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At least 91 records · Page 5

New State Forest Practice Laws. A review of state laws and their natural resource data requirements

Forest practice regulations can be established by being specified in state law or by being promulgated by some other official body delegated the authority to do so. At the state level, public regulation of private forest practices resulted in many cases, in the enactment of state forest practice laws regulating both private, and in some cases, public landowner activities. These laws aim not only to protect natural environments, but also to encourage continuous productivity of forest lands, to maintain or enhance aesthetic values, and to serve as an implementing mechanism to control water pollution. Profiles of regulations in California, Idaho, Maine, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Washington are examined and assessed. Voluntary guidelines in use in 18 states are summarized.

Klein, S. B.↗

The Pacific Northwest story

The establishment of image analysis facilities for the operational utilization of LANDSAT data in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington is discussed. The hardware and software resources are described for each facility along with the range of services.

Johnson, K. A.↗

Image display system 511

The experience of the Idaho Department of Water Resources Remote Sensing Unit in bringing on line their System 511 is described. The system 511 is run on a PDP minicomputer. The minimum system hardware configuration is an 11/34 with a minimum core of 128 K word, 10 megabytes of direct access disk and a floating point processor. The required software configuration is an RSX 11M V 3.2 operating system with a FORTRAN IV plus compiler. The structure of System 511 is a series of hierarchical modular software units. Problems occurring during the systems installation are discussed, and the system operating and error detection capabilities and documentation evaluated.

Gross, M.↗

Evaluation of VICAR software capability for land information support system needs

A preliminary evaluation of the processing capability of the VICAR software for land information support system needs is presented. The geometric and radiometric properties of four sets of LANDSAT data taken over the Elk River, Idaho quadrangle were compared. Storage of data sets, the means of location, pixel resolution, and radiometric and geometric characteristics are described. Recommended modifications of VICAR programs are presented.

Yao, S. S.↗

Irrigated acreage in the Bear River Basin as of the 1975 growing season

The irrigated cropland in the Bear River Basin as of the 1975 growing season was inventoried from satellite imagery. LANDSAT color infrared images (scale 1:125,000) were examined for early, mid, and late summer dates, and acreage was estimated by use of township/section overlays. The total basin acreage was estimated to be 573,435 acres, with individual state totals as follows: Idaho 234,370 acres; Utah 265,505 acres; and Wyoming 73,560 acres. As anticipated, wetland areas intermingled among cropland appears to have produced an over-estimation of irrigated acreage. According to a 2% random sample of test sites evaluated by personnel from the Soil Conservation Service such basin-wide over-estimation is 7.5%; individual counties deviate significantly from the basin-wide figure, depending on the relative amount of wetland areas intermingled with cropland.

Ridd, M. K.↗

Detection of aspen-conifer forest mixes from LANDSAT digital data

Aspen, conifer and mixed aspen/conifer forests were mapped for a 15-quadrangle study area in the Utah-Idaho Bear River Range using LANDSAT multispectral scanner data. Digital classification and statistical analysis of LANDSAT data allowed the identification of six groups of signatures which reflect different types of aspen/conifer forest mixing. Photo interpretations of the print symbols suggest that such classes are indicative of mid to late seral aspen forests. Digital print map overlays and acreage calculations were prepared for the study area quadrangles. Further field verification is needed to acquire additional information about the nature of the forests. Single date LANDSAT analysis should be a cost effective means to index aspen forests which are at least in the mid seral phase of conifer invasion. Since aspen canopies tend to obscure understory conifers for early seral forests, a second date analysis, using data taken when aspens are leafless, could provide information about early seral aspen forests.

Jaynes, R. A.↗

The pacific northwest remote sensing project

The history of a 3-year effort in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington to establish operational capabilities to analyze LANDSAT digital data and apply the results to natural resources management programs is related. Currently a number of agencies are conduct operational applications projects utilizing the data analysis facilities available and LANDSAT-derived data are being used by these agencies in their day-to-day operations. The image analysis systems and software used in each state are described and the participating state and local agencies are listed.

