Abstract

ACUB Model Automation: A Standardized Methodology for Army National Guard
Track: Defense and Intelligence
Authors: Tara Plewa, Christy Jacobs, W Bost

National Guard's Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) program aims to identify parcels nearby military installations and place them under conservation easement. The protected parcels serve as an installation buffer; preserving the mission while protecting the environment. In South Carolina, the weighted linear combination method examines how military training, potential for environmental conservation, as well as risk of development affects each parcel. This model applies Model Builder and custom Python scripts to 13 layers pointing directly to a SDSFIE-compliant SDE. Feature's scores depends upon factors like installation proximity and conservation suitability. Output rasters from each process are weighted and added with map algebra operations. The final raster is run through a zonal statistics routine where each parcel receives a score: highest scores are those most desirable for easement. This model replaces a manual, ad-hoc methodology with a statistically-supportable procedure reducing days of work to a single day of background processing time.