Progress 10/01/07 to 09/30/13
Outputs
Target Audience: Local, state and federal agencies, resource managers, researchers and Minnesota citizens that need information and maps on Minnesota’s environmental and natural resources, particularly land cover, impervious surface area, and lake water quality and changes over time. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Our results continue to demonstrate the utility and value of remote sensing for mapping and monitoring Minnesota land, vegetation and water resources. Analysis of lake clarity and land cover classifications is providing quantitative information on the relationship between land and water quality. Data and results of Landsat land cover and lake clarity classification projects and databases are available at three websites: land.umn.edu, water.umn.edu, and lakesandland.umn.edu. The websites average over 6,000 unique visits each month and more than 400 copies of the statewide and Twin Cities Metropolitan Area GIS-compatible land cover and impervious surface data have been downloaded by agencies, companies, academic researchers and students, and citizens. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The project goal has been to research and develop applications of digital, multispectral remote sensing at local to state scales. The applications include monitoring vegetation, water quality and landscape dynamics, with emphasis on development of techniques to extract information from digital satellite imagery. The primary activity in 2013 has been to develop an updated and more detailed land cover/use classification of the 7-county Twin Cities Metropolitan Area for the Metropolitan Council. Compared to previous methods it takes advantage of (a) use of object-based image analysis that exploit the additional spatial information in objects compared to individual pixels in traditional per pixel classifications of Landsat data; (b) incorporation of elevation and height information derived from lidar data; (c) use of a “random forest” classifier that has been shown to be a more effective for classification of multi-source image and geospatial data. When the project is completed we will extend it to the rest of Minnesota counties, updating the 2000 classification of land cover and impervious surface area.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Olmanson, L.G., P.L. Brezonik, and M.E. Bauer. 2013. Airborne hyperspectral remote sensing to assess spatial distribution of water quality characteristics in large rivers: the Mississippi River and its tributaries in Minnesota. Remote Sensing of Environment 130:254-265.
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Progress 01/01/12 to 12/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Research and development of applications of digital, multispectral remote sensing are continuing at local to state scales. The applications include monitoring vegetation, water quality and landscape dynamics, with emphasis on development of techniques to extract information from digital satellite imagery. Significant activities this year include: (1) work to develop an updated and more detailed land cover/use classification of the 7-county Twin Cities Metropolitan Area for the Metropolitan Council. It will take advantage of three important advancements: (a) use of object-based image analysis that takes advantage of the additional spatial information in objects compared to individual pixels in traditional classifications of Landsat data; (b) incorporation of elevation and height information derived from lidar data; (c) use of a "Random Forest" classifier that has been shown to be a more effective for classification of multisource image and geographic data than the conventional maximum likelihood classifier. When the project is completed in early 2013 we will extend it to the rest of Minnesota counties, updating the 2000 classification of land cover and impervious surface area. (2) A major proposal to NASA was prepared. Its objective is to research develop procedures and algorithms that will exploit the potential of satellite sensing systems other than Landsat (e.g., the Sentinel-2 to be launched by the European Space Agency in 2014) that have additional and more appropriate spectral bands for the estimation of the optical and biophysical properties of water. Water clarity integrates the influence of three major properties of aquatic systems: algal turbidity (e.g, chlorophyll), inorganic suspended solids, and humic or colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), all of which have different effects on water quality and are sensitive to human disturbance and environmental conditions. CDOM, a major driver of aquatic ecological conditions and an issue in drinking water treatment, plays a key role in global carbon cycling and climate change. Understanding the individual contributions of these factors to remotely sensed observations of water clarity is essential for regional and global assessment of freshwater quality, but current models do not separate their influences on satellite-inferred water clarity. (3) Our MinnesotaView project contributes to extending and enhancing remote sensing research, applications and education as a member of the USGS AmericaView program. Graduate Student Years = 1.0. PARTICIPANTS: Marvin Bauer, professor; Leif Olmanson, research associate (and graduate student); Trent Erickson, information technology specialist; Patrick Brezonik, professor(Civil Engineering); Joseph Knight, assistant professor (Forest Resources), Margaret Voth (research fellow), Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and Twin Cities Metropolitan Council. TARGET AUDIENCES: Local, state and federal agencies, resource managers, researchers and Minnesota citizens that need information and maps on Minnesota's environmental and natural resources, particularly land cover, impervious surface area, and lake water quality and changes over time. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Our results continue to demonstrate the utility and value of remote sensing for mapping and monitoring Minnesota land, vegetation, and water resources. Analysis of lake-clarity and land-cover classifications is providing quantitative information on the relationship between land and water quality. Data and results of Landsat land-cover and lake-clarity classification projects and databases are available at three websites: land.umn.edu, water.umn.edu, and lakesandland.umn.edu. The websites average more than 6,000 unique visits each month and more than 400 copies of the statewide and Twin Cities Metropolitan Area GIS-compatible land-cover and impervious-surface data have been downloaded by agencies, companies, academic researchers and students, and citizens.
Publications
- Olmanson, L., M. Bauer, and P. Brezonik. 2012. Using remote sensing to monitor and assess geospatial and temporal trends of water clarity in Minnesota. Abstract, 32nd International Symposium of North American Lake Management Society, November 7-9, Madison, WI.
- Olmanson, L.G. 2012. Remote sensing for regional assessment and analysis of Minnesota lake and river water quality. PhD Dissertation. St. Paul, MN: University of Minnesota.
- Wu, J., and M.E. Bauer. 2012. Estimating net primary production of turfgrass in an urban-suburban landscape with QuickBird imagery. Remote Sensing 4:849-866; doi:10.3390/rs4040849.
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Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Research and development of applications of digital, multispectral remote sensing are continuing at local to state scales. The applications include monitoring vegetation, water quality and landscape dynamics, with emphasis on development of techniques to extract information from digital satellite imagery. Significant activities and results this year include: (1) Classification and mapping of urban tree cover and other land cover types for the Cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul and Woodbury. The approach used a combination of high resolution (0.6 meter) multispectral imagery and lidar data and object-based image analysis. Classification accuracies were greater than 90 percent. The percent tree canopy cover in the three cities was: Minneapolis 31.5, St. Paul 32.5 and Woodbury 21.5. (2) We completed a 33-year (1975-2008) comprehensive water clarity database for over 10,000 Minnesota lakes using Landsat imagery, and analysis of geospatial and temporal patterns in relation to land use/land cover and lake characteristics. Lake clarity in Minnesota has a strong geographic pattern; lakes in the south and southwest generally have low clarity, and lakes in the north and northeast tend to have high clarity. Lake depth is a strong factor in water clarity with deep lakes having higher water clarity than shallow lakes. Land use/cover also is a significant factor with decreasing water clarity associated with increased agricultural and urban areas. These patterns are evident at the catchment, watershed, county, ecoregion and statewide levels. (3) We compared Landsat, MERIS and MODIS for their usefulness in regional-scale measurements of lake water clarity and chlorophyll for comprehensive lake management. The MODIS and MERIS systems, which have large swath widths and high temporal coverage are well suited for regional assessments of large lakes, but their low spatial resolution limits the number of lakes that can be assessed. Landsat imagery allows all lakes larger than 4 ha (more than 12,000 in Minnesota) to be assessed, but its low spectral resolution limits assessments to water clarity. The MERIS system was the only system with a spectral band set that could be reliably used for regional chlorophyll assessments, but its 300-meter spatial resolution limits it to monitoring large (larger than150 ha) lakes. (4) Our MinnesotaView project contributes to extending and enhancing remote sensing research, applications and education as a member of the USGS AmericaView program. Graduate Student Years = 1.0 PARTICIPANTS: Marvin Bauer, professor and principal investigator; Leif Olmanson, research fellow (and graduate student); Trent Erickson, information technology specialist; Patrick Brezonik, professor(Civil Engineering); Donald Kilberg and Molly Martin, graduate research assistants. Partner Organizations: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Geospatial Information Office, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Forest Service. TARGET AUDIENCES: Local, state and federal agencies, resource managers, researchers and Minnesota citizens that need information and maps on Minnesota's environmental and natural resources, particularly land cover, impervious surface area, and lake water quality and changes over time. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Our results continue to demonstrate the utility and value of remote sensing for mapping and monitoring Minnesota land, vegetation and water resources. Classification of high-resolution multispectral satellite imagery and lidar data has proven to be an effective means for mapping tree cover of urban areas. Analysis of lake clarity and land cover classifications is providing quantitative information on the relationship between land and water quality. Data and results of the Landsat land cover and lake clarity classification projects and databases are available at three websites: land.umn.edu, water.umn.edu, and lakesandland.umn.edu. The websites average over 6,000 unique visits each month and more than 400 copies of the statewide and Twin Cities Metropolitan Area GIS-compatible land cover and impervious surface data have been downloaded by agencies, companies, academic researchers and students, and citizens.
Publications
- Martin, M., D. Kilberg, and M. Bauer. 2011. Object Based image analysis for urban tree canopy mapping. Abstract, 21st Annual Conference, Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium, St. Cloud, Minnesota, October 5-7.
- Olmanson, L., Bauer, M., and Brezonik, P. 2011. Using remote sensing to monitor and assess geospatial and temporal trends of water clarity in Minnesota. Abstract, 32nd International Symposium of North American Lake Management Society, October 26-28, Spokane, Washington. p. 91.
- Olmanson, L., Bauer, M., and Brezonik, P. 2011. Comparison and Evaluation of Medium to Low Resolution Satellite Imagery for Regional Lake Water Quality Assessment. Abstract, 32nd International Symposium of North American Lake Management Society, October 26-28, Spokane, Washington. p. 92.
- Olmanson, L., Bauer, Erickson, M.T., and Brezonik, P. 2011. Using Landsat remote sensing to monitor geographic patterns and temporal trends of water quality of Minnesota lakes. Abstract, AmericaView Fall Technical Meeting, Cleveland, Ohio, October 10-11.
- Olmanson, L.G., Brezonik, P.L., and Bauer, M.E. 2011. Evaluation of medium to low resolution satellite imagery for regional lake water quality assessments. Water Resources Research 47, W09515, doi:10.1029/2011WR011005.
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Progress 01/01/10 to 12/31/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Research and development of applications of digital, multispectral and hyperspectral remote sensing are continuing at local to state scales. Application areas include monitoring aquatic and terrestrial vegetation, water quality and landscape dynamics, with emphasis on development of techniques to extract information from digital satellite imagery. Significant activities and accomplishments this year include: (1) Analysis of our current lake water clarity database in conjunction with geographic land features and lake morphometric characteristics. (2) Completion of processing 2008 Landsat TM and ETM+ imagery for statewide assessment of water clarity. The results will be added to our lakes website database of six assessments of more than 10,000 lakes since 1975. (3) Development of analysis methods for MODIS data from the Aqua and Terra satellites and MERIS imagery from the Envisat satellite. Results from MERIS are particularly promising with its improved spectral bands for accurate chlorophyll assessment of large lakes. One of the objectives is to automate the analysis procedures so future monitoring of larger lakes can be done quickly and more frequently than with Landsat data. (4) We evaluated and compared the number and size of lakes that can be assessed and the accuracy of Minnesota regional chlorophyll and water clarity assessments that can be conducted using MODIS, MERIS, AWiFS and Landsat imagery by using near concurrent imagery. (5) Pixel level and object-oriented classifications of hyperspectral imagery of a study area in Washington County, Minnesota are being developed and evaluated. For this study over 600 field observations were collected to assess the potential of remote sensing to monitor and map wetland aquatic plant types to evaluate wetland quality. (6) Our lakesandland.umn.edu website combines maps and statistics from the lake water clarity assessments and land cover classifications allows users to easily acquire lake clarity and land cover statistics and maps at different geographic scales. (7) We are evaluating the potential for using AWiFS data from the Indian Resource Satellite-2 as an alternative to land cover classification using Landsat data. Although its spatial resolution is somewhat less, it has broader area coverage and more frequent data acquisition. (8) We are developing procedures for combining high-resolution multispectral satellite imagery and lidar data for mapping tree canopy cover and other urban land cover for the cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul and Woodbury. (9) Our MinnesotaView project contributes to extending and enhancing remote sensing research, applications and education as a member of the USGS AmericaView program. Graduate Student Years = 2.0. PARTICIPANTS: Marvin Bauer, professor and principal investigator; Leif Olmanson, research fellow (and graduate student); Trent Erickson, information technology specialist; Patrick Brezonik, professor (Civil Engineering); Joseph Knight, assistant professor; Donald Kilberg, Neha Kulkarni, and Molly Martin, graduate research assistants. Partner Organizations: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Geospatial Information Office, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Forest Service. TARGET AUDIENCES: Local, state and federal agencies, resource managers, researchers and Minnesota citizens that need information and maps on Minnesota's environmental and natural resources, particularly land cover, impervious surface area, and lake water quality and changes over time. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Our results continue to demonstrate the utility and value of remote sensing for mapping and monitoring Minnesota land, vegetation and water resources. Classification of high-resolution multispectral satellite imagery and lidar data are proving to be an effective means for mapping and obtaining information, urban tree cover, of urban areas. Analysis of lake clarity and land cover classifications is providing quantitative information on the relationship between land and water quality. Data and results of the Landsat land cover and lake clarity classification projects and databases are available at three websites: land.umn.edu, water.umn.edu, and lakesandland.umn.edu. The websites average more than 6,000 unique visits each month and more than 400 copies of the statewide and Twin Cities Metropolitan Area GIS-compatible land cover and impervious surface data have been downloaded by agencies, companies, academic researchers and students, and citizens.
