grandi vie di comunicazione - aimed at the hydrogeological risk mitigation and at the early warning along the highways. The work was first based on air-photo interpretations and field investigations, in order to realize the geological map, geomorphological map and landslide inventory map. In the study area the geomorphology is strongly controlled by its bedrock geology and tectonics. The bedrock geology consists of Neogene sedimentary rocks that cover a thick stack of allochthonous nappes. These nappes consist of crystalline rocks mainly gneiss, phyllite and schist. A total of 835 landslides were mapped and the type of movement are represented mainly by slides and complex and subordinately flow. In order to estimate and validate landslide susceptibility the landslides were divided in two group. One group (training set) was used to prepare susceptibility map and the second group (validation set) to validate the map. Then, the selection of predisposing factors was performed, according with the geological and geomorphological settings of the study area: lithology, distance from tectonic elements, land use, slope, aspect, stream power index (SPI) and plan curvature. In order to evaluate landslide susceptibility Conditional Analysis was applied to Unique Conditions Units (UCUs), that are a unique combination of the predisposing factors. Subsequently, the landslide area is determined within each UCU and the landslide density is computed. The outcome of the study was a classification of the study area into four susceptibility classes, ranked from low to very high. The results showed that the 33% of the study area is characterized by a high to very high degree of susceptibility. The validation procedure results, obtained by crossing the group of the landslide of validation set with the susceptibility map, showed that the predictive model is generally satisfactory; therefore, over 75% of the landslide of validation set is correctly classified falling in high and very high susceptibility classes. The consistency of the model is also suggested by computing the seed cell area index (SCAI) because the high and very high susceptibility classes have very low SCAI values, whereas the SCAI values of the very low and low susceptibility classes are very high. Finally, the landslide susceptibility map provides the baseline information for further evaluations of landslide hazards and related risks.
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Padilla, Cindy M.; Deguen, Severine; Lalloue, Benoit; Blanchard, Olivier; Beaugard, Charles; Troude, Florence; Navier, Denis Zmirou; Vieira, Verónica M.
2014-01-01
Mapping spatial distributions of disease occurrence can serve as a useful tool for identifying exposures of public health concern. Infant mortality is an important indicator of the health status of a population. Recent literature suggests that neighborhood deprivation status can modify the effect of air pollution on preterm delivery, a known risk factor for infant mortality. We investigated the effect of neighborhood social deprivation on the association between exposure to ambient air NO2 and infant mortality in the Lille and Lyon metropolitan areas, north and center of France, respectively, between 2002 and 2009. We conducted an ecological study using a neighborhood deprivation index estimated at the French census block from the 2006 census data. Infant mortality data were collected from local councils and geocoded using the address of residence. We generated maps using generalized additive models, smoothing on longitude and latitude while adjusting for covariates. We used permutation tests to examine the overall importance of location in the model and identify areas of increased and decreased risk. The average death rate was 4.2‰ and 4.6‰ live births for the Lille and Lyon metropolitan areas during the period. We found evidence of statistically significant precise clusters of elevated infant mortality for Lille and an east-west gradient of infant mortality risk for Lyon. Exposure to NO2 did not explain the spatial relationship. The Lille MA, socioeconomic deprivation index explained the spatial variation observed. These techniques provide evidence of clusters of significantly elevated infant mortality risk in relation with the neighborhood socioeconomic status. This method could be used for public policy management to determine priority areas for interventions. Moreover, taking into account the relationship between social and environmental exposure may help identify areas with cumulative inequalities. PMID:23563257
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bhattarai, I.; Gani, N. D.
2016-12-01
The Nepalese Himalaya is one of the most active regions within the Himalayan Mountain Belt, which is characterized by a thick succession of Siwalik sedimentary rocks deposited at its foreland basin. To date, much of the tectonic geomorphologic study in the Nepalese Siwalik is poorly understood, particularly in the Surai Khola section. Thus, the study of quantitative analysis of bedrock river parameters will provide crucial information regarding tectonic activities in the area. This study investigates geomorphic parameters of longitudinal river profiles from 54 watersheds within the Siwalik section of the Nepalese Himalaya. We extracted a total of 140 bedrock rivers from these watersheds using stream power-law function and 30-meter resolution ASTER DEM. In addition, we used 90-meter resolution SRTM DEM for structural mapping within the Surai Khola section. Our new results show presence of major and minor knickpoints that were classified on the basis of relief of the longitudinal profiles. We identified 180 major knickpoints out of 305 total knickpoints. Normalized steepness index (ksn) and concavity index values vary above and below these knicpoints. The ksn values range from 5.3 to 140.6 while concavity index of the streams in the study area ranges from as low as -12.1 to as high as 31.1. We also identified a total of 133 structural lineations that were mapped for the first time using various sun illumination angles and azimuths, and slope. Most of these structural lineations are likely faults that follow the similar east-west trends of the Main Frontal Thrust (MFT) Fault. The length of these faults ranges from 0.5 km to 8 km. We interpreted that a few measured knickpoints might be associated with our mapped mesoscale faults, while the majority of the knickpoints in the river profiles are locally adjusting to the MFT related uplift.
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Diagnostic and model dependent uncertainty of simulated Tibetan permafrost area
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wang, W.; Rinke, A.; Moore, J. C.; Cui, X.; Ji, D.; Li, Q.; Zhang, N.; Wang, C.; Zhang, S.; Lawrence, D. M.; McGuire, A. D.; Zhang, W.; Delire, C.; Koven, C.; Saito, K.; MacDougall, A.; Burke, E.; Decharme, B.
2015-03-01
We perform a land surface model intercomparison to investigate how the simulation of permafrost area on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) varies between 6 modern stand-alone land surface models (CLM4.5, CoLM, ISBA, JULES, LPJ-GUESS, UVic). We also examine the variability in simulated permafrost area and distribution introduced by 5 different methods of diagnosing permafrost (from modeled monthly ground temperature, mean annual ground and air temperatures, air and surface frost indexes). There is good agreement (99-135 x 104 km2) between the two diagnostic methods based on air temperature which are also consistent with the best current observation-based estimate of actual permafrost area (101 x 104 km2). However the uncertainty (1-128 x 104 km2) using the three methods that require simulation of ground temperature is much greater. Moreover simulated permafrost distribution on TP is generally only fair to poor for these three methods (diagnosis of permafrost from monthly, and mean annual ground temperature, and surface frost index), while permafrost distribution using air temperature based methods is generally good. Model evaluation at field sites highlights specific problems in process simulations likely related to soil texture specification and snow cover. Models are particularly poor at simulating permafrost distribution using definition that soil temperature remains at or below 0°C for 24 consecutive months, which requires reliable simulation of both mean annual ground temperatures and seasonal cycle, and hence is relatively demanding. Although models can produce better permafrost maps using mean annual ground temperature and surface frost index, analysis of simulated soil temperature profiles reveals substantial biases. The current generation of land surface models need to reduce biases in simulated soil temperature profiles before reliable contemporary permafrost maps and predictions of changes in permafrost distribution can be made for the Tibetan Plateau.
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Sedimentary Facies Mapping Based on Tidal Channel Network and Topographic Features
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ryu, J. H.; Lee, Y. K.; Kim, K.; Kim, B.
2015-12-01
Tidal flats on the west coast of Korea suffer intensive changes in their surface sedimentary facies as a result of the influence of natural and artificial changes. Spatial relationships between surface sedimentary facies distribution and benthic environments were estimated for the open-type Ganghwa tidal flat and semi closed-type Hwangdo tidal flat, Korea. In this study, we standardized the surface sedimentary facies and tidal channel index of the channel density, distance, thickness and order. To extract tidal channel information, we used remotely sensed data, such as those from the Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite (KOMPSAT)-2, KOMPSAT-3, and aerial photographs. Surface sedimentary facies maps were generated based on field data using an interpolation method.The tidal channels in each sediment facies had relatively constant meandering patterns, but the density and complexity were distinguishable. The second fractal dimension was 1.7-1.8 in the mud flat, about 1.4 in the mixed flat, and about 1.3 in the sand flat. The channel density was 0.03-0.06 m/m2 in the mud flat and less than 0.02 m/m2 in the mixed and sand flat areas of the two test areas. Low values of the tidal channel index, which indicated a simple pattern of tidal channel distribution, were identified at areas having low elevation and coarse-grained sediments. By contrast, high values of the tidal channel index, which indicated a dendritic pattern of tidal channel distribution, were identified at areas having high elevation and fine-grained sediments. Surface sediment classification based on remotely sensed data must circumspectly consider an effective critical grain size, water content, local topography, and intertidal structures.
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McBratney, Alex B.; Minasny, Budiman
2018-01-01
Soil colour is often used as a general purpose indicator of internal soil drainage. In this study we developed a necessarily simple model of soil drainage which combines the tacit knowledge of the soil surveyor with observed matrix soil colour descriptions. From built up knowledge of the soils in our Lower Hunter Valley, New South Wales study area, the sequence of well-draining → imperfectly draining → poorly draining soils generally follows the colour sequence of red → brown → yellow → grey → black soil matrix colours. For each soil profile, soil drainage is estimated somewhere on a continuous index of between 5 (very well drained) and 1 (very poorly drained) based on the proximity or similarity to reference soil colours of the soil drainage colour sequence. The estimation of drainage index at each profile incorporates the whole-profile descriptions of soil colour where necessary, and is weighted such that observation of soil colour at depth and/or dominantly observed horizons are given more preference than observations near the soil surface. The soil drainage index, by definition disregards surficial soil horizons and consolidated and semi-consolidated parent materials. With the view to understanding the spatial distribution of soil drainage we digitally mapped the index across our study area. Spatial inference of the drainage index was made using Cubist regression tree model combined with residual kriging. Environmental covariates for deterministic inference were principally terrain variables derived from a digital elevation model. Pearson’s correlation coefficients indicated the variables most strongly correlated with soil drainage were topographic wetness index (−0.34), mid-slope position (−0.29), multi-resolution valley bottom flatness index (−0.29) and vertical distance to channel network (VDCN) (0.26). From the regression tree modelling, two linear models of soil drainage were derived. The partitioning of models was based upon threshold criteria of VDCN. Validation of the regression kriging model using a withheld dataset resulted in a root mean square error of 0.90 soil drainage index units. Concordance between observations and predictions was 0.49. Given the scale of mapping, and inherent subjectivity of soil colour description, these results are acceptable. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of soil drainage predicted in our study area is attuned with our mental model developed over successive field surveys. Our approach, while exclusively calibrated for the conditions observed in our study area, can be generalised once the unique soil colour and soil drainage relationship is expertly defined for an area or region in question. With such rules established, the quantitative components of the method would remain unchanged. PMID:29682425
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Malone, Brendan P; McBratney, Alex B; Minasny, Budiman
2018-01-01
Soil colour is often used as a general purpose indicator of internal soil drainage. In this study we developed a necessarily simple model of soil drainage which combines the tacit knowledge of the soil surveyor with observed matrix soil colour descriptions. From built up knowledge of the soils in our Lower Hunter Valley, New South Wales study area, the sequence of well-draining → imperfectly draining → poorly draining soils generally follows the colour sequence of red → brown → yellow → grey → black soil matrix colours. For each soil profile, soil drainage is estimated somewhere on a continuous index of between 5 (very well drained) and 1 (very poorly drained) based on the proximity or similarity to reference soil colours of the soil drainage colour sequence. The estimation of drainage index at each profile incorporates the whole-profile descriptions of soil colour where necessary, and is weighted such that observation of soil colour at depth and/or dominantly observed horizons are given more preference than observations near the soil surface. The soil drainage index, by definition disregards surficial soil horizons and consolidated and semi-consolidated parent materials. With the view to understanding the spatial distribution of soil drainage we digitally mapped the index across our study area. Spatial inference of the drainage index was made using Cubist regression tree model combined with residual kriging. Environmental covariates for deterministic inference were principally terrain variables derived from a digital elevation model. Pearson's correlation coefficients indicated the variables most strongly correlated with soil drainage were topographic wetness index (-0.34), mid-slope position (-0.29), multi-resolution valley bottom flatness index (-0.29) and vertical distance to channel network (VDCN) (0.26). From the regression tree modelling, two linear models of soil drainage were derived. The partitioning of models was based upon threshold criteria of VDCN. Validation of the regression kriging model using a withheld dataset resulted in a root mean square error of 0.90 soil drainage index units. Concordance between observations and predictions was 0.49. Given the scale of mapping, and inherent subjectivity of soil colour description, these results are acceptable. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of soil drainage predicted in our study area is attuned with our mental model developed over successive field surveys. Our approach, while exclusively calibrated for the conditions observed in our study area, can be generalised once the unique soil colour and soil drainage relationship is expertly defined for an area or region in question. With such rules established, the quantitative components of the method would remain unchanged.
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Razavi Termeh, Seyed Vahid; Kornejady, Aiding; Pourghasemi, Hamid Reza; Keesstra, Saskia
2018-02-15
Flood is one of the most destructive natural disasters which cause great financial and life losses per year. Therefore, producing susceptibility maps for flood management are necessary in order to reduce its harmful effects. The aim of the present study is to map flood hazard over the Jahrom Township in Fars Province using a combination of adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS) with different metaheuristics algorithms such as ant colony optimization (ACO), genetic algorithm (GA), and particle swarm optimization (PSO) and comparing their accuracy. A total number of 53 flood locations areas were identified, 35 locations of which were randomly selected in order to model flood susceptibility and the remaining 16 locations were used to validate the models. Learning vector quantization (LVQ), as one of the supervised neural network methods, was employed in order to estimate factors' importance. Nine flood conditioning factors namely: slope degree, plan curvature, altitude, topographic wetness index (TWI), stream power index (SPI), distance from river, land use/land cover, rainfall, and lithology were selected and the corresponding maps were prepared in ArcGIS. The frequency ratio (FR) model was used to assign weights to each class within particular controlling factor, then the weights was transferred into MATLAB software for further analyses and to combine with metaheuristic models. The ANFIS-PSO was found to be the most practical model in term of producing the highly focused flood susceptibility map with lesser spatial distribution related to highly susceptible classes. The chi-square result attests the same, where the ANFIS-PSO had the highest spatial differentiation within flood susceptibility classes over the study area. The area under the curve (AUC) obtained from ROC curve indicated the accuracy of 91.4%, 91.8%, 92.6% and 94.5% for the respective models of FR, ANFIS-ACO, ANFIS-GA, and ANFIS-PSO ensembles. So, the ensemble of ANFIS-PSO was introduced as the premier model in the study area. Furthermore, LVQ results revealed that slope degree, rainfall, and altitude were the most effective factors. As regards the premier model, a total area of 44.74% was recognized as highly susceptible to flooding. The results of this study can be used as a platform for better land use planning in order to manage the highly susceptible zones to flooding and reduce the anticipated losses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Qin, Yuanwei; Xiao, Xiangming; Dong, Jinwei; Chen, Bangqian; Liu, Fang; Zhang, Geli; Zhang, Yao; Wang, Jie; Wu, Xiaocui
2017-02-01
Built-up area supports human settlements and activities, and its spatial distribution and temporal dynamics have significant impacts on ecosystem services and global environment change. To date, most of urban remote sensing has generated the maps of impervious surfaces, and limited effort has been made to explicitly identify the area, location and density of built-up in the complex and fragmented landscapes based on the freely available datasets. In this study, we took the lower Yangtze River Delta (Landsat Path/Row: 118/038), China, where extensive urbanization and industrialization have occurred, as a case study site. We analyzed the structure and optical features of typical land cover types from (1) the HH and HV gamma-naught imagery from the Advanced Land Observation Satellite (ALOS) Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR), and (2) time series Landsat imagery. We proposed a pixel- and rule-based decision tree approach to identify and map built-up area at 30-m resolution from 2007 to 2010, using PALSAR HH gamma-naught and Landsat annual maximum Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVImax). The accuracy assessment showed that the resultant annual maps of built-up had relatively high user (87-93%) and producer accuracies (91-95%) from 2007 to 2010. The built-up area was 2805 km2 in 2010, about 16% of the total land area of the study site. The annual maps of built-up in 2007-2010 show relatively small changes in the urban core regions, but large outward expansion along the peri-urban regions. The average annual increase of built-up areas was about 80 km2 per year from 2007 to 2010. Our annual maps of built-up in the lower Yangtze River Delta clearly complement the existing maps of impervious surfaces in the region. This study provides a promising new approach to identify and map built-up area, which is critical to investigate the interactions between human activities and ecosystem services in urban-rural systems.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pisek, J.
2017-12-01
Clumping index (CI) is the measure of foliage aggregation relative to a random distribution of leaves in space. CI is an important factor for the correct quantification of true leaf area index (LAI). Global and regional scale CI maps have been generated from various multi-angle sensors based on an empirical relationship with the normalized difference between hotspot and darkspot (NDHD) index (Chen et al., 2005). Ryu et al. (2011) suggested that accurate calculation of radiative transfer in a canopy, important for controlling gross primary productivity (GPP) and evapotranspiration (ET) (Baldocchi and Harley, 1995), should be possible by integrating CI with incoming solar irradiance and LAI from MODIS land and atmosphere products. It should be noted that MODIS LAI/FPAR product uses internal non-empirical, stochastic equations for parameterization of foliage clumping. This raises a question if integration of the MODIS LAI product with empirically-based CI maps does not introduce any inconsistencies. Here, the consistency is examined independently through the `recollision probability theory' or `p-theory' (Knyazikhin et al., 1998) along with raw LAI-2000/2200 Plant Canopy Analyzer (PCA) data from > 30 sites, surveyed across a range of vegetation types. The theory predicts that the amount of radiation scattered by a canopy should depend only on the wavelength and the spectrally invariant canopy structural parameter p. The parameter p is linked to the foliage clumping (Stenberg et al., 2016). Results indicate that integration of the MODIS LAI product with empirically-based CI maps is feasible. Importantly, for the first time it is shown that it is possible to obtain p values for any location solely from Earth Observation data. This is very relevant for future applications of photon recollision probability concept for global and local monitoring of vegetation using Earth Observation data.
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Creating a Flood Risk Index to Improve Community Resilience
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Klima, K.; El Gammal, L.
2017-12-01
While flood risk reduction is an existent discourse and agenda in policy and insurance, vulnerabilities vary between communities; some communities may have aging infrastructure, or an older/poorer population less able to absorb a flood, putting them at increased risk from the hazards. As a result, some are considering environmental justice aspects of flood risk reduction. To date, catastrophe models have focused on creating floodmaps (e.g., NOAA's Sea Level Rise Viewer, Climate Central's Surging Seas), or on linking hydrological models to economic loss models (e.g., HEC-RAS + HAZUS). However, this approach may be highly inequitable between areas of different income (as well as other demographics). Some have begun work on combining hydrology with vulnerability information (e.g., USACE's North Atlantic Comprehensive Coastal Study). To our knowledge, no one has tried to adapt the more advanced known heat risk theory to water risk by combining hydrology information (e.g., HEC-RAS, floodplain maps) with the social vulnerability (e.g., Cutter et al.) of the residents. This project will create a method to combine water hazard data with a derived water vulnerability index to help a community understand their current and future water risk. We will use the case study area of Pittsburgh, PA, which faces severe precipitation and riverine flooding hazards. Building on present literature of factors influencing water vulnerability contextualized to the Pittsburgh region, we will identify, quantify, and map the top factors impacting water vulnerability. We will combine these with flood maps to identify the geospatial distribution of water risk. This work will allow policy makers to identify location-specific aspects of water vulnerability and risk in any community, thus promoting environmental justice. It is possible that this type of original research would create maps of relative water risk that may prove as understandable to the general public as other flood maps, and may also help to promote "just resilience". This presentation will present a method to combine water hazard data with a derived water vulnerability index to present work on the geospatial distribution of water risk in Pittsburgh, PA.
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Chou, Wen-Chieh; Lin, Wen-Tzu; Lin, Chao-Yuan
2009-05-01
The catastrophic earthquake, 7.3 on the Richter scale, occurred on September 21, 1999 in Central Taiwan. Much of standing vegetation on slopes was eliminated and massive, scattered landslides were induced at the Jou-Jou Mountain area of the Wu-Chi basin in Nantou County. We evaluated three methods for assessing landslide hazard and vegetation recovery conditions. (1) Self-organizing map (SOM) neural network coupled with fuzzy technique was used to quickly extract the landslide. (2) The NDVI-based vegetation recovery index derived from multi-temporal SPOT satellite images was used to evaluate vegetation recovery rate in the denudation sites. (3) The spatial distribution index (SDI) based on land-cover topographic location was employed to analyze vegetation recovery patterns, including the invading, surviving and mixed patterns at the Jou-Jou Mountain area. On September 27, 1999, there were 849.20 ha of landslide area extracted using the self-organizing map and fuzzy technique combined model. After six years of natural vegetation succession, the landslide has gradually restored, and vegetation recovery rate reached up to 86%. On-site observation shows that many native pioneer plants have invaded onto the denudation sites even if disturbed by several typhoons. Two native surviving plants, Arundo formosana Hack and Pinus taiwanensis Hayata, play a vital role in natural vegetation succession in this area, especially for the sites on ridgeline and steep slopes.
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[Spatial analysis of mortality from cardiovascular diseases in Madrid City, Spain].
Gómez-Barroso, Diana; Prieto-Flores, María-Eugenia; Mellado San Gabino, Ana; Moreno Jiménez, Antonio
2015-01-01
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, but its spatial distribution is not homogeneous. The objective of this study is to analyze the spatial pattern of mortality from these diseases for men and women, in the populated urban area (AUP) of the municipality of Madrid, and to identify spatial aggregations. An ecological study was carried out by census tract, for men and women in 2010. Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR), Relative Risk Smoothing (RRS) and Posterior Probability (PP) were calculated to consider the spatial pattern of the disease. To identify spatial clusters the Moran index (Moran I) and the Local Index of Spatial Autocorrelation (LISA) were used. The results were mapped. SMR higher than 1.1 was observed mainly in central areas among men and in peripheral areas among women. The PP that RRS was higher than 1 surpassed 0.8 in the center and in the periphery, in both men and women. Moran's I was 0.04 for men and 0.03 for women (p <0.05 in both cases). Sex differences were observed in the spatial distribution of mortality cases. RME RRS and PP maps showed a heterogeneous pattern in men, whereas in women a clearer pattern was detected, with a relatively higher risk in peripheral areas of the AUP. The LISA method showed similar patterns to those previously observed.
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Merewether, E.A.; Cobban, W.A.
2007-01-01
The index maps used to show locations of outcrop sections and fossil collections are from scanned versions of U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps of various scales and were obtained from TerraServer®. The portion of each map used depended on the areal distribution of the localities involved. The named quadrangles used for locality descriptions, however, all refer to 7½-minute, 1:24,000-scale quadrangles (for example, “Alcova”). The aerial photographs also are from TerraServer®; http://www.terraserver.com/.
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Rowan, L.C.; Pawlewicz, M.J.; Jones, O.D.
1992-01-01
The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a correlation between measurements of organic matter (OM) maturity and laboratory measurements of visible and near-infrared spectral reflectance, and if Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images could be used to map maturity. The maturity of Mississippian Chainman Shale samples collected in east-central Nevada and west-central Utah was determined by using vitrinite reflectance and Rock-Eval pyrolysis. TM 4/TM 5 values correspond well to vitrinite reflectance and hydrogen index variations, and therefore this ratio was used to evaluate a TM image of the Eureka, Nevada, area for mapping thermal maturity differences in the Chainman Shale. -from Authors
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Gorlin, Eugenia I; Lee, Josephine; Otto, Michael W
2018-01-01
A recent meta-analysis by Bolier et al. indicated that positive psychology interventions have overall small to moderate effects on well-being, but results were quite heterogeneous across intervention trials. Such meta-analytic research helps condense information on the efficacy of a broad psychosocial intervention by averaging across many effects; however, such global averages may provide limited navigational guidance for selecting among specific interventions. Here, we introduce a novel method for displaying qualitative and quantitative information on the efficacy of interventions using a topographical map approach. As an initial prototype for demonstrating this method, we mapped 50 positive psychology interventions targeting well-being (as captured in the Bolier et al. [2013] meta-analysis, [Bolier, L., Haverman, M., Westerhof, G. J., Riper, H., Smit, F., & Bohlmeijer, E. (2013). Positive psychology interventions: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies. BMC Public Health, 13, 83]). Each intervention domain/subdomain was mapped according to its average effect size (indexed by vertical elevation), number of studies providing effect sizes (indexed by horizontal area), and therapist/client burden (indexed by shading). The geographical placement of intervention domains/subdomains was determined by their conceptual proximity, allowing viewers to gauge the general conceptual "direction" in which promising intervention effects can be found. The resulting graphical displays revealed several prominent features of the well-being intervention "landscape," such as more strongly and uniformly positive effects of future-focused interventions (including, goal-pursuit and optimism training) compared to past/present-focused ones.
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Spatial distribution and comparison of aridity indices in Extremadura, southwestern Spain
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Moral, Francisco J.; Rebollo, Francisco J.; Paniagua, Luis L.; García-Martín, Abelardo; Honorio, Fulgencio
2016-11-01
In semi-arid lands with warm climates, aridity is a real hazard, with the threat of desertification because of greater precipitation variability and prolonged droughts. Aridity indices can be used to identify areas prone to desertification. The present study aimed to analyse the spatial distribution of aridity in Extremadura, southwestern Spain, using three indices: the De Martonne aridity index ( I DM), the Pinna combinative index ( I P), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) aridity index ( I F). Temperature, precipitation, and evapotranspiration data from 90 weather stations located throughout Extremadura and 27 along boundaries with at least 30-year length (within the 1980-2011 period) were used to compute each index at each station. The statistical properties of each aridity index were assessed, and later, they were mapped by means of an integrated geographic information system (GIS) and a multivariate geostatistical (regression-kriging) algorithm in which exhaustive secondary information on elevation was incorporated. Annual and seasonal I DM and I F, and annual I P-kriged maps were generated. According to annual I DM, the semi-arid and Mediterranean conditions are predominant in the region, covering about 70 % of the territory, while about 94 % of the areas are classified as dry and semi-dry Mediterranean based on annual I P and about 86 % are classified as semi-arid and dry categories based on annual I F. The most vulnerable to aridity are the natural regions located to the west, the south, and the southeast of Extremadura, especially during summer, when arid conditions are found across the region. Although the three aridity indices were highly correlated, displaying similar spatial patterns, I DM was preferred because it can better discriminate different climate conditions in Extremadura.
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Evaluation of Soil Contamination Indices in a Mining Area of Jiangxi, China
Wu, Jin; Teng, Yanguo; Lu, Sijin; Wang, Yeyao; Jiao, Xudong
2014-01-01
There is currently a wide variety of methods used to evaluate soil contamination. We present a discussion of the advantages and limitations of different soil contamination assessment methods. In this study, we analyzed seven trace elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn) that are indicators of soil contamination in Dexing, a city in China that is famous for its vast nonferrous mineral resources in China, using enrichment factor (EF), geoaccumulation index (Igeo), pollution index (PI), and principal component analysis (PCA). The three contamination indices and PCA were then mapped to understand the status and trends of soil contamination in this region. The entire study area is strongly enriched in Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn, especially in areas near mine sites. As and Hg were also present in high concentrations in urban areas. Results indicated that Cr in this area originated from both anthropogenic and natural sources. PCA combined with Geographic Information System (GIS) was successfully used to discriminate between natural and anthropogenic trace metals. PMID:25397401
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EJSCREEN Data--2015 Public Release
EJSCREEN is an environmental justice (EJ) screening and mapping tool that provides EPA with a nationally consistent dataset and methodology for calculating EJ indexes, which can be used for highlighting places that may be candidates for further review, analysis, or outreach as the agency develops programs, policies and other activities. The tool provides both summary and detailed information at the Census block group level or a user-defined area for both demographic and environmental indicators. The summary information is in the form of EJ Indexes which combine demographic information with a single environmental indicator (such as proximity to traffic) that can help identify communities living in areas with greater potential for environmental and health impacts. The tool also provides additional detailed demographic and environmental information to supplement screening analyses. EJSCREEN displays this information in color-coded maps, bar charts, and standard reports. Users should keep in mind that screening tools are subject to substantial uncertainty in their demographic and environmental data, particularly when looking at small geographic areas, such as Census block groups. Data on the full range of environmental impacts and demographic factors in any given location are almost certainly not available directly through this tool, and its initial results should be supplemented with additional information and local knowledge before making any judgments about poten
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Status of vegetation cover after 25 years since the last wildfire (Río Verde, Spain)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Martinez-Murillo, Juan F.; Remond, Ricardo; Ruiz-Sinoga, José D.
2016-04-01
Climatic conditions play an important role in the post-fire vegetation recovery as well as other factors like topography, soil, and pre and post-fire land use (Shakesby, 2011; Robichaud et al., 2013). This study deals with the characterization of the vegetation cover status in an area affected by a wildfire 25 years ago. Namely, the objectives are to: i) compare the current and previous vegetation cover to wildfire; and ii) evaluate whether the current vegetation has recovered the previous cover to wildfire. The study area is mainly located in the Rio Verde watershed (Sierra de las Nieves, South of Spain). It corresponds to an area affected by a wildfire in August 8th, 1991. The burned area was equal to 8,156 ha. The burn severity was spatially very high. The main geographic features of the burned area are: mountainous topography (altitudes ranging from 250 m to 1700 m; slope gradient >25%; exposure mainly southfacing); igneous (peridotites), metamorphic (gneiss) and calcareous rocks (limestones); and predominant forest land use (Pinus pinaster sp. woodlands, 10%; pinus opened forest + shrubland, 40%; shrubland, 35%; and bare soil + grassland, 15%). Remote sensing techniques and GIS analysis has been applied to achieve the objectives. Landsat 5 and Landsat 8 images were used: July 13th, 1991 and July 1st, 2013, for the previous wildfire situation and 22-years after, respectively. The 1990 CORINE land cover was also considered to map 1991 land uses prior the wildfire. The Andalucía Regional Government wildfire historic records were used to select the burned area and its geographical limit. 1991 and 2013 land cover maps were obtained by means of object-oriented classifications. Also, NDVI index were calculated and mapped for both years in order to compare the status of vegetation cover. According to the results, the combination of remote sensing and GIS analysis let map the most recovered areas affected by the wildfire in 1991. The vegetation indexes indicated that the vegetation cover in 2013 was still lower than that mapped just before the 1991 wildfire in most of the burned area after 25-years: 33% of the burned area showed a regression in the vegetation from pine to shrubland or to grassland; 54% showed a similar status than in 1991; and only 11% presented a better vegetation cover nowadays than in 1991. References Robichaud, P., Lewis, S.A., Wagenbrenner, J.W., Ashmun, L.E., Brown, R.E. 2013. Post-fire mulching for runoff and erosion mitigation. Part I: Effectiveness at reducing hillslope erosion rates. Catena 105, 75-92. Shakesby, R.A. 2011. Post-wildfire soil erosion in the Mediterranean: Review and future research directions. Earth-Science Reviews 105, 71-100.
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Remote sensing research on fragile ecological environment in continental river basin
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wang, Ranghui; Peng, Ruyan; Zhang, Huizhi
2003-07-01
Based on some remote sensing data and software platform of image processing and analysis, the standard image for ecological thematic mapping is decided. Moreover, the vegetation type maps and land sandy desertification type maps are made. Relaying on differences of natural resources and ecological environment in Tarim River Basin, the assessment indicator system and ecological fragility index (EFI) of ecological environment are built up. The assessment results are very severely. That is, EFI is only 0.08 in Akesu River Basin, it belongs to slight fragility area. EFI of Yarkant River Basin and upper reaches of Tarim River Basin are 0.23 and 0.25 respectively, both of them belong to general fragility areas. Meanwhile, EFI of Hotan River Basin and middle reaches of Tarim River Basin are 0.32 and 0.49 respectively; they all belong to middle fragility areas. However, the fragility of the lower reaches of Tarim River Basin belongs to severe fragility area that the EFI is 0.87.The maladjustment among water with hot and land as well as salt are hindrance of energy transfer and material circulation and information transmission. It is also the main reason that caused ecological environment fragility.
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Sea, Lake, and Overland Surge from Hurricanes (SLOSH) Inundation for Categories 2 and 4
The file geodatabase (fgdb) contains the Sea, Lake, and Overland Surge from Hurricanes (SLOSH) Maximum of Maximums (MOM) model for hurricane categories 2 and 4. The EPA Office of Research & Development (ORD) modified the original model from NOAA to fit the model parameters for the Buzzards Bay region. The models show storm surge extent for the Mattapoisett area and therefore the flooding area was reduced to the study area. Areas of flooding that were not connected to the main water body were removed. The files in the geodatabase are:Cat2_SLR0_Int_Feet_dissolve_Mattapoisett: Current Category 2 hurricane with 0 ft sea level riseCat4_SLR0_Int_Feet_dissolve_Mattapoisett: Current Category 4 hurricane with 0 ft sea level riseCat4_SLR4_Int_Feet_dissolve_Mattapoisett: Future Category 4 hurricane with 4 feet sea level riseThe features support the Weather Ready Mattapoisett story map, which can be accessed via the following link:https://epa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=1ff4f1d28a254cb689334799d94b74e2
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sanhouse-García, Antonio J.; Rangel-Peraza, Jesús Gabriel; Bustos-Terrones, Yaneth; García-Ferrer, Alfonso; Mesas-Carrascosa, Francisco J.
2016-02-01
Land cover classification is often based on different characteristics between their classes, but with great homogeneity within each one of them. This cover is obtained through field work or by mean of processing satellite images. Field work involves high costs; therefore, digital image processing techniques have become an important alternative to perform this task. However, in some developing countries and particularly in Casacoima municipality in Venezuela, there is a lack of geographic information systems due to the lack of updated information and high costs in software license acquisition. This research proposes a low cost methodology to develop thematic mapping of local land use and types of coverage in areas with scarce resources. Thematic mapping was developed from CBERS-2 images and spatial information available on the network using open source tools. The supervised classification method per pixel and per region was applied using different classification algorithms and comparing them among themselves. Classification method per pixel was based on Maxver algorithms (maximum likelihood) and Euclidean distance (minimum distance), while per region classification was based on the Bhattacharya algorithm. Satisfactory results were obtained from per region classification, where overall reliability of 83.93% and kappa index of 0.81% were observed. Maxver algorithm showed a reliability value of 73.36% and kappa index 0.69%, while Euclidean distance obtained values of 67.17% and 0.61% for reliability and kappa index, respectively. It was demonstrated that the proposed methodology was very useful in cartographic processing and updating, which in turn serve as a support to develop management plans and land management. Hence, open source tools showed to be an economically viable alternative not only for forestry organizations, but for the general public, allowing them to develop projects in economically depressed and/or environmentally threatened areas.
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Aboveground biomass and leaf area index (LAI) mapping for Niassa Reserve, northern Mozambique
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ribeiro, Natasha S.; Saatchi, Sassan S.; Shugart, Herman H.; Washington-Allen, Robert A.
2008-09-01
Estimations of biomass are critical in miombo woodlands because they represent the primary source of goods and services for over 80% of the population in southern Africa. This study was carried out in Niassa Reserve, northern Mozambique. The main objectives were first to estimate woody biomass and Leaf Area Index (LAI) using remotely sensed data [RADARSAT (C-band, λ = 5.7-cm)] and Landsat ETM+ derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Simple Ratio (SR) calibrated by field measurements and, second to determine, at both landscape and plot scales, the environmental controls (precipitation, woody cover density, fire and elephants) of biomass and LAI. A land-cover map (72% overall accuracy) was derived from the June 2004 ETM+ mosaic. Field biomass and LAI were correlated with RADARSAT backscatter (rbiomass = 0.65, rLAI = 0.57, p < 0.0001) from July 2004, NDVI (rbiomass = 0.30, rLAI = 0.35; p < 0.0001) and SR (rbiomass = 0.36, rLAI = 0.40, p < 0.0001). A jackknife stepwise regression technique was used to develop the best predictive models for biomass (biomass = -5.19 + 0.074 * radarsat + 1.56 * SR, r2 = 0.55) and LAI (LAI = -0.66 + 0.01 * radarsat + 0.22 * SR, r2 = 0.45). Biomass and LAI maps were produced with an estimated peak of 18 kg m-2 and 2.80 m2 m-2, respectively. On the landscape-scale, both biomass and LAI were strongly determined by mean annual precipitation (F = 13.91, p = 0.0002). On the plot spatial scale, woody biomass was significantly determined by fire frequency, and LAI by vegetation type.
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An All Sky Instantaneous Shortwave Solar Radiation Model for Mountainous Terrain
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhang, S.; Li, X.; She, J.
2017-12-01
In mountainous terrain, solar radiation shows high heterogeneity in space and time because of strong terrain shading effects and significant variability of cloud cover. While existing GIS-based solar radiation models simulate terrain shading effects with relatively high accuracy and models based on satellite datasets consider fine scale cloud attenuation processes, none of these models have considered the geometrical relationships between sun, cloud, and terrain, which are important over mountainous terrain. In this research we propose sky cloud maps to represent cloud distribution in a hemispherical sky using MODIS cloud products. By overlaying skyshed (visible area in the hemispherical sky derived from DEM), sky map, and sky cloud maps, we are able to consider both terrain shading effects and anisotropic cloud attenuation in modeling instantaneous direct and diffuse solar radiation in mountainous terrain. The model is evaluated with field observations from three automatic weather stations in the Tizinafu watershed in the Kunlun Mountains of northwestern China. Overall, under all sky conditions, the model overestimates instantaneous global solar radiation with a mean absolute relative difference (MARD) of 22%. The model is also evaluated under clear sky (clearness index of more than 0.75) and partly cloudy sky (clearness index between 0.35 and 0.75) conditions with MARDs of 5.98% and 23.65% respectively. The MARD for very cloudy sky (clearness index less than 0.35) is relatively high. But these days occur less than 1% of the time. The model is sensitive to DEM data error, algorithms used in delineating skyshed, and errors in MODIS atmosphere and cloud products. Our model provides a novel approach for solar radiation modeling in mountainous areas.
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Proposed hybrid-classifier ensemble algorithm to map snow cover area
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Nijhawan, Rahul; Raman, Balasubramanian; Das, Josodhir
2018-01-01
Metaclassification ensemble approach is known to improve the prediction performance of snow-covered area. The methodology adopted in this case is based on neural network along with four state-of-art machine learning algorithms: support vector machine, artificial neural networks, spectral angle mapper, K-mean clustering, and a snow index: normalized difference snow index. An AdaBoost ensemble algorithm related to decision tree for snow-cover mapping is also proposed. According to available literature, these methods have been rarely used for snow-cover mapping. Employing the above techniques, a study was conducted for Raktavarn and Chaturangi Bamak glaciers, Uttarakhand, Himalaya using multispectral Landsat 7 ETM+ (enhanced thematic mapper) image. The study also compares the results with those obtained from statistical combination methods (majority rule and belief functions) and accuracies of individual classifiers. Accuracy assessment is performed by computing the quantity and allocation disagreement, analyzing statistic measures (accuracy, precision, specificity, AUC, and sensitivity) and receiver operating characteristic curves. A total of 225 combinations of parameters for individual classifiers were trained and tested on the dataset and results were compared with the proposed approach. It was observed that the proposed methodology produced the highest classification accuracy (95.21%), close to (94.01%) that was produced by the proposed AdaBoost ensemble algorithm. From the sets of observations, it was concluded that the ensemble of classifiers produced better results compared to individual classifiers.
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Norman, Laura M.; Middleton, Barry R.; Wilson, Natalie R.
2018-01-01
Mapping of vegetation types is of great importance to the San Carlos Apache Tribe and their management of forestry and fire fuels. Various remote sensing techniques were applied to classify multitemporal Landsat 8 satellite data, vegetation index, and digital elevation model data. A multitiered unsupervised classification generated over 900 classes that were then recoded to one of the 16 generalized vegetation/land cover classes using the Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project (SWReGAP) map as a guide. A supervised classification was also run using field data collected in the SWReGAP project and our field campaign. Field data were gathered and accuracy assessments were generated to compare outputs. Our hypothesis was that a resulting map would update and potentially improve upon the vegetation/land cover class distributions of the older SWReGAP map over the 24,000 km2 study area. The estimated overall accuracies ranged between 43% and 75%, depending on which method and field dataset were used. The findings demonstrate the complexity of vegetation mapping, the importance of recent, high-quality-field data, and the potential for misleading results when insufficient field data are collected.
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Mapping landscape fire frequency for fire regime condition class
Dale A. Hamilton; Wendel J. Hann
2015-01-01
Fire Regime Condition Class (FRCC) is a departure index that compares the current amounts of the different vegetation succession classes, fire frequency, and fire severity to historic reference conditions. FRCC assessments have been widely used for evaluating ecosystem status in many areas of the U.S. in reports such as land use plans, fire management plans, project...
