Project Team: Sierra Nevada Ecological Forecasting Team
Depiction of the three major Sierra DSS Components using Basin CharacterizationåÊModel data (left), standardized Plotly graphs (middle), and stacked data layers (right). Image Credit: Sierra Nevada Ecological Forecasting Team.
Team Location: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California
Authors:
Chase Mueller, Project Lead (University of Texas at San Antonio)
Amber Brooks (University of Redlands, MS GIS)
Oliwia Baney (University of California, Los Angeles)
Emily Kislik (University of California, Berkeley)
Andrew Nguyen (San Jose State University)
Mentors/Advisors:
Carlos Ramirez (U.S. Forest Service, Region 5 Remote Sensing Lab)
Dr. Cindy Schmidt (Bay Area Environmental Research Institute)
Dr. Juan Torres-PÌ©rez (Bay Area Environmental Research Institute)
Past/Other Contributors:
Esther Essoudry (University of California, Berkeley)
James Brannon (Villanova University)
Erika Edgar (University of Alaska, Fairbanks)
Abstract:
The Sierra Nevada is experiencing changes in hydrologic regimes, such as decreases in snowmelt and peak runoff, which affect forest health and the availability of water resources. Currently, the USDA Forest Service Region 5 is undergoing Forest Plan revisions to include climate change impacts into mitigation and adaptation strategies. However, there are few processes in place to conduct quantitative assessments of forest conditions in relation to mountain hydrology, while easily and effectively delivering that information to forest managers. To assist the USDA Forest Service, a Decision Support System (DSS) was prototyped and data were obtained to allow ease of access to historical and forecasted hydrologic, climatic, and terrestrial conditions for the entire Sierra Nevada. These data are featured within three components of the DSS: the Mapping Viewer, Statistical Analysis Portal, and Geospatial Data Gateway. Utilizing ArcGIS Online for Organizations and Image Services through ArcGIS For Server, the Sierra DSS Mapping Viewer will enable users to interactively explore spatial datasets within a browser or on a mobile device. The Statistical Analysis Portal provides subbasin level statistics for each variable over time by utilizing a recently developed web-based data analysis and visualization tool called Plotly. This tool allows users to generate graphs and conduct statistical analyses for the Sierra Nevada needing to download the dataset of interest. For more comprehensive analysis, users are also able to download spatial datasets via the Geospatial Data Gateway. The hand off phase of this project is focusing on the data transfer, data hosting, user training and the integration of the three Sierra DSS components within a section 508 compliant website designed by the USDA Forest Service.