Publications
- Olmanson, L., Bauer, M. and Brezonik, P. 2010. Geospatial and temporal analysis of the water clarity of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes. Abstract, Minnesota GIS/LIS Annual Conference, October 13-15, Duluth, MN.
- Bauer, M. 2010. MinnesotaView: Advancing remote sensing applications, education and research in Minnesota. Abstract, Minnesota GIS/LIS Annual Conference, October 13-15, Duluth, MN.
- Crawford, C.J. and Bauer, M.E. 2010. Time-series development for geophysical research: The role of historical Landsat remote sensing. Abstract, paper number EP21A-0729, American Geophysical Union, fall meeting, December 13-17, San Francisco, CA.
- Wu, J. and Bauer, M.E. 2010. Resolving shadows in high resolution satellite images for estimating carbon uptake in urban-suburban areas. Geoscience & Remote Sensing Symposium, IEEE 2010 International, 3335-3338. doi: 10.1109/IGARSS.2010.5650582.
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Progress 01/01/09 to 12/31/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Research and development of applications of digital, multispectral remote sensing are continuing at local to state scales. Application areas include monitoring vegetation, water quality and landscape dynamics, with emphasis on development of techniques to extract information from digital satellite imagery. Significant activities and accomplishments this year include: (1) Analysis of our current lake water clarity database in conjunction with geographic land features and lake morphometric characteristics. (2) Completion of processing 1975 statewide Landsat MSS imagery for water clarity and making this data available on the web. We have also acquired and begun processing 2008 Landsat TM and ETM+ imagery for statewide water clarity assessment. These assessments will add to the current temporal series of 5 assessments of more than 10,000 lakes at 5-year intervals from 1985 to 2005 and provide a more complete picture of the state of lakes from 1975 to 2008. (3) Development of analysis methods for MODIS data from the Aqua and Terra satellites. We have begun acquiring and developing analysis methods for MERIS imagery that look promising with its improved spectral bands for accurate chlorophyll assessment of large lakes. One of the objectives is to automate the analysis procedures so future monitoring of larger lakes can be done quickly and more frequently than with Landsat data. (4) We acquired hyperspectral imagery in August for a study area in northern Washington County, MN, along with 400 field observations to assess the potential of remote sensing to monitor and map wetland quality. The field data are currently being compiled into a GIS-ready format for analysis with the remote sensing data. (5) A new website that combines maps and statistics from the lake water assessments and land cover assessments has been developed and can be accessed at lakesandland.umn.edu. This website allows users to easily acquire lake clarity and land cover statistics and maps at different geographic scales. (6) Completed Landsat classifications of land cover and impervious surface area of the St. Croix Basin and the 15 counties in eastern Minnesota. The data will provide a longer time series to evaluate land use changes for the Twin Cities metro area and will provide new information for the St. Croix Basin that Minnesota and Wisconsin agencies will use as inputs to their models of land use effects on water quality. (7) Initiated development of capability to use AWiFS data from the Indian Resource Satellite-2 as an alternative to land cover classification using Landsat data. Although its spatial resolution is somewhat less, it has broader area coverage and more frequent data acquisition. (8) Initiated development of procedures for mapping urban tree cover and submitted proposals to the City of Woodbury and Minneapolis. (9) We became a member of the AmericaView program and initiated a MinnesotaView project. The overall objective of AmericaView and MinnesotaView is to extend and enhance remote sensing research, applications and education. Graduate Student Years = 1.5. PARTICIPANTS: Marvin Bauer, professor; Leif Olmanson, research fellow (and graduate student); Trent Erickson, information technology specialist; Patrick Brezonik, professor (Civil Engineering), Joseph Knight, assistant professor, Donald Kilberg and Neha Kulkarni, graduate research assistants. Cooperating agencies: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Science Museum, and Minnesota Geospatial Information Office. TARGET AUDIENCES: Local and state agencies, resource managers, researchers and Minnesota citizens that need information on Minnesota's environmental and natural resources, particularly land cover, impervious surface area, and lake clarity maps and changes over time. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
The results of the lake clarity monitoring and land cover and impervious surface mapping projects demonstrate the utility and value of digital classification and modeling of remote sensing data to accurately and economically map and analyze changes in water quality and land cover over time. The data are available at three websites: water.umn.edu, land.umn.edu and lakesandland.umn.edu. The websites average over 6,000 unique visits each month and more than 350 copies of the GIS-compatible land cover and impervious surface data have been downloaded. Analysis of the lake water clarity database in conjunction with geographic land features and Lake morphometric characteristics indicates that lake clarity has strong patterns in Minnesota. Deep lakes tend to have the highest water clarity while shallow lakes have lower water clarity. This pattern is evident throughout Minnesota and its ecoregions. Water clarity is also highly correlated with land cover; lakes with higher levels of urban and agricultural land cover at different (ecoregion, county, watershed and lake catchment) geographic scales tend to have lower water clarity than areas with higher levels of more natural landscapes (e.g., forest, wetland and shrubland). This pattern is also evident within groups of lakes with different lake depths. The MODIS data analysis demonstrated that lake clarity of larger lakes can be monitored with MODIS data. The land cover and impervious surface area classification data for the St. Croix River Basin are being used by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesota Science Museum and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as inputs to a Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model to predict the long term effect of land management on nonpoint-source pollution of the St. Croix River watershed.
Publications
- Rich, R.L., Frelich, L. Reich, P.B. and Bauer, M.E. 2009. Detecting wind disturbance severity and canopy heterogeneity in boreal forest by coupling high-spatial resolution satellite imagery and field data. Remote Sensing of Environment 114(2):299-308.
- Bauer, M., Olmanson, L. and Brezonik, P. 2009. Multi-temporal satellite monitoring of Minnesota lake clarity. Abstract, Fifth International Workshop on the Analysis of Multi-temporal Remote Sensing Images, July 28-30, Mystic, Connecticut.
- Bauer, M. 2009. MinnesotaView: Advancing remote sensing applications and education in Minnesota. Abstract, Minnesota GIS/LIS Annual Conference, October 21-23, Duluth, Minnesota.
- Olmanson, L.G., Bauer, M.E. and Brezonik P.L. 2009. Use of imaging spectroscopy for water quality assessment of the Mississippi River and its major tributaries in Minnesota. Proceedings of Mississippi River Research Consortium , Annual Meeting, April 30-May 1, LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Presentation Abstracts 41:32.
- Bauer, M. 2009. Aerial and satellite remote sensing of Minnesota and St. Croix Basin. Final Report for CMFS Contract B14517 to Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
- Bauer, M. and Olmanson, L. 2009. Satellite remote sensing and monitoring of Minnesota lakes. Final Report for Contract A92802 to Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
- McFadden, J.P. and Bauer, M.E. 2009. New technologies for full carbon accounting in developed land. Final Report to Institute on the Environment, Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment, University of Minnesota.
- Nelson, M.D., McRoberts, R.E., Holden, G.R. and Bauer, M.E. 2009. Effects of satellite image spatial aggregation and resolution on estimates of forest land area. International Journal of Remote Sensing 30(8):1913-1940.
- Chavula, G., Brezonik, P., Thenkabail, P., Johnson, T. and Bauer, M. 2009. Estimating the surface temperature of Lake Malawi using AVHRR and MODIS satellite imagery. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth 34(13-16):749-754.
- Chavula, G., Brezonik, P., Thenkabail, P., Johnson, T. and Bauer, M. 2009. Analysis of the current lake water clarity database in conjunction with geographic land features and lake morphometric characteristics. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth 34(13-16):755-760.
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Progress 01/01/08 to 12/31/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Research and development of applications of digital, multispectral remote sensing are continuing at local to state scales. Application areas include monitoring vegetation, water quality and landscape dynamics, with emphasis on development of techniques to extract information from digital satellite imagery. Significant activities and accomplishments this year include: (1) Analysis of the current lake water clarity database 1985 to 2005 indicates that lake clarity has strong geographic patterns in Minnesota; lakes in the south and southwest have low clarity, and lakes in the north and northeast tend to have high clarity. This pattern is evident at both the individual lake and ecoregion level. Mean water clarity at the statewide level has remained stable (average of 2.25 m) from 1985 to 2005. Further statistical analyses of the database, in conjunction with demographic, morphometric and land use data are underway and will help describe temporal and spatial water clarity trends. We are processing 1975 and recent 2007-08 imagery to add to the current temporal series of five assessments at 5-year intervals from 1985 to 2005 and provide will a more complete picture of the state of lakes from 1975 to 2008. We are also developing analysis methods for MODIS data from the Aqua and Terra satellites to assess how well lake clarity changes can be monitored with MODIS data. One of the objectives is to automate the analysis procedures so future monitoring of larger lakes can be done quickly and more frequently than with Landsat data. (2) We have analyzed an additional mission of hyperspectral data acquired in August 2007 of a 25-mile segment of the Mississippi River to complement previous datasets for the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. The analysis results show strong relationships of spectral reflectance to several water quality parameters, including chlorophyll, turbidity and suspended solids that will enable mapping their spatial variability. Models relating spectral reflectance to the biophysical variables were used to map spatial patterns and variation for the streams, providing information that is not available from conventional sampling. (3) We are extending our capability to classify and map land cover and percent impervious surface area with a new project that includes the St. Croix River Basin as well as eastern Minnesota. This will provide a longer time series to evaluate land use changes for the Twin Cities metro area and will provide new information for the St. Croix Basin that Minnesota and Wisconsin agencies will use as inputs to their models of land use effects on water quality. (4) We estimated carbon uptake by turfgrass of a residential neighborhood located in Roseville, Minnesota as a part of our efforts to quantify the carbon budgets of an urban area. High spatial resolution QuickBird satellite images were used to map the spatial distribution of grass for input to a production efficiency model to estimate above ground net primary production and carbon storage over the growing season. Graduate student years: 2. PARTICIPANTS: Marvin Bauer, professor; Leif Olmanson, research fellow; Jindong Wu, research associate; Adam Berland, graduate research assistant; Jay Whitmore, graduate research assistant; Trent Erickson, information technology specialist; Patrick Brezonik, professor (Civil Engineering); Joseph McFadden, assistant professor (Ecology and Evolutionary Behavior), and Joseph Knight, assistant professor (Forest Resources). Cooperating agencies: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Metropolitan Council, and Legislative and Citizens Commission on Minnesota Resources. TARGET AUDIENCES: Local and state agencies, resource managers, researchers and Minnesota citizens that need information on Minnesota's environmental and natural resources, particularly land cover, impervious surface area, and lake clarity maps and changes over time. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
The results of the lake clarity monitoring and land cover impervious surface mapping projects demonstrate the utility and value of digital classification and modeling of remote sensing data to accurately and economically map and analyze changes in water quality and land cover over time. The results are being used by state agencies, as inputs to lake and land management and policy decisions. The data are available at two websites, water.umn.edu and land.umn.edu. The websites average more than 6,000 unique visits each month and more than 250 copies of the GIS-compatible land cover and impervious surface data have been downloaded.
Publications
- Bauer, M.E. and Berland, A. 2008. Land cover and impervious surface classifications of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area and St. Croix River Basin. Minnesota GIS/LIS 2008 Conference, Abstracts, Session 26, p. 51.
- Bauer, M., Whitmore, J., Berland, A. and Erickson, T. 2008. Satellite remote sensing of land cover and impervious surface of the St. Croix River Basin. St. Croix River Research Rendezvous Presentation Abstracts.
- Wu, J., Bauer, M. E., McFadden, J.P. 2008. Estimating carbon uptake by turfgrass with QuickBird imagery and flux measurements in an urban-suburban landscape. Eos Trans. AGU, 89(53), Fall Meeting. Suppl., Abstract B43D-0462.
- Dadaser-Celik, F., Bauer, M.E., Brezonik, P.L. and Stefan, H.G. 2008. Changes in the Sultan Marshes ecosystem (Turkey) in satellite images 1980-2003. Wetlands 28(3):852-865.
- Olmanson, L.G., Bauer, M.E. and Brezonik P.L. 2008. Development and analysis of a 20-year Landsat water clarity census of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes. Remote Sensing of Environment 112(11):4086-4097.
- Wu, J., Bauer, M.E., Wang, D. and Manson, S.M. 2008. A comparison of illumination geometry-based methods for topographic correction of QuickBird images of an undulant area. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing 63(2):223-236.
