U.S. Geological SurveyNational Mapping DivisionEROS Data Center

A Proposal for Caribbean-Wide Land Cover/Use Mapping

Developing a Regional Planning Framework for Biodiversity Conservation, Disaster Preparedness, and Economic and Agricultural Development

In the Insular Caribbean

The Nature Conservancy U.S. Forest Service U.S. Geological Survey International Conservation Program International Institute of EROS Data Center Conservation Science Department Tropical Forestry

A Proposal funded by the USAID Caribbean Regional Office

& supported by FAO, NASA

WHY make Consistent Land Cover/Use Products for the Caribbean? To respond to Strategic Objective 2 of the Caribbean

Regional Program Strategy (USAID, 2000): “Environmental Management – Improved environmental management by public and private entities”

  To enable integrated environmental and economic

planning by: providing improved access to information for regional and in-

region planners and other stakeholders, bringing the spatial dimension to the development of best

practices, and developing national capacity and management resources in an

integrated and cooperative regional framework.

Imagery DEM Soil + Other

Other Climate

Soil + Soil + Other

Decision Tree Training of Complete Data Set

Field Refinement

GrassShrubSmallGrain Montane

ForestBarren Sedge

WetlandIndus-trial

Documented and Adaptable Land Classification

Internet Map Server Applications for Diverse Clients

Source Data and Rules for Specific Client Applications

Integrated Land Cover/Use System for the Caribbean Islands

DEM +

IMSImplementation

Integrated Land Cover/Use System for the Caribbean Islands

Internet Map Server Applications for Diverse Clients (browser)

Source Data and Rules for Specific Client Applications

Documented and Adaptable Land ClassificationStatic Products: Digital (CD, Internet) & Hard Copy

Dynamic Products: Digital (CD, Internet Map Server)

Land CoverLand UseUrban ExpansionNatural VegetationGap AnalysisAgricultural Class.Forest DensityCarbon Stocks

Landslide Risk Flood RiskBasin DelineationVulnerable PopulationsRidge to Reef AnalysesTerrestrial/Marine DEMsCommodity/Parcel CertificationHistorical Land Change

Final Products will Consist of: High resolution land cover/use database & maps with

best georectification for each island (MRLC-like) Ancillary databases including where possible

prior land cover maps, GIS data layers, digital elevation models, forest inventory data, soils maps, and others

Consistently labeled and interpreted products for the Caribbean

A flexible mapping framework for specific client refinement and modification

Vector-based land cover units designed for conservation planning

A network of knowledgeable users among the Caribbean Islands

(An ArcIMS Data Querying & Distribution System for each country and cooperating regional organizations)

WHO will do the work?

USGS, EROS Data Center USFS, International Institute

for Tropical Forestry The Nature Conservancy,

International Conservation Program

National Cooperators Regional Organizations

Collaborating Institutions:

Anticipated Work Flow – An Iterative ProcessThe Lead Institution

Primary Analyst is responsible for coordinating all efforts for an island.

EDC will have specific roles in

1. training, 2. image acquisition, 3. processing all

data inputs, and 4. implementing a

distributed data dissemination system

Secure, Process

TM Images

CalibrateSubsetMask

SpectralData Stack

CreateField Map Field Map Plan/Perform

Fieldwork

Field DataReviewEdit

Extract

TrainingData

DigitizeRasterize

GeoregisterResample

AncillaryData Ancillary

Data Stack

CombineCreate Metadata

All DataStack

Metadata

Submit toEDC

Review

Accept

RejectReturn

ExplainRejection

GenerateAdditional

DataRun Preliminary

Decision Tree

PreliminaryClassification

Image

Submit ToPrimaryAnalyst

Review/Edit/Identify CorrectionsCreate Improved Training Data

New Training Data

Submit toEDCReview

Accept Run FinalDecision Tree

FinalClassification

Image

Submit ToPrimaryAnalyst

Review/Edit

“Final”Land Cover

Maps & DatabasesEROS/USGS SCIENTIST “Final”

Land CoverMaps & Databases

“Final”Land Cover

Maps & DatabasesArcIMS-based Distribution by Country

Acquire Landsat 7 ETM+ Imagery

Multiple date acquisitions are anticipated to negate clouds and seasonal impacts.

Finished Land Cover/Use Maps and Databases

After edits and reviews are incorporated by all interested local agencies, the final Land Cover/Use Maps and ancillary databases are released for use and distribution.

Distribution of Products Complete data set to collaborators and each island. Digital versions on CDs with convenient interface. A Caribbean web site for information and down load. Data for a Caribbean Digital Atlas. Source data available from web sites, collaborators

and others.

MultipleProduct Benefits

-National Planning/Management-Natural Resource Monitoring-Regional Assessments and

Planning-Smallholder Development-Public Relations, Advertising,

and Tourism-Personal Networking

Premium Value for BananaCertification

What do we gain with new and Consistent Land Cover/Use Mapping?

A standardized classification schema, high resolution land cover/use maps, and associated databases will:

Permit inter-island comparisons of the status and ecological variability of similar landscape units,

Enable regional conservation strategies, Provide a baseline for regional biodiversity

monitoring programs. Protect coastal environments, Enable regional land use planning Facilitate environmental management Support agricultural certification, and Enable change comparisons

Don’t Land Cover/Use Maps Already Exist?

Although maps of “vegetation” exist for many of the individual Caribbean islands, these are often: out of date, erroneous, lacking information, frequently too coarse, both spatially and in classification, for

many practical applications, unsuitable for diverse client needs, i.e. too categoric non-standardized in both classification and methodology, not integrated with ancillary databases, not incorporated in integrated applications, not in a framework that promotes upgrading and refinement not available to a general group of users via browsers, and not integrated into an Internet Mapping System

 

Aren’t the Global & Regional Maps Adequate?

