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Publications

Here you will find publications, reports and articles produced by Core Science System scientists. For a comprehensive listing of all USGS publications please click the button below.

Filter Total Items: 249

A comparison of synthetic flowpaths derived from light detection and ranging topobathymetric data and National Hydrography Dataset High Resolution Flowlines

Bathymetric and topobathymetric light detection and ranging (lidar) digital elevation models created for the Delaware River were provided to the National Geospatial Program and used to evaluate synthetic flowpath extraction from bathymetric/topobathymetric lidar survey data as a data source for improving the density, distribution, and connectivity of the National Hydrography Dataset High Resolutio
Authors
Cynthia Miller-Corbett

The map as knowledge base

This paper examines the concept and implementation of a map as a knowledge base. A map as a knowledge base means that the visual map is not only the descriptive compilation of data and design principles, but also involves a compilation of semantic propositions and logical predicates that create a body of knowledge organized as a map. The digital product of a map as knowledge base can be interprete
Authors
Dalia E. Varanka, E. Lynn Usery

Generalizing linear stream features to preserve sinuosity for analysis and display: A pilot study in multi-scale data science

Cartographic generalization can impact geometric properties of geospatial data and subsequent analyses. This study evaluates simplification methods with the goal of preserving geometric details, such as sinuosity. We evaluate two recently developed line simplification algorithms that introduce Steiner points: Raposo’s Spatial Means, and Kronenfeld’s new area-preserving segment collapse algorithm,
Authors
Larry V. Stanislawski, Barry J. Kronenfeld, Barbara P. Buttenfield, Tyler (Contractor) Brockmeyer

Modeling and simulation of emergent behavior in transportation infrastructure restoration

The objective of this chapter is to create a methodology to model the emergent behavior during a disruption in the transportation system and that calculates economic losses due to such a disruption, and to understand how an extreme event affects the road transportation network. The chapter discusses a system dynamics approach which is used to model the transportation road infrastructure system to
Authors
Akhilesh Ojha, Steven Corns, Thomas G. Shoberg, Ruwen Qin, Suzanna K. Long

Modeling wildfire-induced permafrost deformation in an Alaskan boreal forest using InSAR observations

The discontinuous permafrost zone is one of the world’s most sensitive areas to climate change. Alaskan boreal forest is underlain by discontinuous permafrost, and wildfires are one of the most influential agents negatively impacting the condition of permafrost in the arctic region. Using interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) of Advanced Land Observation Satellite (ALOS) Phased Array ty
Authors
Yusef Eshqi Molan, Jin-Woo Kim, Zhong Lu, Bruce K. Wylie, Zhiliang Zhu

An open source high-performance solution to extract surface water drainage networks from diverse terrain conditions

This paper describes a workflow for automating the extraction of elevation-derived stream lines using open source tools with parallel computing support and testing the effectiveness of procedures in various terrain conditions within the conterminous United States. Drainage networks are extracted from the US Geological Survey 1/3 arc-second 3D Elevation Program elevation data having a nominal cell
Authors
Larry V. Stanislawski, Kornelijus Survila, Jeffrey Wendel, Yan Liu, Barbara P. Buttenfield

A linked GeoData map for enabling information access

OverviewThe Geospatial Semantic Web (GSW) is an emerging technology that uses the Internet for more effective knowledge engineering and information extraction. Among the aims of the GSW are to structure the semantic specifications of data to reduce ambiguity and to link those data more efficiently. The data are stored as triples, the basic data unit in graph databases, which are similar to the vec
Authors
Logan J. Powell, Dalia E. Varanka

Mapping interactive geospatial linked data

No abstract available.
Authors
William (Contractor) Baumer, Logan J. Powell, Dalia E. Varanka

Partial polygon pruning of hydrographic features in automated generalization

This paper demonstrates a working method to automatically detect and prune portions of waterbody polygons to support creation of a multi-scale hydrographic database. Water features are known to be sensitive to scale change; and thus multiple representations are required to maintain visual and geographic logic at smaller scales. Partial pruning of polygonal features—such as long and sinuous reservo
Authors
Alexander K. Stum, Barbara P. Buttenfield, Larry V. Stanislawski

Martian cave air-movement via Helmholtz resonance

Infrasonic resonance has previously been measured in terrestrial caves by other researchers, where Helmholtz resonance has been suggested as the plausible mechanism resulting in periodic wind reversals within cave entrances. We extend this reasoning to possible Martian caves, where we examine the characteristics of four atypical pit craters (APCs) on Tharsis, suggested as candidate cave entrance l
Authors
Kaj E. Williams, Timothy N. Titus, Chris Okubo, Glen E. Cushing

A reference landform ontology for automated delineation of depression landforms from DEMs

Abstract The landform reference ontology (LFRO) is being developed to formalize ontological distinctions underlying naïve geographic cognition and reasoning about landforms. The LFRO taxonomy is currently based only on form-based distinctions. In this significantly revised version, several new categories have been added to explicate ontological distinctions related to material-spatial dependence
Authors
Gaurav Sinha, Samantha Arundel, Torsten Hahmann, E. Lynn Usery, Kathleen C. Stewart, David Mark

The National Map seamless digital elevation model specifications

This specification documents the requirements and standards used to produce the seamless elevation layers for The National Map of the United States. Seamless elevation data are available for the conterminous United States, Hawaii, Alaska, and the U.S. territories, in three different resolutions—1/3-arc-second, 1-arc-second, and 2-arc-second. These specifications include requirements and standards
Authors
Christy-Ann M. Archuleta, Eric W. Constance, Samantha T. Arundel, Amanda J. Lowe, Kimberly S. Mantey, Lori A. Phillips