- Yuan, F., Wu, C. and Bauer, M.E. 2008. Comparison of spectral analysis techniques for impervious surface estimation using Landsat imagery. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing 74(8):1045-1055.
- Bauer, M. 2008. Land cover and impervious classifications of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metropolitan Statistical Area. Minnesota Water Resources Conference, Final Program and Book of Abstracts, p. 80.
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Progress 01/01/07 to 12/31/07
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Research and development of applications of digital, multispectral remote sensing are continuing at local to state scales. Application areas include monitoring vegetation, water quality and landscape dynamics, with emphasis on development of techniques to extract information from digital satellite imagery. Significant activities and accomplishments this year include: (1) The database of Landsat-estimated lake clarity for over 10,000 lakes for 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, and 2005 developed over the past several years is being analyzed for geographic patterns and temporal trends in lake clarity and relationships to land use and other factors that may cause changes in lake quality. The results show that mean water clarity at the statewide level has remained stable at about 2.25 m from 1985 to 2005 but has decreased in the Western Corn Belt Plains and Northern Glaciated Plains ecoregions in southern Minnesota where agriculture is the predominant land use. The results demonstrate
that satellite imagery can provide an accurate method for obtaining comprehensive spatial and temporal coverage of water quality characteristics that can be used to detect trends at different geographic scales. (2) We acquired an additional mission of hyperspectral data in August of a 25-mile segment of the Mississippi River to complement previous datasets for the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. The analysis results show strong relationships of spectral reflectance to several water quality parameters, including chlorophyll, turbidity and suspended solids that will enable mapping their spatial variability. We are also investigating the potential of MODIS imagery from the Aqua and Terra satellites for monitoring clarity and chlorophyll of large lakes. (3) We have continued to research and develop the capability to estimate and map percent impervious surface area with a study comparing alternative methods of classification-regression modeling, regression tree, and normalized spectral
mixture analysis. All three techniques demonstrate the capability for estimating %ISA accurately, with RMSE ranging from 7.3 to 11% and R-squared values of 0.90-0.96. The regression modeling and regression tree methods produced similar results, but both are highly dependent on accurate masks to differentiate urban impervious surfaces from bare soil. The NSMA approach is most efficient, but tends to underestimate the percent imperviousness for highly developed areas. (4) We are developing an approach that integrates remote sensing with a production efficiency model to estimate carbon budgets of urban areas. A wide array of field measurement, remote sensing, and modeling approaches to estimate carbon budgets are available for natural and agricultural ecosystems, but relatively few have been developed or tested for urban landscapes. A detailed land cover map, including grass and trees, was generated from high resolution Quickbird imagery and combined with the model to estimate above
ground net primary production and carbon storage by month and growing season.
PARTICIPANTS: Marvin Bauer, professor; Leif Olmanson, research fellow; Jindong Wu, research associate; Trent Erickson, information technology specialist; Pericles Naccionales, research specialist; Patrick Brezonik, professor (Civil Engineering); Joseph McFadden, assistant professor (Ecology and Evolutionary Behavior), Fei Yuan, assistant professor (Geography, Minnesota State University-Mankato). Cooperating agencies: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesoa Department of Natural Resources, Metropolitan Council, and Legisative and Citizens Commission on Minnesota Resources.
TARGET AUDIENCES: Local and state agencies, resource managers, researchers and Minnesota citizens that need information on Minnesota's environmental and natural resources, particularly land cover, impervious surface area, and lake clarity maps and changes over time.
Impacts
The results of the land cover and change detection, impervious surface mapping, and lake clarity monitoring projects demonstrate the utility and value of digital classification and modeling of remote sensing data to accurately and economically map and analyze changes in land cover and water quality over time. The results are being used by state agencies, as inputs to land and lake management and policy decisions. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is using the impervious maps as inputs to hydrology and stormwater models and the lake clarity data to select lakes for more detailed monitoring. Our data are available at two websites, land.umn.edu and water.umn.edu. The websites average over 6,000 unique visits each month and more than 200 copies of the GIS-compatible land cover and impervious surface data have been downloaded.
Publications
- Wu, J., Wang, D. Rosen, C.J., and Bauer, M.E. 2007. Comparison of petiole nitrate concentrations, SPAD chlorophyll readings, and QuickBird satellite imagery in detecting nitrogen status of potato canopies. Field Crops Research 101(1):96-103.
- Yuan, F. and Bauer, M.E. 2007. Comparison of impervious surface area and normalized difference vegetation index as indicators of surface urban heat island effects in Landsat imagery. Remote Sensing of Environment 106(3):375-386.
- Bauer, M.E., Loeffelholz, B. and Wilson, B. 2007. Estimating and mapping impervious surface area by regression analysis of Landsat imagery. Chapter 1 in Remote Sensing of Impervious Surfaces, ed., Q. Weng, 3-10. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
- Brezonik, P.L., Olmanson, L.G., Bauer M.E. and Kloiber, S.M. 2007. Measuring water clarity and quality in Minnesota lakes and rivers: A census-based approach using remote-sensing techniques. CURA Reporter, Center for Urban and Region Affairs, University of Minnesota. pp. 3-13.
- Wu, J., Wang, D. and Bauer, M.E. 2007. Assessing broadband vegetation indices and QuickBird data in estimating leaf area index of corn and potato canopies. Field Crops Research 102(1):33-42.
- Wu, J., Bauer, M.E., McFadden, J.P., Peters, E.B. and Balogun, A.A. 2007. Estimating above ground uptake by turfgrass with Quickbird imagery in an urban-suburban landscape. Abstract, American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California. April 17-21.
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Progress 01/01/06 to 12/31/06
Outputs
Research and development of applications of digital, multispectral remote sensing are being conducted at local to state scales. Application areas include monitoring vegetation, water quality and landscape dynamics, with emphasis on development of techniques to extract information from digital satellite imagery. Significant activities and accomplishments this year include: (1) Completed statewide Landsat classifications of lake water clarity for 2005. We now have five classifications of more than 10,000 lakes for 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000 and 2005. The database provides an unprecedented assessment of lakes in terms of number of lakes and geographic and temporal extent. We are analyzing the data for temporal and geographic patterns and trends, as well as relationships to land use and other factors that may cause changes in lake quality. Analysis indicates relatively stable conditions statewide, but more detailed analyses are now possible for individual lakes, as well as by
county, watershed and lakeshed. The data for all lakes and years are available in a web-based mapping tool at water.umn.edu. (2) Our water resources research also includes analysis of hyperspectral data of Minnesota River segments acquired in 2004 and 2005. Strong relationships of spectral reflectance to several water quality parameters, particularly chlorophyll, turbidity and suspended solids have been found. We are also investigating the potential of MODIS imagery from the Aqua and Terra satellites for monitoring chlorophyll of large lakes. (3) Completed statewide classifications of percent impervious surface area for 1990 and 2000. Maps and statistics derived from the classifications, based on a strong relationship to Landsat greenness, are available by county, city, ecoregion and watershed in a new web-based mapping application at land.umn.edu. The results are being used by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and other government units for modeling runoff in relation to water
quality and stormwater storage. We have found a very strong relationship between the amount of impervious area and urban heat island effects in the Twin Cities metro area. (4) A new area of research this year is the use of remote sensing to provide information for full carbon accounting in urban ecosystems. The initial effort is focused on mapping the urban landscape components of grass, other herbaceous vegetation, trees and impervious surfaces in the footprint of a flux tower. The proportion of each component will be estimated at the pixel level using spectral mixture modeling calibrated with detailed field data. These results will then be scaled to larger areas using Landsat and MODIS imagery.
Impacts
The results of the land cover and change detection, impervious surface mapping, and lake clarity monitoring projects demonstrate the efficacy of digital classification and modeling of Landsat data to accurately and economically map and analyze changes in land cover and water quality over time. The results are being used by state agencies as inputs to land and lake management and policy decisions.
Publications
- Brezonik, P.L., K. Menken, and M.E. Bauer. 2005. Landsat-based remote sensing of lake water quality characteristics, including chlorophyll and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM). Lake and Reservoir Management 21(4):373-382.
- Menken, K.D., P.L. Brezonik and M.E. Bauer. 2006. Influence of chlorophyll and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) on lake reflectance spectra: Implications for measuring lake properties by remote sensing. Lake and Reservoir Management 22(3):179-190.
- Manson, S. and M. Bauer. 2006. Changing landscapes in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. CURA Reporter, Center for Urban Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota 36(3):3-11.
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Progress 01/01/05 to 12/31/05
Outputs
Research and development of applications of digital, multispectral remote sensing are being conducted at local to regional scales. Application areas include vegetation, water quality and landscape dynamics, with emphasis on development of techniques to extract information from digital satellite imagery. Significant activities and accomplishments this year include: (1) Statewide Landsat Thematic Mapper data classifications for 1990 and 2000 of the percentage of impervious surface area, a key indicator of environmental quality. From 1990 to 2000 the estimated amount of impervious area for the state increased 145,830 ha from 1.2 to 1.9% of the total land area, with some rapidly urbanizing areas increasing by 50%. The classifications provide important, consistent and multidate, data for any area of Minnesota. Classification of the Landsat TM data provides a means to map and quantify the degree of impervious surface area, over large geographic areas and time at modest
cost. The results and updates will be a critical part of stormwater management efforts by the state and municipalities. (2) Research and development of remote sensing to monitor water quality of Minnesota lakes has continued with additional classifications for 1985 and 1995 of Landsat TM data of over 10,000 lakes, bringing to four the number of statewide censuses of lake clarity. We will be analyzing the temporal and spatial trends in lake clarity in relation to land use, population and other factors. We have also initiated work to exploit the daily frequency of MODIS data acquisition from the Terra and Aqua satellites to monitor approximately 100 of the larger Minnesota lakes. (3) The potential of remote sensing of streams and rivers is being evaluated with high resolution hyperspectral image data acquired over five segments of rivers in August 2004. Additional imagery was acquired in 2005. The initial results show that there is significant variation in the spectral properties of
river waters that is related to amounts of suspended solid sediment, turbidity and chlorophyll. (4) Preliminary analysis of high resolution (1-meter) airborne hyperspectral imagery indicates that accurate assessment of wetland plant communities and wetland health is possible with this type of imagery. In summary, the results of the land cover and change detection, impervious surface mapping, and lake clarity monitoring projects have demonstrated the efficacy of digital classification and modeling of Landsat data to accurately and economically map and analyze changes in land cover and water quality over time. Graduate student years = 1.
Impacts
We are providing agencies and resource managers improved information on Minnesota's environmental and natural resources, particularly land cover, impervious surface area, and lake clarity maps and changes over time, as well as geospatial analysis tools and data. Agency partners using data and information from our projects include the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, (Twin Cities) Metropolitan Council, and the USDA Forest Service.
Publications
- Yuan, F., K.E. Sawaya, B. Loeffelholz, and M.E. Bauer. 2005. Land cover classification and change analysis of the Twin Cities (Minnesota) metropolitan area by multitemporal Landsat remote sensing. Remote Sensing of Environment 98:317-328.
- Yuan, F., M.E. Bauer, N.J. Heinert, and G. Holden. 2005. Multi-level land cover mapping of the Twin Cities (Minnesota) Metropolitan Area with multi-seasonal Landsat TM/ETM+ data. Geocarto International 20(2):5-14.
- Wu, J., D. Wang, and M.E. Bauer. 2005. Image-based atmospheric correction of QuickBird imagery of Minnesota cropland. Remote Sensing of Environment 99:315-325.
- Thoma, D.P., S. C. Gupta, M.E. Bauer, and C.E. Kirchoff. 2005. Airborne laser scanning for riverbank erosion assessment. Remote Sensing of Environment 95:493-501.
- Bauer, M.E., B. Loeffelholz and B.Wilson. 2005. Estimation, mapping and change analysis of impervious surface area by Landsat remote sensing. Proceedings, 16th William T. Pecora Memorial Remote Sensing Symposium. October 23-27, 2005, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. unpaginated CD ROM, 9 pp.
