George Xian
Dr. George Xian is a research physical scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center. He researches the national land cover data development, land cover change, and land cover change impacts on climate and ecosystems using remote sensing information.
George has specialized in using multi-type remote sensing data to characterize land change and change assessment across the United States. He has also used Landsat thermal information to study urban thermal landscape change by collaborating with other researchers from U.S. Global Change Research Program and universities. He also has participated in the development of U.S. Fifth National Climate Assessment.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 73
Urban heat island and its regional impacts using remotely sensed thermal data – A review of recent developments and methodology
Many novel research algorithms have been developed to analyze urban heat island (UHI) and UHI regional impacts (UHIRIP) with remotely sensed thermal data tables. We present a comprehensive review of some important aspects of UHI and UHIRIP studies that use remotely sensed thermal data, including concepts, datasets, methodologies, and applications. We focus on reviewing progress on multi-sensor ima
Authors
Hua Shi, George Z. Xian, Roger F. Auch, Kevin Gallo, Qiang Zhou
Land surface temperature differences between natural and artificial turf sports fields as estimated from satellite: Examples from the United States and Europe
An increasing number of sports fields around the world are equipped with artificial turf. This solution has been endorsed by numerous sports federations, despite concerns about the potential for injuries and higher surface temperatures. In this work we analyzed land surface temperature in 4 pairs of natural and artificial turf sports fields in Europe and the United States using Landsat-8 data. Sur
Authors
Vasco M. Mantas, George Z. Xian
U.S. Geological Survey landscape science strategy 2020–2030
Across our Nation, multiple Federal, State, Tribal, and local governments are working with stakeholders and landowners to restore, conserve, and manage lands and resources to benefit fish, wildlife, and people. One of the largest Federal efforts is led by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), with multiple DOI agencies working to conserve and manage public lands, resources, and cultural herit
Authors
Karen E. Jenni, Sarah K. Carter, Nicholas G. Aumen, Zachary H. Bowen, John B. Bradford, Michael A. Chotkowski, Leslie Hsu, Peter S. Murdoch, Scott W. Phillips, Kevin L. Pope, Rudy Schuster, Melanie J. Steinkamp, Jake Weltzin, George Z. Xian
Monitoring and assessing urban heat island variations and effects in the United States
Landsat surface temperature and land cover products have been used to estimate surface temperatures in urban and surrounding nonurban areas and to quantify urban heat island intensity. Understanding the intensity and long-term temporal trends of urban heat islands enables the heat-related health challenges associated with heat waves to be monitored and the effects for human health and ecosystems t
Authors
George Z. Xian
The effects of urban land cover dynamics on urban heat Island intensity and temporal trends
Assessments of surface urban heat island (UHI) have focused on using remote sensing and land cover data to quantify UHI intensity and spatial distribution within a certain time period by including land cover information. In this study, we implemented a prototype approach to characterize the spatiotemporal variations of UHI using time series of Landsat land surface temperature products and annual l
Authors
George Z. Xian, Hua Shi, Roger F. Auch, Kevin Gallo, Qiang Zhou, Zhuoting Wu, Michael Kolian
Rangeland fractional components across the western United States from 1985 to 2018
Monitoring temporal dynamics of rangelands to detect and understand change in vegetation cover and composition provides a wealth of information to improve management and sustainability. Remote sensing allows the evaluation of both abrupt and gradual rangeland change at unprecedented spatial and temporal extents. Here, we describe the production of the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) Back in Ti
Authors
Matthew B. Rigge, Collin Homer, Hua Shi, Debbie Meyer, Brett Bunde, Brian J. Granneman, Kory Postma, Patrick Danielson, Adam Case, George Z. Xian
Investigation of land surface phenology detections in shrublands using multiple scale satellite data
Shrublands occupy about 13% of the global land surface, contain about one-third of the biodiversity, store about half of the global terrestrial carbon, and provide many ecosystem services to a large amount of world's human population and livestock. Because phenology is a sensitive indicator of the response of shrubland ecosystems to climate change, the alteration of ecosystems following species in
Authors
Dailiang Peng, Yan Wang, George Z. Xian, Alfredo R Huete, Wenjiang Huang, Miaogen Shen, Fumin Wang, Le Yu, Liangyun Liu, Qiaoyun Xie, Lingling Liu, Xiaoyang Zhang
