Team Location: NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia
Authors: Conor Collins, Christopher Newport University; Jeremy Carpenter, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Jacob Hope, Warwick High School; Barbara McNutt, University of Pennsylvania; Courtney Green, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Emily Wiggans, University of Vermont; James Ridgers, University of California Santa Cruz; Madison Boehm, Oregon State University.
Advisors/Mentors: Dr. Kenton Ross, Daniel Madding
Abstract: Natural disasters including hurricanes, floods, and droughts cause significant amounts of damage to the agricultural industry in North Carolina (Hurricane Isabel in 2003 produced an estimated $152 million in damages), an industry with an average yearly gross of $70 billion. Imagery from Landsat 5 TM and Terra’s MODIS were used to view the croplands within the Inner Banks. The satellite images were processed with Earth Resources Data Analysis System (ERDAS) and ArcGIS software to analyze the crop damage using different indices. Based on time series imagery from the case studies of Hurricane Floyd (1999), Isabel (2003), and Irene (2011), and their associated flooding events, a risk map for flooding was developed. This process was repeated when examining the drought years of 2007 and 2011. The flooding and drought risk maps were combined with information on soil families and crop distribution to produce one all-encompassing map. The final risk map details the hazards associated with natural disasters for crops grown in the Inner Banks of North Carolina. Farmers and North Carolina departments can use the map to aid with disaster preparedness and recovery planning.
Summer VPS > Agriculture
NASA Satellites: Saving America's Farmland One State at a Time
