Territorial and Risk Management… an approach

EarthzineArticles, Disasters, Earth Observation, OpEd, Original, Sections, Water

Cropped image of New Orleans flooded after Hurricane Katrina For the first time in its history, the human being has the ability to manipulate the environment on a global scale. These global changes pose tremendous challenges for the integration of science and scientists in decision-making. When dealing with uncertainty and high risks, such as natural disasters, such integration is particularly difficult, but necessary.

Earthquake Country

EarthzineCoastal Environments 2016, Original, Themed Articles

Experts agree the Pacific Northwest is likely to experience a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake at any point in the next 50 years. The event will be catastrophic, directly impacting the lives of 13 million people from British Columbia to Northern California. On one particular crisp autumn morning in October, nothing happened. There were no announcements; there was no hoopla and … Read More

GIS Free-For-All

EarthzineOriginal, Socioeconomic Benefits 2016, Themed Articles

Using free and open source GIS programs and data platforms can eliminate costs associated with data processing, making Earth Observation data more profitable for all. Clyde A. Brooke purchased 140 acres of land in Hancock, Mississippi, in 1952 to begin a timber operation, and what began as a humble operation has grown to more than 4,000 acres today. The Brookewood … Read More

Mapping Post-Wildfire Neighborhood Recovery: Integrating Spatial Video with GIS for Data Collection and Analysis

EarthzineArticles, Original, Sections, Technology, Themed Articles, Wildfires Theme

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Until recently, no systematic, dynamic, and cost-effective data collection strategy has been available for use in the study of post-disaster neighborhoods. In order to address this concern, we employed a geospatial approach, ‰ÛÏspatial video,‰Û which links video with coordinates acquired by a Global Positioning System receiver. This advance enables new study of the dynamic spatial and temporal scales of post-wildfire recovery.

Where Have All the Cypress Gone? Mapping Restoration Sites in Louisiana

EarthzineDEVELOP Virtual Poster Session, Original

A 3-meter DEM showing non-optimal baldcypress elevations in grey tones (white for highest and black for lowest elevations).

A 3-meter DEM showing non-optimal baldcypress elevations in grey tones (white for highest and black for lowest elevations).Coastal forests in southeast Louisiana have been steadily degraded over the last century due to a combination of natural and anthropogenic factors such as subsidence, saltwater intrusion, and logging/timber production. While many nonprofits and municipal agencies are involved in coastal restoration efforts, they often rely on different and sometimes contradictory data sets to guide their decision-making processes. Using NASA EOS and a variety of supplemental data, a comprehensive GIS including elevation, access to transportation infrastructure, existing land cover, as well as many other parameters has been created to identify suitable planting locations to help unify these organizations, who share a common goal, under one plan.