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A trial map and GIS class on junior high school with university collaboration in Yokohama, Japan
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tabe, Toshimitsu; Ohnishi, Koji
2018-05-01
On the new curriculum of high school in Japan, geography will be compulsory subject in Japan from 2022. The indexes of new high school geography as compulsory subject will be 1. Using of maps and GIS, 2. Understanding of the world and International collaboration: Life and culture, issues of world, 3. Disaster prevention and ESD: natural environment and disaster, and construction of ideal society. The instruction of the GIS will be one of the issues for social studies teachers in the new curriculum. The aim of this study is to make the utilize map and GIS education content through trial class in junior high school. Trial class was done on Tsurugamine junior high school in Yokohama city with university and Yokohama city school board collaboration. In the trial class, the teacher indicated the old and new topographical maps to students and asked them to consider the characteristics of the area and the land use change. Transparent sheets overlaying is useful this activity. Transparent usage indicated the GIS function of overlay. It is good activity for students to understand the function of GIS. After the considering land use changes, they considered the future of their town. The several unused lands are spread in this area. Students present their opinions how to develop them. The important thing to carry out map and GIS class through neighborhood area is preparation of adequate maps. For this preparation, collaboration with university geography stuffs or undergraduate students are effective.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bétard, François
2016-04-01
For two decades, geoconservation has been driven by the need to conserve geodiversity considering its values or most valuable elements (i.e. geoheritage) facing the internal or external threats to it, mainly associated with human activities causing damages or irreversible destruction of sites. One main difficulty arises in how geoconservation priorities can objectively be identified at larger scales (e.g., state or region levels). Inspired by experiences in biological conservation, I propose a new conceptual and methodological framework for the identification of geoconservation priorities by theorizing and applying the concept of "geodiversity hotspot". Drawing an obvious parallel with the "biodiversity hotspot" concept first introduced in 1988 by the British ecologist Norman Myers, geodiversity hotspots are here defined as geographic areas that harbour very high levels of geodiversity while being threatened by human activities. From a methodological viewpoint, a basic analytical procedure is proposed to map geodiversity hotspots at a national or regional scale, that can be used as a tool to support decision-making and land-use planning. The method is based on the numerical processing and mapping of two indices: geodiversity index and degree of potential threat. The geodiversity index is calculated using a GIS environment as the sum of four sub-indexes representing the main components of geodiversity, i.e. geological diversity (rocks, minerals, fossils), geomorphodiversity (topography and landforms), pedodiversity (soils and palaeosoils) and hydrodiversity (rivers, lakes, springs…). The degree of potential threat is a graduated scale inversely proportional to the level of protection, from high degree of potential threat in areas without any protection status to low degree of potential threat in areas with high protection level (e.g., national parks, nature reserves). The mapping and delineation of geodiversity hotspots can automatically be obtained from a combination of the two main criteria, i.e. in areas where high geodiversity indexes meet with high degree of potential threat. This area-based approach is discussed along with the risk of neglecting some areas such as "geodiversity coldspots" which may have other types of conservation value. Selected examples from Northeastern Brazil, with a special focus on the Araripe Basin geodiversity hotspot including the eponymous UNESCO Geopark, concretely showcase the conceptual and methodological framework proposed above. Such an example also illustrates the spatial congruence that often exists between geodiversity hotspots and biodiversity hotspots, in a region where very high levels of geodiversity overlap exceptional concentrations of endemic species and present-day biodiversity (Atlantic Forest and savanna-like Cerrado biomes). These observations reinforce the need to assess geodiversity not only for itself, but also to support biodiversity research and actions programs, and should encourage researchers and practitioners to develop more integrated approaches to nature conservation and sustainable land management.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Xiao, Fan; Chen, Zhijun; Chen, Jianguo; Zhou, Yongzhang
2016-05-01
In this study, a novel batch sliding window (BSW) based singularity mapping approach was proposed. Compared to the traditional sliding window (SW) technique with disadvantages of the empirical predetermination of a fixed maximum window size and outliers sensitivity of least-squares (LS) linear regression method, the BSW based singularity mapping approach can automatically determine the optimal size of the largest window for each estimated position, and utilizes robust linear regression (RLR) which is insensitive to outlier values. In the case study, tin geochemical data in Gejiu, Yunnan, have been processed by BSW based singularity mapping approach. The results show that the BSW approach can improve the accuracy of the calculation of singularity exponent values due to the determination of the optimal maximum window size. The utilization of RLR method in the BSW approach can smoothen the distribution of singularity index values with few or even without much high fluctuate values looking like noise points that usually make a singularity map much roughly and discontinuously. Furthermore, the student's t-statistic diagram indicates a strong spatial correlation between high geochemical anomaly and known tin polymetallic deposits. The target areas within high tin geochemical anomaly could probably have much higher potential for the exploration of new tin polymetallic deposits than other areas, particularly for the areas that show strong tin geochemical anomalies whereas no tin polymetallic deposits have been found in them.
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Groundwater vulnerability to pollution mapping of Ranchi district using GIS
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Krishna, R.; Iqbal, J.; Gorai, A. K.; Pathak, G.; Tuluri, F.; Tchounwou, P. B.
2015-12-01
Groundwater pollution due to anthropogenic activities is one of the major environmental problems in urban and industrial areas. The present study demonstrates the integrated approach with GIS and DRASTIC model to derive a groundwater vulnerability to pollution map. The model considers the seven hydrogeological factors [Depth to water table ( D), net recharge ( R), aquifer media ( A), soil media ( S), topography or slope ( T), impact of vadose zone ( I) and hydraulic Conductivity( C)] for generating the groundwater vulnerability to pollution map. The model was applied for assessing the groundwater vulnerability to pollution in Ranchi district, Jharkhand, India. The model was validated by comparing the model output (vulnerability indices) with the observed nitrate concentrations in groundwater in the study area. The reason behind the selection of nitrate is that the major sources of nitrate in groundwater are anthropogenic in nature. Groundwater samples were collected from 30 wells/tube wells distributed in the study area. The samples were analyzed in the laboratory for measuring the nitrate concentrations in groundwater. A sensitivity analysis of the integrated model was performed to evaluate the influence of single parameters on groundwater vulnerability index. New weights were computed for each input parameters to understand the influence of individual hydrogeological factors in vulnerability indices in the study area. Aquifer vulnerability maps generated in this study can be used for environmental planning and groundwater management.
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Groundwater vulnerability to pollution mapping of Ranchi district using GIS.
Krishna, R; Iqbal, J; Gorai, A K; Pathak, G; Tuluri, F; Tchounwou, P B
2015-12-01
Groundwater pollution due to anthropogenic activities is one of the major environmental problems in urban and industrial areas. The present study demonstrates the integrated approach with GIS and DRASTIC model to derive a groundwater vulnerability to pollution map. The model considers the seven hydrogeological factors [Depth to water table ( D ), net recharge ( R ), aquifer media ( A ), soil media ( S ), topography or slope ( T ), impact of vadose zone ( I ) and hydraulic Conductivity( C )] for generating the groundwater vulnerability to pollution map. The model was applied for assessing the groundwater vulnerability to pollution in Ranchi district, Jharkhand, India. The model was validated by comparing the model output (vulnerability indices) with the observed nitrate concentrations in groundwater in the study area. The reason behind the selection of nitrate is that the major sources of nitrate in groundwater are anthropogenic in nature. Groundwater samples were collected from 30 wells/tube wells distributed in the study area. The samples were analyzed in the laboratory for measuring the nitrate concentrations in groundwater. A sensitivity analysis of the integrated model was performed to evaluate the influence of single parameters on groundwater vulnerability index. New weights were computed for each input parameters to understand the influence of individual hydrogeological factors in vulnerability indices in the study area. Aquifer vulnerability maps generated in this study can be used for environmental planning and groundwater management.
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Harkins, Joe R.; Green, Mark E.
1981-01-01
Drainage areas for about 1,600 surface-water sites on streams and lakes in Florida are contained in this report. The sites are generally either U.S. Geological Survey gaging stations or the mouths of gaged streas. Each site is identified by latitude and longitude, by the general stream type, and by the U.S. Geological Survey 7.5-minute topographic map on which it can be located. The gaging stations are furhter identified by a downstream order number, a county code, and a nearby city or town. In addition to drainage areas, the surface areas of lakes are shown for the elevation given on the topographic map. These data were retrieved from the Surface Water Index developed and maintained by the Hydrologic Surveillance section of the Florida District Office, U.S. Geological Survey. (USGS)
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Evaluation of eelgrass beds mapping using a high-resolution airborne multispectral scanner
Su, H.; Karna, D.; Fraim, E.; Fitzgerald, M.; Dominguez, R.; Myers, J.S.; Coffland, B.; Handley, L.R.; Mace, T.
2006-01-01
Eelgrass (Zostera marina) can provide vital ecological functions in stabilizing sediments, influencing current dynamics, and contributing significant amounts of biomass to numerous food webs in coastal ecosystems. Mapping eelgrass beds is important for coastal water and nearshore estuarine monitoring, management, and planning. This study demonstrated the possible use of high spatial (approximately 5 m) and temporal (maximum low tide) resolution airborne multispectral scanner on mapping eelgrass beds in Northern Puget Sound, Washington. A combination of supervised and unsupervised classification approaches were performed on the multispectral scanner imagery. A normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) derived from the red and near-infrared bands and ancillary spatial information, were used to extract and mask eelgrass beds and other submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in the study area. We evaluated the resulting thematic map (geocoded, classified image) against a conventional aerial photograph interpretation using 260 point locations randomly stratified over five defined classes from the thematic map. We achieved an overall accuracy of 92 percent with 0.92 Kappa Coefficient in the study area. This study demonstrates that the airborne multispectral scanner can be useful for mapping eelgrass beds in a local or regional scale, especially in regions for which optical remote sensing from space is constrained by climatic and tidal conditions. ?? 2006 American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.
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Spatial Patterns of High Aedes aegypti Oviposition Activity in Northwestern Argentina
Estallo, Elizabet Lilia; Más, Guillermo; Vergara-Cid, Carolina; Lanfri, Mario Alberto; Ludueña-Almeida, Francisco; Scavuzzo, Carlos Marcelo; Introini, María Virginia; Zaidenberg, Mario; Almirón, Walter Ricardo
2013-01-01
Background In Argentina, dengue has affected mainly the Northern provinces, including Salta. The objective of this study was to analyze the spatial patterns of high Aedes aegypti oviposition activity in San Ramón de la Nueva Orán, northwestern Argentina. The location of clusters as hot spot areas should help control programs to identify priority areas and allocate their resources more effectively. Methodology Oviposition activity was detected in Orán City (Salta province) using ovitraps, weekly replaced (October 2005–2007). Spatial autocorrelation was measured with Moran’s Index and depicted through cluster maps to identify hot spots. Total egg numbers were spatially interpolated and a classified map with Ae. aegypti high oviposition activity areas was performed. Potential breeding and resting (PBR) sites were geo-referenced. A logistic regression analysis of interpolated egg numbers and PBR location was performed to generate a predictive mapping of mosquito oviposition activity. Principal Findings Both cluster maps and predictive map were consistent, identifying in central and southern areas of the city high Ae. aegypti oviposition activity. A logistic regression model was successfully developed to predict Ae. aegypti oviposition activity based on distance to PBR sites, with tire dumps having the strongest association with mosquito oviposition activity. A predictive map reflecting probability of oviposition activity was produced. The predictive map delimitated an area of maximum probability of Ae. aegypti oviposition activity in the south of Orán city where tire dumps predominate. The overall fit of the model was acceptable (ROC = 0.77), obtaining 99% of sensitivity and 75.29% of specificity. Conclusions Distance to tire dumps is inversely associated with high mosquito activity, allowing us to identify hot spots. These methodologies are useful for prevention, surveillance, and control of tropical vector borne diseases and might assist National Health Ministry to focus resources more effectively. PMID:23349813
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Evaluation of Landslide Mapping Techniques and LiDAR-based Conditioning Factors
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mahalingam, R.; Olsen, M. J.
2014-12-01
Landslides are a major geohazard, which result in significant human, infrastructure, and economic losses. Landslide susceptibility mapping can help communities to plan and prepare for these damaging events. Mapping landslide susceptible locations using GIS and remote sensing techniques is gaining popularity in the past three decades. These efforts use a wide variety of procedures and consider a wide range of factors. Unfortunately, each study is often completed differently and independently of others. Further, the quality of the datasets used varies in terms of source, data collection, and generation, which can propagate errors or inconsistencies into the resulting output maps. Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) has proved to have higher accuracy in representing the continuous topographic surface, which can help minimize this uncertainty. The primary objectives of this paper are to investigate the applicability and performance of terrain factors in landslide hazard mapping, determine if LiDAR-derived datasets (slope, slope roughness, terrain roughness, stream power index and compound topographic index) can be used for predictive mapping without data representing other common landslide conditioning factors, and evaluate the differences in landslide susceptibility mapping using widely-used statistical approaches. The aforementioned factors were used to produce landslide susceptibility maps for a 140 km2 study area in northwest Oregon using six representative techniques: frequency ratio, weights of evidence, logistic regression, discriminant analysis, artificial neural network, and support vector machine. Most notably, the research showed an advantage in selecting fewer critical conditioning factors. The most reliable factors all could be derived from a single LiDAR DEM, reducing the need for laborious and costly data gathering. Most of the six techniques showed similar statistical results; however, ANN showed less accuracy for predictive mapping. Keywords : LiDAR, Landslides, Oregon, Inventory, Hazard
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a Map Mash-Up Application: Investigation the Temporal Effects of Climate Change on Salt Lake Basin
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kirtiloglu, O. S.; Orhan, O.; Ekercin, S.
2016-06-01
The main purpose of this paper is to investigate climate change effects that have been occurred at the beginning of the twenty-first century at the Konya Closed Basin (KCB) located in the semi-arid central Anatolian region of Turkey and particularly in Salt Lake region where many major wetlands located in and situated in KCB and to share the analysis results online in a Web Geographical Information System (GIS) environment. 71 Landsat 5-TM, 7-ETM+ and 8-OLI images and meteorological data obtained from 10 meteorological stations have been used at the scope of this work. 56 of Landsat images have been used for extraction of Salt Lake surface area through multi-temporal Landsat imagery collected from 2000 to 2014 in Salt lake basin. 15 of Landsat images have been used to make thematic maps of Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in KCB, and 10 meteorological stations data has been used to generate the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), which was used in drought studies. For the purpose of visualizing and sharing the results, a Web GIS-like environment has been established by using Google Maps and its useful data storage and manipulating product Fusion Tables which are all Google's free of charge Web service elements. The infrastructure of web application includes HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, Google Maps API V3 and Google Fusion Tables API technologies. These technologies make it possible to make effective "Map Mash-Ups" involving an embedded Google Map in a Web page, storing the spatial or tabular data in Fusion Tables and add this data as a map layer on embedded map. The analysing process and map mash-up application have been discussed in detail as the main sections of this paper.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Xie, Huan; Luo, Xin; Xu, Xiong; Wang, Chen; Pan, Haiyan; Tong, Xiaohua; Liu, Shijie
2016-10-01
Water body is a fundamental element in urban ecosystems and water mapping is critical for urban and landscape planning and management. As remote sensing has increasingly been used for water mapping in rural areas, this spatially explicit approach applied in urban area is also a challenging work due to the water bodies mainly distributed in a small size and the spectral confusion widely exists between water and complex features in the urban environment. Water index is the most common method for water extraction at pixel level, and spectral mixture analysis (SMA) has been widely employed in analyzing urban environment at subpixel level recently. In this paper, we introduce an automatic subpixel water mapping method in urban areas using multispectral remote sensing data. The objectives of this research consist of: (1) developing an automatic land-water mixed pixels extraction technique by water index; (2) deriving the most representative endmembers of water and land by utilizing neighboring water pixels and adaptive iterative optimal neighboring land pixel for respectively; (3) applying a linear unmixing model for subpixel water fraction estimation. Specifically, to automatically extract land-water pixels, the locally weighted scatter plot smoothing is firstly used to the original histogram curve of WI image . And then the Ostu threshold is derived as the start point to select land-water pixels based on histogram of the WI image with the land threshold and water threshold determination through the slopes of histogram curve . Based on the previous process at pixel level, the image is divided into three parts: water pixels, land pixels, and mixed land-water pixels. Then the spectral mixture analysis (SMA) is applied to land-water mixed pixels for water fraction estimation at subpixel level. With the assumption that the endmember signature of a target pixel should be more similar to adjacent pixels due to spatial dependence, the endmember of water and land are determined by neighboring pure land or pure water pixels within a distance. To obtaining the most representative endmembers in SMA, we designed an adaptive iterative endmember selection method based on the spatial similarity of adjacent pixels. According to the spectral similarity in a spatial adjacent region, the spectrum of land endmember is determined by selecting the most representative land pixel in a local window, and the spectrum of water endmember is determined by calculating an average of the water pixels in the local window. The proposed hierarchical processing method based on WI and SMA (WISMA) is applied to urban areas for reliability evaluation using the Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) images. For comparison, four methods at pixel level and subpixel level were chosen respectively. Results indicate that the water maps generated by the proposed method correspond as closely with the truth water maps with subpixel precision. And the results showed that the WISMA achieved the best performance in water mapping with comprehensive analysis of different accuracy evaluation indexes (RMSE and SE).
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wei, S.; Fang, H.
2016-12-01
The Clumping index (CI) describes the spatial distribution pattern of foliage, and is a critical parameter used to characterize the terrestrial ecosystem and model land-surface processes. Global and regional scale CI maps have been generated from POLDER, MODIS, and MISR sensors based on an empirical relationship with the normalized difference between hotspot and darkspot (NDHD) index by previous studies. However, the hotspot and darkspot values and CI values can be considerably different from different bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) models and solar zenith angles (SZA). In this study, we evaluated the effects of different configurations of BRDF models and SZA values on CI estimation using the NDHD method. CI maps estimated from MISR and MODIS were compared with reference data at the VALERI sites. Results show that for moderate to least clumped vegetation (CI > 0.5), CIs retrieved with the observational SZA agree well with field values, while SZA =0° results in underestimates, and SZA = 60° results in overestimates. For highly clumped (CI < 0.5) and sparsely vegetated areas (FCOVER<25%), the Ross-Li model with 60° SZA is recommended for CI estimation. The suitable NDHD configuration was further used to estimate a 15-year time series CI from MODIS BRDF data. The time series CI shows a reasonable seasonal trajectory, and varies consistently with the MODIS leaf area index (LAI). This study enables better usage of the NDHD method for CI estimation, and can be a useful reference for research on CI validation.
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BOREAS Level-0 ER-2 Daedalus TMS Imagery Digital Counts in BIL Format
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Newcomer, Jeffrey A.; Dominguez, Roseanne; Hall, Forrest G. (Editor)
2000-01-01
The level-0 Daedalus Thematic Mapper Simulator (TMS) imagery, along with the other remotely sensed images, was collected to provide spatially extensive information about radiant energy over the primary BOReal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) study areas. This information includes detailed land cover and biophysical parameter maps such as fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fPAR) and Leaf Area Index (LAI). Two flights of the Daedalus TMS instrument were made onboard the ER-2 aircraft on 16-Sep-1994 and 17-Sep-1994.
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Remote Sensing for Mapping Soybean Crop in the Brazilian Cerrado
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Trabaquini, K.; Bernardes, T.; Mello, M. P.; Formaggio, A.; Rosa, V. G.
2011-12-01
The soybean expansion in the Brazilian Cerrado has been strongly affected by internal and external markets. The main factors driving that expansion are the climatic conditions, the development of technologies and genetic improvement. Recent studies have shown that the soybean expansion has become a major cause of reduction of native vegetation in Mato Grosso State - Brazil, responding for 17% of deforestation from 2000 to 2004. This work aims to map soybean areas in the Brazilian Cerrado in Mato Grosso State, using MODIS data. Thirteen MODIS images (MOD13 - 16 days composition), acquired from September, 2005 to March, 2006, were used to run principal component analysis (PCA) in order to reduce the dimensionality of the data. The first three components (PC1, PC2 and PC3), which contained about 90% of data variability were segmented and utilized as input for an unsupervised classification using the ISOSEG classifier, implemented in the SPRING software. Eighty field work points were randomly selected for the accuracy assessment. An intersection between the soybean map and a map generated by the "Project Monitoring Deforestation of Brazilian Biomes Satellite - PMDBBS", which aimed at identifying anthropic areas, was conducted in order to evaluate the distribution of soybeans within those areas. Moreover a soil map was used in order to evaluate the soybean distribution over the classes of soil. The classification result presented overall index of 83% and the kappa coefficient of 0.64 for the soybean map, which presented a total soybean area of about 42,317 square kilometers. Furthermore, it was verified that 27% of anthropic area was covered by soybean. In relation to the soil analysis, 87% of the total soybean area was planted in Oxisoils. Despite the economic gain related to the soybean production, an adequate management is needed to avoid soil acidification, soil erosion and pollution, aiming at providing a sustainable environment.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Foumelis, Michael
2017-01-01
The applicability of the normalized difference water index (NDWI) to the delineation of dam failure-induced floods is demonstrated for the case of the Sparmos dam (Larissa, Central Greece). The approach followed was based on the differentiation of NDWI maps to accurately define the extent of the inundated area over different time spans using multimission Earth observation optical data. Besides using Landsat data, for which the index was initially designed, higher spatial resolution data from Sentinel-2 mission were also successfully exploited. A geospatial analysis approach was then introduced to rapidly identify potentially affected segments of the road network. This allowed for further correlation to actual damages in the following damage assessment and remediation activities. The proposed combination of geographic information systems and remote sensing techniques can be easily implemented by local authorities and civil protection agencies for mapping and monitoring flood events.
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Dickin, Sarah K.; Schuster-Wallace, Corinne J.; Elliott, Susan J.
2013-01-01
The Water-associated Disease Index (WADI) was developed to identify and visualize vulnerability to different water-associated diseases by integrating a range of social and biophysical determinants in map format. In this study vulnerability is used to encompass conditions of exposure, susceptibility, and differential coping capacity to a water-associated health hazard. By assessing these conditions, the tool is designed to provide stakeholders with an integrated and long-term understanding of subnational vulnerabilities to water-associated disease and contribute to intervention strategies to reduce the burden of illness. The objective of this paper is to describe and validate the WADI tool by applying it to dengue. A systemic ecohealth framework that considers links between people, the environment and health was applied to identify secondary datasets, populating the index with components including climate conditions, land cover, education status and water use practices. Data were aggregated to create composite indicators of exposure and of susceptibility in a Geographic Information System (GIS). These indicators were weighted by their contribution to dengue vulnerability, and the output consisted of an overall index visualized in map format. The WADI was validated in this Malaysia case study, demonstrating a significant association with dengue rates at a sub-national level, and illustrating a range of factors that drive vulnerability to the disease within the country. The index output indicated high vulnerability to dengue in urban areas, especially in the capital Kuala Lumpur and surrounding region. However, in other regions, vulnerability to dengue varied throughout the year due to the influence of seasonal climate conditions, such as monsoon patterns. The WADI tool complements early warning models for water-associated disease by providing upstream information for planning prevention and control approaches, which increasingly require a comprehensive and geographically broad understanding of vulnerability for implementation. PMID:23667642
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Nishizawa, Yukiyasu; Sugita, Takeshi; Sanada, Yukihisa; Torii, Tatsuo
2015-04-01
Since 2011, MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan) have been conducting aerial monitoring to investigate the distribution of radioactive cesium dispersed into the atmosphere after the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), Tokyo Electric Power Company. Distribution maps of the air dose-rate at 1 m above the ground and the radioactive cesium deposition concentration on the ground are prepared using spectrum obtained by aerial monitoring. The radioactive cesium deposition is derived from its dose rate, which is calculated by excluding the dose rate of the background radiation due to natural radionuclides from the air dose-rate at 1 m above the ground. The first step of the current method of calculating the dose rate due to natural radionuclides is calculate the ratio of the total count rate of areas where no radioactive cesium is detected and the count rate of regions with energy levels of 1,400 keV or higher (BG-Index). Next, calculate the air dose rate of radioactive cesium by multiplying the BG-Index and the integrated count rate of 1,400 keV or higher for the area where the radioactive cesium is distributed. In high dose-rate areas, however, the count rate of the 1,365-keV peak of Cs-134, though small, is included in the integrated count rate of 1,400 keV or higher, which could cause an overestimation of the air dose rate of natural radionuclides. We developed a method for accurately evaluating the distribution maps of natural air dose-rate by excluding the effect of radioactive cesium, even in contaminated areas, and obtained the accurate air dose-rate map attributed the radioactive cesium deposition on the ground. Furthermore, the natural dose-rate distribution throughout Japan has been obtained by this method.
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Study on temporal and spatial variations of urban land use based on land change data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jiang, Ping; Liu, Yanfang; Fan, Min; Zhang, Yang
2009-10-01
With the rapid development of urbanization, demands of urban land increase in succession, hence, to analyze temporal and spatial variations of urban land use becomes more and more important. In this paper, the principle of trend surface analysis and formula of urban land sprawl index ( ULSI) are expatiated at first, and then based on land change data of Jiayu county, the author fits quadratic trend surface by choosing urban land area as dependent variable and urbanization and GDP as independent variables from 1996 to 2006, draws isoline of trend surface and residual values; and then urban land sprawl indexes of towns are calculated on the basis of urban land area of 1996 and 2006 and distribution map of ULSI is plotted. After analyzing those results, we can conclude that there is consanguineous relationship between urban land area and urbanization, economic level etc.
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Coskun Hepcan, Cigdem
2013-01-01
This study was aimed at analyzing and interpreting changes in landscape pattern and connectivity in the Urla district, Turkey using core landscape metrics based on a 42-year data derived from 1963 CORONA and 2005 ASTER satellite images and ten 1/25,000 topographical maps (1963-2005). The district represents a distinctive example of re-emerged suburbanization in the Izmir metropolitan area. In order to explore landscape characteristics of the study area, nine landscape composition and configuration metrics were chosen as follows: class area, percentage of landscape, number of patches, patch density, largest patch index, landscape shape index, mean patch size, perimeter area fractal dimension, and connectance index. The landscape configurations in the Urla district changed significantly by 2005 in that the process of (sub-)urbanization in the study area evolved from a rural, monocentric urban typology to a more suburban, polycentric morphology. Agricultural, maquis-phrygana, and forest areas decreased, while the built-up, olive plantation and phrygana areas increased. There was nearly a fivefold increase in the built-up areas during the study period, and the connectivity of the natural landscape declined. To prevent further fragmentation, it is important to keep the existing natural land cover types and agricultural areas intact. More importantly, a sustainable development scenario is required that contains a green infrastructure, or an ecological network planning for conservation and rehabilitation of the vital natural resources in the study area.
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Topic Maps: Adopting User-Centred Indexing Technologies in Course Management Systems
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Venkatesh, Vivek; Shaw, Steven; Dicks, Dennis; Lowerison, Gretchen; Zhang, Dai; Sanjakdar, Roukana
2007-01-01
This article provides an empirical evaluation of an indexing technology, topic maps (ISO 13250), in the context of an academic task in a higher education context. Topic maps are a form of indexing that define and display the interrelationships between various topics in a given domain, as well as anchor these topics to specific resources that help…
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Apuani, Tiziana; Corazzato, Claudia
2015-04-01
Ground deformations in the northeastern flank of Etna are well known. Despite only a few landslide events have been documented, these have significantly involved and damaged lifelines and buildings. These events are mainly related to the activity of the volcano-tectonic structures and associated seismicity, as in the case of the 2002 reactivation of the Presa landslide during an increased activity of the Pernicana fault system. In order to highlight the areal distribution of potentially unstable slopes based on a detailed, site-specific study of the factors responsible for landslide, and to ultimately contribute to risk management, a landslide susceptibility analysis of the northeastern flank of Etna in the Pernicana area was carried out, and a susceptibility map at 1:10.000 scale was produced, extending over an area of 168 km2. Different methods are proposed in the literature to obtain the regional distribution of potentially unstable slopes, depending on the problem scale, the slope dynamic evolution in the geological context, and the availability of data. Among semi-quantitative approaches, the present research combines the Rock Engineering System (RES) methodology with parameter zonation mapping in a GIS environment. The RES method represents a structured approach to manage a high number of interacting factors involved in the instability problem. A numerically coded, site-specific interaction matrix (IM) analyzes the cause-effect relationship in these factors, and calculates the degree of interactivity of each parameter, normalized by the overall interactivity of the system (weight factor). In the specific Etna case, the considered parameters are: slope attitude, lithotechnical properties (lithology, structural complexity, soil and rock mass quality), land use, tectonic structures, seismic activity (horizontal acceleration) and hydrogeological conditions (groundwater and drainage). Thematic maps are prepared at 1:10.000 scale for each of these parameters, and instability-related numerical ratings are assigned to classes. An instability index map is then produced by assigning, to each areal elementary cell (in our case a 10 m pixel), the sum of the products of each weight factor to the normalized parameter rating coming from each input zonation map. This map is then opportunely classified in landslide susceptibility classes (expressed as a percentage), enabling to discriminate areas prone to instability. Overall, the study area is characterized by a low propensity to slope instability. Few areas have an instability index of more than 45% of the theoretical maximum imposed by the matrix. These are located in the few steep slopes associated with active faults, and strongly depending on the seismic activity. Some other areas correspond to limited outcrops characterized by significantly reduced lithotechnical properties (low shear strength). The produced susceptibility map combines the application of the RES with the parameter zonation, following methodology which had never been applied up to now in in active volcanic environments. The comparison of the results with the ground deformation evidence coming from monitoring networks suggests the validity of the approach.
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Rine, J.M.; Berg, R.C.; Shafer, J.M.; Covington, E.R.; Reed, J.K.; Bennett, C.B.; Trudnak, J.E.
1998-01-01
A methodology was developed to evaluate and map the contamination potential or aquifer sensitivity of the upper groundwater flow system of a portion of the General Separations Area (GSA) at the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to integrate diverse subsurface geologic data, soils data, and hydrology utilizing a stack-unit mapping approach to construct mapping layers. This is the first time that such an approach has been used to delineate the hydrogeology of a coastal plain environment. Unit surface elevation maps were constructed for the tops of six Tertiary units derived from over 200 boring logs. Thickness or isopach maps were created for five hydrogeologic units by differencing top and basal surface elevations. The geologic stack-unit map was created by stacking the five isopach maps and adding codes for each stack-unit polygon. Stacked-units were rated according to their hydrogeologic properties and ranked using a logarithmic approach (utility theory) to establish a contamination potential index. Colors were assigned to help display relative importance of stacked-units in preventing or promoting transport of contaminants. The sensitivity assessment included the effects of surface soils on contaminants which are particularly important for evaluating potential effects from surface spills. Hydrogeologic/hydrologic factors did not exhibit sufficient spatial variation to warrant incorporation into contamination potential assessment. Development of this contamination potential mapping system provides a useful tool for site planners, environmental scientists, and regulatory agencies.A methodology was developed to evaluate and map the contamination potential or aquifer sensitivity of the upper groundwater flow system of a portion of the General Separations Area (GSA) at the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to integrate diverse subsurface geologic data, soils data, and hydrology utilizing a stack-unit mapping approach to construct mapping layers. This is the first time that such an approach has been used to delineate the hydrogeology of a coastal plain environment. Unit surface elevation maps were constructed for the tops of six Tertiary units derived from over 200 boring logs. Thickness or isopach maps were created for five hydrogeologic units by differencing top and basal surface elevations. The geologic stack-unit map was created by stacking the five isopach maps and adding codes for each stack-unit polygon. Stacked-units were rated according to their hydrogeologic properties and ranked using a logarithmic approach (utility theory) to establish a contamination potential index. Colors were assigned to help display relative importance of stacked-units in preventing or promoting transport of contaminants. The sensitivity assessment included the effects of surface soils on contaminants which are particularly important for evaluating potential effects from surface spills. Hydrogeologic/hydrologic factors did not exhibit sufficient spatial variation to warrant incorporation into contamination potential assessment. Development of this contamination potential mapping system provides a useful tool for site planners, environmental scientists, and regulatory agencies.
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Annual Dynamics of Forest Areas in South America during 2007-2010 at 50-m Spatial Resolution
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Qin, Y.; Xiao, X.; Dong, J.; Zhou, Y.; Wang, J.; Doughty, R.; Chen, Y.; Zou, Z.; Moore, B., III
2017-12-01
The user community has an urgent need for high accuracy tropical forest distribution and spatio-temporal changes since tropical forests are facing defragmentation and persistent clouds. In this study, we selected South America as a hotspot and presented a robust approach to map annual forests during 2007-2010 based on the coupled greenness-relevant MOD13Q1 NDVI and structure/biomass-relevant ALOS PALSAR time series data. We analyzed the consistency and uncertainty among eight major forest maps at continental, country, and pixel scales. The 50-m PALSAR/MODIS forest area in South America was about 8.63×106 km2 in 2010. Large differences in total forest area (8.2×106 km2-12.7×106 km2) existed among these forest products. Forest products generated under a similar forest definition had similar or even larger variation than those generated under differing forest definitions. One needs to consider leaf area index as an adjusting factor and use much higher threshold values in the VCF datasets to estimate forest cover. Analyses of PALSAR/MODIS forest maps showed a relatively small and equivalent rate of loss (3.2×104 km2 year-1) in net forest cover to that of FAO FRA (3.3×104 km2 year-1). PALSAR/MODIS forest maps showed that more and more deforestation occurred in the intact forest areas. The rate of forest loss (1.95×105 km2 year-1) was higher than that of Global Forest Watch (0.81×105 km2 year-1). Caution should be used when using the different forest maps to analyze forest loss and make policies regarding forest ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation.
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Assessment of water resources potential of Ceará state (Brazil)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Araujo, Angelo; Pereira, Diamantino; Pereira, Paulo
2016-04-01
A methodological approach and results on water resources assessment in large areas are described with the case study of Ceará State (148,016 km2, northeast Brazil), where the scarceness of water resources is one of the main challenges in territorial planning and development. This work deals with the quantification and the mapping of water resources potential, being part of methodological approaches applied to the quantification of hydric diversity and geodiversity. Water resources potential is here considered as the sum of the hydric elements rainfall, groundwater specific discharge, water reservoirs, and river hierarchy. The assessment was based in a territorial organization by drainage sub-basins and in vector maps generated and treated with GIS software. Rainfall, groundwater specific discharge and hydrographical data were obtained in official institutions and allowed the construction of the annual mean rainfall map for a forty year period (1974-2014), the annual mean groundwater specific discharge map for a thirty-four year period, and the river and drainage basin hierarchy maps. These delivered rainfall, groundwater specific discharge, water reservoirs and river hierarchy partial indices expressed on quantitative maps with normalized values distributed by level 3 drainage basins. The sum of the partial indices originated the quantitative map of water resources potential index and by the Gaussian interpolation of this quantitative data a map of hydric diversity in Ceará state was created. Therefore, the water resources potential index is higher in 4 regions of the state (Noroeste Cearense, Zona Metropolitana de Fortaleza e da Zona Norte, Vale do Jaguaribe and Zonas Centro-sul e Sul Cearense). The index is low or very low in the whole region of Sertões Cearenses, confirming the important role of climatic features in hydrological diversity. Water resources management must consider technical tools for water resources assessment, in the line of other methods for quantitative assessment of natural features either biotic or abiotic. These results quantify water resources and their distribution in a large region with important climatic differences. They constitute a basis for the knowledge of regional issues concerning water needs, flood and droughts events and even engineering solutions for water resources management.
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Assessing Human Modifications to Floodplains using Large-Scale Hydrogeomorphic Floodplain Modeling
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Morrison, R. R.; Scheel, K.; Nardi, F.; Annis, A.
2017-12-01
Human modifications to floodplains for water resource and flood management purposes have significantly transformed river-floodplain connectivity dynamics in many watersheds. Bridges, levees, reservoirs, shifts in land use, and other hydraulic engineering works have altered flow patterns and caused changes in the timing and extent of floodplain inundation processes. These hydrogeomorphic changes have likely resulted in negative impacts to aquatic habitat and ecological processes. The availability of large-scale topographic datasets at high resolution provide an opportunity for detecting anthropogenic impacts by means of geomorphic mapping. We have developed and are implementing a methodology for comparing a hydrogeomorphic floodplain mapping technique to hydraulically-modeled floodplain boundaries to estimate floodplain loss due to human activities. Our hydrogeomorphic mapping methodology assumes that river valley morphology intrinsically includes information on flood-driven erosion and depositional phenomena. We use a digital elevation model-based algorithm to identify the floodplain as the area of the fluvial corridor laying below water reference levels, which are estimated using a simplified hydrologic model. Results from our hydrogeomorphic method are compared to hydraulically-derived flood zone maps and spatial datasets of levee protected-areas to explore where water management features, such as levees, have changed floodplain dynamics and landscape features. Parameters associated with commonly used F-index functions are quantified and analyzed to better understand how floodplain areas have been reduced within a basin. Preliminary results indicate that the hydrogeomorphic floodplain model is useful for quickly delineating floodplains at large watershed scales, but further analyses are needed to understand the caveats for using the model in determining floodplain loss due to levees. We plan to continue this work by exploring the spatial dependencies of the F-index function. Results from this work have implications for loss of aquatic habitat and ecological functions, and can inform management and restoration activities by highlighting regions with significant floodplain loss.
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Kalwij, Jesse M; Robertson, Mark P; Ronk, Argo; Zobel, Martin; Pärtel, Meelis
2014-01-01
Much ecological research relies on existing multispecies distribution datasets. Such datasets, however, can vary considerably in quality, extent, resolution or taxonomic coverage. We provide a framework for a spatially-explicit evaluation of geographical representation within large-scale species distribution datasets, using the comparison of an occurrence atlas with a range atlas dataset as a working example. Specifically, we compared occurrence maps for 3773 taxa from the widely-used Atlas Florae Europaeae (AFE) with digitised range maps for 2049 taxa of the lesser-known Atlas of North European Vascular Plants. We calculated the level of agreement at a 50-km spatial resolution using average latitudinal and longitudinal species range, and area of occupancy. Agreement in species distribution was calculated and mapped using Jaccard similarity index and a reduced major axis (RMA) regression analysis of species richness between the entire atlases (5221 taxa in total) and between co-occurring species (601 taxa). We found no difference in distribution ranges or in the area of occupancy frequency distribution, indicating that atlases were sufficiently overlapping for a valid comparison. The similarity index map showed high levels of agreement for central, western, and northern Europe. The RMA regression confirmed that geographical representation of AFE was low in areas with a sparse data recording history (e.g., Russia, Belarus and the Ukraine). For co-occurring species in south-eastern Europe, however, the Atlas of North European Vascular Plants showed remarkably higher richness estimations. Geographical representation of atlas data can be much more heterogeneous than often assumed. Level of agreement between datasets can be used to evaluate geographical representation within datasets. Merging atlases into a single dataset is worthwhile in spite of methodological differences, and helps to fill gaps in our knowledge of species distribution ranges. Species distribution dataset mergers, such as the one exemplified here, can serve as a baseline towards comprehensive species distribution datasets.
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A general Landsat model to predict canopy defoliation in broadleaf deciduous forests
Phillip A. Townsend; Aditya Singh; Jane R. Foster; Nathan J. Rehberg; Clayton C. Kindon; Keith N. Eshleman; Steven W. Seagle
2012-01-01
Defoliation by insect herbivores can be a persistent disturbance affecting ecosystem functioning. We developed an approach to map canopy defoliation due to gypsy moth based on site differences in Landsat vegetation index values between non-defoliation and defoliation dates. Using field data from two study areas in the U.S. central Appalachians and five different years...
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MODIS land cover and LAI collection 4 product quality across nine states in the western hemisphere.
Warren B. Cohen; Thomas K. Maiersperger; David P. Turner; William D. Ritts; Dirk Pflugmacher; Robert E. Kennedy; Alan Kirschbaum; Steven W. Running; Marcos Costa; Stith T. Gower
2006-01-01
Global maps of land cover and leaf area index (LAI) derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) reflectance data are an important resource in studies of global change, but errors in these must be characterized and well understood. Product validation requires careful scaling from ground and related measurements to a grain commensurate with MODIS...
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Sensitivity of Landsat image-derived burn severity indices to immediate post-fire effects
A. T. Hudak; S. Lewis; P. Robichaud; P. Morgan; M. Bobbitt; L. Lentile; A. Smith; Z. Holden; J. Clark; R. McKinley
2006-01-01
The USFS Remote Sensing Applications Center (RSAC) and the USGS Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) produce Burned Area Reflectance Classification (BARC) maps as a rapid, preliminary indication of burn severity on large wildfire events. Currently the preferred burn severity index is the delta Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR), which requires NBR values...
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Hashim, Mazlan
2015-01-01
This research presents the results of the GIS-based statistical models for generation of landslide susceptibility mapping using geographic information system (GIS) and remote-sensing data for Cameron Highlands area in Malaysia. Ten factors including slope, aspect, soil, lithology, NDVI, land cover, distance to drainage, precipitation, distance to fault, and distance to road were extracted from SAR data, SPOT 5 and WorldView-1 images. The relationships between the detected landslide locations and these ten related factors were identified by using GIS-based statistical models including analytical hierarchy process (AHP), weighted linear combination (WLC) and spatial multi-criteria evaluation (SMCE) models. The landslide inventory map which has a total of 92 landslide locations was created based on numerous resources such as digital aerial photographs, AIRSAR data, WorldView-1 images, and field surveys. Then, 80% of the landslide inventory was used for training the statistical models and the remaining 20% was used for validation purpose. The validation results using the Relative landslide density index (R-index) and Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) demonstrated that the SMCE model (accuracy is 96%) is better in prediction than AHP (accuracy is 91%) and WLC (accuracy is 89%) models. These landslide susceptibility maps would be useful for hazard mitigation purpose and regional planning. PMID:25898919
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Shahabi, Himan; Hashim, Mazlan
2015-04-22
This research presents the results of the GIS-based statistical models for generation of landslide susceptibility mapping using geographic information system (GIS) and remote-sensing data for Cameron Highlands area in Malaysia. Ten factors including slope, aspect, soil, lithology, NDVI, land cover, distance to drainage, precipitation, distance to fault, and distance to road were extracted from SAR data, SPOT 5 and WorldView-1 images. The relationships between the detected landslide locations and these ten related factors were identified by using GIS-based statistical models including analytical hierarchy process (AHP), weighted linear combination (WLC) and spatial multi-criteria evaluation (SMCE) models. The landslide inventory map which has a total of 92 landslide locations was created based on numerous resources such as digital aerial photographs, AIRSAR data, WorldView-1 images, and field surveys. Then, 80% of the landslide inventory was used for training the statistical models and the remaining 20% was used for validation purpose. The validation results using the Relative landslide density index (R-index) and Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) demonstrated that the SMCE model (accuracy is 96%) is better in prediction than AHP (accuracy is 91%) and WLC (accuracy is 89%) models. These landslide susceptibility maps would be useful for hazard mitigation purpose and regional planning.
