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NATIONAL LANDSCAPE METRICS BROWSER (V1.0)
Citation:
HEGGEM, D. T., A. C. NEALE, E. EVANSON, R. VAN REMORTEL, M. JACKSON, AND D. W. EBERT. NATIONAL LANDSCAPE METRICS BROWSER (V1.0). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/C-07/014, 2007.
Impact/Purpose:
This metric browser website describes and displays wall-to-wall landscape metrics that have been calculated for the entire conterminous U.S. The intent is to provide the user with an overview of the nature and utility of this landscape metric data set. The land cover and pattern metrics have been calculated for every 3 by 3 kilometer grid cell within the conterminous U.S. Soil and landform metrics have been calculated for every 8 digit hydrologic unit code within the conterminous U.S. There are 865,493 3 by 3 kilometer grid cells within the conterminous U.S. and 2,095 hydrologic catalog units.
The landscape monitoring and assessment approach involves the analysis of spatially explicit patterns of biophysical features, including soils, topography, climate, vegetation, land use, and drainage pathways. Landscape metrics that directly measure spatial patterns are used as indicators which are in turn evaluated relative to their relationship (and ultimately their ability to predict) ecological endpoints of interest such as forest habitat and various aspects of aquatic resource conditions. These endpoints include habitat and aquatic resource conditions, on areas ranging in size from small watersheds (a few hundred hectares) to entire basins (several million hectares).
Description:
This metric browser website describes and displays wall-to-wall landscape metrics that have been calculated for the entire conterminous U.S. The intent is to provide the user with an overview of the nature and utility of this landscape metric data set. The land cover and pattern metrics have been calculated for every 3 by 3 kilometer grid cell within the conterminous U.S. Soil and landform metrics have been calculated for every 8 digit hydrologic unit code within the conterminous U.S. There are 865,493 3 by 3 kilometer grid cells within the conterminous U.S. and 2,095 hydrologic catalog units.
The landscape monitoring and assessment approach involves the analysis of spatially explicit patterns of biophysical features, including soils, topography, climate, vegetation, land use, and drainage pathways. Landscape metrics that directly measure spatial patterns are used as indicators which are in turn evaluated relative to their relationship (and ultimately their ability to predict) ecological endpoints of interest such as forest habitat and various aspects of aquatic resource conditions. These endpoints include habitat and aquatic resource conditions, on areas ranging in size from small watersheds (a few hundred hectares) to entire basins (several million hectares).