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Progress 01/01/04 to 12/31/04
Outputs
Conducted research on applications of digital, multispectral remote sensing at local to regional scales. Application areas include vegetation, water quality and landscape dynamics, with emphasis on development of techniques to extract information from digital satellite imagery. Activities and accomplishments: (1) Evaluated potential of high-resolution IKONOS satellite imagery data to support forest covertype mapping with multitemporal IKONOS imagery. Accuracy of level-1 classifications averaged 86%. Level-2 was 68.8 and 77.6% for per-pixel and object-based approaches. (2) USDA Forest Service project, used the k-nearest neighbor approach with Landsat imagery for mapping and estimation of forest attributes of red pine stands in NE Minnesota. (3) Developed methodology to map and monitor land cover change using multitemporal Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data in the 7-county Twin Cities Metro Area of Minnesota for 1986, 1991, 1998, and 2002. The overall seven-class
classification accuracies averaged 95%. Overall accuracy of land cover change maps ranged from 80 to 90%. The maps showed that the amount of urban/developed land increased from 23.8-33.4% of the total regional area between 1986 and 2002. (4) Used Landsat TM data to map percentage of impervious surface area of the urban/developed areas of the 7-county Twin Cities Metro Area from 1986-2002. The approach uses a regression model relating percent impervious surface area to "tasseled cap" greenness to estimate the percent impervious surface area for pixels classified as urban or developed. Greenness accounts for 80-90% of the variation in imperviousness. Over the entire 7-county area, impervious area increased from 9-13% between 1986 and 2000. (5) Continued research and development of remote sensing to monitor water quality with additional classifications, for 1985 and 1995, of Landsat TM data of more than 10,000 lakes in Minnesota, bringing to 4 the number of statewide censuses of lake
clarity. Comparison of the 1990 and 2000 classifications completed last year shows that statewide 6.5% of the lakes had increased clarity from 1990-2000 and 5.9% decreased. The potential of remote sensing of streams and rivers is being evaluated with high resolution hyperspectral image data acquired over 5 segments of rivers in August. Initial results suggest significant variation in the spectral properties of river waters related to amounts of suspended solid sediment and chlorophyll. While further research and testing of the high resolution and hyperspectral data for forest mapping and river water quality are required, the early results indicate potential for new applications to be developed with these kinds of data. Graduate Student Years = 3.
Impacts
We are providing agencies and resource managers improved information on Minnesota's environmental and natural resources, particularly land cover, impervious surface area, and lake clarity maps and changes over time, as well as geospatial analysis tools and data. Agency partners using data and information from our projects include the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, (Twin Cities) Metropolitan Council, and the USDA Forest Service.
Publications
- Yuan, F., M.E. Bauer, N.J. Heinert, and G. Holden. 200x. Multi-level land cover mapping of the Twin Cities (Minnesota) Metropolitan Area with multi-seasonal Landsat TM/ETM+ data. Geocarto International (in press).
- Yuan, F., K.E. Sawaya, B. Loeffelholz, and M.E. Bauer. 200x. Multitemporal Landsat image classification and change analysis of land cover in the Twin Cities (Minnesota) metropolitan area. Remote Sensing of Environment (in press).
- Brezonik, P., K. Menken, and M. Bauer. 200x. Landsat-based remote sensing of lake water quality characteristics, including chlorophyll and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM). Lake and Reservoir Management (in press).
- Haapanen, R., A.R. Ek, M.E. Bauer, and A.O. Finley. 2004. Delineation of forest/nonforest land use classes using nearest neighbor methods. Remote Sensing of Environment 89(3):265-271.
- Bauer, M.E., N.J. Heinert, J.K. Doyle, and F. Yuan. 2004. Impervious surface mapping and change monitoring using satellite remote sensing. Proceedings, American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Annual Conference, May 24-28, 2004, Denver, CO. unpaginated CD ROM, 10 pp.
- Bauer, M., and B. Loeffelholz. 2004. Impervious surface mapping and change monitoring using Landsat remote sensing. Abstract, 14th Annual Minnesota GIS/LIS Conference, October 4-6, 2004, St. Cloud, MN.
- Bauer, M.E., and P.L. Brezonik. 2004. Advances in monitoring water resources with remote sensing. Abstract, Minnesota Water 2004 Conference, March 23-24, 2004, Minneapolis, MN.
- Olmanson, L. 2004. Use of Landsat imagery to create a statewide, historical water clarity database for Minnesota lakes. Abstract, 17th Annual National Conference on Enhancing the States' Lake Management Programs, April 20-23, 2004, Chicago, IL.
- Doyle, J.K. 2004. Impervious surface classification of the Twin Cities using tasseled cap transformation and regression analysis. St. Paul, MN: M.S. Thesis, Water Resources Science, University of Minnesota. 65 pp.
- Yuan, F. 2004. Remote sensing and GIS-based regional land cover mapping and change analysis in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. St. Paul, MN: Ph.D. Thesis, Natural Resources Science and Management, University of Minnesota. 131 pp.
- Abbdela, E. 2005. Evaluation of per-pixel vs. object-oriented classifications of high-resolution IKONOS imagery: Cloquet Forestry Center, Minnesota. St. Paul, MN: M.S. Plan B Paper, Natural Resources Science and Management, University of Minnesota. 84 pp.
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Progress 01/01/03 to 12/31/03
Outputs
Research and development of applications of digital, multispectral remote sensing are conducted at three geographic scales and resolutions: regional scale with coarse (1000-m) resolution AVHRR data, county to state scales with medium (30-m) resolution Landsat data, and local scale with high (1-4 m) resolution IKONOS and QuickBird imagery. Application areas include vegetation, water quality and landscape dynamics, with emphasis on development of techniques to extract information from digital satellite imagery. Two NASA grants, Upper Great Lakes Regional Earth Science Applications Center (resac.gis.umn.edu) and Integrating Satellite Remote Sensing into Forest Inventory and Management eforest.gis.umn.edu), that have helped in incorporating satellite remote sensing into resource inventory and management were completed this year. Significant activities and accomplishments this year include: (1) Classifications of Landsat TM/ETM+ imagery acquired in 1990 and 2000 provide
maps of lake water clarity for the entire state of Minnesota. This effort can be viewed as an Internet-based "MapServer" application at water.umn.edu. The Landsat-based approach to monitoring lake clarity is being extended in a new project with additional classifications (1975, 1985, and 1995), and analyses of the changes over time and their relation to land use. (2) In addition to extending the series of land cover/use classifications (1986, 1991, 1998, and 2000) over the 7-county Twin Cities Metropolitan Area with classification of 2002 Landsat images, we have continued to refine the methodology for mapping impervious surface area. The latter parameter is of interest to the Metropolitan Council and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency as it relates to storm water runoff and other indicators of environmental quality. (3) We continue to refine the k-nearest neighbor approach for mapping and estimation of forest attributes using Forest Service FIA field plot data and Landsat imagery.
(4) We are also continuing to evaluate the potential of high-resolution IKONOS and QuickBird satellite imagery for mapping aquatic vegetation, as well as forest cover type mapping. Positive results have been obtained for mapping the extent and severity of damage (blowdown) of trees in BWCAW due to a major wind storm. Working with the City of Eagan we have also demonstrated the potential of IKONOS for detection of oak wilt and incorporation of forest and land use maps generated from IKONOS data into a model, CITYgreen, to estimate the economic value of urban forests to the city. (5) We are continuing to develop approaches to use temporal profiles from multi-date AVHRR and MODIS data as a means to assess vegetation condition. Graduate Students = 4.
Impacts
This project is providing agencies and resource managers improved information on Minnesota's environmental and natural resources, particularly land cover, impervious surface area, and lake clarity maps and changes over time, as well as geospatial analysis tools and data. Agency partners include the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, (Twin Cities) Metropolitan Council, and the USDA Forest Service.
Publications
- Sawaya, K.E., L.G. Olmanson, N.J. Heinert, P.L. Brezonik and M.E. Bauer. 2003. Extending satellite remote sensing to local scales: land and water resource monitoring using high-resolution imagery. Remote Sensing of Environment 88:144-156.
- Haapanen, R., A.R. Ek, M.E. Bauer, and A.O. Finley. 2003. Delineation of forest/nonforest land use classes using nearest neighbor methods. Remote Sensing of Environment. In Press.
- Bauer, M.E., F. Yuan, and K.E. Sawaya. 2003. Multi-temporal Landsat image classification and change analysis of land cover in the Twin Cities (Minnesota) metropolitan area. Proceedings, MultiTemp-2003, Second International Workshop on the Analysis of Multi-Temporal Remote Sensing Images. July 16-18, Ispra, Italy. 8 pp. In Press.
- Holden, G. 2003. Detecting oak wilt in Eagan, Minnesota using high resolution satellite imagery. Master of GIS capstone paper. St. Paul, MN: University of Minnesota. 47 pp.
- Sun, X. 2003. Comparison of pixel-based and object-oriented approaches to land cover classification using high-resolution IKONOS satellite data. Master of GIS capstone paper. St. Paul, MN: University of Minnesota. 82 pp.
- Olmanson, L.G., M.E. Bauer, and P.L. Brezonik. 2003. The use of Landsat imagery for the development of a multi-year water quality atlas of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes. Abstract, 23rd International Symposium, North American Lake Management Society (NALMS). November 4-8, Mashantucket, CT.
- Olmanson, L.G., M.E. Bauer, and P.L. Brezonik. 2003. Aquatic vegetation surveys using high resolution IKONOS and QuickBird Imagery. Abstract, 23rd International Symposium, North American Lake Management Society (NALMS). November 4-8, Mashantucket, CT.
- Bauer, M., B. Loeffelholz and A. Finely. 2003. Twin Cities Metropolitan Area cover type classification--Utilizing Landsat imagery to its full potential. Abstract, 13th Annual Conference, Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium. October 8-10, St. Paul, MN.
- Heinert, N., F. Yuan and M. Bauer. 2003. Mapping urban heat island effects using satellite remote sensing. Abstract, 13th Annual Conference, Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium. October 8-10, St. Paul, MN.
- Loeffelholz, B.C., G. Johnson, and M. Bauer. 2003. Modeling development influence on oak forests--making the link between land use and forest disturbance. Abstract, 13th Annual Conference, Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium. October 8-10, St. Paul, MN.
- Loeffelholz, B., R. Rich, K. Sawaya, P. Reich, and M. Bauer. 2003. Mapping forest blowdown disturbance severity using high resolution satellite imagery. Abstract, 13th Annual Conference, Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium. October 8-10, St. Paul, MN.
- Olmanson, L.G., M.E. Bauer, and P.L. Brezonik. 2003. Analysis of a multi-year water quality atlas of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes. Abstract, 13th Annual Conference, Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium. October 8-10, St. Paul, MN.
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Progress 01/01/02 to 12/31/02
Outputs
Research and development of applications of digital, multispectral remote sensing is being conducted: regional scales with course (1000-m) resolution AVHRR data, county to state scales with medium (30-m) resolution Landsat TM data, and local scales with high (1-4 m) resolution IKONOS and QuickBird imagery. Application areas include vegetation, water quality and landscape dynamics, with emphasis on development of techniques to extract information from digital satellite imagery. Two NASA grants: (1) Upper Great Lakes Regional Earth Science Applications Center (http://resac.gis.umn.edu) and (2) Integrating Satellite Remote Sensing into Forest Inventory and Management (http://eforest.gis.umn.edu) are aimed at developing approaches for incorporating satellite remote sensing into resource inventory and management. Significant accomplishments this year include: (1) Classification, with Landsat TM imagery acquired in 1999-2001, of lake water clarity for the entire state of
Minnesota. More than 10,000 lakes greater than 20 acres in size are included. This follows earlier classifications for 1990 and will enable analysis of trends. This approach provides a cost-effective census of the lakes compared to the few percent that are sampled in conventional field surveys. (2) Changes in land cover and uses have been derived from classifications of Landsat TM data for 1986, 1991, 1998 and 2000. The results quantify the amount of land converted from rural uses (cropland, forests and wetlands) to urban/developed uses, and identify where the changes have occurred in the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area. The change maps are being analyzed using landscape metrics as to quantitatively describe the nature of changes and their relation to ecosystem function. (3) We have developed approaches with both Landsat and IKONOS data to map percent impervious area. Results show the seven-county metro area impervious surface area increased from 8.8 to 14.1% between 1986
and 2000. (4) We are developing approaches to use temporal profiles from multidate AVHRR and MODIS data as a means to assess vegetation condition. The profiles provide information on date of emergence of green vegetation, rate of growth and senescence, duration of green vegetation, time of peak "greenness," and productivity. (5) We are working with the Forest Service to develop and test the K-nearest neighbor approach for classification of Landsat TM data as a means to extend forest inventory field data to the landscape level and increase the precision of local estimates. (6) In support of forest cover type mapping and management, we are developing the means to take GIS, GPS and current digital imagery such as IKONOS to the field on pen-based field computers. (7) We are using high resolution IKONOS and QuickBird images for mapping macrophyte vegetation of lakes and wetland areas. Preliminary results indicate that such imagery provides information that would be difficult to obtain by
conventional methods. Graduate Students = 4
Impacts
The project provides resource managers and agencies ready access to improved geospatial data and resource information, as well analysis and mapping tools, particularly for monitoring lake quality and inventory and analysis of land and vegetation resources. We are working with several resource agencies including the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, (Twin Cities) Metropolitan Council, and the USDA Forest Service to develop approaches and generate results that will assist in meeting their needs.
Publications
- Kloiber, S.M., P.L. Brezonik, L.G. Olmanson, and M.E. Bauer. 2002. A procedure for regional lake water clarity assessment using Landsat multispectral data. Remote Sensing of Environment 82(1):38-47.
- Kloiber, S.M., P.L. Brezonik, and M.E. Bauer. 2002. Application of Landsat imagery to regional-scale assessments of lake clarity. Water Research 36:4330-4340.