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Forecasting and Monitoring Agricultural Drought in the Philippines
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Perez, G. J.; Macapagal, M.; Olivares, R.; Macapagal, E. M.; Comiso, J. C.
2016-06-01
A monitoring and forecasting sytem is developed to assess the extent and severity of agricultural droughts in the Philippines at various spacial scales and across different time periods. Using Earth observation satellite data, drought index, hazard and vulnerability maps are created. The drought index, called Standardized Vegetation-Temperature Ratio (SVTR), is derived using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Land Surface Temperature (LST). SVTR is evaluated by correlating its values with existing agricultural drought index, particulary Evaporative Stress Index (ESI). Moreover, the performance of SVTR in detecting drought occurrences was assessed for the 2015-2016 drought event. This period is a strong El Niño year and a large portion of the country was affected by drought at varying degrees, making it a good case study for evaluating drought indices. Satellitederived SVTR was validated through several field visits and surveys across different major agricultural areas in the country, and was found to be 73% accurate. The drought hazard and vulnerability maps are produced by utilizing the evapotranspration product of MODIS, rainfall climatology from the Tropical Rainfall Microwave Mission (TRMM) and ancillary data, including irrigation, water holding capacity and land use. Finally, we used statistical techniques to determine trends in NDVI and LST and generate a sixmonth forecast of drought index. Outputs of this study are being assessed by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) and the Department of Agriculture Bureau of Soils and Water Management (DABSWM) for future integration in their operations.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lambert, Winifred; Short, David; Wolkmer, Matthew; Sharp, David; Spratt, Scott
2006-01-01
Each morning, the forecasters at the National Weather Service in Melbourne, FL (NWS MLB) produce an experimental cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning threat index map for their county warning area (CWA) that is posted to their web site (http://www.srh.weather.gov/mlb/ghwo/lightning.shtml) . Given the hazardous nature of lightning in East Central Florida, especially during the warm season months of May September, these maps help users factor the threat of lightning, relative to their location, into their daily plans. The maps are color-coded in five levels from Very Low to Extreme, with threat level definitions based on the probability of lightning occurrence and the expected amount of CG activity. On a day in which thunderstorms are expected, there are typically two or more threat levels depicted spatially across the CWA. The locations of relative lightning threat maxima and minima often depend on the position and orientation of the low-level ridge axis, forecast propagation and interaction of sea/lake/outflow boundaries, expected evolution of moisture and stability fields, and other factors that can influence the spatial distribution of thunderstorms over the CWA. The lightning threat index maps are issued for the 24-hour period beginning at 1200 UTC each day with a grid resolution of 5 km x 5 km. Product preparation is performed on the AWIPS Graphical Forecast Editor (GFE), which is the standard NWS platform for graphical editing. Currently, the forecasters create each map manually, starting with a blank map. To improve efficiency of the forecast process, NWS MLB requested that the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) create gridded warm season lightning climatologies that could be used as first-guess inputs to initialize lightning threat index maps. The gridded values requested included CG strike densities and frequency of occurrence stratified by synoptic-scale flow regime. The intent is to improve consistency between forecasters while allowing them to focus on the mesoscale detail of the forecast, ultimately benefiting the end-users of the product. Several studies took place at the Florida State University (FSU) and NWS Tallahassee (TAE) in which they created daily flow regimes using Florida 1200 UTC synoptic soundings and CG strike densities, or number of strikes per specified area. The soundings used to determine the flow regimes were taken at Miami (MIA), Tampa (TBW), and Jacksonville (JAX), FL, and the lightning data for the strike densities came from the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN). The densities were created on a 2.5 km x 2.5 km grid for every hour of every day during the warm seasons in the years 1989-2004. The grids encompass an area that includes the entire state of Florida and adjacent Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico waters. Personnel at FSU and NWS TAE provided this data and supporting software for the work performed by the AMU.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lambert, Winifred; Short, David; Volkmer, Matthew; Sharp, David; Spratt, Scott
2007-01-01
Each morning, the forecasters at the National Weather Service in Melbourne, FL (NWS MLB) produce an experimental cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning threat index map for their county warning area (CWA) that is posted to their web site (httl://www.srh.weather.gov/mlb/ghwo/lightning.shtml) . Given the hazardous nature of lightning in East Central Florida, especially during the warm season months of May September, these maps help users factor the threat of lightning, relative to their location, into their daily plans. The maps are color-coded in five levels from Very Low to Extreme, with threat level definitions based on the probability of lightning occurrence and the expected amount of CG activity. On a day in which thunderstorms are expected, there are typically two or more threat levels depicted spatially across the CWA. The locations of relative lightning threat maxima and minima often depend on the position and orientation of the low-level ridge axis, forecast propagation and interaction of sea/lake/outflow boundaries, expected evolution of moisture and stability fields, and other factors that can influence the spatial distribution of thunderstorms over the CWA. The lightning threat index maps are issued for the 24-hour period beginning at 1200 UTC each day with a grid resolution of 5 km x 5 km. Product preparation is performed on the AWIPS Graphical Forecast Editor (GFE), which is the standard NWS platform for graphical editing. Until recently, the forecasters created each map manually, starting with a blank map. To improve efficiency of the forecast process, NWS MLB requested that the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) create gridded warm season lightning climatologies that could be used as first-guess inputs to initialize lightning threat index maps. The gridded values requested included CG strike densities and frequency of occurrence stratified by synoptic-scale flow regime. The intent was to improve consistency between forecasters while allowing them to focus on the mesoscale detail of the forecast. Several studies took place at the Florida State University (FSU) and NWS Tallahassee (TAE) in which they created daily flow regimes using Florida 1200 UTC synoptic soundings and CG strike densities, or number of strikes per specified area. The soundings used to determine the flow regimes were taken at Miami (MIA), Tampa (TBW), and Jacksonville (JAX), FL, and the lightning data for the strike densities came from the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN). The densities were created on a 2.5 km x 2.5 km grid for every hour of every day during the warm seasons in the years 1989-2004. The grids encompass an area that includes the entire state of Florida and adjacent Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico waters. Personnel at FSU and NWS TAE provided this data and supporting software for the work performed by the AMU.
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Martinelli, Fabio; Ditto, Antonino; Bogani, Giorgio; Signorelli, Mauro; Chiappa, Valentina; Lorusso, Domenica; Haeusler, Edward; Raspagliesi, Francesco
2017-01-01
To report the detection rate (DR) of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) in endometrial cancer (EC) patients after hysteroscopic injection of indocyanine green (ICG) and laparoscopic near-infrared (L-NIR) fluorescence mapping. Prospectively collected data (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). Gynecologic oncology referral center. Consecutive patients with apparent early-stage endometrioid EC scheduled for surgical treatment: total laparoscopic hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, SLN mapping. The mapping technique consisted in an intraoperative hysteroscopic peritumoral injection of 5 mg ICG followed by L-NIR fluorescence mapping. Evaluations of the SLN DR and sites of mapping were performed. A total of 57 procedures was performed. Patient mean age was 60 years (range, 28-80) and mean body mass index was 28.2 kg/m 2 (range, 19-43). At least 1 SLN was detected in 89.5% of the whole population (51/57). After the first 16 cases, L-NIR camera technical improvement led to a 95% DR (39/41). The mean number of harvested SLNs was 4.1 (range. 1-8), and in 47% of cases SLNs mapped to aortic nodes (24/51). Bilateral pelvic mapping was found in 74.5% of cases (38/51). Three patients had SLN metastases: 1 in the pelvic area only, 1 both in the pelvic and aortic area, and 1 presented with 2 metastatic aortic SLNs with negative pelvic SLNs. Overall, 2 of 3 node-positive patients (67%) had aortic SLN involvement. No adverse events were reported. Laparoscopic SLN mapping after the hysteroscopic injection of ICG has comparable DRs with both radioactive tracer series and ICG series with cervical injection, overcoming the need for radioactive substances. Hysteroscopic injection leads to a higher mapping in the aortic area compared with cervical injection. Further investigation is warranted on this topic. Copyright © 2016 AAGL. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
El-Baz, F. (Editor)
1979-01-01
Information is given on earth photographs obtained by the Apollo astronauts during the Apollo Soyuz Test Project. The data are arranged in three sections. A map index shows the boundaries of each photograph and is used for a quick survey of the coverage for a given geographical area. A tabular index provides the following data: list of photographs by serial number, description of geographic location, latitude and longitude of the center point of the photograph, date when photograph was taken, ground elapsed time, revolution number of Apollo spacecraft, approximate spacecraft altitude, tilt, sun angle, camera, and lens. The photographic index provides same size black and white prints made from the original color negatives.
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Octree-based indexing for 3D pointclouds within an Oracle Spatial DBMS
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Schön, Bianca; Mosa, Abu Saleh Mohammad; Laefer, Debra F.; Bertolotto, Michela
2013-02-01
A large proportion of today's digital datasets have a spatial component. The effective storage and management of which poses particular challenges, especially with light detection and ranging (LiDAR), where datasets of even small geographic areas may contain several hundred million points. While in the last decade 2.5-dimensional data were prevalent, true 3-dimensional data are increasingly commonplace via LiDAR. They have gained particular popularity for urban applications including generation of city-scale maps, baseline data disaster management, and utility planning. Additionally, LiDAR is commonly used for flood plane identification, coastal-erosion tracking, and forest biomass mapping. Despite growing data availability, current spatial information systems do not provide suitable full support for the data's true 3D nature. Consequently, one system is needed to store the data and another for its processing, thereby necessitating format transformations. The work presented herein aims at a more cost-effective way for managing 3D LiDAR data that allows for storage and manipulation within a single system by enabling a new index within existing spatial database management technology. Implementation of an octree index for 3D LiDAR data atop Oracle Spatial 11g is presented, along with an evaluation showing up to an eight-fold improvement compared to the native Oracle R-tree index.
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Quality assurance methodology for Varian RapidArc treatment plans
Cirino, Eileen T.; Xiong, Li; Mower, Herbert W.
2010-01-01
With the commercial introduction of the Varian RapidArc, a new modality for treatment planning and delivery, the need has arisen for consistent and efficient techniques for performing patient‐specific quality assurance (QA) tests. In this paper we present our methodology for a RapidArc treatment plan QA procedure. For our measurements we used a 2D diode array (MapCHECK) embedded at 5 cm water equivalent depth in MapPHAN 5 phantom and an Exradin A16 ion chamber placed in six different positions in a cylindrical homogeneous phantom (QUASAR). We also checked the MUs for the RapidArc plans by using independent software (RadCalc). The agreement between Eclipse calculations and MapCHECK/MapPHAN 5 measurements was evaluated using both absolute distance‐to‐agreement (DTA) and gamma index with 10% dose threshold (TH), 3% dose difference (DD), and 3 mm DTA. The average agreement was 94.4% for the DTA approach and 96.3% for the gamma index approach. In high‐dose areas, the discrepancy between calculations and ion chamber measurements using the QUASAR phantom was within 4.5% for prostate cases. For the RadCalc calculations, we used the average SSD along the arc; however, for some patients the agreement for the MUs obtained with RadCalc versus Eclipse was inadequate (discrepancy>5%). In these cases, the plan was divided into partial arc plans so that RadCalc could perform a better estimation of the MUs. The discrepancy was further reduced to within ~4% using this approach. Regardless of the variation in prescribed dose and location of the treated areas, we obtained very good results for all patients studied in this paper. PACS number: 87.55.Qr
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Li, Shoucheng; Liu, Wenquan; Cheng, Xu; Ellis, Erle C
2005-10-01
To realize the landscape programming of agro-ecosystem management, landscape-stratification can provide us the best understanding of landscape ecosystem at very detailed scales. For this purpose, the village landscapes in densely populated Jintang and Jianyang Counties of Sichuan Basin hilly region were mapped from high resolution (1 m) IKONOS satellite imagery by using a standardized 4 level ecological landscape classification and mapping system in a regionally-representative sample of five 500 x 500 m2 landscape quadrats (sample plots). Based on these maps, the spatial patterns were analyzed by landscape indicators, which demonstrated a large variety of landscape types or ecotopes across the village landscape of this region, with diversity indexes ranging from 1.08 to 2.26 at different levels of the landscape classification system. The richness indices ranged from 42.2% to 58.6 %, except that for the landcover at 85 %. About 12.5 % of the ecotopes were distributed in the same way in each landscape sample, and the remaining 87.5% were distributed differently. The landscape fragmentation indices varied from 2.93 to 4.27 across sample plots, and from 2.86 to 5.63 across classification levels. The population density and the road and hamlet areas had strong linear correlations with some landscape indicators, and especially, the correlation coefficients of hamlet areas with fractal indexes and fragmental dimensions were 0.957* and 0.991**, respectively. The differences in most landscape pattern indices across sample plots and landscape classes were statistically significant, indicating that cross-scale mapping and classification of village landscapes could provide more detailed information on landscape patterns than those from a single level of classification.
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ADC histogram analysis of muscle lymphoma - Correlation with histopathology in a rare entity.
Meyer, Hans-Jonas; Pazaitis, Nikolaos; Surov, Alexey
2018-06-21
Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) is able to reflect histopathology architecture. A novel imaging approach, namely histogram analysis, is used to further characterize lesion on MRI. The purpose of this study is to correlate histogram parameters derived from apparent diffusion coefficient- (ADC) maps with histopathology parameters in muscle lymphoma. Eight patients (mean age 64.8 years, range 45-72 years) with histopathologically confirmed muscle lymphoma were retrospectively identified. Cell count, total nucleic and average nucleic areas were estimated using ImageJ. Additionally, Ki67-index was calculated. DWI was obtained on a 1.5T scanner by using the b values of 0 and 1000 s/mm2. Histogram analysis was performed as a whole lesion measurement by using a custom-made Matlabbased application. The correlation analysis revealed statistically significant correlation between cell count and ADCmean (p=-0.76, P=0.03) as well with ADCp75 (p=-0.79, P=0.02). Kurtosis and entropy correlated with average nucleic area (p=-0.81, P=0.02, p=0.88, P=0.007, respectively). None of the analyzed ADC parameters correlated with total nucleic area and with Ki67-index. This study identified significant correlations between cellularity and histogram parameters derived from ADC maps in muscle lymphoma. Thus, histogram analysis parameters reflect histopathology in muscle tumors. Advances in knowledge: Whole lesion ADC histogram analysis is able to reflect histopathology parameters in muscle lymphomas.
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Identification and delineation of areas flood hazard using high accuracy of DEM data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Riadi, B.; Barus, B.; Widiatmaka; Yanuar, M. J. P.; Pramudya, B.
2018-05-01
Flood incidents that often occur in Karawang regency need to be mitigated. These expectations exist on technologies that can predict, anticipate and reduce disaster risks. Flood modeling techniques using Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data can be applied in mitigation activities. High accuracy DEM data used in modeling, will result in better flooding flood models. The result of high accuracy DEM data processing will yield information about surface morphology which can be used to identify indication of flood hazard area. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe flood hazard areas by identifying wetland areas using DEM data and Landsat-8 images. TerraSAR-X high-resolution data is used to detect wetlands from landscapes, while land cover is identified by Landsat image data. The Topography Wetness Index (TWI) method is used to detect and identify wetland areas with basic DEM data, while for land cover analysis using Tasseled Cap Transformation (TCT) method. The result of TWI modeling yields information about potential land of flood. Overlay TWI map with land cover map that produces information that in Karawang regency the most vulnerable areas occur flooding in rice fields. The spatial accuracy of the flood hazard area in this study was 87%.
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A note on contagion indices for landscape analysis
Kurt H. Riitters; Robert V. O' Neill; James D. Wickham; K. Bruce Jones
1996-01-01
The landscape contagion index measures the degree of clumping of attributes on raster maps. The index is computed from the frequencies by which different pairs of attributes occur as adjacent pixels on a map. Because there are subtle differences in the way the attribute adjacencies may be tabulated, the standard index formula may not always apply, and published index...
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
de Andrade Lopes, Alneu; Minghim, Rosane; Melo, Vinícius; Paulovich, Fernando V.
2006-01-01
The current availability of information many times impair the tasks of searching, browsing and analyzing information pertinent to a topic of interest. This paper presents a methodology to create a meaningful graphical representation of documents corpora targeted at supporting exploration of correlated documents. The purpose of such an approach is to produce a map from a document body on a research topic or field based on the analysis of their contents, and similarities amongst articles. The document map is generated, after text pre-processing, by projecting the data in two dimensions using Latent Semantic Indexing. The projection is followed by hierarchical clustering to support sub-area identification. The map can be interactively explored, helping to narrow down the search for relevant articles. Tests were performed using a collection of documents pre-classified into three research subject classes: Case-Based Reasoning, Information Retrieval, and Inductive Logic Programming. The map produced was capable of separating the main areas and approaching documents by their similarity, revealing possible topics, and identifying boundaries between them. The tool can deal with the exploration of inter-topics and intra-topic relationship and is useful in many contexts that need deciding on relevant articles to read, such as scientific research, education, and training.
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A large-scale extinction map of the Galactic Anticentre from 2MASS
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Froebrich, D.; Murphy, G. C.; Smith, M. D.; Walsh, J.; Del Burgo, C.
2007-07-01
We present a 127 × 63-deg2 extinction map of the Anticentre of the Galaxy, based on < J - H > and < H - K > colour excess maps from the Two-Micron All-Sky Survey. This 8001-deg2 map with a resolution of 4 arcmin is provided as online material. The colour excess ratio < J - H >/< H - K > is used to determine the power-law index of the reddening law (β) for individual regions contained in the area (e.g. Orion, Perseus, Taurus, Auriga, Monoceros, Camelopardalis, Cassiopeia). On average we find a dominant value of β = 1.8 +/- 0.2 for the individual clouds, in agreement with the canonical value for the interstellar medium. We also show that there is an internal scatter of β values in these regions, and that in some areas more than one dominant β values are present. This indicates large-scale variations in the dust properties. The analysis of the AV values within individual regions shows a change in the slope of the column density distribution with distance. This can be attributed either to a change in the governing physical processes in molecular clouds on spatial scales of about 1pc or to an AV dilution with distance in our map.
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Pike, R.J.; Graymer, R.W.; Roberts, Sebastian; Kalman, N.B.; Sobieszczyk, Steven
2001-01-01
Map data that predict the varying likelihood of landsliding can help public agencies make informed decisions on land use and zoning. This map, prepared in a geographic information system from a statistical model, estimates the relative likelihood of local slopes to fail by two processes common to an area of diverse geology, terrain, and land use centered on metropolitan Oakland. The model combines the following spatial data: (1) 120 bedrock and surficial geologic-map units, (2) ground slope calculated from a 30-m digital elevation model, (3) an inventory of 6,714 old landslide deposits (not distinguished by age or type of movement and excluding debris flows), and (4) the locations of 1,192 post-1970 landslides that damaged the built environment. The resulting index of likelihood, or susceptibility, plotted as a 1:50,000-scale map, is computed as a continuous variable over a large area (872 km2) at a comparatively fine (30 m) resolution. This new model complements landslide inventories by estimating susceptibility between existing landslide deposits, and improves upon prior susceptibility maps by quantifying the degree of susceptibility within those deposits. Susceptibility is defined for each geologic-map unit as the spatial frequency (areal percentage) of terrain occupied by old landslide deposits, adjusted locally by steepness of the topography. Susceptibility of terrain between the old landslide deposits is read directly from a slope histogram for each geologic-map unit, as the percentage (0.00 to 0.90) of 30-m cells in each one-degree slope interval that coincides with the deposits. Susceptibility within landslide deposits (0.00 to 1.33) is this same percentage raised by a multiplier (1.33) derived from the comparative frequency of recent failures within and outside the old deposits. Positive results from two evaluations of the model encourage its extension to the 10-county San Francisco Bay region and elsewhere. A similar map could be prepared for any area where the three basic constituents, a geologic map, a landslide inventory, and a slope map, are available in digital form. Added predictive power of the new susceptibility model may reside in attributes that remain to be explored?among them seismic shaking, distance to nearest road, and terrain elevation, aspect, relief, and curvature.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lendzioch, Theodora; Langhammer, Jakub; Jenicek, Michal
2017-04-01
A rapid and robust approach using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) digital photogrammetry was performed for evaluating snow accumulation over different small localities (e.g. disturbed forest and open area) and for indirect field measurements of Leaf Area Index (LAI) of coniferous forest within the Šumava National Park, Czech Republic. The approach was used to reveal impacts related to changes in forest and snowpack and to determine winter effective LAI for monitoring the impact of forest canopy metrics on snow accumulation. Due to the advancement of the technique, snow depth and volumetric changes of snow depth over these selected study areas were estimated at high spatial resolution (1 cm) by subtracting a snow-free digital elevation model (DEM) from a snow-covered DEM. Both, downward-looking UAV images and upward-looking digital hemispherical photography (DHP), and additional widely used LAI-2200 canopy analyser measurements were applied to determine the winter LAI, controlling interception and transmitting radiation. For the performance of downward-looking UAV images the snow background instead of the sky fraction was used. The reliability of UAV-based LAI retrieval was tested by taking an independent data set during the snow cover mapping campaigns. The results showed the potential of digital photogrammetry for snow depth mapping and LAI determination by UAV techniques. The average difference obtained between ground-based and UAV-based measurements of snow depth was 7.1 cm with higher values obtained by UAV. The SD of 22 cm for the open area seemed competitive with the typical precision of point measurements. In contrast, the average difference in disturbed forest area was 25 cm with lower values obtained by UAV and a SD of 36 cm, which is in agreement with other studies. The UAV-based LAI measurements revealed the lowest effective LAI values and the plant canopy analyser LAI-2200 the highest effective LAI values. The biggest bias of effective LAI was observed between LAI-2200 and UAV-based analyses. Since the LAI parameter is important for snowpack modelling, this method presents the potential of simplifying LAI retrieval and mapping of snow dynamics while reducing running costs and time.
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EJSCREEN Version 1, EJ Index Alternatives
This map service displays alternative environmental justice (EJ) indexes used in EJSCREEN. The alternative EJ indexes combine each of the 12 environmental indicators and one of two demographic indexes using different methods than the Primary EJ Index. EJ Index Alternative 1 is a combination of a blockgroup environmental factor, the populaiton of the blockgroup, and the demographic index. This EJ Index measures how much a particular place contributes to the total burden faced by subpopulations highlighted by the demographic index. EJ Index Alternative 2 is a combination of a blockgroup environmental factor and the demographic index. Two options are presented for both EJ Index Alternative 1 and Alternative 2-- they are combined with the primary demographic index and alternative demographic index. EJSCREEN is an environmental justice screening tool that provides EPA with a nationally consistent approach to screening for potential areas of EJ concern that may warrant further investigation. The EJ indexes are block group level results that combine multiple demographic factors with a single environmental variable (such as proximity to traffic) that can be used to help identify communities living with the greatest potential for negative environmental and health effects. The EJSCREEN tool is currently for internal EPA use only. It is anticipated that as users become accustomed to this new tool, individual programs within the Agency will develop program use guidelines a
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Borghi, Anna; Rienzner, Michele; Gandolfi, Claudio; Facchi, Arianna
2017-04-01
Drought is a major cause of crop yield loss, both in rainfed and irrigated agroecosystems. In past decades, many approaches have been developed to assess agricultural drought, usually based on the monitoring or modelling of the soil water content condition. All these indices show weaknesses when applied for a real time drought monitoring and management at the local scale, since they do not consider explicitly crops and soil properties at an adequate spatial resolution. This work describes a newly developed agricultural drought index, called Transpirative Deficit Index (D-TDI), and assesses the results of its application over a study area of about 210 km2 within the Po River Plain (northern Italy). The index is based on transforming the interannual distribution of the transpirative deficit (potential crop transpiration minus actual transpiration), calculated daily by means of a spatially distributed conceptual hydrological model and cumulated over user-selected time-steps, to a standard normal distribution (following the approach proposed by the meteorological index SPI - Standard Precipitation Index). For the application to the study area a uniform maize crop cover (maize is the most widespread crop in the area) and 22-year (1993-2014) meteorological data series were considered. Simulation results consist in maps of the index cumulated over 10-day time steps over a mesh with cells of 250 m. A correlation analysis was carried out (1) to study the characteristics and the memory of D-TDI and to assess its intra- and inter-annual variability, (2) to assess the response of the agricultural drought (i.e., the information provided by D-TDI) to the meteorological drought computed through the SPI over different temporal steps. The D-TDI is positively auto-correlated with a persistence of 30 days, and positively cross-correlated to the SPI with a persistence of 40 days, demonstrating that D-TDI responds to meteorological forcing. Correlation analyses demonstrate that soils characterized by high available water content (AWC) can more easily compensate for a short-term variability in the precipitation pattern, while soils with low AWC are more strictly linked to the SPI variability. Since D-TDI relies both on climate and fine-resolution soil and land cover data, it provides a reliable measure of the evolution of agricultural drought over the territory with respect to that achieved through meteorological drought indices. The accumulation of the index over a 10-day period considering a mesh with cells of 250 m allows to capture the response of the territory to drought at time and spatial scales of interest for stakeholders. Modelling efforts utilizing the D-TDI have potential to shed light on the vulnerability of agricultural areas to drought; future work using the D-TDI as a tool to map drought prone areas could therefore improve the ability of farmers and irrigation district managers to cope with agricultural droughts and set up adaptation actions. Despite D-TDI was used in this study on historical data series, the index has the potential to be applied for real-time or provisional monitoring by incorporating real time or provisional meteorological data, giving the opportunity to stakeholders to promptly cope with droughts.
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Martinuzzi, Sebastiáin; Gould, William A; Ramos Gonzalez, Olga M; Martinez Robles, Alma; Calle Maldonado, Paulina; Pérez-Buitrago, Néstor; Fumero Caban, José J
2008-06-01
Assessing the status of tropical dry forest habitats using remote sensing technologies is one of the research priorities for Neotropical forests. We developed a simple method for mapping vegetation and habitats in a tropical dry forest reserve, Mona Island, Puerto Rico, by integrating the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from Landsat, topographic information, and high-resolution Ikonos imagery. The method was practical for identifying vegetation types in areas with a great variety of plant communities and complex relief, and can be adapted to other dry forest habitats of the Caribbean Islands. NDVI was useful for identifying the distribution of forests, woodlands, and shrubland, providing a natural representation of the vegetation patterns on the island. The use of Ikonos imagery allowed increasing the number of land cover classes. As a result, sixteen land-cover types were mapped over the 5500 ha area, with a kappa coefficient of accuracy equal to 79%. This map is a central piece for modeling vertebrate species distribution and biodiversity patterns by the Puerto Rico Gap Analysis Project, and it is of great value for assisting research and management actions in the island.
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A Review of Research on Metacognition in Science Education: Current and Future Directions
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Zohar, Anat; Barzilai, Sarit
2013-01-01
The goal of this study is to map the current state of research in the field of metacognition in science education, to identify key trends, and to discern areas and questions for future research. We conducted a systematic analysis of 178 studies published in peer-reviewed journals in the years 2000-2012 and indexed in the ERIC database. The…
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Greg C. Liknes; Dacia M. Meneguzzo; Todd A. Kellerman
2017-01-01
Windbreaks are an important ecological resource across the large expanse of agricultural land in the central United States and are often planted in straight-line or L-shaped configurations to serve specific functions. As high-resolution (i.e., <5 m) land cover datasets become more available for these areas, semi-or fully-automated methods for distinguishing...
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Dye, Dennis G.; Middleton, Barry R.; Vogel, John M.; Wu, Zhuoting; Velasco, Miguel G.
2016-01-01
We developed and evaluated a methodology for subpixel discrimination and large-area mapping of the perennial warm-season (C4) grass component of vegetation cover in mixed-composition landscapes of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. We describe the methodology within a general, conceptual framework that we identify as the differential vegetation phenology (DVP) paradigm. We introduce a DVP index, the Normalized Difference Phenometric Index (NDPI) that provides vegetation type-specific information at the subpixel scale by exploiting differential patterns of vegetation phenology detectable in time-series spectral vegetation index (VI) data from multispectral land imagers. We used modified soil-adjusted vegetation index (MSAVI2) data from Landsat to develop the NDPI, and MSAVI2 data from MODIS to compare its performance relative to one alternate DVP metric (difference of spring average MSAVI2 and summer maximum MSAVI2), and two simple, conventional VI metrics (summer average MSAVI2, summer maximum MSAVI2). The NDPI in a scaled form (NDPIs) performed best in predicting variation in perennial C4 grass cover as estimated from landscape photographs at 92 sites (R2 = 0.76, p < 0.001), indicating improvement over the alternate DVP metric (R2 = 0.73, p < 0.001) and substantial improvement over the two conventional VI metrics (R2 = 0.62 and 0.56, p < 0.001). The results suggest DVP-based methods, and the NDPI in particular, can be effective for subpixel discrimination and mapping of exposed perennial C4 grass cover within mixed-composition landscapes of the Southwest, and potentially for monitoring of its response to drought, climate change, grazing and other factors, including land management. With appropriate adjustments, the method could potentially be used for subpixel discrimination and mapping of grass or other vegetation types in other regions where the vegetation components of the landscape exhibit contrasting seasonal patterns of phenology.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yilmaz, Işık
2009-06-01
The purpose of this study is to compare the landslide susceptibility mapping methods of frequency ratio (FR), logistic regression and artificial neural networks (ANN) applied in the Kat County (Tokat—Turkey). Digital elevation model (DEM) was first constructed using GIS software. Landslide-related factors such as geology, faults, drainage system, topographical elevation, slope angle, slope aspect, topographic wetness index (TWI) and stream power index (SPI) were used in the landslide susceptibility analyses. Landslide susceptibility maps were produced from the frequency ratio, logistic regression and neural networks models, and they were then compared by means of their validations. The higher accuracies of the susceptibility maps for all three models were obtained from the comparison of the landslide susceptibility maps with the known landslide locations. However, respective area under curve (AUC) values of 0.826, 0.842 and 0.852 for frequency ratio, logistic regression and artificial neural networks showed that the map obtained from ANN model is more accurate than the other models, accuracies of all models can be evaluated relatively similar. The results obtained in this study also showed that the frequency ratio model can be used as a simple tool in assessment of landslide susceptibility when a sufficient number of data were obtained. Input process, calculations and output process are very simple and can be readily understood in the frequency ratio model, however logistic regression and neural networks require the conversion of data to ASCII or other formats. Moreover, it is also very hard to process the large amount of data in the statistical package.
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Mapping irrigated areas in Afghanistan over the past decade using MODIS NDVI
Pervez, Md Shahriar; Budde, Michael; Rowland, James
2014-01-01
Agricultural production capacity contributes to food security in Afghanistan and is largely dependent on irrigated farming, mostly utilizing surface water fed by snowmelt. Because of the high contribution of irrigated crops (> 80%) to total agricultural production, knowing the spatial distribution and year-to-year variability in irrigated areas is imperative to monitoring food security for the country. We used 16-day composites of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor to create 23-point time series for each year from 2000 through 2013. Seasonal peak values and time series were used in a threshold-dependent decision tree algorithm to map irrigated areas in Afghanistan for the last 14 years. In the absence of ground reference irrigated area information, we evaluated these maps with the irrigated areas classified from multiple snapshots of the landscape during the growing season from Landsat 5 optical and thermal sensor images. We were able to identify irrigated areas using Landsat imagery by selecting as irrigated those areas with Landsat-derived NDVI greater than 0.30–0.45, depending on the date of the Landsat image and surface temperature less than or equal to 310 Kelvin (36.9 ° C). Due to the availability of Landsat images, we were able to compare with the MODIS-derived maps for four years: 2000, 2009, 2010, and 2011. The irrigated areas derived from Landsat agreed well r2 = 0.91 with the irrigated areas derived from MODIS, providing confidence in the MODIS NDVI threshold approach. The maps portrayed a highly dynamic irrigated agriculture practice in Afghanistan, where the amount of irrigated area was largely determined by the availability of surface water, especially snowmelt, and varied by as much as 30% between water surplus and water deficit years. During the past 14 years, 2001, 2004, and 2008 showed the lowest levels of irrigated area (~ 1.5 million hectares), attesting to the severe drought conditions in those years, whereas 2009, 2012 and 2013 registered the largest irrigated area (~ 2.5 million hectares) due to record snowpack and snowmelt in the region. The model holds promise the ability to provide near-real-time (by the end of the growing seasons) estimates of irrigated area, which are beneficial for food security monitoring as well as subsequent decision making for the country. While the model is developed for Afghanistan, it can be adopted with appropriate adjustments in the derived threshold values to map irrigated areas elsewhere.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rahamana, S. Abdul; Aruchamy, S.; Jegankumar, R.
2014-12-01
Landslides are one of the critical natural phenomena that frequently lead to serious problems in hilly area, resulting to loss of human life and property, as well as causing severe damage to natural resources. The local geology with high degree of slope coupled with high intensity of rainfall along with unplanned human activities of the study area causes many landslides in this region. The present study area is more attracted by tourist throughout the year, so this area must be considered for preventive measures. Geospatial based Multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) technique is increasingly used for landslide vulnerability and hazard zonation mapping. It enables the integration of different data layers with different levels of uncertainty. In this present study, it is used analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method to prepare landslide hazard zones of the Coonoor and Ooty, part of Kallar watershed, The Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu. The study was carried out using remote sensing data, field surveys and geographic information system (GIS) tools. The ten factors that influence landslide occurrence, such as elevation, slope aspect, slope angle, drainage density, lineament density, soil, precipitation, land use/land cover (LULC), distance from road and NDVI were considered. These factors layers were extracted from the various related spatial data's. These factors were evaluated, and then, the individual factor weight and class weight were assigned to each of the related factors. The Landslide Hazard Zone Index (LHZI) was calculated using Multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) the technique based on the assigned weight and the rating is given by the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. The final cumulative map of the study area was categorized into four hazard zones and classified as zone I to IV. There are 3.56% of the area comes under the hazard zone IV fallowed by 48.19% of the area comes under zone III, 43.63 % of the area in zone II and 4.61% of the area comes hazard zone I. Further resulted hazard zone map and landuse/landcover map are overlaid to check the hazard status, and existing inventory of known landslides within the present study area was compared with the resulting vulnerable and hazard zone maps. The landslide hazard zonation map is useful for landslide hazard prevention, mitigation, and improvement to society, and proper planning for land use and construction in the future.
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Mapping Deforestation area in North Korea Using Phenology-based Multi-Index and Random Forest
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jin, Y.; Sung, S.; Lee, D. K.; Jeong, S.
2016-12-01
Forest ecosystem provides ecological benefits to both humans and wildlife. Growing global demand for food and fiber is accelerating the pressure on the forest ecosystem in whole world from agriculture and logging. In recently, North Korea lost almost 40 % of its forests to crop fields for food production and cut-down of forest for fuel woods between 1990 and 2015. It led to the increased damage caused by natural disasters and is known to be one of the most forest degraded areas in the world. The characteristic of forest landscape in North Korea is complex and heterogeneous, the major landscape types in the forest are hillside farm, unstocked forest, natural forest and plateau vegetation. Remote sensing can be used for the forest degradation mapping of a dynamic landscape at a broad scale of detail and spatial distribution. Confusion mostly occurred between hillside farmland and unstocked forest, but also between unstocked forest and forest. Most previous forest degradation that used focused on the classification of broad types such as deforests area and sand from the perspective of land cover classification. The objective of this study is using random forest for mapping degraded forest in North Korea by phenological based vegetation index derived from MODIS products, which has various environmental factors such as vegetation, soil and water at a regional scale for improving accuracy. The model created by random forest resulted in an overall accuracy was 91.44%. Class user's accuracy of hillside farmland and unstocked forest were 97.2% and 84%%, which indicate the degraded forest. Unstocked forest had relative low user accuracy due to misclassified hillside farmland and forest samples. Producer's accuracy of hillside farmland and unstocked forest were 85.2% and 93.3%, repectly. In this case hillside farmland had lower produce accuracy mainly due to confusion with field, unstocked forest and forest. Such a classification of degraded forest could supply essential information to decide the priority of forest management and restoration in degraded forest area.
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Index maps for Gemini earth photography
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Giddings, L. E.
1975-01-01
Index maps for the Gemini missions are presented; these are for the Gemini 3 through Gemini 12 missions. The maps are divided into four sections: the whole earth; the Western Hemisphere and eastern Pacific Ocean; Africa, India, and the Near East; and Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Ocean.
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Naumova, Vera V.; Patuk, Mikhail I.; Kapitanchuk, Marina Yu.; Nokleberg, Warren J.; Khanchuk, Alexander I.; Parfenov, Leonid M.; Rodionov, Sergey M.; Miller, Robert J.; Diggles, Michael F.
2006-01-01
This is the online version of a CD-ROM publication. It contains all of the data that are on the disc but extra files have been removed: index files, software installers, and Windows autolaunch files. The purpose of this publication is to provide a high-quality spatial data compilation (Geographical Information System or GIS) of geodynamic, mineral deposit, and metallogenic belt maps, and descriptive data for Northeast Asia for customers and users. This area consists of Eastern Siberia, Russian Far East, Mongolia, northern China, South Korea, and Japan. The GIS compilation contains integrated spatial data for: (1) a geodynamics map at a scale of 1:5,000,000; (2) a mineral deposit location map; (3) metallogenic belt maps; (4) detailed descriptions of geologic units, including tectonostratigraphic terranes, cratons, major melange zones, and overlap assemblages, with references; (5) detailed descriptions of metallogenic belts with references; (6) detailed mineral deposit descriptions with references; and (7) page-size stratigraphic columns for major terranes.
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Automatic mapping of urban areas from Landsat data using impervious surface fraction algorithm
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Nguyen, S. T.; Chen, C. F.; Chen, C. R.
2014-12-01
Urbanization is a result of aggregation of people in urban areas that can help advance socioeconomic development and pull out people from the poverty line. However, if not monitored well, it can also lead to loss of farmlands, natural forests as well as to societal impacts including burgeoning growth of slums, pollution, and crime. Thus, spatiotemporal information that shapes the urbanization is thus critical to the process of urban planning. The overall objective of this study is to develop an impervious surface fraction algorithm (ISFA) for automatically mapping urban areas from Landsat data. We processed the data for 1986, 2001 and 2014 to trace the multi-decadal spatiotemporal change of Honduran capital city using a three-step procedure: (1) data pre-processing to perform image normalization as well as to produce the difference in the values (DVSS) between the simple ratio (SR) of green and shortwave bands and the soil adjust vegetation index (SAVI), (2) quantification of urban areas using ISFA, and (3) accuracy assessment of mapping results using the ground reference data constructed using land-cover maps and FORMOSAT-2 imagery. The mapping accuracy assessment was performed for 2001 and 2014 by comparing with the ground reference data indicated satisfactory results with the overall accuracies and Kappa coefficients generally higher than 90% and 0.8, respectively. When examining the urbanization between these years, it could be observed that the urban area was significantly expanded from 1986 to 2014, mainly driven by two factors of rapid population growth and socioeconomic development. This study eventually leads to a realization of the merit of using ISFA for multi-decadal monitoring of the urbanization of Honduran capital city from Landsat data. Results from this research can be used by urban planners as a general indicator to quantify urban change and environmental impacts. The methods were thus transferable to monitor urban growth in cities and their peri areas around the world.
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Colony mapping: A new technique for monitoring crevice-nesting seabirds
Renner, H.M.; Renner, M.; Reynolds, J.H.; Harping, A.M.A.; Jones, I.L.; Irons, D.B.; Byrd, G.V.
2006-01-01
Monitoring populations of auklets and other crevice-nesting seabirds remains problematic, although numerous methods have been attempted since the mid-1960s. Anecdotal evidence suggests several large auklet colonies have recently decreased in both abundance and extent, concurrently with vegetation encroachment and succession. Quantifying changes in the geographical extent of auklet colonies may be a useful alternative to monitoring population size directly. We propose a standardized method for colony mapping using a randomized systematic grid survey with two components: a simple presence/absence survey and an auklet evidence density survey. A quantitative auklet evidence density index was derived from the frequency of droppings and feathers. This new method was used to map the colony on St. George Island in the southeastern Bering Sea and results were compared to previous colony mapping efforts. Auklet presence was detected in 62 of 201 grid cells (each grid cell = 2500 m2) by sampling a randomly placed 16 m2 plot in each cell; estimated colony area = 155 000 m2. The auklet evidence density index varied by two orders of magnitude across the colony and was strongly correlated with means of replicated counts of birds socializing on the colony surface. Quantitatively mapping all large auklet colonies is logistically feasible using this method and would provide an important baseline for monitoring colony status. Regularly monitoring select colonies using this method may be the best means of detecting changes in distribution and population size of crevice-nesting seabirds. ?? The Cooper Ornithological Society 2006.
