Virginia Tech GIS and Remote Sensing Research Symposium

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Browsing Virginia Tech GIS and Remote Sensing Research Symposium by Content Type "Abstract"

Now showing 1 - 11 of 11
  • Application of GIS and RS in Abandoned Land Surveying: A Case Study in Shandong, China
    Li, Jing; Liu, Zishang; Li, Wenyu (2014)
    For the acute contradiction between land and people, cherishing and reasonable using per inch land is a persistent national policy in China, whereas land damage is unavoidable in mining, construction and other activity. There is still a lot of abandoned land unused and with no obligator in China, which will have to be the government’s responsibility to survey, plan how to use them and to complete recovering them. For the abandoned land damage always occurred minimally 25 years ago, it is hard to find their information which is truly needed to make clear how much, when and where to reclaim them. Focus on that problem, we proposed a method to find and capture the abandoned land information, which is based on social surveying methods, but featured with GIS and RS. The method was used in Shandong Province. Result showed there are totally 15,751 units and 76,088 ha abandoned land, distributed in 15 cities. Among that, subsided land, digging land and occupied land are 23,981ha, 4154ha and 4,471ha respectively. The conclusion is that based on social survey data, GIS overlapping analysis function and RS method are effective to identified the location, specific damaged time, land use status and so on. As the project is just on the beginning stage, there are still further study on the monitoring and evaluation of self-rehabilitation status of abandoned land.
  • Application of SEBAL Model for Mapping Evapotranspiration in Iowa Using MODIS Time-Series Data
    Feng, Leyang (2014)
    Evapotranspiration (ET), including evaporation from soil surface and vegetation transpiration, is an important variable for water and energy balances on the Earth's surface. Quantifying evapotranspiration (ET) from agriculture fields is important for field water planning and management. Also, knowledge of spatio-temporal distribution of evapotranspiration (ET) on large scales, can provide important information on a variety of water resources issues such as water distribution evaluation, water use by different land surfaces and better management of ground and surface water resources. The main method used traditionally to measure ET are subject to individual, field or landscape scales, but regional ET cannot be measure directly or interpolated due to the inherent spatial heterogeneity of the land surface. Due to the development of remote sensing technology, critical land surface variables with spatial distribution can be acquired easily, such as surface albedo, fractional vegetation cover, and land surface temperature. In this study, the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) is applied to time series of MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Level 3 data of reflectance and surface temperature measurements to estimate monthly evapotranspiration in Iowa. Spatial distribution and seasonal variation of ET were also analyzed on a large scale.
  • Automated Landsat Classification of Tropical Forest Disturbances for Large Scale Identification in the Amazon
    Derwin, Jill (2014)
    Under-reporting of selective logging and forest disturbance has posed an issue for forest health and deforestation estimations in the tropics due to difficulty of detection by satellite data. Several studies have proposed methods for the delineation of these areas using a variety of data and models. In the interest of supporting the study of large-scale ecosystem and climate dynamics in this region for the purposes of prioritization of critical focal points in climate mitigation policy and incentive programs, I hope to test one such methodology over different regions across Amazonia. Landsat-derived Multiple Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (MSAVI) and alternately Multiple Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index with Aerosol Resistance (MSAVIaf) have been shown to be relatively successful in obtaining green fractional percentage (fc) when incorporated into a linear mixture model. I plan to replicate this technique, followed by a multi-temporal comparison of fc to locate disturbed and degraded areas, and then expand the analysis over an extended study area to review the potential for automation to a state-wide or national scale.
  • A Climatology of Precipitation Efficiency for the Central Appalachian Mountains Region
    Morrow, James; Luchetti, Nick (2014)
    Precipitation efficiency is commonly defined as the ratio of the amount of precipitation at ground level to the amount of precipitable water in the column of the atmosphere above. The value represents the fraction of available water vapor in the atmosphere that is translated into precipitation reaching the surface. Although relatively under-studied, precipitation efficiency is an important element of any hydroclimate, and variability or change in precipitation efficiency spatially or temporally has significant consequences to physical and social systems. Daily data were used to construct a spring season climatology of precipitation efficiency for the central Appalachian Mountains region of the eastern United States for the period 1982 Through 2012. The spatial variability in mean precipitation efficiency across the region is presented and related to the region’s physiography. Time series analyses of precipitation efficiency are presented to highlight both (1) the inter-annual variability for the purpose of identifying any large scale climate system controllers and (2) any trends that may signal a recent change in the regional climate for the purpose of engaging concerns over both future drought and increasingly extreme precipitation events.
  • The Effect of Protected Wilderness Spaces on Local Human Population
    Griffin, Drew; Duda, Kaylyn; Brosch, Geoff (2014)
    The goal of this project is to analyze the effect that protected wilderness areas have on local human populations through the use of GIS. Using data from Northern Tanzania and from Virginia we hope to discover the degree and kind of difference between these two very different areas. Our current theory based on accounts by people who have traveled in the respective regions is that in Tanzania the protected areas have forced people to move and change their habits and home places whereas in Virginia the protected areas have had a drastically less pronounced effect.
