Monitoring Landscape Change for LANDFIRE Using Multi-Temporal Satellite Imagery and Ancillary Data

Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing, Volume PP, Issue 99, Pages 1 – 13, 12 April 2010

Vogelmann, J. E. Kost, J. R. Tolk, B. Howard, S. Short, K. Chen, X. Huang, C. Pabst, K. Rollins, M. G.

“LANDFIRE is a large interagency project designed to provide nationwide spatial data for fire management applications. As part of the effort, many 2000 vintage Landsat Thematic Mapper and Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus data sets were used in conjunction with a large volume of field information to generate detailed vegetation type and structure data sets for the entire United States. In order to keep these data sets current and relevant to resource managers, there was strong need to develop an approach for updating these products. We are using three different approaches for these purposes. These include: 1) updating using Landsat-derived historic and current fire burn information derived from the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity project; 2)$~$incorporating vegetation disturbance information derived from time series Landsat data analysis using the Vegetation Change Tracker; and 3) developing data products that capture subtle intra-state disturbance such as those related to insects and disease using either Landsat or the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). While no one single approach provides all of the land cover change and update information required, we believe that a combination of all three captures most of the disturbance conditions taking place that have relevance to the fire community.”

Geobrowsing the Globe: A Geovisual Analysis of Google Earth Usage

GeoViz: Linking Geovisualization with Spatial Analysis and Modeling, 10-11 March 2011, Hamburg, Germany

Pablo Abend, Tristan Thielmann, Ralph Ewerth, Dominik Seiler, Markus Mühling, Jörg Döring, Manfred Grauer, and Bernd Freisleben

“In this paper, a semantic approach to the analysis of the recorded on-screen navigation within virtual globes is presented using the example of Google Earth. In order to explore and visualize geobrowsing behaviour systematically, we have extended the video analysis software Videana for the analysis of Google Earth tours. The software’s functionality comprises the detection of ‘text bubbles’, the visualization of dominant/average colour values, and the allocation of ‘virtual camera’ movements. On the basis of a multiple case study this paper demonstrates that on-screen navigation behaviour is largely defined by the morphology of the landscape and, to a lesser extent, by the navigational aids and the additional multimedia information provided. Top view and orientation towards True North are most often retained. Users generally prefer satellite views rich in contrast where they can identify map contours. Thus, an established form of map use exists that has also been applied to virtual globes.”

Call for Participation: Geographic Information Science for Livable and Sustainable Communities

Research and Policy Workshop

o5-o6 May 2011, Keck Center of the National Academies, Washington DC

Background
Transportation plays a vital role in the livability and sustainability of communities. Recent policy initiatives by the US Department of Transportation, Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency attempt to improve community livability and sustainability. Th e success of these initiatives depends on the ability to conceptualize, measure and analyze livability and sustainability when evaluating transportation policies, plans and projects.

Geographic information science, technologies and data can facilitate better understanding of livability and sustainability, and help guide the development of transportation systems that create more livable and sustainable communities. Geo-spatial technologies allow the collection of high-resolution data on the dynamics of transportation and communities, as well as the physical environment in which they are embedded. New spatial analytical and geo-spatial knowledge discovery techniques allow deeper insights into these unprecedented data and the development of location-based services off er new opportunities for engagement between communities and individuals. Leveraging these scientific and technological breakthroughs requires dialogue between scientists and policy makers to coordinate interest and efforts.

Purpose
This workshop will bring together leading scientists concerned with geo-spatial technologies, transportation and communities, and policy leaders concerned with shaping livable and sustainable communities. The intent is an exchange of world-views and formulation of an agenda to advance an integrated research and policy agenda.

Call for Participation
Registration is free but available space is limited. Interested participants should provide a one-page statement of interest and a current CV or resume to one of the organizers (see below) by 22 March 2011. Only digital submissions (in PDF format) will be accepted.

Organizers and Contacts
Transportation Research Board Committee on Geographic Information Science and Applications (ABJ60): Harvey J. Miller, University of Utah. harvey.miller@geog.utah.edu; University Consortium for Geographic Information Science: Timothy Nyerges, University of Washington: nyerges@u.washington.edu

Sponsor
US Federal Highway Administration. Additional support by the DIGIT Lab www.digit.utah.edu