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A methodology for physically based rockfall hazard assessment
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Crosta, G. B.; Agliardi, F.
Rockfall hazard assessment is not simple to achieve in practice and sound, physically based assessment methodologies are still missing. The mobility of rockfalls implies a more difficult hazard definition with respect to other slope instabilities with minimal runout. Rockfall hazard assessment involves complex definitions for "occurrence probability" and "intensity". This paper is an attempt to evaluate rockfall hazard using the results of 3-D numerical modelling on a topography described by a DEM. Maps portraying the maximum frequency of passages, velocity and height of blocks at each model cell, are easily combined in a GIS in order to produce physically based rockfall hazard maps. Different methods are suggested and discussed for rockfall hazard mapping at a regional and local scale both along linear features or within exposed areas. An objective approach based on three-dimensional matrixes providing both a positional "Rockfall Hazard Index" and a "Rockfall Hazard Vector" is presented. The opportunity of combining different parameters in the 3-D matrixes has been evaluated to better express the relative increase in hazard. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the hazard index with respect to the included variables and their combinations is preliminarily discussed in order to constrain as objective as possible assessment criteria.
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Drought index driven by L-band microwave soil moisture data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bitar, Ahmad Al; Kerr, Yann; Merlin, Olivier; Cabot, François; Choné, Audrey; Wigneron, Jean-Pierre
2014-05-01
Drought is considered in many areas across the globe as one of the major extreme events. Studies do not all agree on the increase of the frequency of drought events over the past 60 years [1], but they all agree that the impact of droughts has increased and the need for efficient global monitoring tools has become most than ever urgent. Droughts are monitored through drought indexes, many of which are based on precipitation (Palmer index(s), PDI…), on vegetation status (VDI) or on surface temperatures. They can also be derived from climate prediction models outputs. The GMO has selected the (SPI) Standardized Precipitation Index as the reference index for the monitoring of drought at global scale. The drawback of this index is that it is directly dependent on global precipitation products that are not accurate over global scale. On the other hand, Vegetation based indexes show the a posteriori effect of drought, since they are based on NDVI. In this study, we choose to combine the surface soil moisture from microwave sensor with climate data to access a drought index. The microwave data are considered from the SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) mission at L-Band (1.4 Ghz) interferometric radiometer from ESA (European Space Agency) [2]. Global surface soil moisture maps with 3 days coverage for ascending 6AM and descending 6PM orbits SMOS have been delivered since January 2010 at a 40 km nominal resolution. We use in this study the daily L3 global soil moisture maps from CATDS (Centre Aval de Traitement des Données SMOS) [3,4]. We present a drought index computed by a double bucket hydrological model driven by operational remote sensing data and ancillary datasets. The SPI is also compared to other drought indicators like vegetation indexes and Palmer drought index. Comparison of drought index to vegetation indexes from AVHRR and MODIS over continental United States show that the drought index can be used as an early warning system for drought monitoring as the water shortage can be sensed several weeks before the vegetation dryness occures. Keywords: SMOS, microwave, level 4, soil moisture, drought, precipitation, hydrological model, vegetation index
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Harrison, Richard W.; Orndorff, Randall C.; Weary, David J.
2002-01-01
The bedrock exposed in the Stegall Mountain Quadrangle, Missouri, comprises Mesoproterozoic aged volcanic rocks overlain by Late Cambrian and Early Ordovician aged dolomite, sandstone, and chert. The sedimentary rocks are nearly flat-lying except where they drape around knobs of the volcanic rocks or where they are adjacent to faults. The carbonates are karstified and the area contains numerous sinkholes, springs, caves, and losing-streams. This map is one of several being produced under the U.S. Geological Survey National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program to provide geologic data applicable to land-use problems in the Ozarks of south-central Missouri. Ongoing and potential industrial and agricultural development in the Ozarks region has presented issues of ground-water quality in karst areas. A National Park in this region (Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri ) is concerned about the effects of activities in areas outside of their stewardship on the water resources that define the heart of this Park. This task applies geologic mapping and karst investigations to address issues surrounding competing land use in south-central Missouri. This task keeps geologists from the USGS associated with the park and allows the Parks to utilize USGS expertise and aid the NPS on how to effectively use geologic maps for Park management. For more information see: http://geology.er.usgs.gov/eespteam/Karst/index.html
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Evaluation of scientific periodicals and the Brazilian production of nursing articles.
Erdmann, Alacoque Lorenzini; Marziale, Maria Helena Palucci; Pedreira, Mavilde da Luz Gonçalves; Lana, Francisco Carlos Félix; Pagliuca, Lorita Marlena Freitag; Padilha, Maria Itayra; Fernandes, Josicelia Dumêt
2009-01-01
This study aimed to identify nursing journals edited in Brazil indexed in the main bibliographic databases in the areas of health and nursing. It also aimed to classify the production of nursing graduate programs in 2007 according to the QUALIS/CAPES criteria used to classify scientific periodicals that disseminate the intellectual production of graduate programs in Brazil. This exploratory study used data from reports and documents available from CAPES to map scientific production and from searching the main international and national indexing databases. The findings from this research can help students, professors and coordinators of graduate programs in several ways: to understand the criteria of classifying periodicals; to be aware of the current production of graduate programs in the area of nursing; and to provide information that authors can use to select periodicals in which to publish their articles.
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Estimated flood-inundation maps for Cowskin Creek in western Wichita, Kansas
Studley, Seth E.
2003-01-01
The October 31, 1998, flood on Cowskin Creek in western Wichita, Kansas, caused millions of dollars in damages. Emergency management personnel and flood mitigation teams had difficulty in efficiently identifying areas affected by the flooding, and no warning was given to residents because flood-inundation information was not available. To provide detailed information about future flooding on Cowskin Creek, high-resolution estimated flood-inundation maps were developed using geographic information system technology and advanced hydraulic analysis. Two-foot-interval land-surface elevation data from a 1996 flood insurance study were used to create a three-dimensional topographic representation of the study area for hydraulic analysis. The data computed from the hydraulic analyses were converted into geographic information system format with software from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Hydrologic Engineering Center. The results were overlaid on the three-dimensional topographic representation of the study area to produce maps of estimated flood-inundation areas and estimated depths of water in the inundated areas for 1-foot increments on the basis of stream stage at an index streamflow-gaging station. A Web site (http://ks.water.usgs.gov/Kansas/cowskin.floodwatch) was developed to provide the public with information pertaining to flooding in the study area. The Web site shows graphs of the real-time streamflow data for U.S. Geological Survey gaging stations in the area and monitors the National Weather Service Arkansas-Red Basin River Forecast Center for Cowskin Creek flood-forecast information. When a flood is forecast for the Cowskin Creek Basin, an estimated flood-inundation map is displayed for the stream stage closest to the National Weather Service's forecasted peak stage. Users of the Web site are able to view the estimated flood-inundation maps for selected stages at any time and to access information about this report and about flooding in general. Flood recovery teams also have the ability to view the estimated flood-inundation map pertaining to the most recent flood. The availability of these maps and the ability to monitor the real-time stream stage through the U.S. Geological Survey Web site provide emergency management personnel and residents with information that is critical for evacuation and rescue efforts in the event of a flood as well as for post-flood recovery efforts.
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Diagnostic and model dependent uncertainty of simulated Tibetan permafrost area
Wang, A.; Moore, J.C.; Cui, Xingquan; Ji, D.; Li, Q.; Zhang, N.; Wang, C.; Zhang, S.; Lawrence, D.M.; McGuire, A.D.; Zhang, W.; Delire, C.; Koven, C.; Saito, K.; MacDougall, A.; Burke, E.; Decharme, B.
2016-01-01
We perform a land-surface model intercomparison to investigate how the simulation of permafrost area on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) varies among six modern stand-alone land-surface models (CLM4.5, CoLM, ISBA, JULES, LPJ-GUESS, UVic). We also examine the variability in simulated permafrost area and distribution introduced by five different methods of diagnosing permafrost (from modeled monthly ground temperature, mean annual ground and air temperatures, air and surface frost indexes). There is good agreement (99 to 135 × 104 km2) between the two diagnostic methods based on air temperature which are also consistent with the observation-based estimate of actual permafrost area (101 × 104 km2). However the uncertainty (1 to 128 × 104 km2) using the three methods that require simulation of ground temperature is much greater. Moreover simulated permafrost distribution on the TP is generally only fair to poor for these three methods (diagnosis of permafrost from monthly, and mean annual ground temperature, and surface frost index), while permafrost distribution using air-temperature-based methods is generally good. Model evaluation at field sites highlights specific problems in process simulations likely related to soil texture specification, vegetation types and snow cover. Models are particularly poor at simulating permafrost distribution using the definition that soil temperature remains at or below 0 °C for 24 consecutive months, which requires reliable simulation of both mean annual ground temperatures and seasonal cycle, and hence is relatively demanding. Although models can produce better permafrost maps using mean annual ground temperature and surface frost index, analysis of simulated soil temperature profiles reveals substantial biases. The current generation of land-surface models need to reduce biases in simulated soil temperature profiles before reliable contemporary permafrost maps and predictions of changes in future permafrost distribution can be made for the Tibetan Plateau.
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Diagnostic and model dependent uncertainty of simulated Tibetan permafrost area
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wang, W.; Rinke, A.; Moore, J. C.; Cui, X.; Ji, D.; Li, Q.; Zhang, N.; Wang, C.; Zhang, S.; Lawrence, D. M.; McGuire, A. D.; Zhang, W.; Delire, C.; Koven, C.; Saito, K.; MacDougall, A.; Burke, E.; Decharme, B.
2016-02-01
We perform a land-surface model intercomparison to investigate how the simulation of permafrost area on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) varies among six modern stand-alone land-surface models (CLM4.5, CoLM, ISBA, JULES, LPJ-GUESS, UVic). We also examine the variability in simulated permafrost area and distribution introduced by five different methods of diagnosing permafrost (from modeled monthly ground temperature, mean annual ground and air temperatures, air and surface frost indexes). There is good agreement (99 to 135 × 104 km2) between the two diagnostic methods based on air temperature which are also consistent with the observation-based estimate of actual permafrost area (101 × 104 km2). However the uncertainty (1 to 128 × 104 km2) using the three methods that require simulation of ground temperature is much greater. Moreover simulated permafrost distribution on the TP is generally only fair to poor for these three methods (diagnosis of permafrost from monthly, and mean annual ground temperature, and surface frost index), while permafrost distribution using air-temperature-based methods is generally good. Model evaluation at field sites highlights specific problems in process simulations likely related to soil texture specification, vegetation types and snow cover. Models are particularly poor at simulating permafrost distribution using the definition that soil temperature remains at or below 0 °C for 24 consecutive months, which requires reliable simulation of both mean annual ground temperatures and seasonal cycle, and hence is relatively demanding. Although models can produce better permafrost maps using mean annual ground temperature and surface frost index, analysis of simulated soil temperature profiles reveals substantial biases. The current generation of land-surface models need to reduce biases in simulated soil temperature profiles before reliable contemporary permafrost maps and predictions of changes in future permafrost distribution can be made for the Tibetan Plateau.
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,; ,; Ellis, Melvin Y.
1978-01-01
Passage of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 focused attention on the Nation's coastal land and water areas. As plans for more effective management of the coastal zone evolved, it soon became apparent that improved maps and charts of these areas were needed. This handbook was prepared with the requirements of the entire coastal community in mind, giving greatest attention to the needs of coastal zone managers and planners at the State and local levels. Its principal objective is to provide general information and guidance; it is neither a textbook nor a technical manual, but rather a primer on coastal mapping. This handbook should help planners and managers of coastal programs to determine their mapping requirements, select the best maps and charts for their particular needs, and to deal effectively with personnel who gather data and prepare maps. The sections on "Sources of Assistance and Advice" and "Product and Data Sources" should be especially useful to all involved in mapping the coastal zone. Brief summaries of the mapping efforts of several State coastal zone management programs are included. "Future outlook" discusses anticipated progress and changes in mapping procedures and techniques. Illustrations are inserted, where appropriate, to illustrate the products and equipment discussed. Because of printing restrictions, the colors in map illustrations may vary from those in the original publication. The appendixes include substantial material which also should be of interest. In addition a glossary and an index are included to provide easy and quick access to the terms and concepts used in the text. For those interested in more technical detail than is provided in this handbook, the "Selected references" will be useful. Also, the publications of the professional societies listed in appendix 4 will provide technical information in detail.
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Mapping Vegetation Structure in Kakadu National Park: An AIRSAR and GIS Application in Conservation
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Imhoff, Marc L.; Sisk, Thomas D.; Hampton, Haydee; Milne, Anthony K.
1999-01-01
Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR) data were used to map vegetation structure in Kakadu National Park Australia as part of the PACRIM project. SAR data were co-registered with Landsat TM, aerial photos, and map data in a geographic information system for a small test area consisting of mangrove, floodplain grasslands, lowland tropical evergreen forest and upland mixed deciduous and evergreen tropical forest near the South Alligator River. Landsat (Thematic Mapper) TM very clearly showed the floristic composition and burn scars from the previous years fires and the AIRSAR data provided a profile of vegetation structure. Extensive field data on vegetation species composition and structure were collected across a series of transects in cooperation with a survey of avifauna in an effort to link the habitat edge structure with bird species responses. A test site was found that contained two types of habitat edges: 1) A structure specific edge - characterized by the appearance of a very strong structural change in the forest canopy occurring in the absence of a substantial turnover in floristics. 2) Floristic edge - a sharp transition in vegetation genetic composition with a mixed set of structural changes. Specific polarization combinations were selected that were highly correlated to a set of desired structural parameters found in the field data. Classification routines were employed to group radar pixels into 3 structural classes based on: the Surface Area to Volume ratio (SA/V) of the stems, the SA/V of the branches, and the leaf area index of the canopy. Separate canopy structure maps were then entered into the GIS and bird responses were observed relative to the classes and their boundaries. Follow-on work will consist of extending this approach to neighboring areas, generating structure maps, predicting bird responses across the edges, and make accuracy assessments.
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Bosch, J; Iglesias, I; Muñoz, M J; de la Torre, A
2017-12-01
The current African swine fever (ASF) epidemic in Eurasia represents a risk for the swine industry with devastating socio-economic and political consequences. Wild boar appears to be a key factor in maintaining the disease in endemic areas (mainly the Russian Federation) and spreading the disease across borders, including within the European Union. To help predict and interpret the dynamics of ASF infection, we developed a standardized distribution map based on global land cover vegetation (GLOBCOVER) that quantifies the quality of available habitats (QAH) for wild boar across Eurasia as an indirect index for quantifying numbers of wild boar. QAHs were estimated using a seven-level scale based on expert opinion and found to correlate closely with georeferenced presence of wild boar (n = 22 362): the highest wild boar densities (74.47%) were found in areas at the two highest QAH levels, while the lowest densities (5.66%) were found in areas at the lowest QAH levels. Mapping notifications from 2007 to 2016 onto the QAH map showed that in endemic areas, 60% of ASF notifications occurred in domestic pigs, mostly in agricultural landscapes (QAHs 1.75 and 1) containing low-biosecurity domestic pig farms. In the EU, in contrast, 95% of ASF notifications occurred in wild boar, within natural landscapes (QAH 2). These results suggest that the QAH map can be a useful epi-tool for defining risk scenarios and identifying potential travel corridors for ASF. This tool will help inform resource allocation decisions and improve prevention, control and surveillance of ASF and potentially of other diseases affecting swine and wild boar in Eurasia. © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.
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Zhang, Geli; Xiao, Xiangming; Dong, Jinwei; Kou, Weili; Jin, Cui; Qin, Yuanwei; Zhou, Yuting; Wang, Jie; Menarguez, Michael Angelo; Biradar, Chandrashekhar
2016-01-01
Knowledge of the area and spatial distribution of paddy rice is important for assessment of food security, management of water resources, and estimation of greenhouse gas (methane) emissions. Paddy rice agriculture has expanded rapidly in northeastern China in the last decade, but there are no updated maps of paddy rice fields in the region. Existing algorithms for identifying paddy rice fields are based on the unique physical features of paddy rice during the flooding and transplanting phases and use vegetation indices that are sensitive to the dynamics of the canopy and surface water content. However, the flooding phenomena in high latitude area could also be from spring snowmelt flooding. We used land surface temperature (LST) data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor to determine the temporal window of flooding and rice transplantation over a year to improve the existing phenology-based approach. Other land cover types (e.g., evergreen vegetation, permanent water bodies, and sparse vegetation) with potential influences on paddy rice identification were removed (masked out) due to their different temporal profiles. The accuracy assessment using high-resolution images showed that the resultant MODIS-derived paddy rice map of northeastern China in 2010 had a high accuracy (producer and user accuracies of 92% and 96%, respectively). The MODIS-based map also had a comparable accuracy to the 2010 Landsat-based National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) of China in terms of both area and spatial pattern. This study demonstrated that our improved algorithm by using both thermal and optical MODIS data, provides a robust, simple and automated approach to identify and map paddy rice fields in temperate and cold temperate zones, the northern frontier of rice planting. PMID:27667901
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Zhang, Geli; Xiao, Xiangming; Dong, Jinwei; Kou, Weili; Jin, Cui; Qin, Yuanwei; Zhou, Yuting; Wang, Jie; Menarguez, Michael Angelo; Biradar, Chandrashekhar
2015-08-01
Knowledge of the area and spatial distribution of paddy rice is important for assessment of food security, management of water resources, and estimation of greenhouse gas (methane) emissions. Paddy rice agriculture has expanded rapidly in northeastern China in the last decade, but there are no updated maps of paddy rice fields in the region. Existing algorithms for identifying paddy rice fields are based on the unique physical features of paddy rice during the flooding and transplanting phases and use vegetation indices that are sensitive to the dynamics of the canopy and surface water content. However, the flooding phenomena in high latitude area could also be from spring snowmelt flooding. We used land surface temperature (LST) data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor to determine the temporal window of flooding and rice transplantation over a year to improve the existing phenology-based approach. Other land cover types (e.g., evergreen vegetation, permanent water bodies, and sparse vegetation) with potential influences on paddy rice identification were removed (masked out) due to their different temporal profiles. The accuracy assessment using high-resolution images showed that the resultant MODIS-derived paddy rice map of northeastern China in 2010 had a high accuracy (producer and user accuracies of 92% and 96%, respectively). The MODIS-based map also had a comparable accuracy to the 2010 Landsat-based National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) of China in terms of both area and spatial pattern. This study demonstrated that our improved algorithm by using both thermal and optical MODIS data, provides a robust, simple and automated approach to identify and map paddy rice fields in temperate and cold temperate zones, the northern frontier of rice planting.
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Soybean Crop Area Estimation and Mapping in Mato Grosso State, Brazil
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gusso, A.; Ducati, J. R.
2012-07-01
Evaluation of the MODIS Crop Detection Algorithm (MCDA) procedure for estimating historical planted soybean crop areas was done on fields in Mato Grosso State, Brazil. MCDA is based on temporal profiles of EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index) derived from satellite data of the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) imager, and was previously developed for soybean area estimation in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. According to the MCDA approach, in Mato Grosso soybean area estimates can be provided in December (1st forecast), using images from the sowing period, and in February (2nd forecast), using images from sowing and maximum crop development period. The results obtained by the MCDA were compared with Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) official estimates of soybean area at municipal level. Coefficients of determination were between 0.93 and 0.98, indicating a good agreement, and also the suitability of MCDA to estimations performed in Mato Grosso State. On average, the MCDA results explained 96% of the variation of the data estimated by the IBGE. In this way, MCDA calibration was able to provide annual thematic soybean maps, forecasting the planted area in the State, with results which are comparable to the official agricultural statistics.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mayr, Andreas; Rutzinger, Martin; Bremer, Magnus; Geitner, Clemens
2016-06-01
In the Alps as well as in other mountain regions steep grassland is frequently affected by shallow erosion. Often small landslides or snow movements displace the vegetation together with soil and/or unconsolidated material. This results in bare earth surface patches within the grass covered slope. Close-range and remote sensing techniques are promising for both mapping and monitoring these eroded areas. This is essential for a better geomorphological process understanding, to assess past and recent developments, and to plan mitigation measures. Recent developments in image matching techniques make it feasible to produce high resolution orthophotos and digital elevation models from terrestrial oblique images. In this paper we propose to delineate the boundary of eroded areas for selected scenes of a study area, using close-range photogrammetric data. Striving for an efficient, objective and reproducible workflow for this task, we developed an approach for automated classification of the scenes into the classes grass and eroded. We propose an object-based image analysis (OBIA) workflow which consists of image segmentation and automated threshold selection for classification using the Excess Green Vegetation Index (ExG). The automated workflow is tested with ten different scenes. Compared to a manual classification, grass and eroded areas are classified with an overall accuracy between 90.7% and 95.5%, depending on the scene. The methods proved to be insensitive to differences in illumination of the scenes and greenness of the grass. The proposed workflow reduces user interaction and is transferable to other study areas. We conclude that close-range photogrammetry is a valuable low-cost tool for mapping this type of eroded areas in the field with a high level of detail and quality. In future, the output will be used as ground truth for an area-wide mapping of eroded areas in coarser resolution aerial orthophotos acquired at the same time.
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Earthquake parametrics based protection for microfinance disaster management in Indonesia
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sedayo, M. H.; Damanik, R.
2017-07-01
Financial institutions included microfinance institutions those lend money to people also face the risk when catastrophe event hit their operation area. Liquidity risk when withdrawal amount and Non Performance Loan (NPL) hiking fast in the same time could hit their cash flow. There are products in market that provide backup fund for this kind of situation. Microfinance institution needs a guideline too make contingency plan in their disaster management program. We develop a probabilistic seismic hazard, index and zonation map as a tool to help in making financial disaster impact reduction program for microfinance in Indonesia. GMPE was used to estimate PGA for each Kabupaten points. PGA to MMI conversion was done by applied empirical relationship. We used loan distribution data from Financial Service Authority and Bank Indonesia as exposure in indexing. Index level from this study could be use as rank of urgency. Probabilistic hazard map was used to pricing two backup scenarios and to make a zonation. We proposed three zones with annual average cost 0.0684‰, 0.4236‰ and 1.4064 for first scenario and 0.3588‰, 2.6112‰, and 6.0816‰ for second scenario.
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Mapping the literature of medical-surgical nursing.
Taylor, Mary K
2006-04-01
Medical-surgical or adult health nursing is a complex specialty that requires a wide-ranging literature to inform its research and practice. Several excellent qualitative aids exist for collection development for this field, but quantitative studies are few. While one bibliometric study of journals exists, no recent work had been done in this area. The Mapping the Literature of Nursing Project protocol was used. Four source journals were selected, and a citation analysis of articles from 1996 to 1998 was conducted. A list of the most frequently cited journals was created, using Bradford's Law of Scattering. The list demonstrates that 1.2% of the cited medical-surgical nursing journals produced just over 33% of the citations. PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Science Citation Index provided the most complete indexing coverage of all of the journals, with CINAHL providing the most complete coverage of nursing journals. Books were the second-most cited format. Citation analysis of journal articles is a useful aid for selecting journals for medical-surgical nursing collections, but it did not prove to be as useful for selecting materials in other formats. Indexes in addition to PubMed/MEDLINE are necessary to provide access to the journal literature serving this specialty.
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Lymphatic filariasis transmission risk map of India, based on a geo-environmental risk model.
Sabesan, Shanmugavelu; Raju, Konuganti Hari Kishan; Subramanian, Swaminathan; Srivastava, Pradeep Kumar; Jambulingam, Purushothaman
2013-09-01
The strategy adopted by a global program to interrupt transmission of lymphatic filariasis (LF) is mass drug administration (MDA) using chemotherapy. India also followed this strategy by introducing MDA in the historically known endemic areas. All other areas, which remained unsurveyed, were presumed to be nonendemic and left without any intervention. Therefore, identification of LF transmission risk areas in the entire country has become essential so that they can be targeted for intervention. A geo-environmental risk model (GERM) developed earlier was used to create a filariasis transmission risk map for India. In this model, a Standardized Filariasis Transmission Risk Index (SFTRI, based on geo-environmental risk variables) was used as a predictor of transmission risk. The relationship between SFTRI and endemicity (historically known) of an area was quantified by logistic regression analysis. The quantified relationship was validated by assessing the filarial antigenemia status of children living in the unsurveyed areas through a ground truth study. A significant positive relationship was observed between SFTRI and the endemicity of an area. Overall, the model prediction of filarial endemic status of districts was found to be correct in 92.8% of the total observations. Thus, among the 190 districts hitherto unsurveyed, as many as 113 districts were predicted to be at risk, and the remaining at no risk. The GERM developed on geographic information system (GIS) platform is useful for LF spatial delimitation on a macrogeographic/regional scale. Furthermore, the risk map developed will be useful for the national LF elimination program by identifying areas at risk for intervention and for undertaking surveillance in no-risk areas.
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Climate services for adapting landslide hazard prevention measures in the Vrancea Seismic Region
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Micu, Dana; Balteanu, Dan; Jurchescu, Marta; Sima, Mihaela; Micu, Mihai
2014-05-01
The Vrancea Seismic Region is covering an area of about 8 000 km2 in the Romanian Curvature Carpathians and Subcarpathians and it is considered one of Europe's most intensely multi-hazard-affected areas. Due to its geomorphic traits (heterogeneous morphostructural units of flysch mountains and molasse hills and depressions), the area is strongly impacted by extreme hydro-meteorological events which are potentially enhancing the numerous damages inflicted to a dense network of human settlements. An a priori knowledge of future climate change is a useful climate service for local authorities to develop regional adapting strategies and adequate prevention/preparedness frameworks. This paper aims at integrating the results of the high-resolution climate projections over the 21st century (within the FP7 ECLISE project) into the regional landslide hazard assessment. The requirements of users (Civil Protection, Land management, local authorities) for this area refer to reliable and high-resolution spatial data on landslide and flood hazard for short and medium-term risk management strategies. An insight into the future behavior of climate variability in the Vrancea Seismic Region, based on future climate projections of three regional models, under three RCPs (2.6, 4.5, 8.6), suggests a clear warming, both annually and seasonally and a rather limited annual precipitation decrease, but with a strong change of seasonality. A landslide inventory of 2485 cases (shallow and medium seated earth, debris and rock slides and earth and debris flows) was obtained based on large scale geomorphological mapping and aerial photos support (GeoEye, DigitalGlobe; provided by GoogleEarth and BingMaps). The landslides are uniformly distributed across the area, being considered representative for the entire morphostructural environment. Landslide susceptibility map was obtained using multivariate statistical analysis (logistic regression), while a relative landslide hazard index was computed based on semi-quantitative spatial multi-criteria evaluation (SMCE). The generation of the landslide hazard maps relies on the heuristic approach, since a historical record of landslide occurrences, necessary to produce magnitude-frequency relations, is lacking. Based on the assumption of Sanderson et al. (1996) that slopes' morphology has adjusted, since the last glaciation, to the region's "normal" climatic conditions in all aspects including failures, it becomes clear that an extreme character of precipitation would be highly likely to generate landslides. Therefore, in order to represent the landslides triggering factor, raster maps for both time horizons (present and future) as simulated within each climate scenario have been used to illustrate the probabilistic seasonal precipitation amounts expected within a 30-year and a 100-year return period respectively. These maps, considered reliable indicators for depicting the changes in landslide occurrence probability, were standardized according to their contribution to hazard before being included in the SMCE together with the susceptibility map. The resulted hazard index maps for the two time horizons were compared aiming at detecting the future potential climate-induced changes in the spatial patterns of landslide occurrence. The outcomes mostly meet the requirements for updating the regional landslide risk management strategies.
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Support mechanisms for oil spill accident response in costal lagoon areas (Ria de Aveiro, Portugal)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Oliveira, Eduardo R.; Silveira, Bruno; Alves, Fátima L.
2014-10-01
Oil spill accidents can be caused by several risk factors associated to maritime transport and port activities, which cannot always be predicted or controlled. Therefore, it is essential to support prevention and contingency plans, whose effectiveness is crucial to produce adequate responses and minimize resulting impacts. Ria de Aveiro (Portugal) is a wide coastal lagoon, within a densely populated area, representing a concentration of important biodiversity resources and several economic activities. This paper presents alternative methodologies to support the optimization of civil protection assets in the occurrence of oil spill events and the results of their application on a section area of the Aveiro Lagoon, using an established geographic information system database containing crucial data. The presented methodologies are based on the Environmental Sensitivity Index developed by the North American National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (USA) and the Global Vulnerability Index which were applied on the Bay of Biscay (Spain). However, during the development of this work, neither of these methodologies was considered to entirely assess the study area in its full extent, which led to the need to adapt and define a bespoke approach. The introduced changes include extra categories in shoreline classification, an adapted physical vulnerability index for coastal lagoons, differentiated aspects for highly protected status areas, qualitative assessment of socioeconomic features and an access and operability index created to support emergency operation response. The resulting maps are the subject of analysis, in which considerations regarding control and cleanup methods are introduced, together with guidelines for further integration in local risk management strategies.
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Converse, Alexander K.; Aubert, Yves; Farhoud, Mohammed; Weichert, Jamey P.; Rowland, Ian J.; Ingrisano, Nicole M.; Allers, Kelly A.; Sommer, Bernd; Abbott, David H.
2013-01-01
As part of a larger experiment investigating serotonergic regulation of female marmoset sexual behavior, this study was designed to (1) advance methods for PET imaging of common marmoset monkey brain, (2) measure normalized FDG uptake as an index of local cerebral metabolic rates for glucose, and (3) study changes induced in this index of cerebral glucose metabolism by chronic treatment of female marmosets with a serotonin 1A receptor (5-HT1A) agonist. We hypothesized that chronic treatment with the 5-HT1A agonist 8-OH-DPAT would alter the glucose metabolism index in dorsal raphe (DR), medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), medial preoptic area of hypothalamus (mPOA), ventromedial nucleus of hypothalamus (VMH), and field CA1 of hippocampus. Eight adult ovariectomized female common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) were studied with and without estradiol replacement. In a crossover design, each subject was treated daily with 8-OH-DPAT (0.1 mg/kg SC daily) or saline. After 42–49 days of treatment, the glucose metabolism radiotracer FDG was administered to each female immediately prior to 30 min of interaction with her male pairmate, after which the subject was anesthetized and imaged by PET. Whole brain normalized PET images were analyzed with anatomically defined regions of interest (ROI). Whole brain voxelwise mapping was also used to explore treatment effects and correlations between alterations in the glucose metabolism index and pairmate interactions. The rank order of normalized FDG uptake was VMH/mPOA>DR>mPFC/CA1 in both conditions. 8-OH-DPAT did not induce alterations in the glucose metabolism index in ROIs. Voxelwise mapping showed a significant reduction in normalized FDG uptake in response to 8-OH-DPAT in a cluster in medial occipital cortex as well as a significant correlation between increased rejection of mount attempts and reduced normalized FDG uptake in an overlapping cluster. In conclusion, PET imaging has been used to measure FDG uptake relative to whole brain in marmoset monkeys. Voxelwise mapping shows that 8-OH-DPAT reduces this index of glucose metabolism in medial occipital cortex, consistent with alterations in female sexual behavior. PMID:22233732
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Borka Jovanović, V.; Jovanović, P.; Borka, D.
2017-04-01
We use radio-continuum all-sky surveys at 1420 and 408 MHz with the aim to investigate properties of the Galactic radio source Lupus Loop. The survey data at 1435 MHz, with the linear polarization of the southern sky, are also used. We calculate properties of this supernova remnant: the brightness temperature, surface brightness and radio spectral index. To determine its borders and to calculate its properties, we use the method we have developed. The non-thermal nature of its radiation is confirmed. The distribution of spectral index over its area is also given. A significant correlation between the radio spectral index distribution and the corresponding polarized intensity distribution inside the loop borders is found, indicating that the polarization maps could provide us information about the distribution of the interstellar medium, and thus could represent one additional way to search for new Galactic loops.
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Finding Your Way with Map and Compass
,
2001-01-01
A topographic map tells you where things are and how to get to them, whether you're hiking, biking, hunting, fishing, or just interested in the world around you. These maps describe the shape of the land. They define and locate natural and manmade features like woodlands, waterways, important buildings, and bridges. They show the distance between any two places, and they also show the direction from one point to another. Distances and directions take a bit of figuring, but the topography and features of the land are easy to determine. The topography is shown by contours. These are imaginary lines that follow the ground surface at a constant elevation; they are usually printed in brown, in two thicknesses. The heavier lines are called index contours, and they are usually marked with numbers that give the height in feet or meters. The contour interval, a set difference in elevation between the brown lines, varies from map to map; its value is given in the margin of each map. Contour lines that are close together represent steep slopes. Natural and manmade features are represented by colored areas and by a set of standard symbols on all U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) topographic maps. Woodlands, for instance, are shown in a green tint; waterways, in blue. Buildings may be shown on the map as black squares or outlines. Recent changes in an area may be shown by a purple overprint. A road may be printed in red or black solid or dashed lines, depending on its size and surface. A list of symbols is available from the Earth Science Information Center (ESIC).
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chow, Candace; Twele, André; Martinis, Sandro
2016-10-01
Flood extent maps derived from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data can communicate spatially-explicit information in a timely and cost-effective manner to support disaster management. Automated processing chains for SAR-based flood mapping have the potential to substantially reduce the critical time delay between the delivery of post-event satellite data and the subsequent provision of satellite derived crisis information to emergency management authorities. However, the accuracy of SAR-based flood mapping can vary drastically due to the prevalent land cover and topography of a given scene. While expert-based image interpretation with the consideration of contextual information can effectively isolate flood surface features, a fully-automated feature differentiation algorithm mainly based on the grey levels of a given pixel is comparatively more limited for features with similar SAR-backscattering characteristics. The inclusion of ancillary data in the automatic classification procedure can effectively reduce instances of misclassification. In this work, a near-global `Height Above Nearest Drainage' (HAND) index [10] was calculated with digital elevation data and drainage directions from the HydroSHEDS mapping project [2]. The index can be used to separate flood-prone regions from areas with a low probability of flood occurrence. Based on the HAND-index, an exclusion mask was computed to reduce water look-alikes with respect to the hydrologictopographic setting. The applicability of this near-global ancillary data set for the thematic improvement of Sentinel-1 and TerraSAR-X based services for flood and surface water monitoring has been validated both qualitatively and quantitatively. Application of a HAND-based exclusion mask resulted in improvements to the classification accuracy of SAR scenes with high amounts of water look-alikes and considerable elevation differences.
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Fuel models and fire potential from satellite and surface observations
Burgan, R.E.; Klaver, R.W.; Klarer, J.M.
1998-01-01
A national 1-km resolution fire danger fuel model map was derived through use of previously mapped land cover classes and ecoregions, and extensive ground sample data, then refined through review by fire managers familiar with various portions of the U.S. The fuel model map will be used in the next generation fire danger rating system for the U.S., but it also made possible immediate development of a satellite and ground based fire potential index map. The inputs and algorithm of the fire potential index are presented, along with a case study of the correlation between the fire potential index and fire occurrence in California and Nevada. Application of the fire potential index in the Mediterranean ecosystems of Spain, Chile, and Mexico will be tested.
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Fernández-Somoano, Ana; Hoek, Gerard; Tardon, Adonina
2013-01-25
Socioeconomic variables are associated with mortality and morbidity in a variety of diseases at both the individual and neighborhood level. Investigating whether low socioeconomic status populations are exposed to higher air pollution has been an important objective for the scientific community during the last decade. The goal of this study was to analyze the associations between outdoor nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations in an area of Asturias (Spain) and two socioeconomic indexes-one based on occupation and the other on educational level at the census-tract level. A map of NO2 concentration was obtained from a land-use regression model. To obtain a census-tract average value, NO2 was estimated at the centroids of all 50 × 50 grids within a census tract. Standard socioeconomic variables were used from the Census of Population and Housing 2001. We analyzed the association between NO2 concentration and socioeconomic indicators for the entire area and stratified for more urban and more rural areas. A positive linear relationship was found between the levels of education and NO2 exposure in the urban area and the overall study area, but no association was found in the rural area. A positive association between socioeconomic index based upon occupation and NO2 concentration was found in urban areas; however, this association was reversed in the rural and overall study areas. The strength and direction of the association between socioeconomic status and NO2 concentration depended on the socioeconomic indicator used and the characteristics of the study area (urban, rural). More research is needed with different scenarios to clarify the uncertain relationship among socioeconomic indexes, particularly in non-urban areas, where little has been documented on this topic.
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Landslide Susceptibility Index Determination Using Aritificial Neural Network
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kawabata, D.; Bandibas, J.; Urai, M.
2004-12-01
The occurrence of landslide is the result of the interaction of complex and diverse environmental factors. The geomorphic features, rock types and geologic structure are especially important base factors of the landslide occurrence. Generating landslide susceptibility index by defining the relationship between landslide occurrence and that base factors using conventional mathematical and statistical methods is very difficult and inaccurate. This study focuses on generating landslide susceptibility index using artificial neural networks in Southern Japanese Alps. The training data are geomorphic (e.g. altitude, slope and aspect) and geologic parameters (e.g. rock type, distance from geologic boundary and geologic dip-strike angle) and landslides. Artificial neural network structure and training scheme are formulated to generate the index. Data from areas with and without landslide occurrences are used to train the network. The network is trained to output 1 when the input data are from areas with landslides and 0 when no landslide occurred. The trained network generates an output ranging from 0 to 1 reflecting the possibility of landslide occurrence based on the inputted data. Output values nearer to 1 means higher possibility of landslide occurrence. The artificial neural network model is incorporated into the GIS software to generate a landslide susceptibility map.
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Li, Meng-Jiao; Ge, Miao; Wang, Cong-Xia; Cen, Min-Yi; Jiang, Ji-Lin; He, Jin-Wei; Lin, Qian-Yi; Liu, Xin
2016-08-20
To analyze the relationship between the reference values of fibrinogen (FIB) in healthy Chinese adults and geographical factors to provide scientific evidences for establishing the uniform standard. The reference values of FIB of 10701 Chinese healthy adults from 103 cities were collected to investigate their relationship with 18 geographical factors including spatial index, terrain index, climate index, and soil index. Geographical factors that significantly correlated with the reference values were selected for constructing the BP neural network model. The spatial distribution map of the reference value of FIB of healthy Chinese adults was fitted by disjunctive kriging interpolation. We used the 5-layer neural network and selected 2000 times of training covering 11 hidden layers to build the simulation rule for simulating the relationship between FIB and geographical environmental factors using the MATLAB software. s The reference value of FIB in healthy Chinese adults was significantly correlated with the latitude, sunshine duration, annual average temperature, annual average relative humidity, annual precipitation, annual range of air temperature, average annual soil gravel content, and soil cation exchange capacity (silt). The artificial neural networks were created to analyze the simulation of the selected indicators of geographical factors. The spatial distribution map of the reference values of FIB in healthy Chinese adults showed a distribution pattern that FIB levels were higher in the South and lower in the North, and higher in the East and lower in the West. When the geographical factors of a certain area are known, the reference values of FIB in healthy Chinese adults can be obtained by establishing the neural network mode or plotting the spatial distribution map.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bandyopadhyay, Shreya; de, Sunil Kumar
2014-05-01
In the present paper an attempt has been made to propose RS-GIS based method for erosion vulnerability zonation for the entire river based on simple techniques that requires very less field investigation. This method consist of 8 parameters, such as, rainfall erosivity, lithological factor, bank slope, meander index, river gradient, soil erosivity, vegetation cover and anthropogenic impact. Meteorological data, GSI maps, LISS III (30m resolution), SRTM DEM (56m resolution) and Google Images have been used to determine rainfall erosivity, lithological factor, bank slope, meander index, river gradient, vegetation cover and anthropogenic impact; Soil map of the NBSSLP, India has been used for assessing Soil Erosivity index. By integrating the individual values of those six parameters (the 1st two parameters are remained constant for this particular study area) a bank erosion vulnerability zonation map of the River Haora, Tripura, India (23°37' - 23°53'N and 91°15'-91°37'E) has been prepared. The values have been compared with the existing BEHI-NBS method of 60 spots and also with field data of 30 cross sections (covering the 60 spots) taken along 51 km stretch of the river in Indian Territory and found that the estimated values are matching with the existing method as well as with field data. The whole stretch has been divided into 5 hazard zones, i.e. Very High, High, Moderate, Low and Very Low Hazard Zones and they are covering 5.66 km, 16.81 km, 40.82km, 29.67 km and 9.04 km respectively. KEY WORDS: Bank erosion, Bank Erosion Hazard Index (BEHI), Near Bank Stress (NBS), Erosivity, Bank Erosion Vulnerability Zonation.
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A spherical electron-channelling pattern map for use in quartz petrofabric analysis
Lloyd, G.E.; Ferguson, C.C.
