Track: Forestry
Using ARC GRID To Build and Use Patch Geometry and Neighborhood Relationship Tables for the Interpretation of Remotely Sensed Data from the Western Oregon Digital Image Project
Jeffery S. NighbertThis paper describes user requirements, ARC Macro Language (AML) programming, and data processing methods for building patch geometry and neighborhood relationship tables in the ARC GRID system. Several examples of how these tables are used to help interpret remotely sensed vegetation data from the Western Oregon Digital Image Project (WODIP) for habitat assessment will be presented. Remotely sensed vegetation data from WODIP is being used in landscape assessments, ecological studies, and watershed analysis by the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service, and many other northwest land management entities. WODIP provides forest vegetation information for all lands in western Oregon from the crest of the Cascade Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. ERDAS IMAGINE and ArcInfo software were used to interpret eight Landsat Thematic Mapper Scenes resulting in an ARC GRID format database containing 247 separate classes of information about the land cover types such as water, nonforest, forest, urban, agriculture, and other categories. Specific information developed for the forest cover type category included tree species, tree size, tree structure, and crown closure information.
Jeffery S. Nighbert
Bureau of Land Management
1515 SW 5th Avenue
Portland, OR 97201
USA
Telephone: 503-952-6399
Fax: 503-952-6419
E-mail: jnighber@or.blm.gov