Global and regional land cover maps that already exist are not suitable for the Insular Caribbean because of:

1. Spatial Scales

2. Classification Details

3. Lack of Ancillary Databases

4. Lack of Internet Map Serving

Therefore, most existing maps are unsuitable for local terrestrial land use and coastal planning, monitoring, management or for comparisons of vegetation across multiple islands.

HOW do we propose to do this?

Draw on existing methods developed by USGS for the National Land Cover project (MRLC)

Landsat 7 ETM+ Source 30 Meter Pixel Standardized Projection Consistent Classification Large-area Applications Associated Databases

Landsat 7 ETM+ Instrument Characteristics

Band Spectral GroundNumber Range (micrometers) Resolution (m) 1 .450 to .515 30 2 .525 to .605 30 3 .630 to .690 30 4 .750 to .900 30 5 1.55 to 1.75 30 6 10.40 to 12.5 60 7 2.09 to 2.35 30 Pan .520 to .900 15

Swath Width: 185 kmRepeat Coverage Interval: 16 days (233 orbits)Altitude: 705 kmQuantization: Best 8 of 9 bitsOn-board data storage: ~375Gb (solid state)Inclination: Sun-synchronous, 98.2o

Equatorial Crossing: Descending, 10:00am +/- 15 min.Launch vehicle: Delta IILaunch Date: April 15, 1998

Use On-Island Expertise

Those islands able to contribute to the process are encouraged to do so.

Field validationImage interpretationImage processingData distribution

Identify and contact island specific agencies and experts to enlist their interest, expertise, and input.

Appropriate Land Use at Forest Margins

Obtain Existing Datasets

Acquire any available ancillary data (prior land cover mapping efforts, GIS data layers, digital elevation models, forest inventory data, soils maps, etc.).

Where such data are only available in hardcopy format, they will be transformed into digital formats.

Responsibilities of The Primary Analyst

All ancillary datasets will be digitized, rasterized, and georegistered to the Landsat 7 ETM+ imagery.

Metadata describing each dataset will be generated.

Metadata and Data will be Placed in Distributed Clearinghouses.

Support Parcel and CommodityIdentity or Certification

Responsibilities of The Primary Analyst (cont)

An unsupervised classification will be used to create cloud, cloud shadow, and water masks.

Protect “reef to ridge” Systems andEnvironmental Protection

Responsibilities of The Primary Analyst (cont)

Secure Local Knowledge of the island to help identify spectral groups which correspond to the proposed land cover schema.

This will provide a realistic check on spectral separability of land cover classes.

This will guide productive field data collection.

Identify, Conserve and ProtectRare Communities and Species

Responsibilities of The Primary Analyst (cont)

Islands with existing land cover maps will be “crosswalked” into the proposed regional land cover classification schema.

Unchanged portions of the island may be used to provide training data for an intermediate classification on this new schema.

Prior Classification Proposed ClassificationAgriculture Mixed Commercial and

Subsistence Plantations

Elfin and Alpine Meadow

Montane Cloud Forest and Montane Grasslands

Littoral Woodland Lowland Semi-deciduous Forest

Montane Rain Forest Montane Rain Forest

Montane Thicket Evergreen Montane Shrubland

Secondary Rain Forest Disturbed Submontane Rain Forest

Mature Rain Forest Submontane Rainforest

Semi-Evergreen Forest Lowland/Submontane Seasonal Evergreen Forest

Scrub Woodland Lowland Drought Deciduous Shrubland

Grasslands Short/Medium/Tall Grasslands

Swamp and Wetlands Seasonally Flooded Rainforest/Woodland/Grassland

Responsibilities of The Primary Analyst (cont)

Field data, collected via GPS, recent aerial photography, or other means, will be used to verify and correct both of these preliminary efforts at generating training data.

A final training dataset will be assembled.

Assist Management of Natural Resources

Responsibilities of The Primary Analyst (cont)

Provide all imagery, ancillary data, metadata, and training data for initial EDC processing.

EDC prepares a preliminary classification using a “decision tree” linear regression technique.

Identify local experts who can take advantage of sub-regional training as processing is done.

EROS Data Center will Process all Data

Input Database

Elevation

Aspect

Position Index

SlopeMultiple Dates and Spectral Bands of LANDSAT TM ETM+Imagery

Training Data

Soil

If tm2b1 > 30 and tm1b5 < 45and tm1b3 > 30 and tm2b4 < 25and tm1b1 < 127 and slope < 5and elevation > 4500 and position< 3 and aspect eq north and soil eq 2Then SHRUB

Land Cover Map

Decision Tree

Spatial Expression

Textual Expression

Responsibilities of the Primary Analyst (cont)

The land cover map resulting from this preliminary classification will be returned to primary analyst and each island for review, edits, and corrections.

Corrections will be used to provide improved training data to EDC.

EDC will use the new training data to run a final classification with the same “decision tree” technique. This land cover map will be the last submission EDC plans to make in the process.

Any further classification efforts will be done by more traditional, supervised classification methods, by the Primary Analyst and Island entities.

Contributors to Caribbean Mapping

IITF, USDA $225k NASA Data Buy 75+ IITF, USDA 180 UN FAO Caribbean Training 15 USAID/W, TNC (Dominica and Bahamas) 150 USAID/Jamaica 70 USAID/Dominican Republic 200 EDC and TNC 27 EDC/MRLC (Puerto Rico and U.S.V.I.) 100

TOTAL = $1,022k