1986-01-01
Electron channelling patterns (ECP's) are formed in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) by the interaction between the incident electrons and the lattice of crystalline specimens. The patterns are unique for a particular crystallographic orientation and are therefore of considerable potential in petrofabric studies provided they can be accurately indexed. Indexing requires an ECP-map of the crystallographic stereogram or unit triangle covering all possible orientations and hence ECP patterns. Due to the presence of long-range distortions in planar ECP-maps, it is more convenient to construct the maps over a spherical surface. This also facilitates the indexing of individual ECP's. A spherical ECP-map for quartz is presented together with an example of its use in petrofabric analysis. ?? 1986.
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Matching soil grid unit resolutions with polygon unit scales for DNDC modelling of regional SOC pool
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhang, H. D.; Yu, D. S.; Ni, Y. L.; Zhang, L. M.; Shi, X. Z.
2015-03-01
Matching soil grid unit resolution with polygon unit map scale is important to minimize uncertainty of regional soil organic carbon (SOC) pool simulation as their strong influences on the uncertainty. A series of soil grid units at varying cell sizes were derived from soil polygon units at the six map scales of 1:50 000 (C5), 1:200 000 (D2), 1:500 000 (P5), 1:1 000 000 (N1), 1:4 000 000 (N4) and 1:14 000 000 (N14), respectively, in the Tai lake region of China. Both format soil units were used for regional SOC pool simulation with DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC) process-based model, which runs span the time period 1982 to 2000 at the six map scales, respectively. Four indices, soil type number (STN) and area (AREA), average SOC density (ASOCD) and total SOC stocks (SOCS) of surface paddy soils simulated with the DNDC, were attributed from all these soil polygon and grid units, respectively. Subjecting to the four index values (IV) from the parent polygon units, the variation of an index value (VIV, %) from the grid units was used to assess its dataset accuracy and redundancy, which reflects uncertainty in the simulation of SOC. Optimal soil grid unit resolutions were generated and suggested for the DNDC simulation of regional SOC pool, matching with soil polygon units map scales, respectively. With the optimal raster resolution the soil grid units dataset can hold the same accuracy as its parent polygon units dataset without any redundancy, when VIV < 1% of all the four indices was assumed as criteria to the assessment. An quadratic curve regression model y = -8.0 × 10-6x2 + 0.228x + 0.211 (R2 = 0.9994, p < 0.05) was revealed, which describes the relationship between optimal soil grid unit resolution (y, km) and soil polygon unit map scale (1:x). The knowledge may serve for grid partitioning of regions focused on the investigation and simulation of SOC pool dynamics at certain map scale.
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Soil Erosion Risk Map based on irregularity of the vegetative activity
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Saa-Requejo, Antonio; Tarquis, Ana Maria; Martín-Sotoca, Juan J.; Valencia, Jose L.; Gobin, Anne; Rodriguez-Sinobas, Leonor
2016-04-01
Because of the difficulties to build on both daily rainfall and base shorter time, we explored the possibilities of building indexes based on land cover, which also provide us the opportunity to evaluate their evolution over time. We consider the Fournier index (Fournier, 1960) which is used to assess the rainfall erosivity based on monthly rainfall, alternatively to use of the rainfall intensity in time bases under one hour (eg., van der Knijff et al., 1999; Shamshad et al, 2008). This index can also be interpreted as an index of irregularity and representing a ratio between maximum monthly precipitation and annual rainfall. We propose to calculate this irregularity in terms of irregularity of the vegetative activity. This activity is related to precipitation, but also with the availability of water in the soil reservoir and land use. Therefore, we propose a kind of Fournier index on the effective use of water, which is also closely related to variations in infiltration. Higher is the presence of vegetation higher is the effective use of water. For this "modified Fourier index" we used the NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) as index of available vegetative activity, which is widely reported in the literature (Jensen, 2000). Initial calculations have been done with MODIS 500 x 500 m satellite data. The selected area was Cega-Eresma-Adaja subbasin during the period from 2009 to 2012. We selected 8 days composite images product. The calculation of the valid values to eliminate areas with clouds or snow is performed according to the criteria of Martinez Sotoca (2014), ie with a Saturation (based on HSL color model) greater or equal to 0.15. Then, an average of these values was estimated to represent each month of the year. The results are very interesting when we compare Modified Fournier Index on NDVIs with the map of potential soil loss. We have found surprisingly similar patterns and practical equivalence between several classes. Therefore, the Modified Fournier Index on NDVI values seems to synthesize the different parameters of the USLE, referring to rainfall, soil, geomorphology and vegetation cover. Acknowledgements Authors are grateful to TALE project (CICYT PCIN-2014-080) and DURERO project (Env.C1.3913442) for their financial support. References Fournier, F. (1960), Climat et erosion. P.U.F. Paris. Jensen, J.R. (2000). Remote Sensing of the Environment: An Earth Resource Perpective, Prentice Hall, New Jersey. Martínez Sotoca, J. J. (2014) estructura espacial de la sequía en pastos y sus aplicaciones en el seguro agrario indexado. (In Spanish) Master Thesis, UPM. Shamshad, A., Azhari M.N., Isaac, M.H., wan Hussin, W.M.A., Parida, B.P.. (2008). Development of an appropriate procedure for estimation of RUSLE EI30 index and preparation of erosivity maps for Pulau Penang in Peninsular Malaysia. Catena, 72, 423-432. van der Knijff, J.M., Jones, R.J.A., Montanarella, L. (1999). Soil Erosion Risk Assessment Italy Soil Erosion Risk Assessment in Italy. European Commission Soil Bureau Joint Research Centre European Commission. EUR 19022EN.
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Indoor radon mapping and its relation to geology in Hungary
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Minda, Mihály; Tóth, György; Horváth, István; Barnet, Ivan; Hámori, Krisztián; Tóth, Eszter
2009-04-01
Indoor radon mapping may show stronger dependence on geological formations if the measured homes are one-storied houses with no basement. In Hungary, 17,244 homes were investigated on the yearly average of indoor radon concentrations; among these homes, there were 6,154, one-storied, no-basement houses. In Hungary, 21 geological units were created relevant for indoor radon index characterized by lithology, the position of the ground water table, and the gas permeability. Maps were drawn of different topography (counties, grid, geological units) and different values (maximum, mean, indoor radon indexes). A kind of standardization of houses was that only the one-storied, no-basement ones were chosen, but from geological point of view some more information was gained when the wall materials (bricks or adobe) were also taken into account. (“Adobe” is made of clay and straw in Hungary, and not burned as brick, just dried on sunshine). Enhanced indoor radon values can be observed on the bedrock of Cenozoic volcanic rocks and their eroded materials deposited on the local alluvial valleys. Another group with relatively increased indoor radon values can be connected to granite bodies. The grid method is useful for covering large state or even continental areas. For practical public use and detailed radon risk mapping geological or administrative unit-systems could yield more reasonable and useful results.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Hwang, Y; Lin, Y; Tsai, C
Purpose: The objective of this study is to develop quantitative calibration between image quality indexes and iodine concentration with dual-energy (DE) contrast-enhanced digital mammography (CEDM) techniques and further serve as the assistance for diagnosis. Methods: Custom-made acrylic phantom with dimensions of 24×30 cm{sup 2} simulated breast thickness from 2 to 6 cm was used in the calibration. The phantom contained matrix of four times four holes of 3 mm deep with a diameter of 15 mm for filling contrast agent with area density ranged from 0.1 to 10 mg/cm{sup 2}. All the image acquisitions were performed on a full-field digitalmore » mammography system (Senographe Essential, GE) with dual energy acquisitions. Mean pixel value (MPV), and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were used for evaluating the relationship between image quality indexes and iodine concentration. Iodine map and CNR map could further be constructed with these calibration curves applied pixel by pixel utilized MATLAB software. Minimum iodine concentration could also be calculated with the visibility threshold of CNR=5 according the Rose model. Results: When evaluating the DE subtraction images, MPV increased linearly as the iodine concentration increased with all the phantom thickness surveyed (R{sup 2} between 0.989 and 0.992). Lesions with increased iodine uptake could thus be enhanced in the color-encoded iodine maps, and the mean iodine concentration could be obtained through the ROI measurements. As for investigating CNR performance, linear relationships were also shown between the iodine concentration and CNR (R{sup 2} between 0.983 and 0.990). Minimum iodine area density of 1.45, 1.73, 1.80, 1.73 and 1.72 mg/cm{sup 2} for phantom thickness of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 cm were calculated based on Rose’s visualization criteria. Conclusion: Quantitative calibration between image quality indexes and iodine concentrations may further serving as the assistance for analyzing contrast enhancement for patient participating the dual energy CEDM procedures.« less
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Akgün, Aykut; Türk, Necdet
2011-09-01
Erosion is one of the most important natural hazard phenomena in the world, and it poses a significant threat to Turkey in terms of land degredation and desertification. To cope with this problem, we must determine which areas are erosion-prone. Many studies have been carried out and different models and methods have been used to this end. In this study, we used a logistic regression to prepare an erosion susceptibility map for the Ayvalık region in Balıkesir (NW Turkey). The following were our assessment parameters: weathering grades of rocks, slope gradient, structural lineament density, drainage density, land cover, stream power index (SPI) and profile curvature. These were processed by Idrisi Kilimanjaro GIS software. We used logistic regression analysis to relate predictor variables to the occurrence or non-occurrence of gully erosion sites within geographic cells, and then we used this relationship to produce a probability map for future erosion sites. The results indicate that lineament density, weathering grades of rocks and drainage density are the most important variables governing erosion susceptibility. Other variables, such as land cover and slope gradient, were revealed as secondary important variables. Highly weathered basalt, andesite, basaltic andesite and lacustrine sediments were the units most susceptible to erosion. In order to calculate the prediction accuracy of the erosion susceptibility map generated, we compared it with the map showing the gully erosion areas. On the basis of this comparison, the area under curvature (AUC) value was found to be 0.81. This result suggests that the erosion susceptibility map we generated is accurate.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Souza Silva, Marconi; Martins, Rogério Parentoni; Ferreira, Rodrigo Lopes
2015-02-01
Cave environments are characterized by possessing specialized fauna living in high environmental stability with limited food conditions. These fauna are highly vulnerable to impacts, because this condition can frequently be easily altered. Moreover, environmental determinants of the biodiversity patterns of caves remain poorly understood and protected. Therefore, the main goal of this work is to propose a cave conservation priority index (CCPi) for a rapid assessment for troglobiotic and troglophile protection. Furthermore, the troglobiotic diversity, distribution and threats have been mapped in the Brazilian Atlantic forest. To propose the CCPi, the human impacts and richness of troglobiotic and troglophile species of 100 caves were associated. Data related to troglomorphic/troglobiotic fauna from another 200 caves were used to map the troglobiotic diversity and distribution. The CCPi reveals extremely high conservation priority for 15 % of the caves, high for 36 % and average for 46 % of the caves. Fourteen caves with extremely high priorities should have urgent conservation and management actions. The geographical distribution of the 221 known troglobiotic/troglomorphic species allowed us to select 19 karst areas that need conservation actions. Seven areas were considered to have urgent priority for conservation actions. The two richest areas correspond to the "iron quadrangle" with iron ore caves (67 spp.) and the "Açungui limestone group" (56 spp.). Both areas have several caves and are important aquifers. The use of the CCPi can prevent future losses because it helps assessors to select caves with priorities for conservation which should receive emergency attention in relation to protection, management and conservation actions.
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Geomorphic Flood Area (GFA): a DEM-based tool for flood susceptibility mapping at large scales
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Manfreda, S.; Samela, C.; Albano, R.; Sole, A.
2017-12-01
Flood hazard and risk mapping over large areas is a critical issue. Recently, many researchers are trying to achieve a global scale mapping encountering several difficulties, above all the lack of data and implementation costs. In data scarce environments, a preliminary and cost-effective floodplain delineation can be performed using geomorphic methods (e.g., Manfreda et al., 2014). We carried out several years of research on this topic, proposing a morphologic descriptor named Geomorphic Flood Index (GFI) (Samela et al., 2017) and developing a Digital Elevation Model (DEM)-based procedure able to identify flood susceptible areas. The procedure exhibited high accuracy in several test sites in Europe, United States and Africa (Manfreda et al., 2015; Samela et al., 2016, 2017) and has been recently implemented in a QGIS plugin named Geomorphic Flood Area (GFA) - tool. The tool allows to automatically compute the GFI, and turn it into a linear binary classifier capable of detecting flood-prone areas. To train this classifier, an inundation map derived using hydraulic models for a small portion of the basin is required (the minimum is 2% of the river basin's area). In this way, the GFA-tool allows to extend the classification of the flood-prone areas across the entire basin. We are also defining a simplified procedure for the estimation of the river depth, which may be helpful for large-scale analyses to approximatively evaluate the expected flood damages in the surrounding areas. ReferencesManfreda, S., Nardi, F., Samela, C., Grimaldi, S., Taramasso, A. C., Roth, G., & Sole, A. (2014). Investigation on the use of geomorphic approaches for the delineation of flood prone areas. J. Hydrol., 517, 863-876. Manfreda, S., Samela, C., Gioia, A., Consoli, G., Iacobellis, V., Giuzio, L., & Sole, A. (2016). Flood-prone areas assessment using linear binary classifiers based on flood maps obtained from 1D and 2D hydraulic models. Nat. Hazards, Vol. 79 (2), pp 735-754. Samela, C., Manfreda, S., Paola, F. D., Giugni, M., Sole, A., & Fiorentino, M. (2016). DEM-Based Approaches for the Delineation of Flood-Prone Areas in an Ungauged Basin in Africa. J. Hydrol. Eng,, 06015010. Samela, C., Troy, T. J., & Manfreda, S. (2017a). Geomorphic classifiers for flood-prone areas delineation for data-scarce environments. Adv. Water Resour., 102, 13-28.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Gaston, G.G.; Kolchugina, T.P.
1995-12-01
Forty-two regions with similar vegetation and landcover were identified in the former Soviet Union (FSU) by classifying Global Vegetation Index (GVI) images. Image classes were described in terms of vegetation and landcover. Image classes appear to provide more accurate and precise descriptions for most ecosystems when compared to general thematic maps. The area of forest lands were estimated at 1,330 Mha and the actual area of forest ecosystems at 875 Mha. Arable lands were estimated to be 211 Mha. The area of the tundra biome was estimated at 261 Mha. The areas of the forest-tundra/dwarf forest, taiga, mixed-deciduous forest andmore » forest-steppe biomes were estimated t 153, 882, 196, and 144 Mha, respectively. The areas of desert-semidesert biome and arable land with irrigated land and meadows, were estimated at 126 and 237 Mha, respectively. Vegetation and landcover types were associated with the Bazilevich database of phytomass and NPP for vegetation in the FSU. The phytomass in the FSU was estimated at 97.1 Gt C, with 86.8 in forest vegetation, 9.7 in natural non-forest and 0.6 Gt C in arable lands. The NPP was estimated at 8.6 Gt C/yr, with 3.2, 4.8, and 0.6 Gt C/yr of forest, natural non-forest, and arable ecosystems, respectively. The phytomass estimates for forests were greater than previous assessments which considered the age-class distribution of forest stands in the FSU. The NPP of natural ecosystems estimated in this study was 23% greater than previous estimates which used thematic maps to identify ecosystems. 47 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs.« less
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Naghibi, Seyed Amir; Moghaddam, Davood Davoodi; Kalantar, Bahareh; Pradhan, Biswajeet; Kisi, Ozgur
2017-05-01
In recent years, application of ensemble models has been increased tremendously in various types of natural hazard assessment such as landslides and floods. However, application of this kind of robust models in groundwater potential mapping is relatively new. This study applied four data mining algorithms including AdaBoost, Bagging, generalized additive model (GAM), and Naive Bayes (NB) models to map groundwater potential. Then, a novel frequency ratio data mining ensemble model (FREM) was introduced and evaluated. For this purpose, eleven groundwater conditioning factors (GCFs), including altitude, slope aspect, slope angle, plan curvature, stream power index (SPI), river density, distance from rivers, topographic wetness index (TWI), land use, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and lithology were mapped. About 281 well locations with high potential were selected. Wells were randomly partitioned into two classes for training the models (70% or 197) and validating them (30% or 84). AdaBoost, Bagging, GAM, and NB algorithms were employed to get groundwater potential maps (GPMs). The GPMs were categorized into potential classes using natural break method of classification scheme. In the next stage, frequency ratio (FR) value was calculated for the output of the four aforementioned models and were summed, and finally a GPM was produced using FREM. For validating the models, area under receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was calculated. The ROC curve for prediction dataset was 94.8, 93.5, 92.6, 92.0, and 84.4% for FREM, Bagging, AdaBoost, GAM, and NB models, respectively. The results indicated that FREM had the best performance among all the models. The better performance of the FREM model could be related to reduction of over fitting and possible errors. Other models such as AdaBoost, Bagging, GAM, and NB also produced acceptable performance in groundwater modelling. The GPMs produced in the current study may facilitate groundwater exploitation by determining high and very high groundwater potential zones.
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A Different Approach to Preparing Novakian Concept Maps: The Indexing Method
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Turan Oluk, Nurcan; Ekmekci, Güler
2016-01-01
People who claim that applying Novakian concept maps in Turkish is problematic base their arguments largely upon the structural differences between the English and Turkish languages. This study aims to introduce the indexing method to eliminate problems encountered in Turkish applications of Novakian maps and to share the preliminary results of…
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Characteristics of and Areas Contributing Recharge to Public-Supply Springs in Massachusetts
Hansen, Bruce P.; Smith, Kirk P.
2004-01-01
The geohydrologic and physical characteristics were determined for 28 public-supply springs, 27 of which are in western Massachusetts. Discharge ranged from zero at various small intermittent springs to more than 240 gallons per minute at Waubeeka Springs in Williamstown, Massachusetts. To determine the annual variability of spring discharge, discharge from 12 springs was measured during different seasonal conditions from June 2001 to November 2002, and the discharge from Red Mill Spring in Clarksburg, Massachusetts was recorded continuously from April 2002 to November 2002. The area contributing recharge to each spring was delineated on the basis of the geohydrologic conditions determined from reconnaissance investigations; these areas ranged from 0.010 to 0.682 square mile. Ground-water recharge, estimated on the basis of average discharge and the areas contributing recharge, ranged from 0.5 to 24.4 inches per year. High ground-water recharge rates for some of the high-discharge springs indicate that the areas contributing recharge for these springs may be too small. Detailed water-table mapping in the vicinity of two low-discharge springs indicates that the area contributing recharge to some of the smaller springs may be smaller than the area indicated by reconnaissance investigation. Monthly flow durations and low flow statistics were determined for the index streamflow-gaging stations for a 25-year period from 1976 to 2000. Annual hydrographs were prepared for each index station from median streamflows at the 50-percent monthly flow duration, normalized by drainage area. A median monthly flow of 1 ft3/s/mi2 was used to split hydrographs into a high-flow period (November?May), and a low-flow period (June?October). The hydrographs were used to classify index stations into groups with similar median monthly flow durations. Index stations were divided into four regional groups, roughly paralleling the coast, to characterize streamflows for November to May; and into two groups, on the basis of base-flow index and percentage of sand and gravel in the contributing area, for June to October.
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Technical structure of the global nanoscience and nanotechnology literature
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kostoff, Ronald N.; Koytcheff, Raymond G.; Lau, Clifford G. Y.
2007-10-01
Text mining was used to extract technical intelligence from the open source global nanotechnology and nanoscience research literature. An extensive nanotechnology/nanoscience-focused query was applied to the Science Citation Index/Social Science Citation Index (SCI/SSCI) databases. The nanotechnology/nanoscience research literature technical structure (taxonomy) was obtained using computational linguistics/document clustering and factor analysis. The infrastructure (prolific authors, key journals/institutions/countries, most cited authors/journals/documents) for each of the clusters generated by the document clustering algorithm was obtained using bibliometrics. Another novel addition was the use of phrase auto-correlation maps to show technical thrust areas based on phrase co-occurrence in Abstracts, and the use of phrase-phrase cross-correlation maps to show technical thrust areas based on phrase relations due to the sharing of common co-occurring phrases. The ˜400 most cited nanotechnology papers since 1991 were grouped, and their characteristics generated. Whereas the main analysis provided technical thrusts of all nanotechnology papers retrieved, analysis of the most cited papers allowed their characteristics to be displayed. Finally, most cited papers from selected time periods were extracted, along with all publications from those time periods, and the institutions and countries were compared based on their representation in the most cited documents list relative to their representation in the most publications list.
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Wang, P; Sun, R; Hu, J; Zhu, Q; Zhou, Y; Li, L; Chen, J M
2007-11-01
Large scale process-based modeling is a useful approach to estimate distributions of global net primary productivity (NPP). In this paper, in order to validate an existing NPP model with observed data at site level, field experiments were conducted at three sites in northern China. One site is located in Qilian Mountain in Gansu Province, and the other two sites are in Changbaishan Natural Reserve and Dunhua County in Jilin Province. Detailed field experiments are discussed and field data are used to validate the simulated NPP. Remotely sensed images including Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus (ETM+, 30 m spatial resolution in visible and near infrared bands) and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER, 15m spatial resolution in visible and near infrared bands) are used to derive maps of land cover, leaf area index, and biomass. Based on these maps, field measured data, soil texture and daily meteorological data, NPP of these sites are simulated for year 2001 with the boreal ecosystem productivity simulator (BEPS). The NPP in these sites ranges from 80 to 800 gCm(-2)a(-1). The observed NPP agrees well with the modeled NPP. This study suggests that BEPS can be used to estimate NPP in northern China if remotely sensed images of high spatial resolution are available.
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Seaber, Paul R.; Kapinos, F. Paul; Knapp, George L.
1987-01-01
A set of maps depicting approved boundaries of, and numerical codes for, river-basin units of the United States has been developed by the U.S . Geological Survey. These 'Hydrologic Unit Maps' are four-color maps that present information on drainage, culture, hydrography, and hydrologic boundaries and codes of (1) the 21 major water-resources regions and the 222 subregions designated by the U.S . Water Resources Council, (2) the 352 accounting units of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water Data Network, and (3) the 2,149 cataloging units of the U.S . Geological Survey's 'Catalog of information on Water Data:' The maps are plotted on the Geological Survey State base-map series at a scale of 1 :500,000 and, except for Alaska, depict hydrologic unit boundaries for all drainage basins greater than 700 square miles (1,813 square kilometers). A complete list of all the hydrologic units, along with their drainage areas, their names, and the names of the States or outlying areas in which they reside, is contained in the report. These maps and associated codes provide a standardized base for use by water-resources organizations in locating, storing, retrieving, and exchanging hydrologic data, in indexing and inventorying hydrologic data and information, in cataloging water-data acquisition activities, and in a variety of other applications. Because the maps have undergone extensive review by all principal Federal, regional, and State water-resource agencies, they are widely accepted for use in planning and describing water-use and related land-use activities, and in geographically organizing hydrologic data . Examples of these uses are given in the report . The hydrologic unit codes shown on the maps have been approved as a Federal Information Processing Standard for use by the Federal establishment.
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[Spatial analysis of autumn-winter type scrub typhus in Shandong province, 2006-2014].
Yang, H; Bi, Z W; Kou, Z Q; Zheng, L; Zhao, Z T
2016-05-01
To discuss the spatial-temporal distribution and epidemic trends of autumn-winter type scrub typhus in Shandong province, and provide scientific evidence for further study for the prevention and control of the disease. The scrub typhus surveillance data during 2006-2014 were collected from Shandong Disease Reporting Information System. The data was analyzed by using software ArcGIS 9.3(ESRI Inc., Redlands, CA, USA), GeoDa 0.9.5-i and SatScan 9.1.1. The Moran' s I, log-likelihood ratio(LLR), relative risk(RR)were calculated and the incidence choropleth maps, local indicators of spatial autocorrelation cluster maps and space scaning cluster maps were drawn. A total of 4 453 scrub typhus cases were reported during 2006-2014, and the annual incidence increased with year. Among the 17 prefectures(municipality)in Shandong, 13 were affected by scrub typhus. The global Moran's I index was 0.501 5(P<0.01). The differences in local Moran' s I index among 16 prefectures were significant(P<0.01). The " high-high" clustering areas were mainly Wulian county, Lanshan district and Juxian county of Rizhao, Xintai county of Tai' an, Gangcheng and Laicheng districts of Laiwu, Yiyuan county of Zibo and Mengyin county of Linyi. Spatial scan analysis showed that an eastward moving trend of high-risk clusters and two new high-risk clusters were found in Zaozhuang in 2014. The centers of the most likely clusters were in the south central mountainous areas during 2006-2010 and in 2012, eastern hilly areas in 2011, 2013 and 2014, and the size of the clusters expanded in 2008, 2011, 2013 and 2014. One spatial-temporal cluster was detected from October 1, 2014 to November 30, 2014, the center of the cluster was in Rizhao and the radius was 222.34 kilometers. A positive spatial correlation and spatial agglomerations were found in the distribution of autumn-winter type scrub typhus in Shandong. Since 2006, the epidemic area of the disease has expanded and the number of high-risk areas has increased. Moreover, the eastward moving and periodically expanding trends of high-risk clusters were detected.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ali, A.; de Bie, C. A. J. M.; Scarrott, R. G.; Ha, N. T. T.; Skidmore, A. K.
2012-07-01
Both agricultural area expansion and intensification are necessary to cope with the growing demand for food, and the growing threat of food insecurity which is rapidly engulfing poor and under-privileged sections of the global population. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to have the ability to accurately estimate crop area and spatial distribution. Remote sensing has become a valuable tool for estimating and mapping cropland areas, useful in food security monitoring. This work contributes to addressing this broad issue, focusing on the comparative performance analysis of two mapping approaches (i) a hyper-temporal Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) analysis approach and (ii) a Landscape-ecological approach. The hyper-temporal NDVI analysis approach utilized SPOT 10-day NDVI imagery from April 1998-December 2008, whilst the Landscape-ecological approach used multitemporal Landsat-7 ETM+ imagery acquired intermittently between 1992 and 2002. Pixels in the time-series NDVI dataset were clustered using an ISODATA clustering algorithm adapted to determine the optimal number of pixel clusters to successfully generalize hyper-temporal datasets. Clusters were then characterized with crop cycle information, and flooding information to produce an NDVI unit map of rice classes with flood regime and NDVI profile information. A Landscape-ecological map was generated using a combination of digitized homogenous map units in the Landsat-7 ETM+ imagery, a Land use map 2005 of the Mekong delta, and supplementary datasets on the regions terrain, geo-morphology and flooding depths. The output maps were validated using reported crop statistics, and regression analyses were used to ascertain the relationship between land use area estimated from maps, and those reported in district crop statistics. The regression analysis showed that the hyper-temporal NDVI analysis approach explained 74% and 76% of the variability in reported crop statistics in two rice crop and three rice crop land use systems respectively. In contrast, 64% and 63% of the variability was explained respectively by the Landscape-ecological map. Overall, the results indicate the hyper-temporal NDVI analysis approach is more accurate and more useful in exploring when, why and how agricultural land use manifests itself in space and time. Furthermore, the NDVI analysis approach was found to be easier to implement, was more cost effective, and involved less subjective user intervention than the landscape-ecological approach.
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Live cell refractometry using Hilbert phase microscopy and confocal reflectance microscopy.
Lue, Niyom; Choi, Wonshik; Popescu, Gabriel; Yaqoob, Zahid; Badizadegan, Kamran; Dasari, Ramachandra R; Feld, Michael S
2009-11-26
Quantitative chemical analysis has served as a useful tool for understanding cellular metabolisms in biology. Among many physical properties used in chemical analysis, refractive index in particular has provided molecular concentration that is an important indicator for biological activities. In this report, we present a method of extracting full-field refractive index maps of live cells in their native states. We first record full-field optical thickness maps of living cells by Hilbert phase microscopy and then acquire physical thickness maps of the same cells using a custom-built confocal reflectance microscope. Full-field and axially averaged refractive index maps are acquired from the ratio of optical thickness to physical thickness. The accuracy of the axially averaged index measurement is 0.002. This approach can provide novel biological assays of label-free living cells in situ.
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Live Cell Refractometry Using Hilbert Phase Microscopy and Confocal Reflectance Microscopy†
Lue, Niyom; Choi, Wonshik; Popescu, Gabriel; Yaqoob, Zahid; Badizadegan, Kamran; Dasari, Ramachandra R.; Feld, Michael S.
2010-01-01
Quantitative chemical analysis has served as a useful tool for understanding cellular metabolisms in biology. Among many physical properties used in chemical analysis, refractive index in particular has provided molecular concentration that is an important indicator for biological activities. In this report, we present a method of extracting full-field refractive index maps of live cells in their native states. We first record full-field optical thickness maps of living cells by Hilbert phase microscopy and then acquire physical thickness maps of the same cells using a custom-built confocal reflectance microscope. Full-field and axially averaged refractive index maps are acquired from the ratio of optical thickness to physical thickness. The accuracy of the axially averaged index measurement is 0.002. This approach can provide novel biological assays of label-free living cells in situ. PMID:19803506
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Wang, Binwu; Li, Hong; Sun, Danfeng
2014-01-01
The regional management of trace elements in soils requires understanding the interaction between the natural system and human socio-economic activities. In this study, a social-ecological patterns of heavy metals (SEPHM) approach was proposed to identify the heavy metal concentration patterns and processes in different ecoregions of Beijing (China) based on a self-organizing map (SOM). Potential ecological risk index (RI) values of Cr, Ni, Zn, Hg, Cu, As, Cd and Pb were calculated for 1,018 surface soil samples. These data were averaged in accordance with 253 communities and/or towns, and compared with demographic, agriculture structure, geomorphology, climate, land use/cover, and soil-forming parent material to discover the SEPHM. Multivariate statistical techniques were further applied to interpret the control factors of each SEPHM. SOM application clustered the 253 towns into nine groups on the map size of 12 × 7 plane (quantization error 1.809; topographic error, 0.0079). The distribution characteristics and Spearman rank correlation coefficients of RIs were strongly associated with the population density, vegetation index, industrial and mining land percent and road density. The RIs were relatively high in which towns in a highly urbanized area with large human population density exist, while low RIs occurred in mountainous and high vegetation cover areas. The resulting dataset identifies the SEPHM of Beijing and links the apparent results of RIs to driving factors, thus serving as an excellent data source to inform policy makers for legislative and land management actions. PMID:24690947
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Geomorphic Flood Area (GFA): a QGIS tool for a cost-effective delineation of the floodplains
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Samela, Caterina; Albano, Raffaele; Sole, Aurelia; Manfreda, Salvatore
2017-04-01
The importance of delineating flood hazard and risk areas at a global scale has been highlighted for many years. However, its complete achievement regularly encounters practical difficulties, above all the lack of data and implementation costs. In conditions of scarce data availability (e.g. ungauged basins, large-scale analyses), a fast and cost-effective floodplain delineation can be carried out using geomorphic methods (e.g., Manfreda et al., 2011; 2014). In particular, an automatic DEM-based procedure has been implemented in an open-source QGIS plugin named Geomorphic Flood Area - tool (GFA - tool). This tool performs a linear binary classification based on the recently proposed Geomorphic Flood Index (GFI), which exhibited high classification accuracy and reliability in several test sites located in Europe, United States and Africa (Manfreda et al., 2015; Samela et al., 2016, 2017; Samela, 2016). The GFA - tool is designed to make available to all users the proposed procedure, that includes a number of operations requiring good geomorphic and GIS competences. It allows computing the GFI through terrain analysis, turning it into a binary classifier, and training it on the base of a standard inundation map derived for a portion of the river basin (a minimum of 2% of the river basin's area is suggested) using detailed methods of analysis (e.g. flood hazard maps produced by emergency management agencies or river basin authorities). Finally, GFA - tool allows to extend the classification outside the calibration area to delineate the flood-prone areas across the entire river basin. The full analysis has been implemented in this plugin with a user-friendly interface that should make it easy to all user to apply the approach and produce the desired results. Keywords: flood susceptibility; data scarce environments; geomorphic flood index; linear binary classification; Digital elevation models (DEMs). References Manfreda, S., Di Leo, M., Sole, A., (2011). Detection of Flood Prone Areas using Digital Elevation Models, Journal of Hydrologic Engineering, 16(10), 781-790. Manfreda, S., Nardi, F., Samela, C., Grimaldi, S., Taramasso, A. C., Roth, G., & Sole, A. (2014). Investigation on the Use of Geomorphic Approaches for the Delineation of Flood Prone Areas, Journal of Hydrology, 517, 863-876. Manfreda, S., Samela, C., Gioia, A., Consoli, G., Iacobellis, V., Giuzio, L., & Sole, A. (2015). Flood-prone areas assessment using linear binary classifiers based on flood maps obtained from 1D and 2D hydraulic models. Natural Hazards, Vol. 79 (2), pp 735-754. Samela, C. (2016), 100-year flood susceptibility maps for the continental U.S. derived with a geomorphic method. University of Basilicata. Dataset. Samela, C., Manfreda, S., Paola, F. D., Giugni, M., Sole, A., & Fiorentino, M. (2016). DEM-Based Approaches for the Delineation of Flood-Prone Areas in an Ungauged Basin in Africa. Journal of Hydrologic Engineering, 21(2), 1-10. Samela, C., Troy, T.J., Manfreda, S. (2017). Geomorphic classifiers for flood-prone areas delineation for data-scarce environments, Advances in Water Resources (under review).
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Imbrenda, Vito; Coluzzi, Rosa; D'Emilio, Mariagrazia; Lanfredi, Maria; Simoniello, Tiziana
2013-04-01
Vegetation is one of the key components to study land degradation vulnerability because of the complex interactions and feedbacks that link it to soil. In the Mediterranean region, degradation phenomena are due to a mix of predisposing factors (thin soil horizons, low soil organic matter, increasing aridity, etc.) and bad management practices (overgrazing, deforestation, intensification of agriculture, tourism development). In particular, in areas threatened by degradation processes but still covered by vegetation, large scale soil condition evaluation is a hard task and the detection of stressed vegetation can be useful to identify on-going soil degradation phenomena and to reduce their impacts through interventions for recovery/rehabilitation. In this context the use of satellite time series can increase the efficacy and completeness of the land degradation assessment, providing precious information to understand vegetation dynamics. In order to estimate vulnerability levels in Basilicata (a Mediterranean region of Southern Italy) in the framework of PRO-LAND project (PO-FESR Basilicata 2007-2013), we crossed information on potential vegetation vulnerability with information on photosynthetic activity dynamics. Potential vegetation vulnerability represents the vulnerability related to the type of present cover in terms of fire risk, erosion protection, drought resistance and plant cover distribution. It was derived from an updated land cover map by separately analyzing each factor, and then by combining them to obtain concise information on the possible degradation exposure. The analysis of photosynthetic activity dynamics provides information on the status of vegetation, that is fundamental to discriminate the different vulnerability levels within the same land cover, i.e. the same potential vulnerability. For such a purpose, we analyzed a time series (2000-2010) of a satellite vegetation index (MODIS NDVI) with 250m resolution, available as 16-day composite from the NASA LP DAAC dataset. Vegetation activity trends were estimated and then normalized to the starting conditions to obtain the percentage variation (NDVI-PV) for the considered period. Information on the potential vulnerability and vegetation activity dynamics were classified into indexes and combined to obtain the final map of the actual vegetation vulnerability and to identify on-going degradation phenomena and priority sites within areas already compromised. As for the investigated area, this map shows a composite picture in which only a few values of high vulnerability are scattered along areas where medium-high vulnerability values generally prevail. Here, we singled out two kind of areas: one largely devoted to intensive agriculture, and other one mostly characterized by bare soils and sparse vegetation. On the contrary, a large part of natural and seminatural vegetation located along the Apennine chain does not show critical vulnerability values. By comparing the vegetation vulnerability map with the vulnerability map due to anthropic factors (pressure induced by agricultural and grazing activities, estimated by indicators derived from census data), we found correlation, confirming the anthropogenic cause of vulnerability and therefore the major role held by soil management in areas mainly devoted to intensive farming.
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T, Malek Mohammadi; R, Derakhshani; M, Tavallaie; M, Raoof; N, Hasheminejad; Aa, Haghdoost
2017-06-01
The concentration of fluoride in water is usually higher in areas around the coal mines. Zarand region in the south-east of Iran is known for its coal mines. Some studies have shown the high prevalence of fluorosis and some studies reported high levels of fluoride in the region. This study aimed to use Geographic Information System (GIS) to assess the relationship between water fluoride content and the prevalence of fluorosis and its spatial distribution in Zarand region. This cross-sectional study aimed to recruit 550 people aged 7-40 years in Zarand. Dental examination for fluorosis was conducted based on the Dean's Index. The level of fluoride in the water was determined in samples of water taken from 35 areas. Information on fluorosis and fluoride content was mapped on GIS. Most participants lived in rural areas (87.25%) and had an educational status of high school level (66%). About 23% of the examined people had normal teeth, 10% had severe and 67% had mild to moderate fluorosis. Distribution of severe fluorosis was higher in areas with higher levels of fluoride in the water according to GIS map. GIS map clearly showed a positive relationship between the prevalence and severity of fluorosis with the level of fluoride in water in Zarand. The GIS analysis may be useful in the analysis of other oral conditions.
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Landslide and flood hazard assessment in urban areas of LevoÄa region (Eastern Slovakia)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Magulova, Barbora; Caporali, Enrica; Bednarik, Martin
2010-05-01
The case study presents the use of statistical methods and analysis tools, for hazard assessment of "urbanization units", implemented in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) environment. As a case study, the Levoča region (Slovakia) is selected. The region, with a total area of about 351 km2, is widely affected by landslides and floods. The problem, for small urbanization areas, is nowadays particularly significant from the socio-economic point of view. It is considered, presently, also an increasing problem, mainly because of climate change and more frequent extreme rainfall events. The geo-hazards are evaluated using a multivariate analysis. The landslide hazard assessment is based on the comparison and subsequent statistical elaboration of territorial dependence among different input factors influencing the instability of the slopes. Particularly, five factors influencing slope stability are evaluated, i.e. lithology, slope aspect, slope angle, hypsographic level and present land use. As a result a new landslide susceptibility map is compiled and different zones of stable, dormant and non-stable areas are defined. For flood hazard map a detailed digital elevation model is created. A compose index of flood hazard is derived from topography, land cover and pedology related data. To estimate flood discharge, time series of stream flow and precipitation measurements are used. The assessment results are prognostic maps of landslide hazard and flood hazard, which presents the optimal base for urbanization planning.
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Pineda, M C; Viloria, J; Martínez-Casasnovas, J A
2016-04-01
Susceptibility to landslides in mountain areas results from the interaction of various factors related to relief formation and soil development. The assessment of landslide susceptibility has generally taken into account individual events, or it has been aimed at establishing relationships between landslide-inventory maps and maps of environmental factors, without considering that such relationships can change in space and time. In this work, temporal and space changes in landslides were analysed in six different combinations of date and geomorphological conditions, including two different geological units, in a mountainous area in the north-centre of Venezuela, in northern South America. Landslide inventories from different years were compared with a number of environmental factors by means of logistic regression analysis. The resulting equations predicted landslide susceptibility from a range of geomorphometric parameters and a vegetation index, with diverse accuracy, in the study area. The variation of the obtained models and their prediction accuracy between geological units and dates suggests that the complexity of the landslide processes and their explanatory factors changed over space and time in the studied area. This calls into question the use of a single model to evaluate landslide susceptibility over large regions.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Xie, Qiaoyun; Huang, Wenjiang; Dash, Jadunandan; Song, Xiaoyu; Huang, Linsheng; Zhao, Jinling; Wang, Renhong
2015-12-01
Leaf area index (LAI) is an important indicator for monitoring crop growth conditions and forecasting grain yield. Many algorithms have been developed for remote estimation of the leaf area index of vegetation, such as using spectral vegetation indices, inversion of radiative transfer models, and supervised learning techniques. Spectral vegetation indices, mathematical combination of reflectance bands, are widely used for LAI estimation due to their computational simplicity and their applications ranged from the leaf scale to the entire globe. However, in many cases, their applicability is limited to specific vegetation types or local conditions due to species specific nature of the relationship used to transfer the vegetation indices to LAI. The overall objective of this study is to investigate the most suitable vegetation index for estimating winter wheat LAI under eight different types of fertilizer and irrigation conditions. Regression models were used to estimate LAI using hyperspectral reflectance data from the Pushbroom Hyperspectral Imager (PHI) and in-situ measurements. Our results showed that, among six vegetation indices investigated, the modified soil-adjusted vegetation index (MSAVI) and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) exhibited strong and significant relationships with LAI, and thus were sensitive across different nitrogen and water treatments. The modified triangular vegetation index (MTVI2) confirmed its potential on crop LAI estimation, although second to MSAVI and NDVI in our study. The enhanced vegetation index (EVI) showed moderate performance. However, the ratio vegetation index (RVI) and the modified simple ratio index (MSR) predicted the least accurate estimations of LAI, exposing the simple band ratio index's weakness under different treatment conditions. The results support the use of vegetation indices for a quick and effective LAI mapping procedure that is suitable for winter wheat under different management practices.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wicaksono, Pramaditya; Danoedoro, Projo; Hartono, Hartono; Nehren, Udo; Ribbe, Lars
2011-11-01
Mangrove forest is an important ecosystem located in coastal area that provides various important ecological and economical services. One of the services provided by mangrove forest is the ability to act as carbon sink by sequestering CO2 from atmosphere through photosynthesis and carbon burial on the sediment. The carbon buried on mangrove sediment may persist for millennia before return to the atmosphere, and thus act as an effective long-term carbon sink. Therefore, it is important to understand the distribution of carbon stored within mangrove forest in a spatial and temporal context. In this paper, an effort to map carbon stocks in mangrove forest is presented using remote sensing technology to overcome the handicap encountered by field survey. In mangrove carbon stock mapping, the use of medium spatial resolution Landsat 7 ETM+ is emphasized. Landsat 7 ETM+ images are relatively cheap, widely available and have large area coverage, and thus provide a cost and time effective way of mapping mangrove carbon stocks. Using field data, two image processing techniques namely Vegetation Index and Linear Spectral Unmixing (LSU) were evaluated to find the best method to explain the variation in mangrove carbon stocks using remote sensing data. In addition, we also tried to estimate mangrove carbon sequestration rate via multitemporal analysis. Finally, the technique which produces significantly better result was used to produce a map of mangrove forest carbon stocks, which is spatially extensive and temporally repetitive.
