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AN EVALUATION OF THE INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS AND ACCURACIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE DETERMINATION OF IMPERVIOUS AREA
Citation:
Slonecker, E T. AN EVALUATION OF THE INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS AND ACCURACIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE DETERMINATION OF IMPERVIOUS AREA. GISCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING 41(2):165-184, (2004).
Impact/Purpose:
The objectives of this task are to:
Assess new remote sensing technology for applicability to landscape characterization; Integrate multiple sensor systems data for improved landscape characterization;
Coordinate future technological needs with other agencies' sensor development programs;
Apply existing remote sensing systems to varied landscape characterization needs; and
Conduct remote sensing applications research for habitat suitability, water resources, and terrestrial condition indicators.
Description:
The percentage of impervious surface area in a watershed has been widely recognized as a key indicator of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem condition. Although the use of the impervious indicator is widespread, there is currently no consistent or mutually accepted method of computing impervious area and the approach of various commonly used techniques varies widely. Further, we do not have reliable information on the components of impervious surfaces, which would be critical in any future planning attempts to remediate problems associated with impervious surface coverage. In cooperation with the USGS Geographic Analysis and Monitoring Program (GAM) and The National Map, and the EPA Landscape Ecology Program, this collaborative research project utilized very high-resolution imagery and GIS techniques to map and quantify the individual components of total impervious area in six urban/suburban watersheds in different parts of the United States. This data were also used to serve as ground reference, or 'truth " for the evaluation for four techniques used to compute impervious area. The results show some important aspects about the component makeup of impervious cover and the variability of methods commonly used to compile this critical emerging indicator of ecosystem condition.