Delaware River Basin historical land use
Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science (CEGIS)
The objectives for these projects are to address and quantify predominant affects and outcomes of land-surface change in urbanizing areas.
Delaware River Basin historical land use
This long-term U.S. Geological Survey project consists of a number of individual studies applying spatial analysis methods to long-term land-cover change in the Delaware River Basin, particularly in Pennsylvania.
The objectives for these projects are to address and quantify predominant affects and outcomes of land-surface change in urbanizing areas. Land-use and land-cover changes affect local residents most directly, but cumulatively, contribute to regional and global changes in natural systems and quality of life.
These outcomes have direct impacts on the natural resources that support the health and integrity of human beings, our environment, and our future welfare.
Overview of the research projects
Although each project has its own specific objectives, approaches, context, and outcomes, certain concepts are common to them all. A short summary of these concepts is discussed below.
Geospatial data
The data for the long-term study of the Delaware River Basin primarily relies on the historical topographic maps the USGS published throughout the twentieth century. The primary challenges for building data bases from these sources include data categorization, its integration with other environmental or social data, and problems of resolving data captured at different scales. More specific discussion of these topics is available in a paper on methods for using historical USGS maps for environmental research. Where possible, the data files from these studies can be obtained via the Internet or by contacting the USGS contact person listed below. A graphic index of the quadrangle outlines (by latitude and longitude coordinates) and names together with the map edition timelines is available to assist the identification and selection of data files. Some supplementary data, described under the heading of the specific project, are also available.
Geospatial technologies for the study of temporal change
The data used in analyses of change with time require the support of logical concepts in space-time continuity in their methods of use. We are examining recent research on temporal change data models for the organization of disparate data sources with time for their effectiveness in representing structure of land-surface change the way we understand it.
Spatial analysis and modeling
Methods of spatial analysis test geographic data for statistically significant patterns, though the added variable of location causes these tests to differ from normal statistics. Besides widely accepted methods such as Regression and Dimensional Analysis, tests are applied to geographical point-pattern, network/path, and regional/shape structures. Some of the most important of these are spatial autocorrelation, accessibility and interaction, matrix analysis, and methods applied to spatially continuous data. Significant findings of spatial analysis lend their mathematical formalizations to statistical/mathematical modeling. The mathematical tests that are applied to organized empirical data are used for either explanatory or predictive (projection) purposes, but some modeling objectives also can be achieved through the topological manipulation of the map-like layers of geographical information systems (GIS).
Related projects
-
Soil moisture measurement from remotely sensed images
Field collected values of soil moisture from Theta probes are being used to calibrate transformations of Landsat Thematic mapper (TM), Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), Advanced Land Imager (ALI), Hyperion and airborne-collected hyperspectral images to create soil moisture values directly from the image radiances.Multi-dimensional theory
The project is focused on multidimensional representation, including three-dimensional and temporal object attributes.Soil moisture
The availability of soil moisture affects plant production potential, rainfall runoff volume, and many other parameters that are of interest to agricultural production, forest management, soil conservation, and watershed management and modeling.Watershed modeling
This cooperative effort with the USGS Water Resources Discipline is investigating the effects of data resolution on the outputs of watershed and water quality models.Web modeling
This project will demonstrate the application of The National Map to web-enabled modeling by deriving model parameter values from data extracted from The National Map, and by recommending modeling tools to be developed for The National Map.Delaware River Basin historical land use
The objectives for these projects are to address and quantify predominant affects and outcomes of land-surface change in urbanizing areas.
CEGIS science themes
Theme topics home
Soil moisture measurement from remotely sensed images
Multi-dimensional theory
Soil moisture
Watershed modeling
Web modeling
Delaware River Basin historical land use
CEGIS - Denver, Colorado
CEGIS - Rolla, Missouri
The objectives for these projects are to address and quantify predominant affects and outcomes of land-surface change in urbanizing areas.
Delaware River Basin historical land use
This long-term U.S. Geological Survey project consists of a number of individual studies applying spatial analysis methods to long-term land-cover change in the Delaware River Basin, particularly in Pennsylvania.
The objectives for these projects are to address and quantify predominant affects and outcomes of land-surface change in urbanizing areas. Land-use and land-cover changes affect local residents most directly, but cumulatively, contribute to regional and global changes in natural systems and quality of life.
These outcomes have direct impacts on the natural resources that support the health and integrity of human beings, our environment, and our future welfare.
Overview of the research projects
Although each project has its own specific objectives, approaches, context, and outcomes, certain concepts are common to them all. A short summary of these concepts is discussed below.
Geospatial data
The data for the long-term study of the Delaware River Basin primarily relies on the historical topographic maps the USGS published throughout the twentieth century. The primary challenges for building data bases from these sources include data categorization, its integration with other environmental or social data, and problems of resolving data captured at different scales. More specific discussion of these topics is available in a paper on methods for using historical USGS maps for environmental research. Where possible, the data files from these studies can be obtained via the Internet or by contacting the USGS contact person listed below. A graphic index of the quadrangle outlines (by latitude and longitude coordinates) and names together with the map edition timelines is available to assist the identification and selection of data files. Some supplementary data, described under the heading of the specific project, are also available.
Geospatial technologies for the study of temporal change
The data used in analyses of change with time require the support of logical concepts in space-time continuity in their methods of use. We are examining recent research on temporal change data models for the organization of disparate data sources with time for their effectiveness in representing structure of land-surface change the way we understand it.
Spatial analysis and modeling
Methods of spatial analysis test geographic data for statistically significant patterns, though the added variable of location causes these tests to differ from normal statistics. Besides widely accepted methods such as Regression and Dimensional Analysis, tests are applied to geographical point-pattern, network/path, and regional/shape structures. Some of the most important of these are spatial autocorrelation, accessibility and interaction, matrix analysis, and methods applied to spatially continuous data. Significant findings of spatial analysis lend their mathematical formalizations to statistical/mathematical modeling. The mathematical tests that are applied to organized empirical data are used for either explanatory or predictive (projection) purposes, but some modeling objectives also can be achieved through the topological manipulation of the map-like layers of geographical information systems (GIS).
Related projects
-
Soil moisture measurement from remotely sensed images
Field collected values of soil moisture from Theta probes are being used to calibrate transformations of Landsat Thematic mapper (TM), Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), Advanced Land Imager (ALI), Hyperion and airborne-collected hyperspectral images to create soil moisture values directly from the image radiances.Multi-dimensional theory
The project is focused on multidimensional representation, including three-dimensional and temporal object attributes.Soil moisture
The availability of soil moisture affects plant production potential, rainfall runoff volume, and many other parameters that are of interest to agricultural production, forest management, soil conservation, and watershed management and modeling.Watershed modeling
This cooperative effort with the USGS Water Resources Discipline is investigating the effects of data resolution on the outputs of watershed and water quality models.Web modeling
This project will demonstrate the application of The National Map to web-enabled modeling by deriving model parameter values from data extracted from The National Map, and by recommending modeling tools to be developed for The National Map.Delaware River Basin historical land use
The objectives for these projects are to address and quantify predominant affects and outcomes of land-surface change in urbanizing areas.
CEGIS science themes
Theme topics home
Soil moisture measurement from remotely sensed images
Multi-dimensional theory
Soil moisture
Watershed modeling
Web modeling
Delaware River Basin historical land use
CEGIS - Denver, Colorado
CEGIS - Rolla, Missouri