Analyzing vegetation change in a sagebrush ecosystem using long-term field observations and Landsat imagery in Wyoming
The importance of monitoring shrublands to detect and understand changes through time is increasingly recognized as critical to management. This research focuses on ecological change observed over 10 yr of field observation at 126 plots and over 35 yr of the Landsat archive in a shrubland ecosystem. Field data consisting of the fractional cover of shrubs, sagebrush, herbs, litter, and bare ground
Authors
Hua Shi, Collin Homer, Matthew B. Rigge, Kory Postma, George Z. Xian
Climate sensitivity to decadal land cover and land use change across the conterminous United States
Transitions to terrestrial ecosystems attributable to land cover and land use change (LCLUC) and climate change can affect the climate at local to regional scales. However, conclusions from most previous studies do not provide information about local climate effects, and little research has directly quantified how LCLUC intensity within different ecoregions relates to climate variation. In this st
Authors
George Z. Xian, Thomas Loveland, Seth M. Munson, James Vogelmann, Xubin Zeng, Collin Homer
Methods for rapid quality assessment for national-scale land surface change monitoring
Providing rapid access to land surface change data and information is a goal of the U.S. Geological Survey. Through the Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) initiative, we have initiated a monitoring capability that involves generating a suite of ten annual land cover and land surface change datasets across the United States at a 30-m spatial resolution. During the LCMAP aut
Authors
Qiang Zhou, Christopher Barber, George Z. Xian
Land change monitoring, assessment, and projection
There is a pressing need to monitor and understand the rapid land change happening around the world. The U.S. Geological Survey is developing a new capability, called Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP), to innovate the understanding of land change. This capability is the Earth Resources Observation and Science Center's foundation for an integrated U.S. Geological Survey-wid
Authors
Jennifer Rover, Jesslyn F. Brown, Roger F. Auch, Kristi Sayler, Terry L. Sohl, Heather J. Tollerud, George Z. Xian
Gap fill of Land surface temperature and reflectance products in Analysis Ready Data
The recently released Landsat Analysis Ready Data (ARD) over the United States provides the opportunity to investigate landscape dynamics using dense time series observations at 30-m resolution. However, the dataset often contains data gaps (or missing data) because of cloud contamination or data acquisition strategy. We present a new algorithm that focuses on data gap filling using clear observat
Authors
Qiang Zhou, George Z. Xian, Hua Shi
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 73
Urban heat island and its regional impacts using remotely sensed thermal data – A review of recent developments and methodology
Many novel research algorithms have been developed to analyze urban heat island (UHI) and UHI regional impacts (UHIRIP) with remotely sensed thermal data tables. We present a comprehensive review of some important aspects of UHI and UHIRIP studies that use remotely sensed thermal data, including concepts, datasets, methodologies, and applications. We focus on reviewing progress on multi-sensor ima
Authors
Hua Shi, George Z. Xian, Roger F. Auch, Kevin Gallo, Qiang Zhou
Land surface temperature differences between natural and artificial turf sports fields as estimated from satellite: Examples from the United States and Europe
An increasing number of sports fields around the world are equipped with artificial turf. This solution has been endorsed by numerous sports federations, despite concerns about the potential for injuries and higher surface temperatures. In this work we analyzed land surface temperature in 4 pairs of natural and artificial turf sports fields in Europe and the United States using Landsat-8 data. Sur
Authors
Vasco M. Mantas, George Z. Xian
U.S. Geological Survey landscape science strategy 2020–2030
Across our Nation, multiple Federal, State, Tribal, and local governments are working with stakeholders and landowners to restore, conserve, and manage lands and resources to benefit fish, wildlife, and people. One of the largest Federal efforts is led by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), with multiple DOI agencies working to conserve and manage public lands, resources, and cultural herit
Authors
Karen E. Jenni, Sarah K. Carter, Nicholas G. Aumen, Zachary H. Bowen, John B. Bradford, Michael A. Chotkowski, Leslie Hsu, Peter S. Murdoch, Scott W. Phillips, Kevin L. Pope, Rudy Schuster, Melanie J. Steinkamp, Jake Weltzin, George Z. Xian
Monitoring and assessing urban heat island variations and effects in the United States
