USGSNPS Vegetation Mapping Program Overview

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USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Overview

• Karl E. Brown, Vegetation Mapping Program Mgr
• Natural Resource Program Center
• Biological Resources Management Division,
• IM National Meet Successful Approaches Feb 8,
  2006

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Outline
USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Overview

• Background
• Approach, Process Products
• Present Program Status
• Hybrid Techniques
• Available Data / Website

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Outline Leveraged Efforts
USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Overview

• Biological Inventories Program Mark Wotawa
• Aquatic Vegetation inclusion Standards Map
  Classes
• FIREPRO
• Sister Agency partners DOI
• Agriculture - Forest Service

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Biological Inventories Program

• NPSpecies Breakout Friday will include Biological
  Inventories Program and ATBIs
• Biological Resource Management Division
• Loyal Mehrhoff, Chief
• Mark Wotawa, Program Manager
• http//www.nature.nps.gov/biology/BiologicalInvent
  ories
• Continues beyond vertebrates and vascular plants
• All taxa all parks
• Presence, absence, distribution, abundance
• Central Biodiversity Information System
• NPSpecies, NatureBib, Biodiversity Data Store
• We need your data
• Reports, datasets, GIS maps

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What is it?
Background

• High priority requirement of the NPS
• IM Program
• National (Service Wide) Program
• Begins long term vegetation monitoring
• program
• Has many short term immediate
• applications

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NPS IM Program
Background

• Base Cartographic
• Soils
• Geology
• Vegetation
• Bibliographies
• Species lists
• Air quality
• Water quality

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National Program
Background

• Differs from other
• NPS vegetation mapping projects
• 270 park units (full park coverage)
• 4423 7.5 minute USGS quadrangles
• National scope
• Participation of multiple agencies
• Consistency in detail and accuracy between parks
• Produces digital products available on WWW
• Coordination at multiple levels

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Standards
Background

• NPS management policies, standards guidelines
• Federal Geographic Data Committee standards
• metadata, transfer, classification etc.
• Nationally consistent, hierarchical,
  classification scheme
• National Map Accuracy Standards
• Thematic accuracy gt80 per class
• Scale of 124,000
• Minimum mapping unit of 0.5 hectare

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Major Steps for each Park

• Scoping meeting
• Data review
• Data acquisition
• Field sampling
• Classification characterization
• Photo interpretation, mapping and automation
• Accuracy assessment
• Final product review

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Products from the Program

• Aerial photography/ imagery (hardcopy / digital,
  some new DOQQs)
• Field data (hardcopy and database)
• Classification report (Description and Key)
• Photo interp report (Description and Key)
• Accuracy report
• Vegetation map data (digital coverage)
• All appropriate metadata

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FGDC National Vegetation Classification System

• A. PHYSIOGNOMY
  
  
• Division/Order - Tree Dominant (dominant life
  form)
• Class - Woodland (spacing height of dominant
  form)
• Subclass - Evergreen Woodland (morphological
  phenological similarity)
• Group - Temperate Evergreen Needle-leaved
  (climate, latitude, growth form, leaf form)
  
• Formation - Evergreen Needle-leaved Woodland with
  Rounded Crowns (mappable units)
• B. FLORISTICS
• Alliance (Cover Type) - Douglas Fir Woodland
  (dominant species)
• Association (Community) - Douglas Fir / Snowberry
  Woodland (subdominant or associated species)

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Present Status

• Approximately 109 projects in process
• 30 Parks started (1994-2000)
• 29 Park projects started in 2001
• 11 Park projects started 2002-2004
• 2005 completed 11 more parks, continued 73
  ongoing projects, and initiated 24 new starts
• 39 Parks completed for web access
• more completed soon 62 AA stage completed
• 62 FY 05 80 FY 06 116 FY 07 146 FY 08
• Alaska 6 parks complete in 2003 3 in 2004 3
  new ongoing in 2005 4 more completed 2006-7 3
  more starts 2006-08
• USGS partnering on funding, 3 protocols,
  archiving contract, collaborative fire and fuels
  datasets, variability analysis and surface model
  developments

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Status January 2005
Program Status
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Maps and Spatial Data
Process Products
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Accuracy Assessment
Process Products

• Assessment of class accuracy across the park

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Metadata
Process Products
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Reports
Process Products
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Data Availability
Process Products