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Parra, Maisa Carla Pereira; Fávaro, Eliane Aparecida; Dibo, Margareth Regina; Mondini, Adriano; Eiras, Álvaro Eduardo; Kroon, Erna Geessien; Teixeira, Mauro Martins; Nogueira, Mauricio Lacerda; Chiaravalloti-Neto, Francisco
2018-06-01
Traditional indices for measuring dengue fever risk in a given area are based on the immature forms of the vector (larvae and pupae surveys). However, this is inefficient because only adult female mosquitoes actually transmit the virus. Based on these assumptions, our objective was to evaluate the association between an entomological index obtained from adult mosquito traps and the occurrence of dengue in a hyperendemic area. Additionally, we compared its cost to that of the Breteau Index (BI). We performed this study in São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil, between the epidemiological weeks of 36/2012 and 19/2013. BG-Sentinel and BG-Mosquitito traps were installed to capture adult mosquitoes. Positive and negative cases of dengue fever were computed and geocoded. We generated biweekly thematic maps of the entomological index, generated by calculating the number of adult Aedes aegypti females (NAF) per 100 households during a week by kriging, and based on the number of mosquitoes captured. The relation between the occurrence of dengue fever and the NAF was tested using a spatial case-control design and a generalized additive model and was controlled by the coordinates of the positive and negative cases of dengue fever. Our analyses showed that increases in dengue fever cases occurred in parallel with increases in the number of Ae. aegypti females. The entomological index produced in our study correlates positively with the incidence of dengue, particularly during intervals when vector control measures were applied less intensively. The operational costs of our index were lower than those of the BI: NAF used 71.5% less human resources necessary to measure the BI. Spatial analysis techniques and the number of adult Ae. aegypti females were used to produce an indicator of dengue risk. The index can be applied at various levels of spatial aggregation for an entire study area, as well as for sub-areas, such as city blocks. Even though the index is adequate to predict dengue risk, it should be tested and validated in various scenarios before routine use. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Soti, Valérie; Chevalier, Véronique; Maura, Jonathan; Bégué, Agnès; Lelong, Camille; Lancelot, Renaud; Thiongane, Yaya; Tran, Annelise
2013-03-01
Dynamics of most of vector-borne diseases are strongly linked to global and local environmental changes. Landscape changes are indicators of human activities or natural processes that are likely to modify the ecology of the diseases. Here, a landscape approach developed at a local scale is proposed for extracting mosquito favourable biotopes, and for testing ecological parameters when identifying risk areas of Rift Valley fever (RVF) transmission. The study was carried out around Barkedji village, Ferlo region, Senegal. In order to test whether pond characteristics may influence the density and the dispersal behaviour of RVF vectors, and thus the spatial variation in RVFV transmission, we used a very high spatial resolution remote sensing image (2.4 m resolution) provided by the Quickbird sensor to produce a detailed land-cover map of the study area. Based on knowledge of vector and disease ecology, seven landscape attributes were defined at the pond level and computed from the land-cover map. Then, the relationships between landscape attributes and RVF serologic incidence rates in small ruminants were analyzed through a beta-binomial regression. Finally, the best statistical model according to the Akaike Information Criterion corrected for small samples (AICC), was used to map areas at risk for RVF. Among the derived landscape variables, the vegetation density index (VDI) computed within a 500 m buffer around ponds was positively correlated with serologic incidence (p<0.001), suggesting that the risk of RVF transmission was higher in the vicinity of ponds surrounded by a dense vegetation cover. The final risk map of RVF transmission displays a heterogeneous spatial distribution, corroborating previous findings from the same area. Our results highlight the potential of very high spatial resolution remote sensing data for identifying environmental risk factors and mapping RVF risk areas at a local scale.
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Gu, Yingxin; Wylie, Bruce K.
2018-01-01
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) has been evaluated as one potential source for cellulosic biofuel feedstocks. Planting switchgrass in marginal croplands and waterway buffers can reduce soil erosion, improve water quality, and improve regional ecosystem services (i.e. it serves as a potential carbon sink). In previous studies, we mapped high risk marginal croplands and highly erodible cropland buffers that are potentially suitable for switchgrass development, which would improve ecosystem services and minimally impact food production. In this study, we advance our previous study results and integrate future crop expansion information to develop a switchgrass biofuel potential ensemble map for current and future croplands in eastern Nebraska. The switchgrass biomass productivity and carbon benefits (i.e. NEP: net ecosystem production) for the identified biofuel potential ensemble areas were quantified. The future scenario‐based (‘A1B’) land use and land cover map for 2050, the US Geological Survey crop type and Compound Topographic Index (CTI) maps, and long‐term (1981–2010) averaged annual precipitation data were used to identify future crop expansion regions that are suitable for switchgrass development. Results show that 2528 km2 of future crop expansion regions (~3.6% of the study area) are potentially suitable for switchgrass development. The total estimated biofuel potential ensemble area (including cropland buffers, marginal croplands, and future crop expansion regions) is 4232 km2 (~6% of the study area), potentially producing 3.52 million metric tons of switchgrass biomass per year. Converting biofuel ensemble regions to switchgrass leads to potential carbon sinks (the total NEP for biofuel potential areas is 0.45 million metric tons C) and is environmentally sustainable. Results from this study improve our understanding of environmental conditions and ecosystem services of current and future cropland systems in eastern Nebraska and provide useful information to land managers to make land use decisions regarding switchgrass development.
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Geologic cross sections and preliminary geologic map of the Questa Area, Taos County, New Mexico
Bauer, Paul W.; Grauch, V.J.S.; Johnson, Peggy S.; Thompson, Ren A.; Drenth, Benjamin J.; Kelson, Keith I.
2015-01-01
In 2011, the senior authors were contacted by Ron Gardiner of Questa, and Village of Questa Mayor Esther Garcia, to discuss the existing and future groundwater supply for the Village of Questa. This meeting led to the development of a plan in 2013 to perform an integrated geologic, geophysical, and hydrogeologic investigation of the Questa area by the New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources (NMBG), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and New Mexico Tech (NMT). The NMBG was responsible for the geologic map and geologic cross sections. The USGS was responsible for a detailed geophysical model to be incorporated into the NMBG products. NMT was responsible for providing a graduate student to develop a geochemical and groundwater flow model. This report represents the final products of the geologic and geophysical investigations conducted by the NMBG and USGS. The USGS final products have been incorporated directly into the geologic cross sections. The objective of the study was to characterize and interpret the shallow (to a depth of approximately 5,000 ft) three-dimensional geology and preliminary hydrogeology of the Questa area. The focus of this report is to compile existing geologic and geophysical data, integrate new geophysical data, and interpret these data to construct three, detailed geologic cross sections across the Questa area. These cross sections can be used by the Village of Questa to make decisions about municipal water-well development, and can be used in the future to help in the development of a conceptual model of groundwater flow for the Questa area. Attached to this report are a location map, a preliminary geologic map and unit descriptions, tables of water wells and springs used in the study, and three detailed hydrogeologic cross sections shown at two different vertical scales. The locations of the cross sections are shown on the index map of the cross section sheet.
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2013-01-01
Introduction Dynamics of most of vector-borne diseases are strongly linked to global and local environmental changes. Landscape changes are indicators of human activities or natural processes that are likely to modify the ecology of the diseases. Here, a landscape approach developed at a local scale is proposed for extracting mosquito favourable biotopes, and for testing ecological parameters when identifying risk areas of Rift Valley fever (RVF) transmission. The study was carried out around Barkedji village, Ferlo region, Senegal. Methods In order to test whether pond characteristics may influence the density and the dispersal behaviour of RVF vectors, and thus the spatial variation in RVFV transmission, we used a very high spatial resolution remote sensing image (2.4 m resolution) provided by the Quickbird sensor to produce a detailed land-cover map of the study area. Based on knowledge of vector and disease ecology, seven landscape attributes were defined at the pond level and computed from the land-cover map. Then, the relationships between landscape attributes and RVF serologic incidence rates in small ruminants were analyzed through a beta-binomial regression. Finally, the best statistical model according to the Akaike Information Criterion corrected for small samples (AICC), was used to map areas at risk for RVF. Results Among the derived landscape variables, the vegetation density index (VDI) computed within a 500 m buffer around ponds was positively correlated with serologic incidence (p<0.001), suggesting that the risk of RVF transmission was higher in the vicinity of ponds surrounded by a dense vegetation cover. The final risk map of RVF transmission displays a heterogeneous spatial distribution, corroborating previous findings from the same area. Conclusions Our results highlight the potential of very high spatial resolution remote sensing data for identifying environmental risk factors and mapping RVF risk areas at a local scale. PMID:23452759
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Mineral resource potential map of the Dolly Ann Roadless Area, Alleghany County, Virginia
Lesure, Frank G.; Jones, Jay G.
1983-01-01
The Dolly Ann Roadless Area comprises 7,900 acres (3,200 ha) in the George Washington National Forest in the Valley and Ridge physiographic province of west-central Virginia. The area is at the southern ·end of Warm Springs Mountain in Alleghany County just northeast of Covington, the county seat (index map). U.S. Highway 220 forms part of the western boundary, and U.S. Forest Service Road 125, which parallels Pounding Mill Creek, forms the eastern boundary. The principal streams draining the area are Pounding Mill Creek, Dry Run, and Roaring Run, all tributaries of the Jackson River. The highest point in the area is Big Knob at the north end, 4,072 ft (1241 m) above sea level; the lowest points, about 1,400 ft (427 m) above sea level, are at the south side, along Dry Run and Pounding Mill Creek. In general, the hill slopes are steep and heavily wooded with second- or third-growth hardwoods and scattered pine and hemlock. Dolly Ann Hollow near the east end of the area is a steep, boulder-strewn gorge, quite picturesque, but containing no good trails. A good trail up Dry Run connects a trail crossing the ridge between Bald Knob and Big Knob. No other trails cross the area.
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Global Enhanced Vegetation Index
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
2002-01-01
By carefully measuring the wavelengths and intensity of visible and near-infrared light reflected by the land surface back up into space, the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Team can quantify the concentrations of green leaf vegetation around the world. The above MODIS Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) map shows the density of plant growth over the entire globe. Very low values of EVI (white and brown areas) correspond to barren areas of rock, sand, or snow. Moderate values (light greens) represent shrub and grassland, while high values indicate temperate and tropical rainforests (dark greens). The MODIS EVI gives scientists a new tool for monitoring major fluctuations in vegetation and understanding how they affect, and are affected by, regional climate trends. For more information, read NASA Unveils Spectacular Suite of New Global Data Products from MODIS. Image courtesy MODIS Land Group/Vegetation Indices, Alfredo Huete, Principal Investigator, and Kamel Didan, University of Arizona
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Slagle, Diana L.; Ardis, Ann F.; Slade, Raymond M.
1986-01-01
The Edwards aquifer extends in a narrow belt from Bell County in the northeast to Kinney County in the southwest (index map) and provides water for at least nine counties in south-central Texas. Hydrologic boundaries divide the Edwards aquifer in the Austin area for which Barton Springs is the major discharge point. This part of the Edwards aquifer provides the municipal, industrial, domestic, and agricultural water supplies for about 30,000 people in the Austin area (southern Travis and northern Hays counties). Discharge from Barton Springs sustains streamflow at the mouth of Barton Creek and flows into Town Lake. Much of the land use within the outcrop area of the Edwards aquifer near Austin is rapidly changing from natural woodland and grassland to commercial and residential developments. Because urban development can result in a substantial degradation of the quality of water that recharges the aquifer, the extent of the recharge zone of the Edwards aquifer was delineated to provide information to the City of Austin for their use in formulating a plan for protecting and managing groundwater quality. The purpose of this report is to define and delineate the areal extent of the recharge zone of the Edwards aquifer in southern Travis and northern Hays Counties. The areal boundary of the recharge zone was determined by: (1) geologic mapping of the aquifer area; (2) interpretation of aerial photographs; (3) field verification of existing geologic maps; and (4) streamflow-loss studies.
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[Kriging analysis of vegetation index depression in peak cluster karst area].
Yang, Qi-Yong; Jiang, Zhong-Cheng; Ma, Zu-Lu; Cao, Jian-Hua; Luo, Wei-Qun; Li, Wen-Jun; Duan, Xiao-Fang
2012-04-01
In order to master the spatial variability of the normal different vegetation index (NDVI) of the peak cluster karst area, taking into account the problem of the mountain shadow "missing" information of remote sensing images existing in the karst area, NDVI of the non-shaded area were extracted in Guohua Ecological Experimental Area, in Pingguo County, Guangxi applying image processing software, ENVI. The spatial variability of NDVI was analyzed applying geostatistical method, and the NDVI of the mountain shadow areas was predicted and validated. The results indicated that the NDVI of the study area showed strong spatial variability and spatial autocorrelation resulting from the impact of intrinsic factors, and the range was 300 m. The spatial distribution maps of the NDVI interpolated by Kriging interpolation method showed that the mean of NDVI was 0.196, apparently strip and block. The higher NDVI values distributed in the area where the slope was greater than 25 degrees of the peak cluster area, while the lower values distributed in the area such as foot of the peak cluster and depression, where slope was less than 25 degrees. Kriging method validation results show that interpolation has a very high prediction accuracy and could predict the NDVI of the shadow area, which provides a new idea and method for monitoring and evaluation of the karst rocky desertification.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Roberts, D. A.; Beland, M.; Kokaly, R. F.; Couvillion, B.; Ustin, S.; Peterson, S.
2011-12-01
Between April 20, 2010 and July 15, 2010 an estimated 4.4 million barrels of oil leaked from the Maconda well, making the Deep Horizon oil spill the largest in US history. In response to a need to determine the distribution of wetland plant species and quantify their condition prior to, during and after oil reached the shore, the Airborne/Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) was deployed multiple times in the gulf on high altitude and low altitude airborne platforms. Significant research questions included 1) What is the distribution of key wetland species in the impacted area?; 2) which areas were impacted by oil, when and to what extent?; 3) how much oil must be present to be detected in various cover types? and 4) which wetland species are more sensitive to oil? In an effort to answer some of these questions, we applied Multiple Endmember Spectral Mixture Analysis (MESMA) to AVIRIS data acquired prior to significant impacts in May, 2010 and after oil had reached wetlands in late summer and fall, 2010. Reference polygons for species dominants were located on the images and used to build a spectral library for all dominant wetland species and surface types. This spectral library was augmented by field spectra, acquired using a contact probe for senesced plants materials and beach sands. Spectra of heavily oiled surfaces were identified using the Hydrocarbon Index to identify potential oil endmembers and the Cellulose Absorption Index to discriminate oil from Non-photosynthetic Vegetation (NPV). Wetland species and cover fractions for Green Vegetation (GV), NPV, soils/beaches, oil and water were mapped using MESMA applied to images acquired in the Birds Foot Delta, Chandeleur Islands and Barataria Bay. Species maps, showing dominant species such as Phragmites australis, Spartina alternifolia and S. patens proved to be accurate. OIl was mapped along coastal areas of Barataria Bay, expressed as high oil fractions. However, significant confusion was also observed between oiled vegetation and senesced vegetation, either resulting from oil-induced mortality or natural senescence.
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Helley, E.J.; Graymer, R.W.
1997-01-01
Alameda County is located at the northern end of the Diablo Range of Central California. It is bounded on the north by the south flank of Mount Diablo, one of the highest peaks in the Bay Area, reaching an elevation of 1173 meters (3,849 ft). San Francisco Bay forms the western boundary, the San Joaquin Valley borders it on the east and an arbitrary line from the Bay into the Diablo Range forms the southern boundary. Alameda is one of the nine Bay Area counties tributary to San Francisco Bay. Most of the country is mountainous with steep rugged topography. Alameda County is covered by twenty-eight 7.5' topographic Quadrangles which are shown on the index map. The Quaternary deposits in Alameda County comprise three distinct depositional environments. One, forming a transgressive sequence of alluvial fan and fan-delta facies, is mapped in the western one-third of the county. The second, forming only alluvial fan facies, is mapped in the Livermore Valley and San Joaquin Valley in the eastern part of the county. The third, forming a combination of Eolian dune and estuarine facies, is restricted to the Alameda Island area in the northwestern corner of the county.
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Coates, Peter S.; Casazza, Michael L.; Brussee, Brianne E.; Ricca, Mark A.; Gustafson, K. Benjamin; Sanchez-Chopitea, Erika; Mauch, Kimberly; Niell, Lara; Gardner, Scott; Espinosa, Shawn; Delehanty, David J.
2016-05-20
Successful adaptive management hinges largely upon integrating new and improved sources of information as they become available. As a timely example of this tenet, we updated a management decision support tool that was previously developed for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus, hereinafter referred to as “sage-grouse”) populations in Nevada and California. Specifically, recently developed spatially explicit habitat maps derived from empirical data played a key role in the conservation of this species facing listing under the Endangered Species Act. This report provides an updated process for mapping relative habitat suitability and management categories for sage-grouse in Nevada and northeastern California (Coates and others, 2014, 2016). These updates include: (1) adding radio and GPS telemetry locations from sage-grouse monitored at multiple sites during 2014 to the original location dataset beginning in 1998; (2) integrating output from high resolution maps (1–2 m2) of sagebrush and pinyon-juniper cover as covariates in resource selection models; (3) modifying the spatial extent of the analyses to match newly available vegetation layers; (4) explicit modeling of relative habitat suitability during three seasons (spring, summer, winter) that corresponded to critical life history periods for sage-grouse (breeding, brood-rearing, over-wintering); (5) accounting for differences in habitat availability between more mesic sagebrush steppe communities in the northern part of the study area and drier Great Basin sagebrush in more southerly regions by categorizing continuous region-wide surfaces of habitat suitability index (HSI) with independent locations falling within two hydrological zones; (6) integrating the three seasonal maps into a composite map of annual relative habitat suitability; (7) deriving updated land management categories based on previously determined cut-points for intersections of habitat suitability and an updated index of sage-grouse abundance and space-use (AUI); and (8) masking urban footprints and major roadways out of the final map products.Seasonal habitat maps were generated based on model-averaged resource selection functions (RSF) derived for 10 project areas (813 sage-grouse; 14,085 locations) during the spring season, 10 during the summer season (591 sage-grouse, 11,743 locations), and 7 during the winter season (288 sage-grouse, 4,862 locations). RSF surfaces were transformed to HSIs and averaged in a GIS framework for every pixel for each season. Validation analyses of categorized HSI surfaces using a suite of independent datasets resulted in an agreement of 93–97 percent for habitat versus non-habitat on an annual basis. Spring and summer maps validated similarly well at 94–97 percent, while winter maps validated slightly less accurately at 87–93 percent.We then provide an updated example of how space use models can be integrated with habitat models to help inform conservation planning. We used updated lek count data to calculate a composite abundance and space use index (AUI) that comprised the combination of probabilistic breeding density with a non-linear probability of occurrence relative to distance to nearest lek. The AUI was then classified into two categories of use (high and low-to-no) and intersected with the HSI categories to create potential management prioritization scenarios based on information about sage-grouse occupancy coupled with habitat suitability. Compared to Coates and others (2014, 2016), the amount of area classified as habitat across the region increased by 6.5 percent (approximately 1,700,000 acres). For management categories, core increased by 7.2 percent (approximately 865,000 acres), priority increased by 9.6 percent (approximately 855,000 acres), and general increased by 9.2 percent (approximately 768,000 acres), while non-habitat decreased (that is, classified non-habitat occurring outside of areas of concentrated use) by 11.9 percent (approximately 2,500,000 acres). Importantly, seasonal and annual maps represent habitat for all age and sex classes of sage-grouse (that is, sample sizes of marked grouse were insufficient to only construct models for reproductive females). This revised sage-grouse habitat mapping product helps improve adaptive application of conservation planning tools based on intersections of spatially explicit habitat suitability, abundance, and space use indices.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Camarinha, P. I. M.; Canavesi, V.; Alvalá, R. C. S.
2013-10-01
In Brazil, most of the disasters involving landslide occur in coastal regions, with population density concentrated on steep slopes. Thus, different approaches have been used to evaluate the landslide risk, although the greatest difficulty is related to the scarcity of spatial data with good quality. In this context, four cities located on the southeast coast of Brazil - Santos, Cubatão, Caraguatatuba and Ubatuba - in a region with the rough reliefs of the Serra do Mar and with a history of natural disasters were evaluated. Spatial prediction by fuzzy gamma technique was used for the landslide susceptibility mapping, considering environmental variables from data and software in the public domain. To validate the susceptibility mapping results, it was overlapped with risk sectors provided by the Geological Survey of Brazil (CPRM). A positive correlation was observed between the classes most susceptible and the location of these sectors. The results were also analyzed from the categorization of risk levels provided by CPRM. To compare the approach with other studies using landslide-scar maps, correlated indexes were evaluated, which also showed satisfactory results, thus indicating that the methodology presented is appropriate for risk assessment in urban areas and can be replicated to municipalities that do not have risk areas mapped.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Elkadiri, R.; Sultan, M.; Nurmemet, I.; Al Harbi, H.; Youssef, A.; Elbayoumi, T.; Zabramwi, Y.; Alzahrani, S.; Bahamil, A.
2014-12-01
We developed methodologies that heavily rely on observations extracted from a wide-range of remote sensing data sets (TRMM, Landsat ETM, ENVISAT, ERS, SPOT, Orbview, GeoEye) to develop a warning system for rainfall-induced debris flows in the Jazan province in the Red Sea Hills. The developed warning system integrates static controlling factors and dynamic triggering factors. The algorithm couples a susceptibility map with a rainfall I-D curve, both are developed using readily available remote sensing datasets. The static susceptibility map was constructed as follows: (1) an inventory was compiled for debris flows identified from high spatial resolution datasets and field verified; (2) 10 topographical and land cover predisposing factors (i.e. slope angle, slope aspect, normalized difference vegetation index, topographical position index, stream power index, flow accumulation, distance to drainage line, soil weathering index, elevation and topographic wetness index) were generated; (3) an artificial neural network model (ANN) was constructed, optimized and validated; (4) a debris-flow susceptibility map was generated using the ANN model and refined (using differential backscatter coefficient radar images). The rainfall threshold curve was derived as follows: (1) a spatial database was generated to host temporal co-registered and radiometrically and atmospherically corrected Landsat images; (2) temporal change detection images were generated for pairs of successively acquired Landsat images and criteria were established to identify "the change" related to debris flows, (3) the duration and intensity of the precipitation event that caused each of the identified debris flow events was assumed to be that of the most intense event within the investigated period; and (4) the I-D curve was extracted using data (intensity and duration of precipitation) for the inventoried events. Our findings include: (1) the spatial controlling factors with the highest predictive power of debris-flow locations are: topographic position index, slope, NDVI and distance to drainage line; (2) the ANN model showed an excellent prediction performance (area under receiver operating characteristic [ROC] curve: 0.961); 3) the preliminary I-D curve is I=39.797×D-0.7355 (I: Intensity and D: duration).
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New type of chaos synchronization in discrete-time systems: the F-M synchronization
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ouannas, Adel; Grassi, Giuseppe; Karouma, Abdulrahman; Ziar, Toufik; Wang, Xiong; Pham, Viet-Thanh
2018-04-01
In this paper, a new type of synchronization for chaotic (hyperchaotic) maps with different dimensions is proposed. The novel scheme is called F - M synchronization, since it combines the inverse generalized synchronization (based on a functional relationship F) with the matrix projective synchronization (based on a matrix M). In particular, the proposed approach enables F - M synchronization with index d to be achieved between n-dimensional drive system map and m-dimensional response system map, where the synchronization index d corresponds to the dimension of the synchronization error. The technique, which exploits nonlinear controllers and Lyapunov stability theory, proves to be effective in achieving the F - M synchronization not only when the synchronization index d equals n or m, but even if the synchronization index d is larger than the map dimensions n and m. Finally, simulation results are reported, with the aim to illustrate the capabilities of the novel scheme proposed herein.
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The French method (of representing noise annoyance)
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Collet, F.; Delol, J.
1980-01-01
The psophic index used in France for noise exposure from aircraft globally represents the annoyance with the following hypotheses: (1) the global annoyance is a function of the number of aircraft overflights of each type but does not depend on the overflight time; (2) an aircraft flying at night is considered to be just as annoying as 10 aircraft of the same type passing overhead during the day; and (3) and annoyance is only a function of the peak noise levels. Overall, the psophic index appears statistically as good a representation of the average annoyance as methods used in other countries; however, it does seem to reflect poorly the annoyance caused by light aircraft. Noise maps produced for Orly, Roissy, and the area around Paris are described. The range of applications and limitations of the psophic index are discussed.
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M2 tidal effects in greater cook strait, New Zealand
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kibblewhite, Alick C.; Ash, David E.
1980-05-01
The application of a M2 nonlinear numerical tidal model to the shelf seas of central New Zealand (~38.500 km2 area) is described. It has provided a preliminary assessment of tidal and residual currents, bottom stress, energy dissipation, and the stratification index. The existence of a permanent, tidally driven mesoscale eddy (~75 km diameter) is predicted nort of D'Urville Island. Large spatial gradients in bottom stress qualitatively agree with many features of the surficial sediment distribution. A comparison of all available bulk stratification data with the h/u3 stratification index clearly demonstrates the dominance of tidal versus wind mixing over the control of summer stratification. A potential application of the model to fisheries science is suggested through a comparison of the stratification index contour map and some observations of squid fishing vessel locations.
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M 2 tidal effects in greater Cook Strait, New Zealand
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bowman, Malcolm J.; Kibblewhite, Alick C.; Ash, David E.
1980-05-01
The application of an M2 nonlinear numerical tidal model to the shelf seas of central New Zealand (˜38,500 km2 area) is described. It has provided a preliminary assessment of tidal and residual currents, bottom stress, energy dissipation, and the stratification index. The existence of a permanent, tidally driven mesoscale eddy (˜75 km diameter) is predicted north of D'Urville Island. Large spatial gradients in bottom stress qualitatively agree with many features of the surficial sediment distribution. A comparison of all available bulk stratification data with the h/u3 stratification index clearly demonstrates the dominance of tidal versus wind mixing over the control of summer stratification. A potential application of the model to fisheries science is suggested through a comparison of the stratification index contour map and some observations of squid fishing vessel locations.
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Mavrakis, Anastasios; Spanou, Anastasia; Pantavou, Katerina; Katavoutas, George; Theoharatos, George; Christides, Anastasios; Verouti, Eleni
2012-07-01
Evidence that heat wave events are associated with poor air quality conditions and health hazards has become stronger in recent years. In this study, the impact of two heat wave episodes on human thermal discomfort and air quality is examined during summer 2007, in an industrial plain of eastern Mediterranean: the Thriassion Plain, Greece. For this purpose, two biometeorological indices-Discomfort Index (DI) and Heat Load (HL)-as well as an air quality index-Air Quality Stress Index (AQSI)-were calculated using data from seven measuring sites. A land-use map was procured in order to examine the effect of different land cover types on human thermal comfort. The results indicated high level of thermal discomfort and increased air pollution levels, while a significant correlation between the DI and the AQSI was identified.
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The HMI Magnetic Activity Index for Local-Area Helioseismology
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bogart, Richard S.; Baldner, Charles
2017-08-01
In order to provide context for the mapping of sub-surface flows and thermal structure by local helioseismic techniques and the study of their relation to local magnetic activity, a local Magnetic Activity Index (MAI) was introduced. The MAI provides an appropriate index value corresponding precisely to the extent in space and time of each region analyzed. It is intended to be a measure of the total magnetic flux in the region. Hemispheric averages of the MAI are very well correlated with independent global measures of solar magnetic activity. Improvements in the determination of the MAI from Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) measurements have revealed statistical anomalies affecting a small but significant number of high-cadence (45-sec) magnetograms. We describe modifications to the MAI being explored, the identification and treatment of anomalous magnetic field values, and explore likely causes.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Graf, R.; Mueller, R.; Meier, H.P.
1980-09-01
The results of noise measurements and calculations are available in the form of noise maps for each of the three areas. To measure the stress due to airplane noise the Noise and Number Index (NNI) was applied. In the vicinities of the airports, 400 households were randomly selected in each of the three noise zones (of 10 NNI intervals each). A total of 3939 questionnaires could be evaluated, one quarter of which came from areas without airplane noise. Concurrently, traffic noise was measured in areas of Basel and expressed in sum total levels L sub 50 and the reaction ofmore » 944 persons was elicited by interrogation.« less
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Graf, R.; Mueller, R.; Meier, H. P.
1980-01-01
The results of noise measurements and calculations are available in the form of noise maps for each of the three areas. To measure the stress due to airplane noise the Noise and Number Index (NNI) was applied. In the vicinities of the airports, 400 households were randomly selected in each of the three noise zones (of 10 NNI intervals each). A total of 3939 questionnaires could be evaluated, one quarter of which came from areas without airplane noise. Concurrently, traffic noise was measured in areas of Basel and expressed in sum total levels L sub 50 and the reaction of 944 persons was elicited by interrogation.
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A GIS-based susceptibility map for landslides at the Franconian Alb, Germany
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jaeger, Daniel; Wilde, Martina; Lorenz, Michael; Terhorst, Birgit; Neuhäuser, Bettina; Damm, Bodo; Bemm, Stefan
2014-05-01
In general, slopes of cuesta scarps like the Franconian Alb are highly prone to slide activity due to susceptible geological and geomorphological conditions. The geological setting with alternating permeable and non-permeable bedrock results in the characteristic cuesta landforms of almost flat backslopes and steeper front slopes. Furthermore, this bipartite structure leads to a strong disposition for mass movements. The slopes of the study area near the town of Ebermannstadt are affected by different types of mass movements, such as topples, slides, lateral spreads and flows, either in single or in combined occurrence. In the years 1625, 1957, 1961 and 1979, four large landslides took place in the area of Ebermannstadt, reaching close to the town limits and causing major destructions to traffic facilities. In the study area, slopes are covered by debris and slide masses, thus they are prone to remobilization and further mass movements. In order to assess hazardous areas, a GIS-based susceptibility modelling was generated for the study area. The susceptibtibility modeling was processed with the slope stability model SINMAP (Stability Index Mapping), developed by TARBOTON (1997) and PACK et al. (1999). As SINMAP was particularly designed to model shallow translational slides, it should be well designed for describing the conditions of the study area in a sufficient way. SINMAP is based on the "infinite slope stability model" by HAMMONT et al. (1992) and MONTGOMERY & DIETRICH (1994), which focuses on the relation of stabilizing (cohesiveness, friction angle) and destabilizing (gravitation) factors on a plain surface. By adding a slope gradient, as well as soil mechanical and climatical data, indices of slope stabilities are calculated. For a more detailed modeling of the slope conditions, SINMAP computes different "calibration regions", which merge similar parameters of soil, land-use, vegetation, and geology. Due to the fact that vegetation, land-use, and soils only show minor differences on the slopes of the study area and therefore have no significant impact on the slope stability in the applied modeling, geology becomes the most important input factor. Therefore, first calculations are based on the main geological units drawn in the geological map, such as limestone, clay, sandstone and debris. However, the results obtained were not sufficient, as several areas of known instability were calculated as rather stable slope areas. This was due to an underrepresentation of debris and slide masses in the geological map and the models' calculation. In order to improve the modeling process, geological standard units were further differentiated, with the debris cover and its soil mechanical parameters considered in greater detail. These adjustments not only led to significantly improved modeling results in the study area, but also create a more realistic basis for SINMAP calculations in all cuesta landscapes. HAMMONT, C., HALL, D., MILLER, S., SWETIK, P. (1992): Level I Stability Analysis (LISA) Documentation for version 2.0. General Technical report INT-285, USDA Forest Service Intermountain Research Station 190p. MONTGOMERY, D. R. & DIETRICH, W. E. (1994): A physically based model for the topographic control on shallow landsliding. Water Resources Research 30/4, p 1153-1171. PACK, R. T., TARBOTON, D. G. & GOODWIN, C.N. (1999): SINMAP - A Stability Index Approach to Terrain Stability Hazard Mapping, User's Manual. Forest Renewal B.C., 65p. TARBOTON, G.D. (1997): A new method for the determination of flow directions and upslope areas in grid digital elevation models. Water Resources Research 33/2, p 309-319.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mani Murali, R.; Ankita, M.; Amrita, S.; Vethamony, P.
2013-12-01
As a consequence of change in global climate, an increased frequency of natural hazards such as storm surges, tsunamis and cyclones, is predicted to have dramatic affects on the coastal communities and ecosystems by virtue of the devastation they cause during and after their occurrence. The tsunami of December 2004 and the Thane cyclone of 2011 caused extensive human and economic losses along the coastline of Puducherry and Tamil Nadu. The devastation caused by these events highlighted the need for vulnerability assessment to ensure better understanding of the elements causing different hazards and to consequently minimize the after- effects of the future events. This paper demonstrates an analytical hierarchical process (AHP)-based approach to coastal vulnerability studies as an improvement to the existing methodologies for vulnerability assessment. The paper also encourages the inclusion of socio-economic parameters along with the physical parameters to calculate the coastal vulnerability index using AHP-derived weights. Seven physical-geological parameters (slope, geomorphology, elevation, shoreline change, sea level rise, significant wave height and tidal range) and four socio-economic factors (population, land use/land cover (LU/LC), roads and location of tourist areas) are considered to measure the physical vulnerability index (PVI) as well as the socio-economic vulnerability index (SVI) of the Puducherry coast. Based on the weights and scores derived using AHP, vulnerability maps are prepared to demarcate areas with very low, medium and high vulnerability. A combination of PVI and SVI values are further utilized to compute the coastal vulnerability index (CVI). Finally, the various coastal segments are grouped into the 3 vulnerability classes to obtain the coastal vulnerability map. The entire coastal extent between Muthiapet and Kirumampakkam as well as the northern part of Kalapet is designated as the high vulnerability zone, which constitutes 50% of the coastline. The region between the southern coastal extent of Kalapet and Lawspet is the medium vulnerability zone and the remaining 25% is the low vulnerability zone. The results obtained enable the identification and prioritization of the more vulnerable areas of the region in order to further assist the government and the residing coastal communities in better coastal management and conservation.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Liang, Z.; Fixsen, D. J.; Gold, B.
2012-01-01
We show that a one-component variable-emissivity-spectral-index model (the free- model) provides more physically motivated estimates of dust temperature at the Galactic polar caps than one- or two-component fixed-emissivity-spectral-index models (fixed- models) for interstellar dust thermal emission at far-infrared and millimeter wavelengths. For the comparison we have fit all-sky one-component dust models with fixed or variable emissivity spectral index to a new and improved version of the 210-channel dust spectra from the COBE-FIRAS, the 100-240 micrometer maps from the COBE-DIRBE and the 94 GHz dust map from the WMAP. The best model, the free-alpha model, is well constrained by data at 60-3000 GHz over 86 per cent of the total sky area. It predicts dust temperature (T(sub dust)) to be 13.7-22.7 (plus or minus 1.3) K, the emissivity spectral index (alpha) to be 1.2-3.1 (plus or minus 0.3) and the optical depth (tau) to range 0.6-46 x 10(exp -5) with a 23 per cent uncertainty. Using these estimates, we present all-sky evidence for an inverse correlation between the emissivity spectral index and dust temperature, which fits the relation alpha = 1/(delta + omega (raised dot) T(sub dust) with delta = -.0.510 plus or minus 0.011 and omega = 0.059 plus or minus 0.001. This best model will be useful to cosmic microwave background experiments for removing foreground dust contamination and it can serve as an all-sky extended-frequency reference for future higher resolution dust models.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Alili, L.; Boukdir, A.; Maslouhi, M. R.; Ikhmerdi, H.
2018-05-01
The study area is located in the north of the province of Beni Mellal, it covers the Piedmont of the high Atlas between El Ksiba and Ouaoumana. It is characterized by a poorly developed hydrographic network and the presence of very important karstic forms. These forms condition the rapid infiltration to the karstic springs are the subject of this study. In this work we presented a method of mapping the vulnerability to pollution of Karstic springs located between El Ksiba and Ouaoumana. To do this, we have introduced a vulnerability index called F which takes into account four parameters (EPIK): Development of the Epikarst, importance of the protective cover, infiltration conditions and development of the Karst network. The overlay of the thematic maps of these parameters through a GIS software (ArcGIS) gave us a map of the vulnerability to contamination on the whole hydrogeological basin of the springs.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
De Clippele, L. H.; Gafeira, J.; Robert, K.; Hennige, S.; Lavaleye, M. S.; Duineveld, G. C. A.; Huvenne, V. A. I.; Roberts, J. M.
2017-03-01
Cold-water corals form substantial biogenic habitats on continental shelves and in deep-sea areas with topographic highs, such as banks and seamounts. In the Atlantic, many reef and mound complexes are engineered by Lophelia pertusa, the dominant framework-forming coral. In this study, a variety of mapping approaches were used at a range of scales to map the distribution of both cold-water coral habitats and individual coral colonies at the Mingulay Reef Complex (west Scotland). The new ArcGIS-based British Geological Survey (BGS) seabed mapping toolbox semi-automatically delineated over 500 Lophelia reef `mini-mounds' from bathymetry data with 2-m resolution. The morphometric and acoustic characteristics of the mini-mounds were also automatically quantified and captured using this toolbox. Coral presence data were derived from high-definition remotely operated vehicle (ROV) records and high-resolution microbathymetry collected by a ROV-mounted multibeam echosounder. With a resolution of 0.35 × 0.35 m, the microbathymetry covers 0.6 km2 in the centre of the study area and allowed identification of individual live coral colonies in acoustic data for the first time. Maximum water depth, maximum rugosity, mean rugosity, bathymetric positioning index and maximum current speed were identified as the environmental variables that contributed most to the prediction of live coral presence. These variables were used to create a predictive map of the likelihood of presence of live cold-water coral colonies in the area of the Mingulay Reef Complex covered by the 2-m resolution data set. Predictive maps of live corals across the reef will be especially valuable for future long-term monitoring surveys, including those needed to understand the impacts of global climate change. This is the first study using the newly developed BGS seabed mapping toolbox and an ROV-based microbathymetric grid to explore the environmental variables that control coral growth on cold-water coral reefs.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Plexida, Sofia G.; Sfougaris, Athanassios I.; Ispikoudis, Ioannis P.; Papanastasis, Vasilios P.
2014-02-01
This paper investigates the spatial heterogeneity of three landscapes along an altitudinal gradient and different human land use. The main aim was the identification of appropriate landscape indicators using different extents. ASTER image was used to create a land cover map consisting of three landscapes which differed in altitude and land use. A number of landscape metrics quantifying patch complexity, configuration, diversity and connectivity were derived from the thematic map at the landscape level. There were significant differences among the three landscapes regarding these four aspects of landscape heterogeneity. The analysis revealed a specific pattern of land use where lowlands are being increasingly utilized by humans (percentage of agricultural land = 65.84%) characterized by physical connectedness (high values of Patch Cohesion Index) and relatively simple geometries (low values of fractal dimension index). The landscape pattern of uplands was found to be highly diverse based upon the Shannon Diversity index. After selecting the scale (600 ha) where metrics values stabilized, it was shown that metrics were more correlated at the small scale of 60 ha. From the original 24 metrics, 14 individual metrics with high Spearman correlation coefficient and Variance Inflation Factor criterion were eliminated, leaving 10 representative metrics for subsequent analysis. Data reduction analysis showed that Patch Density, Area-Weighted Mean Fractal Dimension Index and Patch Cohesion Index are suitable to describe landscape patterns irrespective of the scale. A systematic screening of these metrics could enhance a deeper understanding of the results obtained by them and contribute to a sustainable landscape management of Mediterranean landscapes.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sezer, Ebru; Pradhan, Biswajeet; Gokceoglu, Candan
2010-05-01
Landslides are one of the recurrent natural hazard problems throughout most of Malaysia. Recently, the Klang Valley area of Selangor state has faced numerous landslide and mudflow events and much damage occurred in these areas. However, only little effort has been made to assess or predict these events which resulted in serious damages. Through scientific analyses of these landslides, one can assess and predict landslide-susceptible areas and even the events as such, and thus reduce landslide damages through proper preparation and/or mitigation. For this reason , the purpose of the present paper is to produce landslide susceptibility maps of a part of the Klang Valley areas in Malaysia by employing the results of the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) analyses. Landslide locations in the study area were identified by interpreting aerial photographs and satellite images, supported by extensive field surveys. Landsat TM satellite imagery was used to map vegetation index. Maps of topography, lineaments and NDVI were constructed from the spatial datasets. Seven landslide conditioning factors such as altitude, slope angle, plan curvature, distance from drainage, soil type, distance from faults and NDVI were extracted from the spatial database. These factors were analyzed using an ANFIS to construct the landslide susceptibility maps. During the model development works, total 5 landslide susceptibility models were obtained by using ANFIS results. For verification, the results of the analyses were then compared with the field-verified landslide locations. Additionally, the ROC curves for all landslide susceptibility models were drawn and the area under curve values was calculated. Landslide locations were used to validate results of the landslide susceptibility map and the verification results showed 98% accuracy for the model 5 employing all parameters produced in the present study as the landslide conditioning factors. The validation results showed sufficient agreement between the obtained susceptibility map and the existing data on landslide areas. Qualitatively, the model yields reasonable results which can be used for preliminary land-use planning purposes. As a final conclusion, the results obtained from the study showed that the ANFIS modeling is a very useful and powerful tool for the regional landslide susceptibility assessments. However, the results to be obtained from the ANFIS modeling should be assessed carefully because the overlearning may cause misleading results. To prevent overlerning, the numbers of membership functions of inputs and the number of training epochs should be selected optimally and carefully.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Akay, S. S.; Sertel, E.