Landsat surface temperature and land cover products have been used to estimate surface temperatures in urban and surrounding nonurban areas and to quantify urban heat island intensity. Understanding the intensity and long-term temporal trends of urban heat islands enables the heat-related health challenges associated with heat waves to be monitored and the effects for human health and ecosystems t
Authors
George Z. Xian
The effects of urban land cover dynamics on urban heat Island intensity and temporal trends
Assessments of surface urban heat island (UHI) have focused on using remote sensing and land cover data to quantify UHI intensity and spatial distribution within a certain time period by including land cover information. In this study, we implemented a prototype approach to characterize the spatiotemporal variations of UHI using time series of Landsat land surface temperature products and annual l
Authors
George Z. Xian, Hua Shi, Roger F. Auch, Kevin Gallo, Qiang Zhou, Zhuoting Wu, Michael Kolian
Rangeland fractional components across the western United States from 1985 to 2018
Monitoring temporal dynamics of rangelands to detect and understand change in vegetation cover and composition provides a wealth of information to improve management and sustainability. Remote sensing allows the evaluation of both abrupt and gradual rangeland change at unprecedented spatial and temporal extents. Here, we describe the production of the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) Back in Ti
Authors
Matthew B. Rigge, Collin Homer, Hua Shi, Debbie Meyer, Brett Bunde, Brian J. Granneman, Kory Postma, Patrick Danielson, Adam Case, George Z. Xian
Investigation of land surface phenology detections in shrublands using multiple scale satellite data
Shrublands occupy about 13% of the global land surface, contain about one-third of the biodiversity, store about half of the global terrestrial carbon, and provide many ecosystem services to a large amount of world's human population and livestock. Because phenology is a sensitive indicator of the response of shrubland ecosystems to climate change, the alteration of ecosystems following species in
Authors
Dailiang Peng, Yan Wang, George Z. Xian, Alfredo R Huete, Wenjiang Huang, Miaogen Shen, Fumin Wang, Le Yu, Liangyun Liu, Qiaoyun Xie, Lingling Liu, Xiaoyang Zhang
Analyzing vegetation change in a sagebrush ecosystem using long-term field observations and Landsat imagery in Wyoming
The importance of monitoring shrublands to detect and understand changes through time is increasingly recognized as critical to management. This research focuses on ecological change observed over 10 yr of field observation at 126 plots and over 35 yr of the Landsat archive in a shrubland ecosystem. Field data consisting of the fractional cover of shrubs, sagebrush, herbs, litter, and bare ground
Authors
Hua Shi, Collin Homer, Matthew B. Rigge, Kory Postma, George Z. Xian
Climate sensitivity to decadal land cover and land use change across the conterminous United States
Transitions to terrestrial ecosystems attributable to land cover and land use change (LCLUC) and climate change can affect the climate at local to regional scales. However, conclusions from most previous studies do not provide information about local climate effects, and little research has directly quantified how LCLUC intensity within different ecoregions relates to climate variation. In this st
Authors
George Z. Xian, Thomas Loveland, Seth M. Munson, James Vogelmann, Xubin Zeng, Collin Homer
Methods for rapid quality assessment for national-scale land surface change monitoring
Providing rapid access to land surface change data and information is a goal of the U.S. Geological Survey. Through the Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) initiative, we have initiated a monitoring capability that involves generating a suite of ten annual land cover and land surface change datasets across the United States at a 30-m spatial resolution. During the LCMAP aut
Authors
Qiang Zhou, Christopher Barber, George Z. Xian
Land change monitoring, assessment, and projection
There is a pressing need to monitor and understand the rapid land change happening around the world. The U.S. Geological Survey is developing a new capability, called Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP), to innovate the understanding of land change. This capability is the Earth Resources Observation and Science Center's foundation for an integrated U.S. Geological Survey-wid
Authors
Jennifer Rover, Jesslyn F. Brown, Roger F. Auch, Kristi Sayler, Terry L. Sohl, Heather J. Tollerud, George Z. Xian
Gap fill of Land surface temperature and reflectance products in Analysis Ready Data
The recently released Landsat Analysis Ready Data (ARD) over the United States provides the opportunity to investigate landscape dynamics using dense time series observations at 30-m resolution. However, the dataset often contains data gaps (or missing data) because of cloud contamination or data acquisition strategy. We present a new algorithm that focuses on data gap filling using clear observat
Authors
Qiang Zhou, George Z. Xian, Hua Shi