  • Elevation's Effect on Winter Weather
    Shiben, Elliot; Sult, Sierra; Allen, Bryan (2014)
    Because our group is made up of three meteorologists our ideas for our GIS based research naturally favored weather based ideas, so it was only right that our eventual idea coincided with this recent massive snow storm which; being almost record breaking; was also a ton of fun for college kids throughout. Snow is often a fickle thing, loved by some yet hated by others, however whenever anyone hears when a snow storm is approaching they always ask “how much snow is going to fall?” using our research and some of the precipitation data we have available to us we plan on making a sort of precipitation map. This map will help us show and determine why and how noreasters and clippers differ. The data will also hopefully show why and how mountains and elevation in general may effect snowfall. Using this research it may help us not only to understand and show people (and hopefully explain to them) why exactly these storms occur but also hopefully show how complex these events are and explain to the general public how many variables there are in making such a massive winter event occur. GIS is used all the time by professional meteorologists to map things like tornado paths, rainfall data, and flood data to help organize things into interesting graphics. It is a quickly growing field that geographers and meteorologists alike need to embrace and learn how to use before it becomes a common staple in every workplace.
  • Lyme disease and the wilderness-urban interface in North Carolina and Virginia
    Zajic, Katherine (2014)
    Lyme, a tick-borne disease, has been endemic in Northeastern America for decades. However, with changing development patterns it is becoming a concern in areas where it was not previously endemic. Areas with high herbaceous- forest edges are a perfect environment for the white-footed mouse, a reservoir for the pathogen, and deer which carry ticks. As more suburban neighborhoods are developed around wooded areas, the environment becomes ideal for Lyme transmission. Abandoned development projects resulting from the housing decline also create this environment. In this project, I will use land cover data to identify the wilderness- urban interface and layer it with climate data as well as current Lyme incidence in order to determine areas at risk of increased Lyme incidence in Virginia and North Carolina based on the intersection of factors that are hospitable to Lyme. This information could be used to determine which areas need education programs and where doctors should be watchful of the variety of symptoms that Lyme can present by bringing attention to emerging high-risk areas.
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    Mapping High Tunnels in the Local Food Systems
    Foust-Meyer, Nathaniel; O'Rourke, Megan E. (2014)
    High tunnels (HTs) represent a quietly growing, local level response to globalization of the food system. As semi-permanent greenhouses, HTs bring practical on-farm solutions to biophysical growing constraints; they extend the growing season and buffer delicate crops from extreme weather events. In 2009, the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) began subsidizing the construction of HTs with the documented goals of increasing environmental stewardship and the added benefit of promoting local foods. However, many questions remain about the impacts of HTs. Where are they located? Who is benefiting from the NRCS HT program? Do HTs benefit rural or urban communities more? Are the benefits and access to HT produce equitably distributed between rural and urban consumers? This poster will illustrate the impacts of the NRCS HT program and high tunnels in general on farmers, consumers, and the local food movement. The poster will present information about where these high tunnels are in relation to metropolitan areas, food deserts, and the food insecure. Insights provided by GIS analysis about where HTs are located will lead to better projections into where they should be, in order to bring healthy food to more people, while conserving the environment.
  • Multi-temporal forest change detection in central Sumatra
    Poor, Erin (2014)
    Forest conversion to oil palm plantations and development in central Sumatra has been rampant over the past two decades. Home to critically endangered species such as the Sumatran tiger and Sumatran elephant, continued forest loss in this region will likely be detrimental to its unique wildlife. In this study, I use Landsat imagery from the past 20 years to determine how much native forest has been lost in a small subset of Riau Province, a potential stronghold for tigers and elephants. Landsat images were collected every 2-3 years, where possible, to track rapid deforestation events. Images were atmospherically corrected using the dark object subtraction method (DOS) and geometrically corrected using rivers and roads shape files. Image differencing was conducted for sequential images. Changes from 2005 and 2007 images were compared to the results of from a post-classification change analysis, using classified images provided by Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry. Results show that forest loss has occurred over every time step. With species such as tiger already being relegated to a scattering of protected areas over the landscape, these results suggest that continued forest loss may result in patches too small to maintain viable populations of Indonesia’s most charismatic and biologically important species.
  • Multi-temporal Multi-sensor Data Fusion
    Ghannam, Sherin; Abbott, A. Lynn (2014)
    Landsat data offered a great help in mapping a lot of vegetation parameters at 30 m spatial resolution but unfortunately does not provide daily coverage (it has a 16 day revisit cycle). This is a major obstacle for monitoring short term disturbances and changes in vegetation characteristics through time. MODIS, on the other hand, offers daily coverage but with a coarser resolution; 250m or coarser. The development of data fusion techniques has helped to improve the temporal resolution of fine spatial resolution data by blending observations from sensors with differing spatial and temporal characteristics. This would be helpful for many purposes including crop monitoring and investigating landscape disturbances. This study tries to make benefit of the multi-resolution analysis offered by data transforms to adopt a fusion technique for estimating missing Landsat data with the help of MODIS data. Results should be compared to the known STARFM algorithm.
  • A Study of Impermeable Surfaces in the Greater Washington, D.C. Area
    O'Connor, Mary; Chase-Walsh, Sarah; Cerquiera, Stephen (2014)
    The Washington D.C. area, like many cities, is covered with impermeable surfaces. With millions of cars on the roads every year, runoff is a major problem for the Potomac and the Anacostia rivers, which both empty into the Chesapeake Bay. Large buildings, constant construction, and an extensive highway system contribute to and expedite runoff. We will examine the amount of change in impermeable surfaces throughout the years and the effect runoff has on these two rivers. We also want to look at the permeable surfaces and see if change has increased or decreased the amount of runoff entering these two rivers. We hope to use data from USGS, PRISM, local DC data, and Chesapeake Bay Foundation. We will use ArcMap 10.1. This project addresses real problems that the District of Columbia faces every year. More importantly this project will help determine how much of an impact D.C. runoff has on the Chesapeake Bay.