2016-06-01
Urban land cover/use changes like urbanization and urban sprawl have been impacting the urban ecosystems significantly therefore determination of urban land cover/use changes is an important task to understand trends and status of urban ecosystems, to support urban planning and to aid decision-making for urban-based projects. High resolution satellite images could be used to accurately, periodically and quickly map urban land cover/use and their changes by time. This paper aims to determine urban land cover/use changes in Gaziantep city centre between 2010 and 2105 using object based images analysis and high resolution SPOT 5 and SPOT 6 images. 2.5 m SPOT 5 image obtained in 5th of June 2010 and 1.5 m SPOT 6 image obtained in 7th of July 2015 were used in this research to precisely determine land changes in five-year period. In addition to satellite images, various ancillary data namely Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Difference Water Index (NDWI) maps, cadastral maps, OpenStreetMaps, road maps and Land Cover maps, were integrated into the classification process to produce high accuracy urban land cover/use maps for these two years. Both images were geometrically corrected to fulfil the 1/10,000 scale geometric accuracy. Decision tree based object oriented classification was applied to identify twenty different urban land cover/use classes defined in European Urban Atlas project. Not only satellite images and satellite image-derived indices but also different thematic maps were integrated into decision tree analysis to create rule sets for accurate mapping of each class. Rule sets of each satellite image for the object based classification involves spectral, spatial and geometric parameter to automatically produce urban map of the city centre region. Total area of each class per related year and their changes in five-year period were determined and change trend in terms of class transformation were presented. Classification accuracy assessment was conducted by creating a confusion matrix to illustrate the thematic accuracy of each class.
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Developing index maps of water-harvest potential in Africa
Senay, G.B.; Verdin, J.P.
2004-01-01
The food security problem in Africa is tied to the small farmer, whose subsistence farming relies heavily on rain-fed agriculture. A dry spell lasting two to three weeks can cause a significant yield reduction. A small-scale irrigation scheme from small-capacity ponds can alleviate this problem. This solution would require a water harvest mechanism at a farm level. In this study, we looked at the feasibility of implementing such a water harvest mechanism in drought prone parts of Africa. A water balance study was conducted at different watershed levels. Runoff (watershed yield) was estimated using the SCS curve number technique and satellite derived rainfall estimates (RFE). Watersheds were delineated from the Africa-wide HYDRO-1K digital elevation model (DEM) data set in a GIS environment. Annual runoff volumes that can potentially be stored in a pond during storm events were estimated as the product of the watershed area and runoff excess estimated from the SCS Curve Number method. Estimates were made for seepage and net evaporation losses. A series of water harvest index maps were developed based on a combination of factors that took into account the availability of runoff, evaporation losses, population density, and the required watershed size needed to fill a small storage reservoir that can be used to alleviate water stress during a crop growing season. This study presents Africa-wide water-harvest index maps that could be used for conducting feasibility studies at a regional scale in assessing the relative differences in runoff potential between regions for the possibility of using ponds as a water management tool. ?? 2004 American Society of Agricultural Engineers.
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Logarithm conformal mapping brings the cloaking effect
Xu, Lin; Chen, Huanyang
2014-01-01
Over the past years, invisibility cloaks have been extensively discussed since transformation optics emerges. Generally, the electromagnetic parameters of invisibility cloaks are complicated tensors, yet difficult to realize. As a special method of transformation optics, conformal mapping helps us design invisibility cloak with isotropic materials of a refractive index distribution. However, for all proposed isotropic cloaks, the refractive index range is at such a breadth that challenges current experimental fabrication. In this work, we propose two new kinds of logarithm conformal mappings for invisible device designs. For one of the mappings, the refractive index distribution of conformal cloak varies from 0 to 9.839, which is more feasible for future implementation. Numerical simulations by using finite element method are performed to confirm the theoretical analysis. PMID:25359138
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Thamke, Joanna N.; Reynolds, Mitchell W.
2000-01-01
The Generalized Bedrock Geologic Map of the Helena Area, West-Central Montana (plate 1 in the report) provides an intermediate-scale overview of bedrock in the Helena area. The geologic map has been compiled at a scale of 1:100,000 from the most widely available sources of geologic map information (see index to geologic mapping on pl. 1). That information has been updated by M.W. Reynolds for this report with more recent geologic mapping and field revision of published maps. All well locations and all bedrock units penetrated during drilling have been confirmed on geologic maps at the largest scale available. Source geologic maps are all at scales larger than 1:100,000 scale. Care has been taken to ensure accurate representation of the original geology at the compilation scale. However, positional accuracy of some features might be somewhat diminished at the smaller scale of the base map when compared with the original data source. Also, line thicknesses for contacts and faults necessarily assume a greater width, relative to the real geologic feature, at the scale of the generalized map than on any original map. The map is not intended for large-scale, site-specific detailed planning. Bedrock units throughout the Helena area are generally covered by young surficial deposits such as alluvium, colluvium, glacial debris, or windblown sediment. Thickness of such deposits varies from veneers through which the underlying bedrock is clearly discernible to major thicknesses that conceal all underlying bedrock and structure. Boundaries of major accumulations of surficial deposits are attributed separately from bedrock contacts. These boundaries should not be considered precise at the map scale or at larger scales. Boundaries shown may be less accurate positionally than bedrock contacts and faults because (1) surficial deposits commonly thin to a knife edge; (2) different mappers will interpret the edge differently when drawing a boundary; or (3) the original geologic map maker was concerned principally with bedrock units and structure and thus overlooked, or did not originally map as consistently, some surficial deposits. Veneers of surficial sediment, when saturated, can be local sources of recharge to underlying bedrock. Use of the generalized map to define their distribution does not substitute for site specific mapping of such deposits. Specific knowledge is needed to determine the water-bearing properties of the geologic units at and surrounding a site because the units, including the igneous and metamorphic rocks, have internal differences in stratigraphy, composition, mineralogy and grain size or crystallinity. These differences, together with structural imprints such as faults, folds, and the spacing, orientation, degree of openness of fractures, and extent and type of mineral filling in fractures and faults, all affect the ability of rocks to store and transmit water.
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Influence of Elevation Data Resolution on Spatial Prediction of Colluvial Soils in a Luvisol Region
Penížek, Vít; Zádorová, Tereza; Kodešová, Radka; Vaněk, Aleš
2016-01-01
The development of a soil cover is a dynamic process. Soil cover can be altered within a few decades, which requires updating of the legacy soil maps. Soil erosion is one of the most important processes quickly altering soil cover on agriculture land. Colluvial soils develop in concave parts of the landscape as a consequence of sedimentation of eroded material. Colluvial soils are recognised as important soil units because they are a vast sink of soil organic carbon. Terrain derivatives became an important tool in digital soil mapping and are among the most popular auxiliary data used for quantitative spatial prediction. Prediction success rates are often directly dependent on raster resolution. In our study, we tested how raster resolution (1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 20 and 30 meters) influences spatial prediction of colluvial soils. Terrain derivatives (altitude, slope, plane curvature, topographic position index, LS factor and convergence index) were calculated for the given raster resolutions. Four models were applied (boosted tree, neural network, random forest and Classification/Regression Tree) to spatially predict the soil cover over a 77 ha large study plot. Models training and validation was based on 111 soil profiles surveyed on a regular sampling grid. Moreover, the predicted real extent and shape of the colluvial soil area was examined. In general, no clear trend in the accuracy prediction was found without the given raster resolution range. Higher maximum prediction accuracy for colluvial soil, compared to prediction accuracy of total soil cover of the study plot, can be explained by the choice of terrain derivatives that were best for Colluvial soils differentiation from other soil units. Regarding the character of the predicted Colluvial soils area, maps of 2 to 10 m resolution provided reasonable delineation of the colluvial soil as part of the cover over the study area. PMID:27846230
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Assessing the impact of climate variability on cropping patterns in Kenya
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wahome, A.; Ndungu, L. W.; Ndubi, A. O.; Ellenburg, W. L.; Flores Cordova, A. I.
2017-12-01
Climate variability coupled with over-reliance on rain-fed agricultural production on already strained land that is facing degradation and declining soil fertility; highly impacts food security in Africa. In Kenya, dependence on the approximately 20% of land viable for agricultural production under climate stressors such as variations in amount and frequency of rainfall within the main growing season in March-April-May(MAM) and changing temperatures influence production. With time, cropping zones have changed with the changing climatic conditions. In response, the needs of decision makers to effectively assess the current cropped areas and the changes in cropping patterns, SERVIR East and Southern Africa developed updated crop maps and change maps. Specifically, the change maps depict the change in cropping patterns between 2000 and 2015 with a further assessment done on important food crops such as maize. Between 2001 and 2015 a total of 5394km2 of land was converted to cropland with 3370km2 being conversion to maize production. However, 318 sq km were converted from maize to other crops or conversion to other land use types. To assess the changes in climatic conditions, climate parameters such as precipitation trends, variation and averages over time were derived from CHIRPs (Climate Hazards Infra-red Precipitation with stations) which is a quasi-global blended precipitation dataset available at a resolution of approximately 5km. Water Requirements Satisfaction Index (WRSI) water balance model was used to assess long term trends in crop performance as a proxy for maize yields. From the results, areas experiencing declining and varying precipitation with a declining WRSI index during the long rains displayed agricultural expansion with new areas being converted to cropland. In response to climate variability, farmers have converted more land to cropland instead of adopting better farming methods such as adopting drought resistant cultivars and using better farm inputs.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wahome, A.; Ndungu, L. W.; Ndubi, A. O.; Ellenburg, W. L.; Flores Cordova, A. I.
2016-12-01
Climate variability coupled with over-reliance on rain-fed agricultural production on already strained land that is facing degradation and declining soil fertility; highly impacts food security in Africa. In Kenya, dependence on the approximately 20% of land viable for agricultural production under climate stressors such as variations in amount and frequency of rainfall within the main growing season in March-April-May(MAM) and changing temperatures influence production. With time, cropping zones have changed with the changing climatic conditions. In response, the needs of decision makers to effectively assess the current cropped areas and the changes in cropping patterns, SERVIR East and Southern Africa developed updated crop maps and change maps. Specifically, the change maps depict the change in cropping patterns between 2000 and 2015 with a further assessment done on important food crops such as maize. Between 2001 and 2015 a total of 5394km2 of land was converted to cropland with 3370km2 being conversion to maize production. However, 318 sq km were converted from maize to other crops or conversion to other land use types. To assess the changes in climatic conditions, climate parameters such as precipitation trends, variation and averages over time were derived from CHIRPs (Climate Hazards Infra-red Precipitation with stations) which is a quasi-global blended precipitation dataset available at a resolution of approximately 5km. Water Requirements Satisfaction Index (WRSI) water balance model was used to assess long term trends in crop performance as a proxy for maize yields. From the results, areas experiencing declining and varying precipitation with a declining WRSI index during the long rains displayed agricultural expansion with new areas being converted to cropland. In response to climate variability, farmers have converted more land to cropland instead of adopting better farming methods such as adopting drought resistant cultivars and using better farm inputs.
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Villarreal, Miguel; Webb, Robert H.; Norman, Laura M.; Psillas, Jennifer L.; Rosenberg, Abigail S.; Carmichael, Shinji; Petrakis, Roy E.; Sparks, Philip E.
2014-01-01
Decades of intensive off-road vehicle use for border security, immigration, smuggling, recreation, and military training along the USA–Mexico border have prompted concerns about long-term human impacts on sensitive desert ecosystems. To help managers identify areas susceptible to soil erosion from anthropogenic activities, we developed a series of erosion potential models based on factors from the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). To better express the vulnerability of soils to human disturbances, we refined two factors whose categorical and spatial representations limit the application of the USLE for non-agricultural landscapes: the C-factor (vegetation cover) and the P-factor (support practice/management). A soil compaction index (P-factor) was calculated as the difference in saturated hydrologic conductivity (Ks) between disturbed and undisturbed soils, which was then scaled up to maps of vehicle disturbances digitized from aerial photography. The C-factor was improved using a satellite-based vegetation index, which was better correlated with estimated ground cover (r2 = 0·77) than data derived from land cover (r2 = 0·06). We identified 9,780 km of unauthorized off-road tracks in the 2,800-km2 study area. Maps of these disturbances, when integrated with soil compaction data using the USLE, provided landscape-scale information on areas vulnerable to erosion from both natural processes and human activities and are detailed enough for adaptive management and restoration planning. The models revealed erosion potential hotspots adjacent to the border and within areas managed as critical habitat for the threatened flat-tailed horned lizard and endangered Sonoran pronghorn.
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Ho, Hung Chak; Lau, Kevin Ka-Lun; Yu, Ruby; Wang, Dan; Woo, Jean; Kwok, Timothy Chi Yui; Ng, Edward
2017-08-31
Previous studies found a relationship between geriatric depression and social deprivation. However, most studies did not include environmental factors in the statistical models, introducing a bias to estimate geriatric depression risk because the urban environment was found to have significant associations with mental health. We developed a cross-sectional study with a binomial logistic regression to examine the geriatric depression risk of a high-density city based on five social vulnerability factors and four environmental measures. We constructed a socio-environmental vulnerability index by including the significant variables to map the geriatric depression risk in Hong Kong, a high-density city characterized by compact urban environment and high-rise buildings. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of the variables were significantly different, indicating that both social and environmental variables should be included as confounding factors. For the comprehensive model controlled by all confounding factors, older adults who were of lower education had the highest geriatric depression risks (OR: 1.60 (1.21, 2.12)). Higher percentage of residential area and greater variation in building height within the neighborhood also contributed to geriatric depression risk in Hong Kong, while average building height had negative association with geriatric depression risk. In addition, the socio-environmental vulnerability index showed that higher scores were associated with higher geriatric depression risk at neighborhood scale. The results of mapping and cross-section model suggested that geriatric depression risk was associated with a compact living environment with low socio-economic conditions in historical urban areas in Hong Kong. In conclusion, our study found a significant difference in geriatric depression risk between unadjusted and adjusted models, suggesting the importance of including environmental factors in estimating geriatric depression risk. We also developed a framework to map geriatric depression risk across a city, which can be used for identifying neighborhoods with higher risk for public health surveillance and sustainable urban planning.
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Lau, Kevin Ka-Lun; Yu, Ruby; Wang, Dan; Kwok, Timothy Chi Yui; Ng, Edward
2017-01-01
Previous studies found a relationship between geriatric depression and social deprivation. However, most studies did not include environmental factors in the statistical models, introducing a bias to estimate geriatric depression risk because the urban environment was found to have significant associations with mental health. We developed a cross-sectional study with a binomial logistic regression to examine the geriatric depression risk of a high-density city based on five social vulnerability factors and four environmental measures. We constructed a socio-environmental vulnerability index by including the significant variables to map the geriatric depression risk in Hong Kong, a high-density city characterized by compact urban environment and high-rise buildings. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of the variables were significantly different, indicating that both social and environmental variables should be included as confounding factors. For the comprehensive model controlled by all confounding factors, older adults who were of lower education had the highest geriatric depression risks (OR: 1.60 (1.21, 2.12)). Higher percentage of residential area and greater variation in building height within the neighborhood also contributed to geriatric depression risk in Hong Kong, while average building height had negative association with geriatric depression risk. In addition, the socio-environmental vulnerability index showed that higher scores were associated with higher geriatric depression risk at neighborhood scale. The results of mapping and cross-section model suggested that geriatric depression risk was associated with a compact living environment with low socio-economic conditions in historical urban areas in Hong Kong. In conclusion, our study found a significant difference in geriatric depression risk between unadjusted and adjusted models, suggesting the importance of including environmental factors in estimating geriatric depression risk. We also developed a framework to map geriatric depression risk across a city, which can be used for identifying neighborhoods with higher risk for public health surveillance and sustainable urban planning. PMID:28858265
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Heim, B.; Beamish, A. L.; Walker, D. A.; Epstein, H. E.; Sachs, T.; Chabrillat, S.; Buchhorn, M.; Prakash, A.
2016-12-01
Ground data for the validation of satellite-derived terrestrial Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) at high latitudes are sparse. Also for regional model evaluation (e.g. climate models, land surface models, permafrost models), we lack accurate ranges of terrestrial ground data and face the problem of a large mismatch in scale. Within the German research programs `Regional Climate Change' (REKLIM) and the Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program (EnMAP), we conducted a study on ground data representativeness for vegetation-related variables within a monitoring grid at the Toolik Lake Long-Term Ecological Research station; the Toolik Lake station lies in the Kuparuk River watershed on the North Slope of the Brooks Mountain Range in Alaska. The Toolik Lake grid covers an area of 1 km2 containing Eight five grid points spaced 100 meters apart. Moist acidic tussock tundra is the most dominant vegetation type within the grid. Eight five permanent 1 m2 plots were also established to be representative of the individual gridpoints. Researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks have undertaken assessments at these plots, including Leaf Area Index (LAI) and field spectrometry to derive the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). During summer 2016, we conducted field spectrometry and LAI measurements at selected plots during early, peak and late summer. We experimentally measured LAI on more spatially extensive Elementary Sampling Units (ESUs) to investigate the spatial representativeness of the permanent 1 m2 plots and to map ESUs for various tundra types. LAI measurements are potentially influenced by landscape-inherent microtopography, sparse vascular plant cover, and dead woody matter. From field spectrometer measurements, we derived a clear-sky mid-day Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR). We will present the first data analyses comparing FAPAR and LAI, and maps of biophysically-focused ESUs for evaluation of the use of remote sensing data to estimate these ecosystem properties.
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E-Index for Differentiating Complex Dynamic Traits
Qi, Jiandong; Sun, Jianfeng; Wang, Jianxin
2016-01-01
While it is a daunting challenge in current biology to understand how the underlying network of genes regulates complex dynamic traits, functional mapping, a tool for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), has been applied in a variety of cases to tackle this challenge. Though useful and powerful, functional mapping performs well only when one or more model parameters are clearly responsible for the developmental trajectory, typically being a logistic curve. Moreover, it does not work when the curves are more complex than that, especially when they are not monotonic. To overcome this inadaptability, we therefore propose a mathematical-biological concept and measurement, E-index (earliness-index), which cumulatively measures the earliness degree to which a variable (or a dynamic trait) increases or decreases its value. Theoretical proofs and simulation studies show that E-index is more general than functional mapping and can be applied to any complex dynamic traits, including those with logistic curves and those with nonmonotonic curves. Meanwhile, E-index vector is proposed as well to capture more subtle differences of developmental patterns. PMID:27064292
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Estimating plant area index for monitoring crop growth dynamics using Landsat-8 and RapidEye images
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Shang, Jiali; Liu, Jiangui; Huffman, Ted; Qian, Budong; Pattey, Elizabeth; Wang, Jinfei; Zhao, Ting; Geng, Xiaoyuan; Kroetsch, David; Dong, Taifeng; Lantz, Nicholas
2014-01-01
This study investigates the use of two different optical sensors, the multispectral imager (MSI) onboard the RapidEye satellites and the operational land imager (OLI) onboard the Landsat-8 for mapping within-field variability of crop growth conditions and tracking the seasonal growth dynamics. The study was carried out in southern Ontario, Canada, during the 2013 growing season for three annual crops, corn, soybeans, and winter wheat. Plant area index (PAI) was measured at different growth stages using digital hemispherical photography at two corn fields, two winter wheat fields, and two soybean fields. Comparison between several conventional vegetation indices derived from concurrently acquired image data by the two sensors showed a good agreement. The two-band enhanced vegetation index (EVI2) and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were derived from the surface reflectance of the two sensors. The study showed that EVI2 was more resistant to saturation at high biomass range than NDVI. A linear relationship could be used for crop green effective PAI estimation from EVI2, with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.85 and root-mean-square error of 0.53. The estimated multitemporal product of green PAI was found to be able to capture the seasonal dynamics of the three crops.
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Public green areas and urban environmental quality of the city of São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil.
Bertini, M A; Rufino, R R; Fushita, A T; Lima, M I S
2016-04-19
Assess the state of public green areas, their importance and influence on environmental quality and living in urban centers is an arduous task considering the conceptual and scientific regarding quantification and data analysis methods divergence. In this study, we aimed to determine two indicators of public green areas relative to the percentage of public green areas (PPGA) and the public green areas index (PGAI) in the urban area of São Carlos, SP. The study area was organized into administrative regions (ARs), using satellite images, topographical maps of 1:10,000 Geographic and Cartographic Institute (1990) and data provided by the Municipality of São Carlos. The results show that public green areas comprise 6.55% of the municipality, with a public green areas index (PGAI) of 18.85 m2/inhabitant, indicating good urban environmental quality when compared to rates of 15 m2/capita for public green areas for recreation, suggested by the Brazilian Society of Urban Forestry. The differences between the administrative regions are concern with situations from 4.16 to 36.30 m2/inhabitant. In this context, it is recommend specific public policies and popular participation in the process of continuous improvement for increasing public green areas in the less favored regions. The Genebrino method applied to indicators of public green areas (GPGA - amount of public green areas divided by population density), showed a commendable goal above 40% for urban environmental quality.
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Cheng, Xiaoya; Shaw, Stephen B; Marjerison, Rebecca D; Yearick, Christopher D; DeGloria, Stephen D; Walter, M Todd
2014-05-01
Predicting runoff producing areas and their corresponding risks of generating storm runoff is important for developing watershed management strategies to mitigate non-point source pollution. However, few methods for making these predictions have been proposed, especially operational approaches that would be useful in areas where variable source area (VSA) hydrology dominates storm runoff. The objective of this study is to develop a simple approach to estimate spatially-distributed risks of runoff production. By considering the development of overland flow as a bivariate process, we incorporated both rainfall and antecedent soil moisture conditions into a method for predicting VSAs based on the Natural Resource Conservation Service-Curve Number equation. We used base-flow immediately preceding storm events as an index of antecedent soil wetness status. Using nine sub-basins of the Upper Susquehanna River Basin, we demonstrated that our estimated runoff volumes and extent of VSAs agreed with observations. We further demonstrated a method for mapping these areas in a Geographic Information System using a Soil Topographic Index. The proposed methodology provides a new tool for watershed planners for quantifying runoff risks across watersheds, which can be used to target water quality protection strategies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Zhang, Xiaonan; Yang, Sheng; Liao, Zhaoying; Xu, Ling; Li, Conghua; Zeng, Huan; Song, Jinlin; Zhang, Lei
2016-01-01
Early childhood caries (ECC) is the most common chronic disease in young children. Its reported prevalence varies greatly across China. This systematic review aimed to explore the epidemiological characteristics of ECC in mainland China from 1987 to 2013. In total, 102 articles were included. The pooled national prevalence and care index (ft/dmft%) for ECC were 65.5% and 3.6%, respectively. The overall ECC prevalence declined from 77.9% during 1987–1994 to 56.4% during 2010–2013. The pooled ECC prevalence for children aged 1–6 years was 0.3%, 17.3%, 40.2%, 54.4%, 66.1%, and 70.7%, respectively. There was no significant difference in prevalence between boys (59.1%) and girls (58.9%); and the care index was also similar (8.1% versus 7.7%). Slightly higher ECC prevalence was observed in rural areas (63.5%) compared with urban areas (59.5%) (RR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.02–1.14); but a much higher care index was reported in urban children (6.0%) than their rural counterparts (1.6%) (RR = 3.68, 95% CI: 2.54–5.35). The 2006–2013 map of ECC prevalence among 5-year-olds showed wide geographic variations across China. Four adjacent provinces, including Sichuan, Chongqing, Hubei, and Shaanxi, constituted the areas with the lowest ECC prevalence in mainland China. PMID:26758962
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The acquisition, storage, and dissemination of LANDSAT and other LACIE support data
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Abbotts, L. F.; Nelson, R. M. (Principal Investigator)
1979-01-01
Activities performed at the LACIE physical data library are described. These include the researching, acquisition, indexing, maintenance, distribution, tracking, and control of LACIE operational data and documents. Much of the data available can be incorporated into an Earth resources data base. Elements of the data collection that can support future remote sensing programs include: (1) the LANDSAT full-frame image files; (2) the microfilm file of aerial and space photographic and multispectral maps and charts that encompasses a large portion of the Earth's surface; (3) the map/chart collection that includes various scale maps and charts for a good portion of the U.S. and the LACIE area in foreign countries; (4) computer-compatible tapes of good quality LANDSAT scenes; (5) basic remote sensing data, project data, reference material, and associated publications; (6) visual aids to support presentation on remote sensing projects; and (7) research acquisition and handling procedures for managing data.
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Kosovich, John J.
2008-01-01
In support of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) disaster preparedness efforts, this map depicts 1:24,000- and 1:100,000-scale quadrangle footprints over a color shaded relief representation of the State of Florida. The first 30 feet of relief above mean sea level are displayed as brightly colored 5-foot elevation bands, which highlight low-elevation areas at a coarse spatial resolution. Standard USGS National Elevation Dataset (NED) 1 arc-second (nominally 30-meter) digital elevation model (DEM) data are the basis for the map, which is designed to be used at a broad scale and for informational purposes only. The NED source data for this map consists of a mixture of 30-meter- and 10-meter-resolution DEMs. The NED data were derived from the original 1:24,000-scale USGS topographic map bare-earth contours, which were converted into gridded quadrangle-based DEM tiles at a constant post spacing (grid cell size) of either 30 meters (data before the mid-1990s) or 10 meters (mid-1990s and later data). These individual-quadrangle DEMs were then converted to spherical coordinates (latitude/longitude decimal degrees) and edge-matched to ensure seamlessness. Figure 1 shows a similar representation for the entire U.S. Gulf Coast, using coarsened 30-meter NED data. Areas below sea level typically are surrounded by levees or some other type of flood-control structures. State and county boundary, hydrography, city, and road layers were modified from USGS National Atlas data downloaded in 2003. Quadrangle names, dated April, 2006, were obtained from the Federal Geographic Names Information System. The NED data were downloaded in 2004.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mitri, George H.; Gitas, Ioannis Z.
2013-02-01
Careful evaluation of forest regeneration and vegetation recovery after a fire event provides vital information useful in land management. The use of remotely sensed data is considered to be especially suitable for monitoring ecosystem dynamics after fire. The aim of this work was to map post-fire forest regeneration and vegetation recovery on the Mediterranean island of Thasos by using a combination of very high spatial (VHS) resolution (QuickBird) and hyperspectral (EO-1 Hyperion) imagery and by employing object-based image analysis. More specifically, the work focused on (1) the separation and mapping of three major post-fire classes (forest regeneration, other vegetation recovery, unburned vegetation) existing within the fire perimeter, and (2) the differentiation and mapping of the two main forest regeneration classes, namely, Pinus brutia regeneration, and Pinus nigra regeneration. The data used in this study consisted of satellite images and field observations of homogeneous regenerated and revegetated areas. The methodology followed two main steps: a three-level image segmentation, and, a classification of the segmented images. The process resulted in the separation of classes related to the aforementioned objectives. The overall accuracy assessment revealed very promising results (approximately 83.7% overall accuracy, with a Kappa Index of Agreement of 0.79). The achieved accuracy was 8% higher when compared to the results reported in a previous work in which only the EO-1 Hyperion image was employed in order to map the same classes. Some classification confusions involving the classes of P. brutia regeneration and P. nigra regeneration were observed. This could be attributed to the absence of large and dense homogeneous areas of regenerated pine trees in the study area.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
R.Neigh, Christopher S.; Bolton, Douglas K.; Williams, Jennifer J.; Diabate, Mouhamad
2014-01-01
Forests are the largest aboveground sink for atmospheric carbon (C), and understanding how they change through time is critical to reduce our C-cycle uncertainties. We investigated a strong decline in Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from 1982 to 1991 in Pacific Northwest forests, observed with the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) series of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometers (AVHRRs). To understand the causal factors of this decline, we evaluated an automated classification method developed for Landsat time series stacks (LTSS) to map forest change. This method included: (1) multiple disturbance index thresholds; and (2) a spectral trajectory-based image analysis with multiple confidence thresholds. We produced 48 maps and verified their accuracy with air photos, monitoring trends in burn severity data and insect aerial detection survey data. Area-based accuracy estimates for change in forest cover resulted in producer's and user's accuracies of 0.21 +/- 0.06 to 0.38 +/- 0.05 for insect disturbance, 0.23 +/- 0.07 to 1 +/- 0 for burned area and 0.74 +/- 0.03 to 0.76 +/- 0.03 for logging. We believe that accuracy was low for insect disturbance because air photo reference data were temporally sparse, hence missing some outbreaks, and the annual anniversary time step is not dense enough to track defoliation and progressive stand mortality. Producer's and user's accuracy for burned area was low due to the temporally abrupt nature of fire and harvest with a similar response of spectral indices between the disturbance index and normalized burn ratio. We conclude that the spectral trajectory approach also captures multi-year stress that could be caused by climate, acid deposition, pathogens, partial harvest, thinning, etc. Our study focused on understanding the transferability of previously successful methods to new ecosystems and found that this automated method does not perform with the same accuracy in Pacific Northwest forests. Using a robust accuracy assessment, we demonstrate the difficulty of transferring change attribution methods to other ecosystems, which has implications for the development of automated detection/attribution approaches. Widespread disturbance was found within AVHRR-negative anomalies, but identifying causal factors in LTSS with adequate mapping accuracy for fire and insects proved to be elusive. Our results provide a background framework for future studies to improve methods for the accuracy assessment of automated LTSS classifications.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Waugh, W.; Nagler, P. L.; Vogel, J.; Glenn, E.; Nguyen, U.; Jarchow, C. J.
2016-12-01
Tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) is a non-native tree that competes with native species for water in riparian corridors of the southwestern U.S. The beetle, Diorhabda carinulata, which was released as a biocontrol agent, may be affecting tamarisk health. After several years of defoliation, tamarisk is now coming back along many southwestern rivers because of dwindling beetle numbers. We studied effects of changes in riparian plant communities dominated by tamarisk on evapotranspiration (ET) at uranium mill tailings sites. We used an unmanned aerial system (UAS) to acquire high resolution spectral data needed to estimate spatial and temporal variability in ET in riparian ecosystems at uranium mill tailings sites adjacent to the San Juan River near Shiprock, New Mexico, and the Colorado River near Moab, Utah. UAS imagery allowed us to monitor changes in phenology, fractional greenness, ET, and effects on water resources at these sites. We timed ground data and UAS image acquisition with an August 2016 Landsat image to assist with spatiotemporal scaling techniques. We measured leaf area index (LAI) and sampled biomass on tamarisk, cottonwood (Populus spp.), and willow (Salix spp.) within the UAS acquisition areas to scale leaf area on individual branches to LAI of whole trees. UAS cameras included a Sony Alpha A5100 for species-level vegetation mapping and a MicaSense Red Edge five-band multispectral camera to map Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI). The UAS products were correlated with satellite imagery. Our goal was to scale plant water use acquired from UAS imagery to Landsat and/or MODIS to provide a time-series documenting long-term trends and relationships of ET and groundwater elevation. NDVI and EVI were calibrated across UAS, MODIS and Landsat images using regression and ET was calculated using NDVI, EVI, ground meteorological data, and an existing empirical algorithm.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lambert, Winnie; Sharp, David; Spratt, Scott; Volkmer, Matthew
2005-01-01
Each morning, the forecasters at the National Weather Service in Melbourn, FL (NWS MLB) produce an experimental cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning threat index map for their county warning area (CWA) that is posted to their web site (http://www.srh.weather.gov/mlb/ghwo/lightning.shtml) . Given the hazardous nature of lightning in central Florida, especially during the warm season months of May-September, these maps help users factor the threat of lightning, relative to their location, into their daily plans. The maps are color-coded in five levels from Very Low to Extreme, with threat level definitions based on the probability of lightning occurrence and the expected amount of CG activity. On a day in which thunderstorms are expected, there are typically two or more threat levels depicted spatially across the CWA. The locations of relative lightning threat maxima and minima often depend on the position and orientation of the low-level ridge axis, forecast propagation and interaction of sea/lake/outflow boundaries, expected evolution of moisture and stability fields, and other factors that can influence the spatial distribution of thunderstorms over the CWA. The lightning threat index maps are issued for the 24-hour period beginning at 1200 UTC (0700 AM EST) each day with a grid resolution of 5 km x 5 km. Product preparation is performed on the AWIPS Graphical Forecast Editor (GFE), which is the standard NWS platform for graphical editing. Currently, the forecasters create each map manually, starting with a blank map. To improve efficiency of the forecast process, NWS MLB requested that the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) create gridded warm season lightning climatologies that could be used as first-guess inputs to initialize lightning threat index maps. The gridded values requested included CG strike densities and frequency of occurrence stratified by synoptic-scale flow regime. The intent is to increase consistency between forecasters while enabling them to focus on the mesoscale detail of the forecast, ultimately benefiting the end-users of the product. Several studies took place at the Florida State University (FSU) and NWS Tallahassee (TAE) for which they created daily flow regimes using Florida 1200 UTC synoptic soundings and CG strike densities from National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) data. The densities were created on a 2.5 km x 2.5 km grid for every hour of every day during the warm seasons in the years 1989-2004. The grids encompass an area that includes the entire state of Florida and adjacent Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico waters. Personnel at the two organizations provided this data and supporting software for the work performed by the AMU. The densities were first stratified by flow regime, then by time in 1-, 3-, 6-, 12-, and 24-hour increments while maintaining the 2.5 km x 2.5 km grid resolution. A CG frequency of occurrence was calculated for each stratification and grid box by counting the number of days with lightning and dividing by the total number of days in the data set. New CG strike densities were calculated for each stratification and grid box by summing the strike number values over all warm seasons, then normalized by dividing the summed values by the number of lightning days. This makes the densities conditional on whether lightning occurred. The frequency climatology values will be used by forecasters as proxy inputs for lightning prObability, while the density climatology values will be used for CG amount. In addition to the benefits outlined above, these climatologies will provide improved temporal and spatial resolution, expansion of the lightning threat area to include adjacent coastal waters, and potential to extend the forecast to include the day-2 period. This presentation will describe the lightning threat index map, discuss the work done to create the maps initialized with climatological guidance, and show examples of the climatological CG lightning densities and frequencies of occurren based on flow regime.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Marino, Alessandra; Ludovisi, Giancarlo; Moccaldi, Antonio; Damiani, Fiorenzo
2001-02-01
The aim of this paper is to outline the potential of imaging spectroscopy and GIS techniques as tool for the management of data rich environments, as complex fluvial areas, exposed to geological, geomorphological, and hydrogeological risks. The area of study, the Pescara River Basin is characterized by the presence of important industrial sites and by the occurrence of floods, landslides and seismic events. Data were collected, during a specific flight, using an hyperspectral MIVIS sensor. Images have been processed in order to obtain updated and accurate land-cover and land-use maps that have been inserted in a specific GIS database and integrated with further information like lithology, geological structure, geomorphology, hydrogeological features, productive plants location and characters. The processing of data layers was performed, using a dedicated software, through typical GIS operators like indexing, recording, matrix analysis, proximity analysis. The interactions between natural risks, industrial installations, agricultural areas, water resources and urban settlements have been analyzed. This allowed the creation and processing of thematic layers like vulnerability, risk and impact maps.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ruff, Michael; Rohn, Joachim
2008-07-01
In this paper a tool for semi-quantitative susceptibility assessment at a regional scale is presented which is applicable at areas with complex geological setting. At a study area within the Northern Calcareous Alps geotechnical mappings were implemented into a Geographical Information System and analysed as grid data with a cell size of 25 m. The susceptibility to sliding and falling processes was considered according to five classes (very low, low, medium, high, very high). Susceptibility to sliding was analysed using an index method. The layers of lithology, bedding conditions, tectonic faults, slope angle, slope aspect, vegetation and erosion were combined iteratively. Dropout zones of rockfall material were determined with help of a Digital Elevation Model. The movement of rolling rock samples was modelled by a cost analysis of all potential rockfall trajectories. These trajectories were also divided into five susceptibility classes. The susceptibility maps are presented in a general way to be used by communities and spatial planners. Conflict areas of susceptibility and landuse were located and can be presented destinctively.
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[Spatial analysis of road traffic accidents with fatalities in Spain, 2008-2011].
Gómez-Barroso, Diana; López-Cuadrado, Teresa; Llácer, Alicia; Palmera Suárez, Rocío; Fernández-Cuenca, Rafael
2015-09-01
To estimate the areas of greatest density of road traffic accidents with fatalities at 24 hours per km(2)/year in Spain from 2008 to 2011, using a geographic information system. Accidents were geocodified using the road and kilometer points where they occurred. The average nearest neighbor was calculated to detect possible clusters and to obtain the bandwidth for kernel density estimation. A total of 4775 accidents were analyzed, of which 73.3% occurred on conventional roads. The estimated average distance between accidents was 1,242 meters, and the average expected distance was 10,738 meters. The nearest neighbor index was 0.11, indicating that there were aggregations of accidents in space. A map showing the kernel density was obtained with a resolution of 1 km(2), which identified the areas of highest density. This methodology allowed a better approximation to locating accident risks by taking into account kilometer points. The map shows areas where there was a greater density of accidents. This could be an advantage in decision-making by the relevant authorities. Copyright © 2014 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Aggarwal, Suruchi; Probha Devi, Juna; Thakur, Praveen Kumar; Rai, Suresh Chand
2016-04-01
Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) occur when glacier melt water dammed by a moraine is released in short time. Such floods may lead to disastrous events posing, therefore, a huge threat to human lives and infrastructure. A devastating GLOF in Uttarakhand, India, on 17 July 2013 has led to the loss of all villages in a stretch of 18 km downstream the lake and the loss of more than 5000 lives. The present study evaluates all 16 glacial lakes (with an area >0.1 km²) in the Thangu valley, northern Sikkim (India), eastern Himalaya, with respect to potential threats for the downstream areas. The hazard criteria for the study include slope, aspect and distance of the respective parent glacier, change in the lake area, dam characteristics and lake depth. For the most hazardous lakes, the socio-economic conditions in the downstream areas (settlements and infrastructure) are analysed regarding the impact of potential GLOFs. For the vulnerability analysis, we used various satellite products including LANDSAT, RESOUCESAT-1 and 2, RISAT-1 imageries and ASTER GDEM covering the period from 1977 to 2014. For lake mapping, we applied the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI). A Land Use Land Cover (LULC) map of the study area showing in-situ observations is serving as driving factor for the vulnerability analysis. The results of the study show that almost all evaluated glacial lakes were expanding during the study period (1977-2014). Combining the hazard criteria for the lakes, 5 of the 16 studied glacial lakes are identified as highly hazardous. In the downstream area, there are two villages with 200 inhabitants and an army camp within the zone of highest vulnerability. The identified vulnerability zones may be used by the local authorities to take caution of the threatened villages and infrastructure and for risk analysis for planned future hydropower plants.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jaunat, Jessy; Huneau, Frédéric; Garel, Emilie; Devos, Alain; Lejeune, Olivier
2016-04-01
KEYWORDS: Alluvial aquifer, Vulnerability mapping, Index-based methods, DRASTIC, SINTACS, SI, GOD The geographical position of the Biguglia lagoon watershed south of the Bastia city (80 000 inhabitants), lead to a highly vulnerable hydrosystem setting. This littoral plain is the unique territory available for the urbanisation and for the agriculture activities (cattle breeding). All the activities developed are likely to have a qualitative impact on water infiltration and therefore on groundwater, which is in hydraulic connection with the lagoon system. Beyond this ecological issue, groundwater of this watershed is intensively used as drinking water supply. It appears essential to control the long-term groundwater quality of the Biguglia plain which is the major economic zone of Corsica. Achievement of this issue requires the identification of the areas where the alluvial aquifer is mostly vulnerable to anthropogenic activities. The results given by 4 of the most popular index-based vulnerability mapping methods (DRASTIC, SI, SINTACS and GOD) are compared. The water table, net recharge, aquifer and soils properties, topography, vadose zone and land uses have been precisely mapped and numerically translated in GIS with a 25m precision. 4 final maps were finally compiled according to the weighting factors of each methods. Hydrochemical investigations were also carried out on 30 sampling points (major ions and anthropogenic tracers) to evaluate the effect of anthropogenic activities on groundwater quality and also to validate the results of the vulnerability mapping. A comparison between the parametric models shows a significant agreement between the DRASTIC, SINTACS and SI results (2% to 5% of the total area in very low vulnerability class, 10% to 13% in low vulnerability, 16% to 23% in medium vulnerability, 31% to 53% in high vulnerability and 14% to 23% in very high vulnerability). The two first methods are quite similar, which explains the proximity of the obtained results. High vulnerability and very high vulnerability classes are noticeably different for the SI results. This can be partly explained by the consideration of the land use and the absence of parameters related to soil media, vadose zone and hydraulic conductivity in this model, which generates a larger surface in highly vulnerable class at the expense of the very highly vulnerable one. Conversely, the GOD method gives very different results especially in the very low and low vulnerability classes with 11% and 17% of the total area respectively. This last method underestimates the vulnerability in the hydrological context of this work. The DRASTIC and SINTACS models are those that best transcribe the field observations. With these models the most vulnerable zones are correlated with the highest concentrations of nitrates measured in groundwater. Thereafter, it will be essential to integrate the temporal variability of the imputed parameters and to link these results with the acquired data on origin and residence time of groundwater in the alluvial aquifer of Biguglia lagoon. This study was supported by CNRS Labex DRIIHM OHM Littoral méditerranéen (HYDROGEO-LAG project).