- Bauer, M., N. Heinert, and J. Doyle. 2002. Impervious surface mapping using satellite remote sensing. Abstract, Twelfth Annual Minnesota GIS/LIS Conference, Duluth, MN, October 3-4.
- Holden, G., and M. Bauer. 2002. Detecting oak wilt in Eagan, Minnesota using high-resolution satellite imagery. Abstract, Twelfth Annual Minnesota GIS/LIS Conference, Duluth, MN, October 3-4.
- Olmanson, L. G., M.E. Bauer, and P.L. Brezonik. 2002. The use of Landsat imagery for development of a water quality atlas of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes. Abstract, Twelfth Annual Minnesota GIS/LIS Conference, Duluth, MN, October 3-4.
- Olmanson, L. G., M.E. Bauer, and P.L. Brezonik. 2002. Aquatic vegetation surveys using high resolution IKONOS imagery. Abstract, Twelfth Annual Minnesota GIS/LIS Conference, Duluth, MN, October 3-4.
- Thoma, D.P., S.C. Gupta, and M.E. Bauer. 2002. Evaluation of bank erosion inputs to the Blue Earth River with airborne laser scanner. Advances in Water Resources Research: Project Summaries for 2001. University of Minnesota Water Resources Center, Technical Report 142, pp. 42-47.
- Thoma, D.P., S.C. Gupta, and M.E. Bauer. 2002. Laser altimetry assessment of riverbank erosion, Blue Earth River, Minnesota. Abstract, Minnesota Water 2002 Conference, St. Cloud, Minnesota, April 17-18.
- Thoma, D.P., S.C. Gupta, and M.E. Bauer. 2002. Remote sensing model development for crop residue cover assessment. Abstract, Minnesota Water 2002 Conference, St. Cloud, Minnesota, April 17-18.
- Thoma, D.P., S.C. Gupta, and M.E. Bauer. 2002. Riverbank erosion assessment with airborne laser altimetry. American Geophysical Union, Eos Trans. AGU, 83(47), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract H72E-0906.
- Ozesmi, S.L. and M.E. Bauer. 2002. Satellite remote sensing of wetlands. Wetlands Ecology and Management 10(5):381-402.
- Bauer, M., J. Doyle, and N. Heinert. 2002. Impervious surface mapping using satellite remote sensing. Proceedings, International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, June 24-28, Toronoto. unpaginated CD ROM, 3 pp.
- Olmanson, L. G., M.E. Bauer, and P.L. Brezonik. 2002. Water quality monitoring of 10,000 Minnesota lakes: statewide classification of lake water clarity using Landsat imagery. Proceedings, 15th William T. Pecora Memorial Remote Sensing Symposium. November 8-15, Denver, Colorado. unpaginated CD ROM, 8 pp.
- Olmanson, L. G., M.E. Bauer, and P.L. Brezonik. 2002. Aquatic vegetation surveys using high-resolution IKONOS imagery. Proceedings, 15th William T. Pecora Memorial Remote Sensing Symposium. November 8-15, Denver, Colorado. unpaginated CD ROM, 5 pp.
- van Ewijk, K. 2002. Analysis of landscape changes in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (1986-1998) using Landsat TM classifications and landscape metrics. Master of Geographic Information Science capstone project paper, University of Minnesota. 153 pp.
- Heinert, N. 2002. Mapping impervious surface area with Landsat TM and IKONOS satellite imagery. Master of Geographic Information Science capstone project paper, University of Minnesota. 45 pp.
- van Ewijk, K., and M. Bauer. 2002. Analysis of landscape changes in the Twin Cities Metropolitan area using Landsat change classifications and landscape metrics. Abstract, Twelfth Annual Minnesota GIS/LIS Conference, Duluth, MN, October 3-4.
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Progress 01/01/01 to 12/31/01
Outputs
Multispectral remote sensing approaches were investigated for obtaining information on vegetation, water quality & landscape dynamics, with emphasis on research & development of techniques to extract information from digital satellite imagery. Research activity with NASA grants: (1) Upper Great Lakes Regional Earth Science Applications Center (http://resac.gis.umn.edu) & (2) Integrating Satellite Remote Sensing into Forest Inventory & Management (http://eforest.gis.umn.edu). Both projects develop approaches for incorporating satellite remote sensing into resource inventory & management. Conducted research at 3 geographic scales & remote sensing image resolutions: large area, regional/course (1000-m) resolution AVHRR data, county to state scales/medium (30-m) resolution Landsat TM data, & local scales/high (1-4 m) resolution IKONOS imagery. Accomplishments include: (1) Classification of lake water clarity (more than 10,000 lakes greater than 20 acs) for Minnesota with
Landsat TM imagery acquired in 1990-91. To our knowledge the first classification of lakes for an entire state. It provides a census of lakes compared to the few percent sampled in conventional field surveys. Currently working on classification of imagery acquired in 2000-01. (2) Derived changes in land cover & use between 1991 & 1998 from classifications of Landsat TM data. Results quantify amount of land converted from rural uses (cropland, forests & wetlands) to urban/developed uses, & provide maps on changes in the 7-county Twin Cities metro area. Results show 6.3% of total land area changed from rural to urban. (3) Approaches to use temporal profiles from multidate AVHRR & MODIS data to assess vegetation condition. Profiles provide information on date of emergence of green vegetation, rate of growth & senescence, duration of green vegetation, time of peak "greenness," & productivity. (4) High resolution IKONOS images are used to evaluate their utility for mapping macrophyte
vegetation of lakes & wetland areas. Preliminary results indicate it provides information difficult to obtain by conventional methods. (5) Developing the means to take GIS, GPS & current digital imagery to the field on pen-based field computers in support of forest cover type mapping & management. (6) With the Soil, Water and Climate Department, investigating potential use of Landsat TM data for monitoring crop residue following harvest, & to measure & map river valley topography & stream bank erosion using airborne laser (lidar) data. (7) Continued development & testing of K-nearest neighbor approach to classification of Landsat TM data as a means to extend forest inventory field data to landscape level. (8) As part of a project with the Metropolitan Council, refined methods to extract impervious surface area information from Landsat TM data. Graduate student = 1.
Impacts
As a result of this project resource managers and agencies will have access to better spatial data and information, and improved tools to work with remotely sensed and geospatial data. We are working with several agencies including the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, (Twin Cities) Metropolitan Council, and the USDA Forest Service to develop approaches and generate results that will assist in meeting their resource information needs.
Publications
- Bauer, M., Olmanson, L., Brezonik, P. and Kloiber, S. 2001. Use of Landsat data for synoptic assessment of lake water clarity. Proceedings, International Workshop on Geo-Spatial Knowledge Processing for Natural Resource Management. Varese, Italy,June 28-29. 4 pp.
- Bauer, M., L. Olmanson, M Schulze, P. Brezonik, J. Chipman, J. Riera, and T. Lillesand. 2001. Assessment of lake water clarity in the Upper Great Lakes region. Proceedings, American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. St. Louis, Missouri April 23-27. 10 pp.
- Bauer, M., K. Sawaya, and G. Holden. 2001. Extending satellite remote sensing to local scales: Minnesota experience with IKONOS. Abstracts, Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium, Eleventh Annual Conference, Duluth, MN, October 10-12. p. 28.
- Doyle, J. and M. Bauer. 2001. Impervious surface area classification and mapping using satellite remote sensing. Abstracts, Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium, Eleventh Annual Conference, Duluth, MN, October 10-12. p.57.
- Franco-Lopez, H., A.R. Ek, and M.E. Bauer. 2001. Estimation and mapping of forest stand density, volume and cover type using the k-nearest neighbors method. Remote Sensing of Environment 77(3):251-274.
- Guo, L. and M. Bauer. 2001. Regional vegetation condition analysis based on AVHRR NDVI temporal profiles. Abstracts, Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium, Eleventh Annual Conference, Duluth, MN, October 10-12. p. 42.
- Gupta, S., D. Thoma, and M. Bauer. 2001. Sediment Origins: Agriculture's role in river water quality questioned by farmers. Resource (Amer. Soc. Agric. Engineers) 8(12):9-10.
- Kerns, R., T. Burk and M. Bauer. 2001. Combining GIS and GPS capability with satellite imagery for in-field forestry applications. Abstracts, Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium, Eleventh Annual Conference, Duluth, MN, October 10-12. p. 54.
- Kerns, R.R., T.E. Burk, and M.E. Bauer. 2001. Taking GIS/remote sensing into the field. Proceedings, 2001 Precision Forestry Symposium. Seattle, Washington, June 18. 24 pp.
- Kloiber, S.M., P.L., Brezonik, L.G., Olmanson, and M.E. Bauer. 2001. Development of a remote sensing method for synoptic, regional water quality assessment. Remote Sens. Environ., In Press.
- Olmanson, L., M. Bauer, and P. Brezonik. 2001. Extending water quality monitoring: a statewide classification of lake clarity using Landsat imagery. Abstracts, Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium, Eleventh Annual Conference, Duluth, MN, October 10-12. p.59.
- Olmanson, L., M. Bauer, and P. Brezonik. 2001. Minnesota lake water clarity. Abstracts, Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium, Eleventh Annual Conference, Duluth, MN, October 10-12. p.77.
- Olmanson, L., M. Bauer, and P. Brezonik. 2001. Use of IKONOS imagery for assessment of lake water clarity in Eagan, Minnesota. Abstracts, Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium, Eleventh Annual Conference, Duluth, MN, October 10-12. p. 81.
- Olmanson, L.G., S.M. Kloiber, M.E. Bauer, and P.L. Brezonik. 2001. Image processing protocol for regional assessments of lake water quality. Public Report Series #14, Water Resources Center, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108. 19 pp.
- Pijanowsky, B.C., B.A. Shellito, M.E. Bauer, K.E. Sawaya. 2001. Using GIS, Artificial Neural Networks and Remote Sensing to Model Urban Change in the Minneapolis-St.Paul and Detroit Metropolitan Areas. Proceedings, American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, St. Louis, MO, April 23-27. 13 pp.
- Sawaya, K., F. Yuan, and M. Bauer. 2001. Monitoring landscape change with Landsat classifications. Proceedings, American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. St. Louis, MO, April 23-27. 10 pp.
- Thoma, D.P., S.C. Gupta, M.E. Bauer. 2001. Quantifying river bank erosion with scanning laser altimetry. International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Vol. 34-3/W4 Annapolis,MD, October 22-24. pp. 169-174.
- Vatsavai, R.R., T.E. Burk, P.V. Bolstad, M. Bauer, T. Mack, and J. Smedso. 2001. Statistical, spectral and spatial knowledge based classification system for multispectral remote sensing imagery. Abstracts, Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium, Eleventh Annual Conference, Duluth, MN, October 10-12. p.58.
- Yuan, F., K. Sawaya, M. Bauer, B. Pijanowski, and B. Shellito. 2001. Present and predicted landscape change in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Abstracts, Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium, Eleventh Annual Conference, Duluth, MN, October 10-12. p. 78.
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Progress 01/01/00 to 12/31/00
Outputs
Multispectral remote sensing approaches for obtaining information about vegetation, water quality and landscape dynamics are being nvestigated. Our major research activity is with two NASA grants: (1) Upper Great Lakes Regional Earth Science Applications Center http://resac.gis.umn.edu) and (2) Integrating Satellite Remote Sensing into Forest Inventory and Management (http://eforest.gis.umn.edu). Both projects are developingapproaches for incorporating satellite remote sensing into resource inventory and management. Our current research includes research at three geographic and remote sensing resolution scales: large area, regional with course (1000 m) resolution AVHRR data, county to state scales with medium (30 m) resolution Landsat TM data, and local scales with high (1-4 m) resolution imagery. Significant activities and accomplishments this year, include: (1) Continued development and testing of the K-neighbor approach to classification of Landsat TM data in
support of forest inventory. It provides an unbiased method for extending forest inventory sample plot data to landscape level classifications. (2) Continued development of procedures for estimation and mapping of lake water clarity using Landsat data. The technique has been extended to classification of 10 years of Landsat MSS and TM data acquired from 1973 to 1998 for the 7-county Twin Cities metropolitan area in support of analysis of temporal trends in water quality. It indicates that approximately 7% of the lakes had increased clarity and 6% decreased. An Internet MapServer application that enables resource agencies and the public to access information on lake water quality has been developed. Approximately two-thirds of the images covering entire state of Minnesota have also been classified. (3) Classifications of the Twin Cities metro counties in support of land use change monitoring. These results are being used as inputs to a Land Transformation Model by RESAC projects at
Michigan State University. In addition we are developing a method to map percent impervious surface area based on classification of the greenness-brightness transformation of Landsat TM that can be used as input to water runoff models. (4) Examination of the potential utility of the new high resolution, Space Imaging IKONOS, satellite data for resource management. Initial results indicate it is a promising new source of current imagery at 1- 4 m resolution that can be used to update forest cover and land use maps. We are also using it to map the extent and severity of the July 4, 1999 storm damage in the Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness. (5) Continued development of temporal profiles of AVHRR normalized difference vegetation index images as a means to monitor vegetation condition over the Upper Great Lakes region. Graduate students = 2.