• All products are made available via a public
  internet website
• http//biology.usgs.gov/npsveg/

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Gunnison Gorge NCA
Program Status
USGS-BLM Vegetation Invasive Plants
Characterization Projects
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USGS-USFWS Vegetation Mapping Projects
Program Status
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Relationship of the Veg Mapping Program with
FIREPRO efforts

• Fire Fuels Mapping
• Similar but not the same (ht to live crown, dead
  and down)
• Fire Effects Monitoring
• Similar but not the same (sampling techniques)

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New Models and FIREPRO efforts
Program Status

• Relationship with FIREPRO
• Multiple park unit projects
• Initiate and manage locally
• Regional/Network field teams
• Field based proposals
• New/other technologies

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New Models
New Models

• New/other technologies
• High Resolution Remote Sensing
• eCognition segmentation
• Laser Rangefinder Remote GPS positioning
• Sister Bureau hybrid techniques
• FWS Lower cost Veg Map Light
• Savings from reduced field collection

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Multiresolution Segmentation
Hybrid Techniques

• Levels can be used to compare results of
  segmentation based on different scale parameters
  and homogeneity criterion.
• Layers can be weighted. Weights determine to
  which degree the information is used during the
  process of object generation.

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Image Object information
Hybrid Techniques

• Identify
• Shape
• Add new items from the Feature View
• Number of Objects
• Average object Size
• Input Mode Options

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Create Polygons
Hybrid Techniques

• Polygons will be generated for the highlighted
  levels
• Show Polygons

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eCognition Contacts
Hybrid Techniques

• Definiens Imaging- eCognition
• http//www.definiens-imaging.com
• Erin Stockenberg
• erin_stockenberg_at_fws.gov
• Beverly Friesen
• bafriesen_at_usgs.gov

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Hybrid techniques summary of current efforts
Hybrid Techniques

• Mixed imagery and Sister Bureau eCog segmentation
  and skeleton polygon sampling (GRSA)
• PI / eCog linework and model verification (MEVE)
  / ground reference add attributes (field
  automation savings)
• Classical accuracy assessment (AA) or small park
  protocol (census of MMU _at_ GRKO, LIBI, KNRI, FOUN)
• Verify eCog gradient test against completed AA
  (ROMO)
• Machine classification and PI field sample
  verification (LAVO)

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National Park / Environs data successes
Summary Partnerships 1

• Consider areas of interest for small park
  protocol
• Evaluate sparse vegetation protocol need and
  sample sizes
• Fire and fuels protocols may integrate fuels
  stratification in sample design
• Develop fuel model polygons from NVCS vegetation
  polygons / photos
• Other fire and monitoring program data needs

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NPS / Environs fire data summary
Summary Partnerships 2

• Park Fire Management team field verify / photo
  reference fuel model types
• Evaluate Landfire data potential
• How map classes improve Landfire and other models
• Research partnering for a hybrid approach, as
  needed
• Fire fuel classes / types
• Fuel loadings (1/10/100 hr)
• Fire Regime Condition Class
• Landfire update as appropriate and as supported
  by partnership

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Summary of Efforts in 2006

• Fund ongoing projects in 25 networks
• Provide technical support and planning assistance
  to parks, networks, and regions
• Prioritize candidate projects with VMP team
• Facilitate new starts based on funding in 12-18
  networks using hybrid innovations
• Action plan for creation / migration of NPS data,
  and USGS-NPS archiving
• Develop a VMP advisory group process, and serve
  planning templates on the web

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More Information
Contact Information

• Visit the USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Website
  http//biology.usgs.gov/npsveg

• Chris Lea
• NPS IM (Ecologist)
• [phone]
• chris_lea_at_nps.gov

• Karl Brown, Ph.D.
• NPS IM (Program Lead)
• [phone]
• karl_brown_at_nps.gov

• Mike Mulligan
• USGS (Program Lead)
• [phone]
• mike_mulligan_at_usgs.gov

• Theresa Singh
• USGS (VMP Website)
• [phone]
• theresa_singh_at_usgs.gov

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Thanks

• Karl Brown, Ph.D.
• NPS IM (Program Lead)
• [phone]
• karl_brown_at_nps.gov
• Chris Lea
• NPS IM (Ecologist)
• [phone]
• chris_lea_at_nps.gov