Palo Alto Battlefield is the site of the first conflict of the Mexican-American War. The May 8, 1846 battle began a series of events which resulted in the loss of one-third of Mexico's territory to the United States. To recognize the significance of this battle, and the war as a whole, Congress authorized the establishment of the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Site in 1992. The 3,400 acre park is the only unit in the National Park Service system preserving and interpreting the resources related to the battle and Mexican-American War. Of note in the legislation is the mandate to enter a cooperative agreement with Mexico to interpret the war from the perspectives of both countries. This is truly an international project.
As part of the planning process for the new park, the National Park Service (NPS) developed a GIS to assist in the preparation of the park's General Management Plan (GMP). The NPS Denver Service Center (DSC) used ArcInfo for site data inventory and analysis. Coverages include: transportation, utilities, soils, vegetation, topography, hydrography, wetlands, floodplains, property tracts, historic battle maps, land use, historic land use, and archaeological surveys. The primary use of GIS was to evaluate resource characteristics to formulate a management zoning map. The management zoning map was developed from three analytic components: sensitive cultural resource areas, sensitive natural resource areas, and a site suitability model for the developed component of the park. Upon completion of the planning process, the park will utilize the GIS with ArcView 2 for their daily needs.
Brian Carlstrom
Denver Service Center - GIS Branch
P.O. Box 25287
Denver, CO 80225-0287
Telephone: 303-987-6653
Fax: 303-987-6658
Email: bcarlstr@dsc.nps.gov