This is a new research effort funded by the National Park Service, scheduled to being in July 2003 and conclude in July 2005.
The Northeast Temperate Network (NETN) of the National Park Service consists of eleven units extending from Maine to New Jersey. The purpose of the project is to provide a landscape context for these units. Land-cover type changes over the past thirty years will be identified by digitally classifying Landsat MSS, TM, and ETM+ imagery. The study sites included selected parks and segments along the Appalachian Trail (APPA) of the NETN.
Each unit being evaluated during this project has its own webpage within
this site. These pages offer information on what geospatial information
has been acquired for each park, as well as the status of the land cover
classifications and its respective virtual field reference database.
Choose a unit to explore further:
Update: September 26, 2003. Initial field observation exercises
have been completed at ACAD, MABI, SAGA, and the three segments of APPA
that will be analyzed in this project. MIMA and SAIR are pencilled in
for this fall, however no plans have been made yet. The field work went
very well, with 1363 digital photographs (1022 georeferenced, 341 traditional)
were recorded and 1042 miles were driven over the course of one week!
The photographs and GPS data are being compiled into a Virtual Field
Reference Database (VFRDB) for each park. Preliminary land-cover classification
for the APPA segments will begin shortly.
Update: July 10, 2003. Data acquisition has begun. Availability of imagery and GIS data is being assessed. Based on this information, the following units are scheduled to be assessed in the field this August: ACAD, MABI, SAGA, and MIMA. The remaining units will be assessed during the summer of 2004.
Update: January 7, 2004. ACAD, MABI, SAGA, and the Whitecap and Saddleback sections of APPA were assessed in the field in August 2003. 1,375 digital photographs were recorded during this effort, of which 1,021 are georeferenced to less than 10 m accuracy. Land-cover interpretation is in progress for ACAD, with the two segments of APPA in Maine to follow.
Update: January 28, 2005. All satellite images are being processed for land cover classification. Examples of Landsat images and land cover data for selected segments along APPA (1, 2) can be checked here.
Update: January 28, 2007. Draft Project Report submitted on December 28th, 2006.
Update: January 18, 2008. Final Project Report submitted.