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GENERATING HIGH QUALITY IMPERVIOUS COVER DATA
Citation:
Bird, S L., S. W. Alberty, AND L R. Exum. GENERATING HIGH QUALITY IMPERVIOUS COVER DATA. QUALITY ASSURANCE 8(2):91-103, (2002).
Impact/Purpose:
The distribution and patterns of exposure of ecosystems to stressors over the next 50 years required within the Regional Vulnerability Assessment Program (ReVA) will be dependent on patterns of human activities that are likely to occur over this period. Although human activity and culture are the driving force currently altering the ecological landscape, surprisingly little effort has been devoted to integrating socioeconomic data and projections into environmental and ecological impact assessments. The most dramatic land use change is the conversion of agricultural and forested use to a developed use (residential/commercial). A rapidly-growing population and sprawling, low-density development patterns are consuming large quantities of land. This project is developing methods to analyze potential land use changes that result from changes in human population growth, economic conditions, public works, and public policy decisions. The focus is on developing methods that are appropriate for a region-wide assessment scale. The assessment question addressed is "how much, where, and what kind of land use change will affect ecological resources in a region over the next 25 to 50 years."
Description:
Nonpoint source pollution (NPS) from urban/ suburban areas is rapidly increasing as the population increases in the United States. Research in recent years has consistently shown a strong relationship between the percentage of impervious cover in a drainage basin and the health of the receiving stream. In this paper we quantify the amount of impervious cover within 56 14-digit hydrologic unit codes (HUCs) in Frederick County, Maryland, USA. This test data set will help in the development of regionwide impervious cover estimation methodologies. The software, sampling and analysis systems were developed to yield accurate and reproducible results. Digital orthophoto quarter quadrangles (DOQQ) from the U.S. Geological Survey were chosen as the basic media for the analysis. Ground features were identified and categorized by human analysts with the help of Geographic Information System (GIS) software and a prototype "cover tool" extension.