Impacts
Increased interest in the use, management and protection of natural resources and environmental issues is creating extensive needs for improved information for management and policy decisions. As a result of this project, resource managers and agencies will have access to better spatial data and information, and improved tools to work with remotely sensed and geospatial data. The Minnesota DNR and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, are very interested in the development of the lake water monitoring application of satellite remote sensing since it represents the only viable approach to monitoring lakes on a statewide basis. The USDA Forest Service and Minnesota DNR are actively cooperating with the KNN classification work and are very interested in its potential for improving forest inventory.
Publications
- Stuckens, J., P.R. Coppin, and M.E. Bauer. 2000. Integrating contextual information with per-pixel classification for improved land cover classification. Remote Sensing of Environment 71(3): 282-296.
- Olmanson, L., S. Kloiber, P. Brezonik and M. Bauer. 2000. Lake water clarity assessment of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes: a comprehensive view from space. Proceedings, Virginia Water Research Symposium 2000 -- Advances in land and water monitoring technologies and research for management of water resources, November 7 - 9, 2000 in Roanoke, Virginia, pp. 215-232.
- Franco-Lopez, H., A.R. Ek, and M.E. Bauer. 2001. Forest cover type mapping and estimation of stand density and volume using the k-nearest neighbors method. Remote Sensing of Environment (In Press).
- Op`t Eyndt, T. 2000. Monitoring land cover in the U.S. Upper Midwest using NOAA AVHRR Imagery. M.S. thesis, Kathokieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. 42 pp.
- Wilson, B.T., T.E. Burk and M.E. Bauer. 2000. Regional monitoring of land resources in the Upper Great Lakes states with multitemporal AVHRR imagery. Abstract, Minnesota GIS/LIS Conference, St. Cloud, MN, October 4-6.
- Yuan, F., K. Sawaya and M. Bauer. 2000. Monitoring landscape change with Landsat classifications. Abstract, Minnesota GIS/LIS Conference, St. Cloud, MN, October 4-6.
- Olmanson, L., S. Kloiber, E. Day, P. Brezonik and M. Bauer. 2000. Assessment of lake water clarity of Minnesota lakes: A comprehensive view from space. Abstract, Minnesota GIS/LIS Conference, St. Cloud, MN, October 4-6.
- Doyle, J., M. Bauer, L. Olmanson and P. Brezonik. 2000. Impervious surface mapping using satellite remote sensing. Abstract, Minnesota GIS/LIS Conference, St. Cloud, MN, October 4-6.
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Progress 01/01/99 to 12/31/99
Outputs
Multispectral remote sensing approaches for obtaining information about vegetation, water quality & landscape dynamics are being investigated, with emphasis on research & development of techniques to extract information from digital satellite imagery. Received 2 NASA grants: Upper Great Lakes Regional Earth Science Applications Center and Integrating Satellite Remote Sensing into Forest Inventory & Management to develop protocols for incorporating satellite remote sensing into resource management to provide managers data, information products & prototype models. Regional project(http://resac.gis.umn.edu/), in cooperation with the University of Wisconsin & Michigan State University, includes research in 4 application areas: agriculture inventory & monitoring, forest inventory, land cover & land use change monitoring, & lake water quality monitoring. Forestry project is aimed at improving accuracy of forest classification & change detection, extending field inventory
data to landscapes, & developing image product solutions for forest management. Both projects include partnerships with resource agencies & companies; use Internet to deliver data & information. This (AES) project supported development of an approach to generate temporal profiles of the normalized difference vegetation index for AVHRR data. When fully developed it will provide a means to monitor vegetation condition over state to regional size areas. We helped develop a nonparametric, k-nearest neighbor, approach to extend information in field samples to entire population (all Landsat TM pixels) by assigning forest variables as weighted estimators of sample plots with similar spectral responses. The USDA Forest Service & Minnesota DNR are interested in development of methodology, based on satellite data classifications, to extend field inventory data to landscape levels. Cooperating with the Water Resources Center, continue to develop capability for using Landsat TM data for regional
monitoring of lake water quality. Analyses of Twin Cities metro area data extended to include additional counties in west north central Minnesota. Results show a strong relationship between lake water clarity, as measured by Secchi disk transparency, & Landsat TM spectral responses, particularly in the red, chlorophyll absorption band. In support of lake water quality monitoring research, carried out a classification of percent impervious surface area for 7-county metro area, & are beginning to analyze data from a multiyear series of Landsat data of metro area for changes in land use from rural to developed. Impervious surface classification (0 to 100% impervious) of urban/developed area was 87% based on the strong correlation (r=0.96) between greenness & percent impervious. In addition, assembled a multiyear series of Landsat TM that can be used to assess historical trends in lake water quality in Twin Cities metro area from 1975-1999. Minnesota DNR & Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency, are interested in development of lake water monitoring application of satellite remote sensing since it represents the only viable approach to monitoring lakes on a statewide basis. Graduate students=1
Impacts
Increased interest in the use, management and protection of natural resources and environment is creating extensive needs for improved information for management and policy decisions. As a result of this project, resource managers and agencies will have access to better spatial data and information, and improved tools to work with remotely sensed and geospatial data.
Publications
- Stuckens, J., P.R. Coppin, and M.E. Bauer. 2000. Integrating contextual information with per-pixel classification for improved land cover classification. Remote Sensing of Environment (In Press).
- Day, E.E., J.K. Doyle, L.G. Olmanson, M.E. Bauer, and P.L. Brezonik. 2000. Applications of satellite remote sensing to evaluating effects of development on Minnesota lake quality. Proceedings, North American Lake Management Society Symposium, December 1-4, 1999, Reno, Nevada.
- Franco-Lopez, H., A.R. Ek, and M.E. Bauer. 2000. Forest cover type mapping using the k-nearest neighbors method. Remote Sensing of Environment (Submitted).
- Franco-Lopez, H., A.R. Ek, and M.E. Bauer. 2000. Estimation and mapping of forest stand density and volume using the k-nearest neighbors method. Remote Sensing of Environment (Submitted).
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Progress 01/01/98 to 12/31/98
Outputs
Multispectral remote sensing approaches for obtaining information about vegetation, water quality and landscape dynamics are being investigated, with emphasis on research and development of techniques to extract information from digital satellite imagery. In cooperation with the Water Resources Center, we are investigating the utility of Landsat TM for regional monitoring of lake water quality and trophic conditions. In initial analyses there was a strong correlation (r = 0.83) between Secchi disk transparency -- an indicator of trophic state -- and Landsat measurements. The project is now being extended to include data acquired over the past 20 years of the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area. Two projects with students from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, have been conducted. One, evaluating approaches for extracting forest cover information from simulated high-resolution (1-3 meter) satellite imagery, suggests that the best approach may be
visual interpretation rather than computer classification of the imagery. The second, incorporating contextual information in classification of Landsat data, resulted in an 8-10 percent increase in classification accuracy for the Twin Cities metropolitan area and has been included in a statewide land cover -- land use map.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- Diependaele, A. 1998. Potential contribution of new generation high-resolution imagery towards forest inventory and management. Thesis, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. 45 pp.
- Stuckens, J. 1998. Integrating contextual information with per-pixel classification for improved land cover classification. Thesis, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. 50 pp.
- Sowers, M.B. 1998. Evaluating the use of digitized color infrared aerial photography for monitoring the effects of construction activities on the long-term health of bur oaks. Plan B Paper, Dept. of Forest Resources, Univ. of Minnesota. 73 pp.
- Kloiber, S.M., T.H. Anderle, P.L. Brezonik, L. Olmanson, M.E. Bauer, and D.W. Brown. 1998. Regional assessment of lake trophic state by satellite imagery. Archiv fur Hydrobiologie. 34 pp. (In Press)
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Progress 01/01/97 to 12/31/97
Outputs
Multispectral remote sensing provides a means to obtain important information describing land and environmental resources. This year in addition to our continuing research on the application of satellite remote sensing to land cover inventory and mapping, we initiated research in water quality assessment. Strong, highly significant relationships of Landsat TM spectral responses to measurements of the trophic state index were used to produce maps of water quality of the 800 lakes in the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area. We also investigated several possible ways to increase land cover classification accuracy of Landsat TM data. The overall accuracy of a ten-class classification of multitemporal Landsat data of the Twin Cities area increased from 83 to 92% by using spatial context in addition to spectral-radiometric features and the strategic use of ancillary data in image stratification and classification. In another study, we began to develop procedures for
how digital imagery from the new U.S. commercial satellites that will have spatial resolutions of 1 to 5 meters might be used in forest inventory and management.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- SONKA, S. T., M. E. BAUER, E. T. CHERRY, J. W. COLBURN, JR., R. E. HEIMLICH, D. A. JOSEPH, J. B. LEBOEUF, E. LICHTENBERG, D. A. MORTENSEN, S. W. SEARCY, S. L. USTIN, and S. J. VENTURA. 1997. Precision Agriculture in the 21st Centry: Geospatial and Information Technologies in Crop Management. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. 149 pp.
- OLMANSON, L. 1997. Satellite remote sensing of the trophic state conditions of lakes in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Plan B paper, St. Paul, MN: Dept. of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota.
- STEINBERG, S, M BAUER. 1997. Satellite remote sensing systems for the 21st century. Minnesota GIS-LIS Conference, Abstract.
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Progress 01/01/96 to 12/30/96
Outputs
Land cover information provides important inputs to local, regional, and state land use planning and management. Historically remote sensing in the form of aerial photography has been an important source of land cover information. An alternative we have been researching in studies with the Metropolitan Council and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is the use of satellite imagery, such as Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data. Working with two dates of imagery acquired in June and September, nine level-II classes were classified with an overall accuracy of 63%. The synoptic view of the satellite sensor provides coverage of large geographic areas (in this case, 1.9 million acres in seven counties), the classifications have the same scale and classification scheme over the entire area, and the classified data are readily compatible with geographic information systems of the Council and DNR, eliminating the need to digitize interpreted information.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- Coppin, PR, ME Bauer. 1996. Change detection in forest ecosystems with remote sensing imagery. Remote Sensing Reviews 13:207-34.
- Bauer, ME, CA Sersland, SJ Steinberg. 1996. (in press) Land cover classification of the Twin Cities metropolitan area with Landsat TM data. Proc. Pecora 13 symp:Human interactions with the environment--perspectives from space. Sioux Falls,
- Bhattacharjee, M. 1996. Forest inventory database development and forest site productivity determination in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota. Plan B Paper, St. Paul, MN: Dept. Forest Resources, University of Minnesota.
