Grantee Research Project Results

2002 Progress Report: GIS and Terrestrial Remote Sensing

EPA Grant Number: R829458C007
Subproject: this is subproject number 007 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R829458
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: EAGLES - Consortium for Estuarine Ecoindicator Research for the Gulf of Mexico
Center Director: Brouwer, Marius
Title: GIS and Terrestrial Remote Sensing
Investigators: Yang, Xiaojun
Institution: University of Southern Mississippi
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: December 1, 2001 through November 30, 2005
Project Period Covered by this Report: December 1, 2001 through November 30, 2002
RFA: Environmental Indicators in the Estuarine Environment Research Program (2000) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Aquatic Ecosystems , Ecological Indicators/Assessment/Restoration , Water

Objective:

The objectives for the geographic information system (GIS) component for Year 1 of the project are to: (1) develop methods and tools for organizing and managing spatial data in a GIS framework; (2) assemble historical environmental data from existing databases into suitable GIS format; and (3) import point-based measures of selected environmental indicators into the GIS.

The tasks for the terrestrial remote sensing component for Year 1 of the project are to: (1) select suitable scenes and acquire high-resolution satellite images; (2) develop an interpretation key for land use/cover mapping; (3) produce land use/cover maps and assess their accuracy; and (4) select landscape metrics and extract them from appropriate remotely sensed products.

Progress Summary:

We have completed land use/cover mapping for three different dates and have obtained more than 100 measurements of landscape metrics for the Pensacola estuarine drainage area, the study area for Year 1. A comprehensive GIS database has been constructed and data are ready to be delivered through Internet Map Server. The Web site for the GIS and (terrestrial) Remote Sensing component has been developed (http://uwfgis.evr.uwf.edu/rsgisceergom/index.html Exit ). This Web site also includes a demonstration for the online delivery of spatial data.

The study site for Year 1 is the Pensacola estuarine drainage area as defined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coastal Assessment Framework. The total estuarine drainage area for Pensacola Bay is 9,119.63 km², including 8,643.00 km² of land area and 476.63 km² of water area. This included counties within two states: Alabama and Florida.

Land Use/Cover Mapping. We have completed land use/cover mapping for three different dates: 1989, 1996, and 2002. Those maps were produced using a complicated method that combines the use of image processing, GIS, and global positioning satellite-based field surveys. The classification system used for those maps is:

51 Beaches (BCH)

We have conducted accuracy assessments for three land use/cover maps with a standard procedure. We found that the overall accuracy for those maps ranges from 91.20 percent to 93.47 percent. This has met the industrial accuracy standard, which is 85 percent, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Final maps can be found from our slides that we sent last November.

Measurement of Landscape Metrics. Based on the land use/cover maps produced, we have taken measurements for more than 100 landscape metrics for 2 different geographical units, hydrological unit code (HUC) and county, respectively. Those metrics were measured at three different levels: patch, class, and landscape. They can be classified into the following major groups: (1) percentage of impervious surface; (2) area/density/edge metrics; (3) shape metrics; (4) core area metrics; (5) isolation/proximity metrics; (6) contrast metrics; (7) contagion/interspersion metrics; (8) connectivity metrics; and (9) socioeconomic metrics. We are selecting the most meaningful metrics that can be used to characterize the integrity of estuarine drainage basin.

Spatiotemporal Patterns of Changing Landscape. Based on land use/cover maps and the measure of landscape metrics, we are analyzing the changing patterns of landscape with a special emphasis on several urban uses. Maps and statistics have been produced to characterize the changing patterns.

GIS Database Construction and Online Delivery. We have completed the construction of a GIS database including two major layers: a 7.5' Digital Elevation Model (DEM) for the entire study area and 3 years of major roads. The DEM was built from more than 150 7.5' DEMs originally developed by the USGS. Spatial modeling techniques have been used to enhance the DEM, making it seamless. The roads originally were based on TIGER files and we have updated them with satellite images to create data layers for three different years. Other environmental data, such as Brownfield, streams, soil, etc., were built. In addition, we have converted some of the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program's point-based environmental measurements into GIS format.

Following is a list of the major GIS data layers that we have constructed:

We have informed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Gulf Ecology Division regarding the GIS database we constructed for Pensacola Bay. Further conversation is being planned.

We organized a special conference paper session dedicated to the remote sensing and GIS research within the Estuarine and Great Lakes program. This session has been sponsored by three specialty groups of the Association of American Geographers: Remote Sensing, GIS, and Coastal and Marine Environment.

Future Activities:

We will continue to: (1) develop methods and tools for organizing and managing spatial data in a GIS framework; (2) assemble historical environmental data from existing databases into suitable GIS format; and (3) import point-based measures of selected environmental indicators into the GIS.

Journal Articles:

No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 17 publications for this subproject

Supplemental Keywords:

population, remote sensing, community, ecosystem, watersheds, estuary, Gulf of Mexico, nutrients, hypoxia, innovative technology, ecoindicators, biomarkers, water quality, Global Information System, GIS, integrated assessment, risk assessment, fisheries, conservation, restoration., RFA, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Scientific Discipline, Geographic Area, ECOSYSTEMS, Water, Aquatic Ecosystem, Aquatic Ecosystems & Estuarine Research, Ecological Indicators, estuarine research, Ecosystem/Assessment/Indicators, Aquatic Ecosystems, Ecological Monitoring, Gulf of Mexico, Ecology and Ecosystems, Environmental Monitoring, environmental indicators, estuarine integrity, Galveston Bay, estuarine ecoindicator, CEER-GOM, water quality, estuaries, ecoindicator, estuarine waters, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program, monitoring, environmental stress, ecological exposure, remote sensing, Mobile Bay, GIS

Relevant Websites:

http://uwfgis.evr.uwf.edu/rsgisceergom/index.html Exit

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

2003 Progress Report

2004 Progress Report

Final

Main Center Abstract and Reports:

R829458 EAGLES - Consortium for Estuarine Ecoindicator Research for the Gulf of Mexico

Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R829458C001 Remote Sensing of Water Quality
R829458C002 Microbial Biofilms as Indicators of Estuarine Ecosystem Condition
R829458C003 Individual Level Indicators: Molecular Indicators of Dissolved Oxygen Stress in Crustaceans
R829458C004 Data Management and Analysis
R829458C005 Individual Level Indicators: Reproductive Function in Estuarine Fishes
R829458C006 Collaborative Efforts Between CEER-GOM and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-Gulf Ecology Division (GED)
R829458C007 GIS and Terrestrial Remote Sensing
R829458C008 Macrobenthic Process Indicators of Estuarine Condition for the Northern Gulf of Mexico
R829458C009 Modeling and Integration

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The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.