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Fuentes, M V; Sainz-Elipe, S; Nieto, P; Malone, J B; Mas-Coma, S
2005-03-01
The WHO recognises Fasciola hepatica to be an important human health problem. The Andean countries of Peru, Bolivia and Chile are those most severely affected by this distomatosis, though areas of Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela are also affected. As part of a multidisciplinary project, we present results of use of a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) forecast model to conduct an epidemiological analysis of human and animal fasciolosis in the central part of the Andes mountains. The GIS approach enabled us to develop a spatial and temporal epidemiological model to map the disease in the areas studied and to classify transmission risk into low, moderate and high risk areas so that areas requiring the implementation of control activities can be identified. Current results are available on a local scale for: (1) the northern Bolivian Altiplano, (2) Puno in the Peruvian Altiplano, (3) the Cajamarca and Mantaro Peruvian valleys, and (4) the Ecuadorian provinces of Azuay, Cotopaxi and Imbabura. Analysis of results demonstrated the validity of a forecast model that combines use of climatic data to calculate of forecast indices with remote sensing data, through the classification of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) maps.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Baranowski, Z.; Canali, L.; Toebbicke, R.; Hrivnac, J.; Barberis, D.
2017-10-01
This paper reports on the activities aimed at improving the architecture and performance of the ATLAS EventIndex implementation in Hadoop. The EventIndex contains tens of billions of event records, each of which consists of ∼100 bytes, all having the same probability to be searched or counted. Data formats represent one important area for optimizing the performance and storage footprint of applications based on Hadoop. This work reports on the production usage and on tests using several data formats including Map Files, Apache Parquet, Avro, and various compression algorithms. The query engine plays also a critical role in the architecture. We report also on the use of HBase for the EventIndex, focussing on the optimizations performed in production and on the scalability tests. Additional engines that have been tested include Cloudera Impala, in particular for its SQL interface, and the optimizations for data warehouse workloads and reports.
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Wylie, B.K.; Zhang, L.; Bliss, Norman B.; Ji, Lei; Tieszen, Larry L.; Jolly, W. M.
2008-01-01
High-latitude ecosystems are exposed to more pronounced warming effects than other parts of the globe. We develop a technique to monitor ecological changes in a way that distinguishes climate influences from disturbances. In this study, we account for climatic influences on Alaskan boreal forest performance with a data-driven model. We defined ecosystem performance anomalies (EPA) using the residuals of the model and made annual maps of EPA. Most areas (88%) did not have anomalous ecosystem performance for at least 6 of 8 years between 1996 and 2004. Areas with underperforming EPA (10%) often indicate areas associated with recent fires and areas of possible insect infestation or drying soil related to permafrost degradation. Overperforming areas (2%) occurred in older fire recovery areas where increased deciduous vegetation components are expected. The EPA measure was validated with composite burn index data and Landsat vegetation indices near and within burned areas.
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Spatial analysis of the annual and seasonal aridity trends in Extremadura, southwestern Spain
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Moral, Francisco J.; Paniagua, Luis L.; Rebollo, Francisco J.; García-Martín, Abelardo
2017-11-01
The knowledge of drought (or wetness) conditions is necessary not only for a rational use of water resources but also for explaining landscape and ecology characteristics. An increase in aridity in many areas of the world is expected because of climate change (global warming). With the aim of analysing annual and seasonal aridity trends in Extremadura, southwestern Spain, climate data from 81 locations within the 1951-2010 period were used. After computing the De Martonne aridity index at each location, a geographic information system (GIS) and multivariate geostatistics (regression kriging) were utilised to map this index throughout the region. Later, temporal trends were analysed using the Mann-Kendall test, and the Sen's estimator was utilised to estimate the magnitude of trends. Maps of aridity trends were generated by ordinary kriging algorithm, providing a visualisation of detected annual and seasonal tendencies. An increase in aridity, as the De Martonne aridity index decreased, was apparent during the study period, mainly in the more humid locations of the north of the region. An increase of the seasonal De Martonne aridity index was also found, but it was only statistically significant in some locations in spring and summer, with the highest decreasing rate in the north of Extremadura. Change year detection was achieved using cumulative sum graphs, obtaining that firstly the change point occurred in spring, in the mid-1970s, later in the annual period in the late 1970s and finally in summer at the end of the 1980s.
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Lifting the Green Veil: A Fresh Look at Synoptic Vegetation Dynamics
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Henebry, G. M.; Vina, A.; Gitelson, A. A.
2003-12-01
Observing the dynamics of the vegetated land surface synoptically from spaceborne sensors plays a key role in understanding the global water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles, land cover and land use change, and biodiversity mapping. For the past three decades the study of global and regional vegetation dynamics has relied on satellite observations of the distinctive spectral contrast between red and near infrared reflectance exhibited by photosynthetically active green vegetation. It has long been recognized, however, that the spectral vegetation index with the widest currency-the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)-suffers a rapid decrease of sensitivity even at moderate Leaf Area Index (LAI) values of 2 to 4, as are commonly encountered in croplands and woodlands. This decrease in NDVI sensitivity casts a green veil over the land surface that obscures vegetation dynamics across vast areas during much of the growing season. This veil has important consequences for monitoring vegetation dynamics, developing land surface climatologies, and detecting significant changes. A straightforward modification of the NDVI, developed to increase its sensitivity under higher green biomass conditions, was applied to a standard, widely available AVHRR NDVI dataset for the conterminous US. The new Wide Dynamic Range Vegetation Index (WDRVI) exhibited increases in sensitivity between 30%-50% for Omernik Level III ecoregions dominated by woodlands, croplands, and grasslands. Ecoregions with lower aboveground net primary production, such as aridlands and semi-arid grasslands, showed no increase in sensitivity of the WDRVI over the NDVI. This powerful, new but simple approach creates an opportunity for a fresh look at the satellite data record. Further, it offers the possibility for significant improvements in the retrievals of canopy variables for carbon and nitrogen models, more accurate land surface characterizations for numerical weather prediction models, more sensitive analyses of land cover / land use change, and improvements in habitat mapping for biodiversity management.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Anderson, Martha C.; Zolin, Cornelio A.; Hain, Christopher R.; Semmens, Kathryn; Tugrul Yilmaz, M.; Gao, Feng
2015-07-01
Shortwave vegetation index (VI) and leaf area index (LAI) remote sensing products yield inconsistent depictions of biophysical response to drought and pluvial events that have occurred in Brazil over the past decade. Conflicting reports of severity of drought impacts on vegetation health and functioning have been attributed to cloud and aerosol contamination of shortwave reflectance composites, particularly over the rainforested regions of the Amazon basin which are subject to prolonged periods of cloud cover and episodes of intense biomass burning. This study compares timeseries of satellite-derived maps of LAI from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and precipitation from the Tropical Rainfall Mapping Mission (TRMM) with a diagnostic Evaporative Stress Index (ESI) retrieved using thermal infrared remote sensing over South America for the period 2003-2013. This period includes several severe droughts and floods that occurred both over the Amazon and over unforested savanna and agricultural areas in Brazil. Cross-correlations between absolute values and standardized anomalies in monthly LAI and precipitation composites as well as the actual-to-reference evapotranspiration (ET) ratio used in the ESI were computed for representative forested and agricultural regions. The correlation analyses reveal strong apparent anticorrelation between MODIS LAI and TRMM precipitation anomalies over the Amazon, but better coupling over regions vegetated with shorter grass and crop canopies. The ESI was more consistently correlated with precipitation patterns over both landcover types. Temporal comparisons between ESI and TRMM anomalies suggest longer moisture buffering timescales in the deeper rooted rainforest systems. Diagnostic thermal-based retrievals of ET and ET anomalies, such as used in the ESI, provide independent information on the impacts of extreme hydrologic events on vegetation health in comparison with VI and precipitation-based drought indicators, and used in concert may provide a more reliable evaluation of natural and managed ecosystem response to variable climate regimes.
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Hydrologic feasibility of artificial forestation in the semi-arid Loess Plateau of China
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jin, T. T.; Fu, B. J.; Liu, G. H.; Wang, Z.
2011-08-01
Hydrologic viability, in terms of moisture availability, is fundamental to ecosystem sustainability in arid and semi-arid regions. In this study, we examine the spatial distribution and after-planting variations of soil moisture content (SMC) in black locust tree (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) plantings in the Loess Plateau of China at a regional scale. Thirty sites (5 to 45 yr old) were selected, spanning an area of 300 km by 190 km in the northern region of the Shaanxi Province. The SMC was measured to a depth of 100 cm at intervals of 10 cm. Geographical, topographic and vegetation information was recorded, and soil organic matter was evaluated. The results show that, at the regional scale, SMC spatial variability was most highly correlated with rainfall. The negative relationship between the SMC at a depth of 20-50 cm and the stand age was stronger than at other depths, although this relationship was not significant at a 5 % level. Watershed analysis shows that the after-planting SMC variation differed depending upon precipitation. The SMC of plantings in areas receiving sufficient precipitation (e.g., mean annual precipitation (MAP) of 617 mm) may increase with stand age due to improvements in soil water-holding capacity and water-retention abilities after planting. For areas experiencing water shortages (e.g., MAP = 509 mm), evapotranspiration may cause planting soils to dry within the first 20 yr of growth. It is expected that, as arid and semi-arid plantings age, evapotranspiration will decrease, and the soil profile may gradually recover. In extremely dry areas (e.g., MAP = 352 mm), the variation in after-planting SMC with stand age was found to be negligible. The MAP can be used as an index to divide the study area into different ecological regions. Afforestation may sequentially exert positive, negative and negligible effects on SMCs with a decrease in the MAP. Therefore, future restoration measures should correspond to the local climate conditions, and the MAP should be a major consideration for the Loess Plateau. Large-scale and long-term research on the effects of restoration projects on SMCs is needed to support more effective restoration policies. The interaction between afforestation and local environmental conditions, particularly water availability to plants, should be taken into account in afforestation campaigns in arid and semi-arid areas.
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Mapping irrigated areas of Ghana using fusion of 30 m and 250 m resolution remote-sensing data
Gumma, M.K.; Thenkabail, P.S.; Hideto, F.; Nelson, A.; Dheeravath, V.; Busia, D.; Rala, A.
2011-01-01
Maps of irrigated areas are essential for Ghana's agricultural development. The goal of this research was to map irrigated agricultural areas and explain methods and protocols using remote sensing. Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) data and time-series Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data were used to map irrigated agricultural areas as well as other land use/land cover (LULC) classes, for Ghana. Temporal variations in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) pattern obtained in the LULC class were used to identify irrigated and non-irrigated areas. First, the temporal variations in NDVI pattern were found to be more consistent in long-duration irrigated crops than with short-duration rainfed crops due to more assured water supply for irrigated areas. Second, surface water availability for irrigated areas is dependent on shallow dug-wells (on river banks) and dug-outs (in river bottoms) that affect the timing of crop sowing and growth stages, which was in turn reflected in the seasonal NDVI pattern. A decision tree approach using Landsat 30 m one time data fusion with MODIS 250 m time-series data was adopted to classify, group, and label classes. Finally, classes were tested and verified using ground truth data and national statistics. Fuzzy classification accuracy assessment for the irrigated classes varied between 67 and 93%. An irrigated area derived from remote sensing (32,421 ha) was 20-57% higher than irrigated areas reported by Ghana's Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA). This was because of the uncertainties involved in factors such as: (a) absence of shallow irrigated area statistics in GIDA statistics, (b) non-clarity in the irrigated areas in its use, under-development, and potential for development in GIDA statistics, (c) errors of omissions and commissions in the remote sensing approach, and (d) comparison involving widely varying data types, methods, and approaches used in determining irrigated area statistics using GIDA and remote sensing. Extensive field campaigns to help in better classification and validation of irrigated areas using high (30 m ) to very high (<5 m) resolution remote sensing data that are fused with multi temporal data like MODIS are the way forward. This is especially true in accounting for small yet contiguous patches of irrigated areas from dug-wells and dug-outs. ?? 2011 by the authors.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rossi, M.; Apuani, T.; Felletti, F.
2009-04-01
The aim of this paper is to compare the results of two statistical methods for landslide susceptibility analysis: 1) univariate probabilistic method based on landslide susceptibility index, 2) multivariate method (logistic regression). The study area is the Febbraro valley, located in the central Italian Alps, where different types of metamorphic rocks croup out. On the eastern part of the studied basin a quaternary cover represented by colluvial and secondarily, by glacial deposits, is dominant. In this study 110 earth flows, mainly located toward NE portion of the catchment, were analyzed. They involve only the colluvial deposits and their extension mainly ranges from 36 to 3173 m2. Both statistical methods require to establish a spatial database, in which each landslide is described by several parameters that can be assigned using a main scarp central point of landslide. The spatial database is constructed using a Geographical Information System (GIS). Each landslide is described by several parameters corresponding to the value of main scarp central point of the landslide. Based on bibliographic review a total of 15 predisposing factors were utilized. The width of the intervals, in which the maps of the predisposing factors have to be reclassified, has been defined assuming constant intervals to: elevation (100 m), slope (5 °), solar radiation (0.1 MJ/cm2/year), profile curvature (1.2 1/m), tangential curvature (2.2 1/m), drainage density (0.5), lineament density (0.00126). For the other parameters have been used the results of the probability-probability plots analysis and the statistical indexes of landslides site. In particular slope length (0 ÷ 2, 2 ÷ 5, 5 ÷ 10, 10 ÷ 20, 20 ÷ 35, 35 ÷ 260), accumulation flow (0 ÷ 1, 1 ÷ 2, 2 ÷ 5, 5 ÷ 12, 12 ÷ 60, 60 ÷27265), Topographic Wetness Index 0 ÷ 0.74, 0.74 ÷ 1.94, 1.94 ÷ 2.62, 2.62 ÷ 3.48, 3.48 ÷ 6,00, 6.00 ÷ 9.44), Stream Power Index (0 ÷ 0.64, 0.64 ÷ 1.28, 1.28 ÷ 1.81, 1.81 ÷ 4.20, 4.20 ÷ 9.40). Geological map and land use map were also used, considering geological and land use properties as categorical variables. Appling the univariate probabilistic method the Landslide Susceptibility Index (LSI) is defined as the sum of the ratio Ra/Rb calculated for each predisposing factor, where Ra is the ratio between number of pixel of class and the total number of pixel of the study area, and Rb is the ratio between number of landslides respect to the pixel number of the interval area. From the analysis of the Ra/Rb ratio the relationship between landslide occurrence and predisposing factors were defined. Then the equation of LSI was used in GIS to trace the landslide susceptibility maps. The multivariate method for landslide susceptibility analysis, based on logistic regression, was performed starting from the density maps of the predisposing factors, calculated with the intervals defined above using the equation Rb/Rbtot, where Rbtot is a sum of all Rb values. Using stepwise forward algorithms the logistic regression was performed in two successive steps: first a univariate logistic regression is used to choose the most significant predisposing factors, then the multivariate logistic regression can be performed. The univariate regression highlighted the importance of the following factors: elevation, accumulation flow, drainage density, lineament density, geology and land use. When the multivariate regression was applied the number of controlling factors was reduced neglecting the geological properties. The resulting final susceptibility equation is: P = 1 / (1 + exp-(6.46-22.34*elevation-5.33*accumulation flow-7.99* drainage density-4.47*lineament density-17.31*land use)) and using this equation the susceptibility maps were obtained. To easy compare the results of the two methodologies, the susceptibility maps were reclassified in five susceptibility intervals (very high, high, moderate, low and very low) using natural breaks. Then the maps were validated using two cumulative distribution curves, one related to the landslides (number of landslides in each susceptibility class) and one to the basin (number of pixel covering each class). Comparing the curves for each method, it results that the two approaches (univariate and multivariate) are appropriate, providing acceptable results. In both maps the distribution of high susceptibility condition is mainly localized on the left slope of the catchment in agreement with the field evidences. The comparison between the methods was obtained by subtraction of the two maps. This operation shows that about 40% of the basin is classified by the same class of susceptibility. In general the univariate probabilistic method tends to overestimate the areal extension of the high susceptibility class with respect to the maps obtained by the logistic regression method.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wang, J.; Xiao, X.; Qin, Y.; Dong, J.; Zhang, G.; Zhang, Y.; Zou, Z.; Zhou, Y.; Wu, X.; Bajgain, R.
2015-12-01
Woody plant encroachment (mainly Juniperus virginiana, a coniferous evergreen tree) in the native grassland has been rapidly increasing in the U.S. Southern Great Plains, largely triggered by overgrazing domestic livestock, fire suppression, and changing rainfall regimes. Increasing dense woody plants have significant implications for local grassland ecosystem dynamics, such as carbon storage, soil nutrient availability, herbaceous forage production, livestock, watershed hydrology and wildlife habitats. However, very limited data are available about the spatio-temporal dynamics of woody plant encroachment to the native grassland at regional scale. Data from remotes sensing could potentially provide relevant information and improve the conversion of native grassland to woody plant encroachment. Previous studies on woody detection in grassland mainly conducted at rangeland scale using airborne or high resolution images, which is sufficient to monitor the dynamics of woody plant encroachment in local grassland. This study examined the potential of medium resolution images to detect the woody encroachment in tallgrass prairie. We selected Cleveland county, Oklahoma, US. as case study area, where eastern area has higher woody coverage than does the western area. A 25-m Phased Array Type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR, N36W98) image was used to map the trees distributed in the grassland. Then, maximum enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in the winter calculated from time-series Landsat images was used to identify the invaded woody species (Juniperus virginiana) through phenology-based algorithm. The resulting woody plant encroachment map was compared with the results extracted from the high resolution images provided by the National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP). Field photos were also used to validate the accuracy. These results showed that integrating PALSAR and Landsat had good performance to identify the woody encroachment in the study area. This study demonstrates the potential to monitor the dynamics of dense woody plant encroachment at the region scale using PALSAR and Landsat images and improves our understanding about the spatio-temporal dynamics of woody plant encroachment to native grasslands.
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Investigation into the Use of Texturing for Real-Time Computer Animation.
1987-12-01
produce a rough polygon surface [7]. Research in the area of real time texturing has also been conducted. Using a specially designed multi-processor system ...Oka, Tsutsui, Ohba, Kurauchi and Tago have introduced real-time manipulation of texture mapped surfaces [8]. Using multi- processors, systems will...a call to the system function defpattern(n,size,mask) short n,size; short *mask, which takes as input an index to a system table of patterns, a
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Monitoring Drought Conditions in the Navajo Nation Using NASA Earth Observations
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Ly, Vickie; Gao, Michael; Cary, Cheryl; Turnbull-Appell, Sophie; Surunis, Anton
2016-01-01
The Navajo Nation, a 65,700 sq km Native American territory located in the southwestern United States, has been increasingly impacted by severe drought events and changes in climate. These events are coupled with a lack of domestic water infrastructure and economic resources, leaving approximately one-third of the population without access to potable water in their homes. Current methods of monitoring drought are dependent on state-based monthly Standardized Precipitation Index value maps calculated by the Western Regional Climate Center. However, these maps do not provide the spatial resolution needed to illustrate differences in drought severity across the vast Nation. To better understand and monitor drought events and drought regime changes in the Navajo Nation, this project created a geodatabase of historical climate information specific to the area, and a decision support tool to calculate average Standardized Precipitation Index values for user-specified areas. The tool and geodatabase use Tropical Rainfall Monitoring Mission (TRMM) and Global Precipitation Monitor (GPM) observed precipitation data and Parameter-elevation Relationships on Independent Slopes Model modeled historical precipitation data, as well as NASA's modeled Land Data Assimilation Systems deep soil moisture, evaporation, and transpiration data products. The geodatabase and decision support tool will allow resource managers in the Navajo Nation to utilize current and future NASA Earth observation data for increased decision-making capacity regarding future climate change impact on water resources.
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LAI inversion algorithm based on directional reflectance kernels.
Tang, S; Chen, J M; Zhu, Q; Li, X; Chen, M; Sun, R; Zhou, Y; Deng, F; Xie, D
2007-11-01
Leaf area index (LAI) is an important ecological and environmental parameter. A new LAI algorithm is developed using the principles of ground LAI measurements based on canopy gap fraction. First, the relationship between LAI and gap fraction at various zenith angles is derived from the definition of LAI. Then, the directional gap fraction is acquired from a remote sensing bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) product. This acquisition is obtained by using a kernel driven model and a large-scale directional gap fraction algorithm. The algorithm has been applied to estimate a LAI distribution in China in mid-July 2002. The ground data acquired from two field experiments in Changbai Mountain and Qilian Mountain were used to validate the algorithm. To resolve the scale discrepancy between high resolution ground observations and low resolution remote sensing data, two TM images with a resolution approaching the size of ground plots were used to relate the coarse resolution LAI map to ground measurements. First, an empirical relationship between the measured LAI and a vegetation index was established. Next, a high resolution LAI map was generated using the relationship. The LAI value of a low resolution pixel was calculated from the area-weighted sum of high resolution LAIs composing the low resolution pixel. The results of this comparison showed that the inversion algorithm has an accuracy of 82%. Factors that may influence the accuracy are also discussed in this paper.
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Geologic map of the Devore 7.5' quadrangle, San Bernardino County, California
Morton, Douglas M.; Matti, Jonathan C.
2001-01-01
This Open-File Report contains a digital geologic map database of the Devore 7.5' quadrangle, San Bernardino County, California, that includes: 1. ARC/INFO (Environmental Systems Research Institute) version 7.2.1 coverages of the various components of the geologic map 2. A PostScript (.ps) file to plot the geologic map on a topographic base, containing a Correlation of Map Units diagram, a Description of Map Units, an index map, and a regional structure map 3. Portable Document Format (.pdf) files of: a. This Readme; includes an Appendix, containing metadata details found in devre_met.txt b. The same graphic as plotted in 2 above. (Test plots from this .pdf do not produce 1:24,000-scale maps. Adobe Acrobat page-size settings control map scale.) The Correlation of Map Units and Description of Map Units are in the editorial format of USGS Miscellaneous Investigations Series maps (I-maps) but have not been edited to comply with I-map standards. Within the geologic-map data package, map units are identified by such standard geologic-map criteria as formation name, age, and lithology. Even though this is an author-prepared report, every attempt has been made to closely adhere to the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U.S. Geological Survey. Descriptions of units can be obtained by viewing or plotting the .pdf file (3b above) or plotting the postscript file (2 above). If roads in some areas, especially forest roads that parallel topographic contours, do not show well on plots of the geologic map, we recommend use of the USGS Devore 7.5’ topographic quadrangle in conjunction with the geologic map.
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Mapping of the Land Cover Spatiotemporal Characteristics in Northern Russia Caused by Climate Change
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Panidi, E.; Tsepelev, V.; Torlopova, N.; Bobkov, A.
2016-06-01
The study is devoted to the investigation of regional climate change in Northern Russia. Due to sparseness of the meteorological observation network in northern regions, we investigate the application capabilities of remotely sensed vegetation cover as indicator of climate change at the regional scale. In previous studies, we identified statistically significant relationship between the increase of surface air temperature and increase of the shrub vegetation productivity. We verified this relationship using ground observation data collected at the meteorological stations and Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data produced from Terra/MODIS satellite imagery. Additionally, we designed the technique of growing seasons separation for detailed investigation of the land cover (shrub cover) dynamics. Growing seasons are the periods when the temperature exceeds +5°C and +10°C. These periods determine the vegetation productivity conditions (i.e., conditions that allow growth of the phytomass). We have discovered that the trend signs for the surface air temperature and NDVI coincide on planes and river floodplains. On the current stage of the study, we are working on the automated mapping technique, which allows to estimate the direction and magnitude of the climate change in Northern Russia. This technique will make it possible to extrapolate identified relationship between land cover and climate onto territories with sparse network of meteorological stations. We have produced the gridded maps of NDVI and NDWI for the test area in European part of Northern Russia covered with the shrub vegetation. Basing on these maps, we may determine the frames of growing seasons for each grid cell. It will help us to obtain gridded maps of the NDVI linear trend for growing seasons on cell-by-cell basis. The trend maps can be used as indicative maps for estimation of the climate change on the studied areas.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lin, Yang-Hsien; Huang, Shin-Shyang; Wu, Shang-Ju; Sung, Kung-Bin
2017-11-01
Complete blood count is the most common test to detect anemia, but it is unable to obtain the abnormal shape of erythrocytes, which highly correlates with the hematologic function. Tomographic diffractive microscopy (TDM) is an emerging technique capable of quantifying three-dimensional (3-D) refractive index (RI) distributions of erythrocytes without labeling. TDM was used to characterize optical and morphological properties of 172 erythrocytes from healthy volunteers and 419 erythrocytes from thalassemic patients. To efficiently extract and analyze the properties of erythrocytes, we developed an adaptive region-growing method for automatically delineating erythrocytes from 3-D RI maps. The thalassemic erythrocytes not only contained lower hemoglobin content but also showed doughnut shape and significantly lower volume, surface area, effective radius, and average thickness. A multi-indices prediction model achieved perfect accuracy of diagnosing thalassemia using four features, including the optical volume, surface-area-to-volume ratio, sphericity index, and surface area. The results demonstrate the ability of TDM to provide quantitative, hematologic measurements and to assess morphological features of erythrocytes to distinguish healthy and thalassemic erythrocytes.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kuzmin, R. O.; Zabalueva, E. V.; Evdokimova, N. A.; Christensen, P. H.; Mitrofanov, I. G.; Litvak, M. L.
2008-09-01
Introduction: The processes of the hydration/ dehydration of salt minerals within the Martian soil and the condensation/sublimation of water ice (and frost) in the surficial soil layer and on the polar cap surface play great significance in the modern water cycle on Mars and directly affect the redistribution of the water phases and forms in the system "atmosphere/regolith/polar caps" [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The processes are reversible in time and their intensity is strongly dependent on such time-variable climatic parameters as atmospheric and surface temperature, atmospheric water vapour content and specific features of atmospheric seasonal circulation [6, 7, 8, 9, 10]. In the work we report the study results of the seasonal variations of the chemically bound water (BW) spectral signature (based on the TES and OMEGA data), estimation and mapping of the winterand spring-time water ice increase within the Martian surface soil (based on the TES and HEND data). Analysis and results: Regional and global mapping of the BW spectral index distribution as function of the seasons was conducted by using of the 6.1 μm emission pick from the TES dataset and the 1.91 μm absorption band from reflectance spectra of the OMEGA data. The study of the seasonal redistribution of the water ice (and frost) within the thin surficial soil layer was conducted based on the TES thermal inertia (TI) data and the HEND neutrons flux mapping data. Bound water mapping: The mapping of the TES 6.1 μm BW index distributions was conducted at the time steps from 30° to 60° of Ls [11]. The mapping results show remarkable changes of the BW index values from one season to other one at notable latitudinal dependence of the index (Fig.1). At that, the higher BW index values are disposed mostly within the peripheral zone near the edge of the perennial and seasonal polar caps (cooler, wetter areas), while the lower BW index values are observed at low latitudes (warmer, drier areas). Between the Nspring (Ls=0°-90°) and winter (Ls=270°-360°) the zone with maximum values of BW index is shifting gradually from high latitudes to middle latitudes (20°- 30°N), being mostly disappearing in the period of Ls=150°-210°. Mapping results demonstrates that intensity of the TES 6.1 μm BW index correlates well with albedo, being higher in the brighter dusty areas and lower in the darker areas on Mars. Nevertheless, the seasonal variations of the BW index are characteristic for both bright and dark surfaces. The distinct hemispherical asymmetry of the BW index distribution is observed during the N-summer, while during the S-summer the asymmetry is much less visible. The observing time range from hydrated to dehydrated states of surface materials corresponds to the Ls range from 15° to 30° (from ~1 to 2 months). The time scale may to be conforming to the rate of the hydration/dehydration process for the Mg- and Fesulfates, composing part of the Martian soil [12, 13]. The BW index based on 1.91μm band has been mapped for spring and summer by using the OMEGA data of the first and second Martian year observations. As well in the case of the TES BW index, the mapping results of the 1.91 μm BW index also shown remarkable difference in the bound water distribution between spring and summer seasons (Fig.2). Seasonal water ice increase in the surface regolith: To define the order of the winter-time increase of the water ice within the Martian surface layer corresponding to the daily thermal skin depth (3- 10 cm in thickness) we compared the difference between the TI values mapped separately for the Nsummer- (Ls=120°-150°) and the N-winter (Ls=300°- 310°) in the latitude range ±50° out of the seasonal CO2 ice cover. We consider the summer-time and the winter-time TI values as characteristic of the dry and icy soils correspondingly. To estimate the possible water ice amount increase in the soil during winter we definition based on relationship between TI dry soil_ and TI icy soil (computed for different soil's ice content from 0% to 10%)._Following to the estimations, the zonally averaged (in 5°-latitude belts) winter-time TI values are consistent with a soil's ice content from 2-8 vol. % in the latitude ranges 30°-50°N and 40°-50°S to < 1 vol. % (and up to dry soil) at a lower latitudes 0-30° S/N. The water ice volume part was estimated for all coincided summer and winter TES TI surface footprints by solving of the quadratic equation, received at inclusion of the thermal parameters for two-component mixture (soil+ice) into formula of thermal inertia [15]. The estimated winter-time amount of water ice in the Martian soil was globally mapped and the received result is shown on Figure 3. The described method we also applied for estimation and mapping of the water ice within surficial soil in the peripheral zone of the retreating seasonal CO2 ice cap, where the polar water ice annulus (~5° circular belt) has been observed recently [16,17]. In our report we will discuss the character of the soil's water ice amount dynamics in the belt as function of the Ls and latitude. Example of the water ice amount mapping within the surficial soil in the circular belt for Ls=0-40° is shown on figure 4. As one can see from the map, the ice amount in the soil layer (with thickness 3-10cm) within the belt is varies from 3 to 11 vol. %. The seasonal variations of the water amount within thicker surface layer (up to depth 20-30 cm), we had analyzed [18] based on the HEND fast neutrons flux data (with energy range 2.5-10 Mev (FN2)) collected during two Martian years [19]. We found that distribution of the water equivalent on Mars shows notable annual differences (Fig.5). At that, the picture of the winter-time (in both hemispheres) water equivalent distribution has visible similarity with trend of the winter-time distribution of the water ice (frost) derived from the TES TI data. Conclusion: The received results of the joint analysis of the TES, HEND and OMEGA data demonstrates existence of the strong seasonal effect of the bound water and water ice amount variations in the surficial soil layer with thickness from a hundreds microns up to 20-30 cm. Appearance of the water ice in the surficial soil layer around of receding CO2 ice cap serves as direct conformation of the seasonal permafrost layer formation on Mars. Our results shown that mapped amount of the soil's water ice (involved in the seasonal redistribution) exceed notably the content of the atmospheric water. This means that the role of the regolith in the modern water cycle on Mars may to be much significant than it was suggested before. References: [1] Fanale F.P. et al., (1986), Icarus, 68, 1- 18 ; [2] Zent A.P. et al, (1995), JGR, 100, 5341-5349 ; [3] Zolotov M. Yu. (1989), LPSC XX, 1257-1258 ; [4] Mohlmann D.T.F. (2004), Icarus, 168, 318-323 ; [5] Tokano T. (2003), Icarus, 164, 50-78 ; [6] Mellon M.T. and Jakosky B.M. (1995), JGR, 100, 11781-11799 ; [7] Bottger H.M. et al., (2004), JGL, 31,L22702; [8] Smith M.D. (2004), Icarus, 167, 148-165 ; [9] Bish D.L. et al., (2003), Icarus, 164, 96- 103 ; [10] Kuzmin R.O. et al., (2007), Solar System Reseach, 41, 99-102 ; [11] Kuzmin R.O. et al., (2006), LPSC XXXVII, #1846 ; [12] Chipera S.J., Vaniman D.T. (2007), Geoch. et Cosmoch. Acta, 71, 241-250 ; [13] Chou I-M, R.R. Seal II (2007), JGR, 112, E11004, doi : 10.1029/2007JE002898 ; [14] Kuzmin R.O. et al., (2007) 7th Mars Conf., #3022; [15] Kuzmin R.O. et al., (2007), Europian Mars Science and Exploration Conference : Mars Express & ExoMars, # 1120023 ;[16] Titus, T.N. (2005), Lunar. Planet. Sci.XXXVI, Abstract #1993; [17] Wagstaff, K.L., T.N. Titus, A.B. Ivanov, R. Castano, J.L.Bandfield. (2008), Planetary and Space Science, 56, 256-265;[18] Kuzmin R.O. et al., (2007), Brown-Vernadsky Microsymp. 46th (www.planetology.ru/micro.php.); [19] Litvak M.L. et al., (2007), Solar System Reseach, 41,5, 385-397. used the nomogram [14], created for ice content
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kuzmin, R. O.; Zabalueva, E. V.; Evdokimova, N. A.; Christensen, P. H.; Mitrofanov, I. G.; Litvak, M. L.
2008-09-01
Introduction: The processes of the hydration/ dehydration of salt minerals within the Martian soil and the condensation/sublimation of water ice (and frost) in the surficial soil layer and on the polar cap surface play great significance in the modern water cycle on Mars and directly affect the redistribution of the water phases and forms in the system "atmosphere/regolith/polar caps" [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The processes are reversible in time and their intensity is strongly dependent on such time-variable climatic parameters as atmospheric and surface temperature, atmospheric water vapour content and specific features of atmospheric seasonal circulation [6, 7, 8, 9, 10]. In the work we report the study results of the seasonal variations of the chemically bound water (BW) spectral signature (based on the TES and OMEGA data), estimation and mapping of the winterand spring-time water ice increase within the Martian surface soil (based on the TES and HEND data). Analysis and results: Regional and global mapping of the BW spectral index distribution as function of the seasons was conducted by using of the 6.1 μm emission pick from the TES dataset and the 1.91 μm absorption band from reflectance spectra of the OMEGA data. The study of the seasonal redistribution of the water ice (and frost) within the thin surficial soil layer was conducted based on the TES thermal inertia (TI) data and the HEND neutrons flux mapping data. Bound water mapping: The mapping of the TES 6.1 μm BW index distributions was conducted at the time steps from 30° to 60° of Ls [11]. The mapping results show remarkable changes of the BW index values from one season to other one at notable latitudinal dependence of the index (Fig.1). At that, the higher BW index values are disposed mostly within the peripheral zone near the edge of the perennial and seasonal polar caps (cooler, wetter areas), while the lower BW index values are observed at low latitudes (warmer, drier areas). Between the Nspring (Ls=0°-90°) and winter (Ls=270°-360°) the zone with maximum values of BW index is shifting gradually from high latitudes to middle latitudes (20°- 30°N), being mostly disappearing in the period of Ls=150°-210°. Mapping results demonstrates that intensity of the TES 6.1 μm BW index correlates well with albedo, being higher in the brighter dusty areas and lower in the darker areas on Mars. Nevertheless, the seasonal variations of the BW index are characteristic for both bright and dark surfaces. The distinct hemispherical asymmetry of the BW index distribution is observed during the N-summer, while during the S-summer the asymmetry is much less visible. The observing time range from hydrated to dehydrated states of surface materials corresponds to the Ls range from 15° to 30° (from ~1 to 2 months). The time scale may to be conforming to the rate of the hydration/dehydration process for the Mg- and Fesulfates, composing part of the Martian soil [12, 13]. The BW index based on 1.91μm band has been mapped for spring and summer by using the OMEGA data of the first and second Martian year observations. As well in the case of the TES BW index, the mapping results of the 1.91 μm BW index also shown remarkable difference in the bound water distribution between spring and summer seasons (Fig.2). Seasonal water ice increase in the surface regolith: To define the order of the winter-time increase of the water ice within the Martian surface layer corresponding to the daily thermal skin depth (3- 10 cm in thickness) we compared the difference between the TI values mapped separately for the Nsummer- (Ls=120°-150°) and the N-winter (Ls=300°- 310°) in the latitude range ±50° out of the seasonal CO2 ice cover. We consider the summer-time and the winter-time TI values as characteristic of the dry and icy soils correspondingly. To estimate the possible water ice amount increase in the soil during winter we used the nomogram [14], created for ice content definition based on relationship between TI dry soil_ and TI icy soil (computed for different soil's ice content from 0% to 10%)._Following to the estimations, the zonally averaged (in 5°-latitude belts) winter-time TI values are consistent with a soil's ice content from 2-8 vol. % in the latitude ranges 30°-50°N and 40°-50°S to < 1 vol. % (and up to dry soil) at a lower latitudes 0-30° S/N. The water ice volume part was estimated for all coincided summer and winter TES TI surface footprints by solving of the quadratic equation, received at inclusion of the thermal parameters for two-component mixture (soil+ice) into formula of thermal inertia [15]. The estimated winter-time amount of water ice in the Martian soil was globally mapped and the received result is shown on Figure 3. The described method we also applied for estimation and mapping of the water ice within surficial soil in the peripheral zone of the retreating seasonal CO2 ice cap, where the polar water ice annulus (~5° circular belt) has been observed recently [16,17]. In our report we will discuss the character of the soil's water ice amount dynamics in the belt as function of the Ls and latitude. Example of the water ice amount mapping within the surficial soil in the circular belt for Ls=0-40° is shown on figure 4. As one can see from the map, the ice amount in the soil layer (with thickness 3-10cm) within the belt is varies from 3 to 11 vol. %. The seasonal variations of the water amount within thicker surface layer (up to depth 20-30 cm), we had analyzed [18] based on the HEND fast neutrons flux data (with energy range 2.5-10 Mev (FN2)) collected during two Martian years [19]. We found that distribution of the water equivalent on Mars shows notable annual differences (Fig.5). At that, the picture of the winter-time (in both hemispheres) water equivalent distribution has visible similarity with trend of the winter-time distribution of the water ice (frost) derived from the TES TI data. Conclusion: The received results of the joint analysis of the TES, HEND and OMEGA data demonstrates existence of the strong seasonal effect of the bound water and water ice amount variations in the surficial soil layer with thickness from a hundreds microns up to 20-30 cm. Appearance of the water ice in the surficial soil layer around of receding CO2 ice cap serves as direct conformation of the seasonal permafrost layer formation on Mars. Our results shown that mapped amount of the soil's water ice (involved in the seasonal redistribution) exceed notably the content of the atmospheric water. This means that the role of the regolith in the modern water cycle on Mars may to be much significant than it was suggested before. References: [1] Fanale F.P. et al., (1986), Icarus, 68, 1- 18 ; [2] Zent A.P. et al, (1995), JGR, 100, 5341-5349 ; [3] Zolotov M. Yu. (1989), LPSC XX, 1257-1258 ; [4] Mohlmann D.T.F. (2004), Icarus, 168, 318-323 ; [5] Tokano T. (2003), Icarus, 164, 50-78 ; [6] Mellon M.T. and Jakosky B.M. (1995), JGR, 100, 11781-11799 ; [7] Bottger H.M. et al., (2004), JGL, 31,L22702; [8] Smith M.D. (2004), Icarus, 167, 148-165 ; [9] Bish D.L. et al., (2003), Icarus, 164, 96- 103 ; [10] Kuzmin R.O. et al., (2007), Solar System Reseach, 41, 99-102 ; [11] Kuzmin R.O. et al., (2006), LPSC XXXVII, #1846 ; [12] Chipera S.J., Vaniman D.T. (2007), Geoch. et Cosmoch. Acta, 71, 241-250 ; [13] Chou I-M, R.R. Seal II (2007), JGR, 112, E11004, doi : 10.1029/2007JE002898 ; [14] Kuzmin R.O. et al., (2007) 7th Mars Conf., #3022; [15] Kuzmin R.O. et al., (2007), Europian Mars Science and Exploration Conference : Mars Express & ExoMars, # 1120023 ;[16] Titus, T.N. (2005), Lunar. Planet. Sci.XXXVI, Abstract #1993; [17] Wagstaff, K.L., T.N. Titus, A.B. Ivanov, R. Castano, J.L.Bandfield. (2008), Planetary and Space Science, 56, 256-265;[18] Kuzmin R.O. et al., (2007), Brown-Vernadsky Microsymp. 46th (www.planetology.ru/micro.php.); [19] Litvak M.L. et al., (2007), Solar System Reseach, 41,5, 385-397.