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Progress 01/01/95 to 12/30/95
Outputs
Remote sensing approaches for acquiring information about vegetation & landscapedynamics have been examined. Emphasis has been placed on Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data as source of resource information. Past studies demonstrated the merits of using Landsat TM data for forest inventory & change detection. Recent research has evaluated the relationships between 2 dates of Landsat TM data & forest stand attributes at the Cloquet Forestry Center. September Landsat TM data provided the strongest relationships to most forest characteristics including basal area. Another study examined Landsat TM, orthophotoquads, digital elevation models, soil maps & National Wetlands Inventory data for wetlands mapping by the National Resource Conservation Service. The combination of TM, digital soils & NWI data provides wetland inventory that could be imported into GIS for large area of state. In the area evaluated, TM classifcation accuracies ranged from 73-79%; adding soils & NWI
data to the model increased the accuracies to 85-87%. In a followup to a previous study using Landsat TM data to classify land cover in the 7-county Twin Cities metro area, we combined 2 dates (June & Sept) to produce new land cover classifications with accuracies for 9 classes of 79-85%. The results will be used by the Metropolitan Council as inputs to water quality and runoff models.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
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Progress 01/01/94 to 12/30/94
Outputs
The project goal is to develop remote sensing approaches for acquiring information about vegetation and landscape dynamics. Emphasis has been on processing and classification of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data as a source of forest stand information. One study demonstrated that information on stand changes could be readily extracted from TM imagery. For a 6-yr interval 94% of the stands in which canopy decrease or increase had occurred were correctly identified in the TM change classification. In a project with the MN DNR we evaluated the relationship of 7 forest stand characteristics to TM data. Basal area had the strongest relationship to the TM data. While it was difficult to accurately predict basal area of individual stands, the average basal area of stands for a township-sized area could be accurately estimated from the TM data. This ability may be useful for strategic forest planning. A second study evaluated digital classifications of TM data for general
level forest inventory and mapping in the Twin Cities metro area. Fourteen land cover classes, including 8 forest covertypes, were classified at 81 to 94% accuracy. These results are the basis for an expanded project covering the entire metro area. Conclusions are that satellite remote sensing data provides considerable information for forest inventory and management. Newly initiated research will examine potential of digital satellite imagery as a source of information describing the spatial patterns and dynamics of forest stands.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
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Progress 01/01/93 to 12/30/93
Outputs
The project goal is to develop remote sensing approaches for acquiring info about vegetation & landscape dynamics. Current emphasis is on processing & classification of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data as a source of large area forest inventory information. In a recently completed NASA-sponsored project, classifications of 6 forest & 5 nonforest classes were 75% accurate. Area estimates for total forest land in the 5-county study area, covering 9.4 million ac., were within 3% of an independent estimate made by USDA-FS. Area estimates for conifer & hardwood forest types were within 0.8 & 6.0%, respectively, of the USDA-FS estimates. Project results have been the basis for MN DNR & USDA-FS to initiate an annual system of forest inventory which utilizes Landsat TM to detect changes in forest cover. A study with MN DNR is examining the potential of Landsat TM data for obtaining information on forest stand characteristics. Preliminary results indicate that basal area is
the characteristic most highly correlated with spectral-radiometric response. A second project with the DNR has looked at classifications of Landsat TM classifications as a means of providing maps of major forest covertypes over the 7-county Twin Cities metro region. A test of 6 townships showed classification maps of 14 land cover classes, including eight forest classes, were 80% accurate.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
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Progress 01/01/92 to 12/30/92
Outputs
This project seeks to develop remote sensing approaches for acquiring information about vegetation and landscape dynamics. The emphasis during 1992 was on the development and evaluation of techniques to digitally process and classify Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data into forest and land cover classes. Prestratification, based on physiographic boundaries, was found to be a key element of successfully classifying Landsat TM data into forest cover types across northern Minnesota. This approach increased classification accuracy approximately 15 percent, substantially more than all other technique improvements combined. A detailed accuracy assessment of classifications of Landsat TM data of the seven-county-metropolitan area showed that classifications of 14 Level II and five Level I classes were 75 and 86 percent accurate, respectively. The classifications are being used by the Metropolitan Council and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources as a source of
wide-area land information for the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The results of these projects demonstrate that we have moved beyond feasibility studies to large scale projects which utilize the synoptic view of Landsat data to provide land information over large geographic areas. Research continues on the problem of radiometrically calibrating multidate Landsat data for use in detecting and classifying changes in forest cover, and secondly in relating forest stand characteristics to spectral-radiometric response.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
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Progress 01/01/91 to 12/30/91
Outputs
This project seeks to quantify the relation of spectral to biophysical characteristics of vegetation and to develop techniques to effectively utilize remotely sensed spectral measurements for resource inventory, analysis and management. For the first objective the development of an airborne system for acquiring concurrent high resolution spectra, video imagery and geographic coordinates from light aircraft was completed. Visual, time andgeographic references provided by the system allow the point data acquired by the spectrometer to be viewed in a spatial context. Multiseasonal data of transects sampling the Cloquet Forestry Center were acquired in 1991 and are being analyzed to quantify the relation between spectral-radiometric and forest variables. Several projects using satellite-acquired data are being conducted under the second objective. In one study the potential of the change component in multitemporal Landsat TM data for forest inventory and management
was examined. Data from 3 years were calibrated to exoatmospheric reflectance, normalized and corrected for atmospheric effects, and converted to vegetation indices. Change features using standardized differencing and pairwise principal components were developed. The accuracy for detection of stand-based canopy depletion events over the 6 year period was 94%. In the second year of a study of the potential of Landsat TM data to map gypsy moth defoliation there was 70-80% agreement between Landsat classifications and reference maps.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
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Progress 01/01/90 to 12/30/90
Outputs
This project seeks to quantify the relation of spectral to biophysical characteristics of vegetation and to develop techniques to effectively utilize remotely sensed spectral measurements for resource inventory, analysis and management. For the first objective we have developed an aerial spectrometer and video system for acquisition of high resolution reflectance spectra of forests. Preliminary data were acquired for test sites in Oregon and the Cloquet Forestry Center. Several projects utilizing satellite-acquired data are being conducted for the second objective. One sponsored by NASA and in cooperation with the Minnesota DNR, is directed at developing new methodology for inventory of Minnesota's forest resources. Recent work was concentrated on development of approaches to classification of Landsat Thematic Mapper data. In a related study basal area of conifer hardwood stands was strongly related to TM spectral response (r(superscript 2 ) = .87 and .90,
respectively), suggesting the possibility of obtaining information related to stand volume. We are also conducting Landsat classifications of land use in a 14-county area in support of regional land use planning. In a new area of research several projects on hydrological applications of remote sensing and its integration with geographic information systems have been initiated. GIS workstation capability has been jointly developed with other program areas in the Forest Resources Department and the Cloquet Forestry Center.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
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Progress 01/01/89 to 12/30/89
Outputs
Research focused on the development and evaluation of methods utilizing multispectral satellite data for forest inventory. The research, in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, is part of a 3-year project sponsored by NASA, and integrates sampling, classification and estimation procedures to inventory and map forest cover type strata at county and state levels. In a supporting study the combination of spectral features from Landsat TM data and texture features derived from 10-m SPOT data were evaluated. The texture measure implemented, local gray level variance, did not increase classification accuracy. Procedures to combine cluster sampling with image classification and estimation are currently being developed. In a second area of research, measurements and modeling of the spectral characteristics of forests, we are developing an aircraft spectrometer system including data recording and navigation capabilities. We are also currently
analyzing a multitemporal Landsat TM data set to determine the relationship of forest stand and canopy characteristics to multispectral radiance. Basal area has been found to explain a large percentage of the variation in spectral response of upland hardwood species. A third area of research under development is the use of AVHRR data to monitor vegetation condition on a state-wide basis. Aerial photography and video imagery continue to be important adjuncts to our quantitative remote sensing research.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
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Progress 01/01/88 to 12/30/88
Outputs
With the support of the Architectural Experiment Station, a NASA grant, and cooperation of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, we began a 3-year project, "Satellite Inventory of Minnesota Forest Resources." The objective of the investigation is to develop and test procedures using multispectral satellite data together with improved classification and sampling designs to inventory and map forest resources state-wide. Additional objectives are to research alternative approaches to classification, sampling and estimation, and to determine to what degree satellite data classifications can be used to obtain information on stand density, size class, age, and disturbance. A second area of research is measurements of he spectral characteristics of forest canopies and stands. During 1988 an aerial spectometer system was completed and tested. With NASA, data from three different sensor systems were acquired for Itasca State Park. The sensors are an imaging
spectrometer providing high spectral resolution data, an imaging spectrometer providing multi-view angle data, and a multi-frequency radar. The latter two data types should provide information about the physical characteristics of forest stands, while the former will contain information more related to physiological condition.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
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Progress 01/01/87 to 12/30/87
Outputs
During 1987 the focus of research was the potential use of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data to inventory and monitor forests in Minnesota. A Ph.D. thesis project showed that Landsat TM data can provide accurate classifications of forest types in northern Minnesota. Classification accuracies of up to 87% were obtained. Classification accuracy depended on season, number of classes, sensor (MSS vs. TM), and analysis technique. Approximately 20% of the error in TM classifications was associated with the mixed pixels occurring at the boundaries between stands. The results provided the basis for a proposal with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to use satellite data in a statewide inventory of forest resources. Multitemporal Landsat TM data of Itasca State Park are currently being analyzed in conjunction with ground-acquired forest stand information to identify forest stand and ecological variables accounting for significant variation in spectral response.
In other studies reflectance spectra of selected stands at Itasca State Park are being acquired with an aerial spectrometer system to evaluate the potential of high resolution spectral data for monitoring forest ecosystems. These data will be analyzed in conjunction with imaging spectrometer data acquired by NASA. In a cooperative effort with the Forest Service, aerial video is being evaluated as an alternative to aerial sketch mapping of forest insect damage.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
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Progress 01/01/86 to 12/30/86
Outputs
The research focus during 1986 has been an evaluation of the potential of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data for forest cover type mapping. Itasca State Park in west central Minnesota was the main test site. It is 13,000 ha in size, has tree species representative of Minnesota conditions, and extensive ground reference data are available. A data set consisting of TM acquisition dates in February, May, July, August, and September was assembled for comparison of individual dates, as well as evaluation of multitemporal data. The multitemporal evaluation includes the multitemporal profile approach previously applied to agricultural crop identification. In addition, the spectral bands and spatial resolution of Landsat MSS data are being compared to the TM data. A discrete multivariate statistic is being used to compare and evaluate classification results. At this time the results are still being summarized; however, preliminary results indicate TM classification of
forest cover types is superior to that of MSS data; May is the single best date, but multitemporal data improve classification accuracy. These and other results will be reported in research papers during the next year. Work has recently been initiated to extend the best analysis techniques to other forest and agricultural test sites for further evaluating the utility of satellite data. Project personnel have also been involved with research and development of aerial video and geographic information systems for agriculture and forestry.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
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Progress 01/01/85 to 12/30/85
Outputs
The primary objective of 1985 research was to evaluate the potential of contemporary data and digital analysis procedures for forest cover type classification. In particular the higher spectral, radiometric and spatial resolution of Landsat thematic mapper (TM) data may be advantageous for forestry applications. In addition, advanced classification techniques such as multitemporal profiles, layered classifiers involving ancillary (e.g., topography) data, and classifies using spatial in combination with spectral features have generally not been applied to forested areas. Much of the year has been devoted to acquisition and set-up of a digital image analysis and geographic information system (ERDAS), acquisition and assembly of Landsat and ground data sets, and development of classification procedures. The initial research involves two test sites, Cloquet Forestry Center and Itasca State Park, in northern Minnesota for which considerable amounts of ground reference
data and maps are available. The study includes direct comparisons of Landsat MSS and TM data; preliminary results indicate improved classification accuracy for TM data. Other research has been directed at applications of aerial photography and video in monitoring agricultural and natural resources. GSY = 0.5.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
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Progress 01/01/84 to 12/30/84
Outputs
A 35mm color aerial photography system employing a color-enhancing filter provedeffective for aspen reproduction surveys and is being implemented by forest industry. NHAP CIR 1:58,000 scale photography proved highly useful to forest managers and is being adopted on a wide scale in the Lake States. CIR 35mm aerial photography, shown to be a quick-turnaround cost-effective tool for evaluating plantation herbicide applications and site preparation contracts, is being incorporated into Minnesota forest management oprations. A set of basic aerial photo interpretation training materials is being developed cooperatively with the U.S. Forest Service and development and test of a 35mm aerial photography training handbook was accomplished.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
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Progress 01/01/83 to 12/30/83
Outputs
A low-cost airborne color infrared video scanning and display system was developed and tested on forest and agricultural crop conditions in Minnesota and Morocco with good results. Its rapid turnaround time offers significant advantages for inexpensive monitoring of short-term changes. Landsat-derived data correlated well with the Carlson Trophic State Index (TSI) for 60 Minnesota lakes, although clouds, poor image data, wind and small or shallow lakes caused problems. Development of an aerial photo interpretation training series for resource managers was initiated cooperatively with the Forest Service. Other projects initiated and in progress: 1) a system of 35mm aerial photography for aspen reproduction surveys, b) evaluation of NHAP photography for forest management purposes, c) improvement of forest resource survey color aerial photography with special enhancing filters, and d) development of a system of CIR 35mm aerial photography for forest plantation
herbicide application evaluation. GSY=2.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
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Progress 01/01/82 to 12/30/82
Outputs
A cooperative project with Bureau of Land Management to test 35 mm. helicopter-borne 35 mm. aerial photography for range and riparian vegetation studies was cost-effective for a number of management situations and is now in use by BLM. A system of 35 mm. aerial photography, interpretation and mapping was developed for the Beltrami County Land Department. In view of its low cost and effectiveness, Cass County is instituting the system. Preliminary tests of helicopter-borne 35 mm. aerial photography suggest its utility for monitoring herbicide treatment success on powerline rights of way in forested areas. A 35 mm. aerial/photography system and equipment package specifically designed for use in resource surveys in underdeveloped countries and an aerial photo interpretation training system for use by large land management agencies are in progress. Sunflower crop identification capabilities of Landsat MS data were marginal, but supporting photographic underflights
showed high potential for intensive crop monitoring. A cost-effective system of recreational watercraft inventory was developed.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
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Progress 01/01/81 to 12/30/81
Outputs
Four Minnesota agricultural counties totalling 2500 square miles were flown in late spring with CIR 35mm aerial photography at a scale of 1:120,000 (1"=10,000'). Trial applications by SCS soil survey crews appear to have been quite successful and cost-effective in view of a procurement cost of about $3.20 per square mile. Similarly, and for county forest land management purposes, 1300 square miles of Beltrami County were flown at different periods with different (small) scales and film/filter combinations of 35mm aerial photography. The 1:120,000 scale CIR 35mm flown in early fall proved to be better for forest cover type identification than the conventional 9x9-inch 1:15,840 B and W resource photography and cost considerably less. A cooperative project with the Bureau of Land Management was initiated to test the cost-effectiveness of 35mm helicopter-borne 35mm aerial photography for range studies and monitoring riparian vegetation. The overflights on selected
sites in Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Colorado are undergoing analysis.
Impacts
(N/A)
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Progress 01/01/80 to 12/30/80
Outputs
A system of analysis of vegetation change of wildlife impoundments using 70mm color infrared aerial photography was developed for the Chippewa National Forest. 35mm 1:7,200 scale color and CIR vertical aerial photography was found to be useful in assessing livestock grazing impact upon riparian vegetation along mountain streams on the Beaverhead National Forest in Montana. A survey of the status of remote sensing training in the accredited U.S. forestry schools was completed. Work continued on the determination of applicability of 35mm color photography to determine landuse change on national forest survey permanent plot locations. Continued tests of medium and small-scale small-format aerial photography to private and public forest land management strongly suggest its economic practicality. A study was initiated in the application of 1:120,000 scale CIR 35mm aerial photography to the inventory and monitoring of agricultural land irrigation systems.
Impacts
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Progress 01/01/79 to 12/30/79
Outputs
Vegetation maps of 80,800 ha of Minnesota peatlands were completed using 1:15,840 B and W forest photography supported by 35mm color infrared multi-scale multi-camera coverage. CIR 1:15,840 scale 23x23-cm photography supported by 35mm CIR aerial photography was used to develop a vegetation/fuel type map of Isle Royale National Park. Over 2,800 powerline structures in Minnesota, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin were vertically photographed with 35mm color 1:5,000 scale aerial photography to assess structure impact on agricultural practices. Experimental multi-scale color and CIR 35mm vertical aerial photography was accomplished on over 200 miles of critical mountain streams in Montana's Beaverhead National Forest and analysis of ability to assess livestock grazing impact on riparian vegetation is in progress. A study was initiated to determine applicability of 35mm color photography to analysis of national forest survey permanent plot locations, as was
development of a small-format camera system for industrial and country forest land management. Analysis of vegetation change on waterfowl impoundments on the Chippewa National Forest was commenced using large scale 70mm CIR vertical aerial photography as data base.
Impacts
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Progress 01/01/78 to 12/30/78
Outputs
Habitat mapping of 64,000 ha. of coastal portions of Alaska were completed using35mm CIR photos to analyze key areas and establish trend analyses. CIR 1:36,000 metric camera and small format photography were used to map 84,400 ha. of vegetation of the Miss. Riv. Headwaters. Classification of the wetlands of the 720,000 ha. TC Metro Area was accomplished with 1:24,000 CIR; these data used to test the capabilities of various other scales of CIR photography and digitally-processed LANDSAT data. The status of change of the water surfaces and vegetation 1939-present on 43,300 ha. of Upper Miss. and Lower St. Croix Rivers determined by airphoto comparisons and field investigations. Color 35mm long focal length leaf-off vertical photography was tested to assess recreation developments on forested lakeshores. The applicability of 1:12,000 Cibachrome airphotos as a data base for vegetation management and Dutch Elm Disease detection is being tested in Duluth. Vegetation
types of 80,800 ha. of forest peatlands in Minn. are being classified with 1:15,840 B and W airphotos supported by 35mm multi-camera multi-scale 35mm CIR transects and plots.
Impacts
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Progress 01/01/77 to 12/30/77
Outputs
Classification of Mississippi River flood plain wildlife habitat with CIR photography from Hastings, MN to Cairo, IL was completed. A .4 hectare minimum wetlands inventory was completed on the Twin Cities Metro 7-County Area, West Half. 40,800 hectares of wildlife habitat on the Copper River Delta, AK was mapped and classified; mapping and classifiecation of an additional 23,200 hectares on the CRD and 60,000 hectares on the Controller Bay-Bering Glacier Management Area, AK was initiated. An applications test of LANDSAT data to forest classification was completed and a 35mm aerial photography system developed for Appalachia coal stripmine surveillance. A 35mm aerial photography system for Dutch elm disease survey was developed and tested and a wetlands inventory of the Twin Cities Metro Area, East Side, initiated. Forest vegetation fuel type classification and black bear habitat maps of large areas of the Superior National Forest, MN were completed. Tests of 70mm
aerial photography for forest resource data collection -as did a cooperative test with the SCS of soil mapping with CIR aerial photography. Initiated an analysis of vegetation types of the Mississippi headwaters and development of a map of the 1939 status of habitat in MIssissippi River Pools 1, 2 and 3.
Impacts
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Progress 01/01/76 to 12/30/76
Outputs
Following organization analysis and RS applications tests, an operational manualwas prepared for the Minnesota DNR, and recommendations for potential remote sensing applications to Dominican Republic resource surveys were developed. Two studies of vegetation and channel change in Upper Miss. Riv. floodplain 1928-1939-1973 were completed - another initiated using RS to classify wildlife habitat on Miss. floodplain from MN to Cairo, Ill. Project established to classify wetlands of Twin City Metro Area, west half. 35mm aerial photo applications under development for Dutch elm and dwarf mistletoe surveys in MN, range transect surveys in MT and ND, coal strip mine rehabilitation analysis in VA, and applicability of 70mm B&W aerial photography for large area forest surveys under study. Hydrologic and vegetation maps developed for 110,000 acres of Copper River Delta, AK; another 158,000 acres of vegetation mapping in progress; and a 35mm aerial photo technique developed
to monitor change on permanent ground transects. Tests of applicability of small scale color IR photography to soil survey in progress; and a study of relationship of 35 years of forest treatments to wildlife habitat using RS techniques was completed. A test of applicability of LANDSAT data to forest vegetation and land use classification was implemented in a large area in MN.
Impacts
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Progress 01/01/75 to 12/30/75
Outputs
A portable field viewer for 9 X 9 CIR transparencies was developed and tested byUSDA-SCS field personnel. Continuing tests of 35mm aerial photography for waterfowl census suggest CIR at 1:8,000 or larger will be adequate to identify snow, blue and Canada geese. An analysis of current and past 1939-1974 aerial photography and past treatments of a large portion of the Superior National Forest is being completed and related to the status of certain wildlife populations. Successful pilot tests were made of CIR 35mm aerial photography forsurvey of dwarf mistletoe in black spruce and sale preparation and management ofthese infected stands. Fall 35mm aerial photography proved economical and highly useful in the inventory of maturing pine plantations and the formulation of treatment plans including mechanical harvest scheme design. Similar photography was successfully tested as a means of identifying and classifying paper birch stands for intensive management. A remote
sensing applications workpland and operational manual for the Minnesota DNR is in progress.
Impacts
(N/A)
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Progress 01/01/74 to 12/30/74
Outputs
On the basis of previous pilot tests of small scale (1:40,000) peak-of-green CIRaerial photography for resources surveys on a 1,000,000-acre forest-rangeland test area in SE Montana, 1:80,000 scale "quad-centered' peak-of-green coverage of an adjacent 4.5 million acre area was attempted and proved extremely successful. Continuing tests of applicability of ERTS imagery to Minnesota forest classification (visual interpretation of combined and density-sliced imagery) had limited success in forest species identification. Small format aerial photography of various types, both in Montana and Minnesota, providing indications of an increasing number of applications which could be accomplished at the local level at a minimum of cost: tree disease detection, waterfowl potential of prairie stockponds, forest plantation survival counts, logging damage assessment, waterfowl inventories and support data for drafting Environmental Impact Statements.
Impacts
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Progress 01/01/73 to 12/30/73
Outputs
A sagebrush density analysis technique provides reliable data for sagegrouse management in conjunction with range livestock operations. A pilot high altitude CIR aerial photographic resource survey system successfully tested by BLM in Montana in 1972 is being applied to other large private and public ownerships. ERTS imagery proved capable of discriminating forest from nonforestlands in Minnesota and identifying 7 vegetation/land use classes in Montana. A 35mm aerial photography system became operational on all BLM management districts in Montana for monitoring forest, water, wildlife and range resources;wildland and agricultural land resources applications tests were initiated in Minnesota. Assisted Minnesota DNR in developing a system of continuing aerial photography of forested counties; parallel studies were established to develop specifications for reducing future purchase and interpretation costs. Extreme altitude CIR aerial photography was highly successful
in Minnesota forest species identification. Tests of remote sensing techniques for identification and evaluation of stress and productivity in alfalfa and corn were continued; highly reliable results were obtained using CIR aerial photography for oak wilt detection.
Impacts
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Progress 01/01/72 to 12/30/72
Outputs
A study of applications of multispectral multialtitude aerial photography to detection and assessment of dwarf mistletoe in black spruce was complete, as wasfirst-stage application to forest vegetation classification. Investigation of remote sensing applications to monitor mechanized timber harvest affects was initiated, and the second year of monitoring alfalfa crop stresses due to insects and disease completed. A 35mm aerial photography system for monitoring and mapping agricultural and wildland resources was completed, along with application techniques for such purposes as wildlife habitat analysis, stockpondclassification and maintenance, water quality assessment, vegetation condition and range vegetation trend analysis. A high-altitiude color infrared aerial photography system for evaluating range vegetation, wildlife, water, forest, agricultural land use and archeological features was developed and applied to a 1500 square-mile of potential coal-producing
lands in S.E. Montana. A study of applicability of ERTS-A imagery to Minnesota's forest and agricultural lands wasinitiated.
Impacts
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Progress 01/01/71 to 12/30/71
Outputs
A study of air photography applications to land-use planning was completed and an aerial photographic forest stand competition gauge developed. Multiband multidate aerial photography studies were established on: pine plantations withroot rot: aspen stands with hypoxylon canker: alfalfa stressed with insects and disease: and dwarfmistletoe-infected black spruce. Stress was detectable on certain photographic combinations in all cases and further overflights are planned to develop optimum remote sensing detection specifications for these types of plant stress. Applications of small-scale color and black and white aerial photography and of multiband satellite-simulated photography (provided bythe NASA RB57 photo aircraft from 60,000') to forest vegetation classification are under study. A 35mm aerial camera, mount and mapping system has been developed and preliminarily tested for application to range vegetation trend andwildlife habitat analyses. A study of a method
of assessment of insect defoliation of corn by means of remote sensing was completed. Two graduate students were partially funded by this project.
Impacts
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Progress 01/01/70 to 12/30/70
Outputs
Comparative ground and aerial tree disease detection surveys were accomplished on a large community and uses of the photography for other community purposes studied. An aircraft was modified for use with a 70mm quadricamera unit to obtain simulated high-altitude photography of forest study areas and a previously-initiated study of the applicability of leaf-off high-altitude photography to forestry purposes was completed. A major project in the applications of remote sensing to plant stress detection was established cooperatively within the NASA earth satellite program. A photography tramway system was established over a dwarf mistletoe-infected black spruce stand and satellite-equivalent multiband photography of the stand taken throughout the summer season. Multiband aerial photography was also taken of simulated Armyworm and grasshopper damage in corn fields and image enhancement studies of all multiband imagery were begun. A study of possible applications of
remote sensing to analysis of trends in rangeland vegetation was initiated.
Impacts
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Progress 01/01/69 to 12/30/69
Outputs
Two years of 70mm quadricamera overflights were completed using IR 5424 film with a variety of filter/season/altitude combinations to analyze forest vegetation. Quadricamera altitude/time-varied flights were also made with colorand infrared color films over spittlebug-infested plantations and a forest fire fuel study area. One study was accomplished of the legal restrictions and invasion-of-privacy aspects of aerial photography and another initiated to determine applicability of available commercial high-altitude photography to forest management. Techniques were developed for the preparation and stereoscopic viewing of high-altitude aerial photo enlargements, for the air photo measurement of small ground surface areas in mountainous country, and for the air photo classification of sagebrush density by means of a special density gauge. An overflight series was accomplished with the NASA P3A remote sensing aircraft over an experimental forest watershed and infrared
color photography was flown of prospective cereal crop production test fields to locate such significant features as old roads and dead furrows. A trial tree disease surveywas performed on ten square miles of St. Paul with infrared color air photos anda technical plan was formulated for the general design of aerial surveys for vegetation analysis purposes.
Impacts
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Progress 01/01/68 to 12/30/68
Outputs
A 70 mm aerial quadri-camera unit was fabricated and assembled, along with mounts for both conventional and high altitude aerial photographic aircraft. Test flights and calibration were accomplished and a study initiated of the effects of film/filter/altitude variations upon photo indentification and analysis of forest vegetation types and condition classes. Infrared Aerographic5424 film was simultaneously exposed through Wratten 12, 22, 29 and 89B filters at a variety of flight altitudes over a test strip across the University CloquetForest Research Center. Neither the flight sequence or the data analysis are completed as yet. An aerial photo quality study was completed as were indexes to the aerial photographic and topographic map coverages of Minnesota. Ground transects were established in a variety of eastern Montana sagebursh types important for livestock and big game grazing and for sage grouse production. The vegetation was documented on the ground as to
species, density, spatial relationships and condition class and the transect terminals were indentified on1:4,000 scale panchromatic 9x9-inch aerial negatives. These photo transects have been "traced" on a microdensitometer and possible correlations with ground truth are being studied.
Impacts
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