Hedrick, W. E.↗

The Western Regional Applications Program (WRAP)

The states encompassed by the Western Regional Applications Program (WRAP) include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The features of the western United States which both help and hinder the use of LANDSAT are discussed as well as their effects on the institutional approaches used for resources management in these states. Operational alternatives and some of the representative LANDSAT projects that WRAP is engaged in are presented.

Norman, S. D.↗

Development and testing of LANDSAT-assisted procedures for cost-effective forest management

The capability of LANDSAT data to make certain forest management activities on the Clearwater National Forest in Idaho more efficient and/or more effective was examined. One task was designed to evaluate the utility of single-date categorized LANDSAT data as a source of land cover information for use in assessing elk habitat quality. LANDSAT data was used to categorize conifer forest on the basis of the percentage crown closure. This information was used to evaluate elk habitat quality on the basis of the ratio of cover to forage. A preliminary conclusion is that categorized LANDSAT data can be helpful for assessing current elk habitat quality if the relationships between crown closure and hiding cover can be adequately defined. Another task was designed to evaluate the utility of merged two-date LANDSAT data for updating the existing (1972) Clearwater Forest land cover information. LANDSAT data from 1972 and 1981 were merged, and change images were created. These products indicated where major changes were taking place. These areas could then be examined on aerial photography or in the field to further characterize the nature and magnitude of the change. The 1972 land cover information could be subsequently altered in these changed areas, whereas areas with no change would not have to be re-examined.

Colwell, J. E.↗

Detection of aspen/conifer forest mixes from multitemporal LANDSAT digital data

Aspen, conifer and mixed aspen/conifer forests were mapped for a 15-quadrangle study area in the Utah-Idaho Bear River Range using LANDSAT multispectral scanner (MSS) data. The digital MSS data were utilized to devise quantitative indices which correlate with apparently stable and seral aspen forests. The extent to which a two-date LANDSAT MSS analysis may permit the delineation of different categories of aspen/conifer forest mix was explored. Multitemporal analyses of MSS data led to the identification of early, early to mid, mid to late, and late seral stages of aspen/conifer forest mixing.

Merola, J. A.↗

Remote sensing research for agricultural applications

Materials and methods used to characterize selected soil properties and agricultural crops in San Joaquin County, California are described. Results show that: (1) the location and widths of TM bands are suitable for detecting differences in selected soil properties; (2) the number of TM spectral bands allows the quantification of soil spectral curve form and magnitude; and (3) the spatial and geometric quality of TM data allows for the discrimination and quantification of within field variability of soil properties. The design of the LANDSAT based multiple crop acreage estimation experiment for the Idaho Department of Water Resources is described including the use of U.C. Berkeley's Survey Modeling Planning Model. Progress made on Peditor software development on MIDAS, and cooperative computing using local and remote systems is reported as well as development of MIDAS microcomputer systems.

Colwell, R. N.↗

Detection of aspen/conifer forest mixes from multitemporal Landsat digital data

Aspen, conifer and mixed aspen/conifer forests were mapped for a 15-quadrangle study area in the Utah-Idaho Bear River Range using Landsat multispectral scanner data. Digital classification and statistical analysis of Landsat data allowed the identification of six groups of signatures which reflect different types of aspen/conifer forest mixing. Photo interpretations of the print symbols suggest that such classes are indicative of mid to late seral aspen forests. Digital print map overlayes and acreage calculations were prepared for the study area quadrangles. Further field verification is needed to acquire additional information about the nature of the forests. Single data Landsat analysis should be a cost effective means to index aspen forests which are at least in the mid seral phase of conifer invasion. Since aspen canopies tend to obscure understory conifers for early seral forests, a second data analysis, using data taken when aspens are leafless, could provide information about early seral aspen forests.

Merola, J. A.↗

Feature selection and information content of thematic mapper simulator data for a forested environment

Feature selection and the information content of Thematic Mapper Simulator (TMS) data are investigated for a forested region in northern Idaho. The optimal TMS channels for forest structural characteristics are determined, and the capability of TMS data to describe the structural variability within a forest stand is evaluated. The comparative performance of TMS and MSS data to discriminate forest structural factors using per-pixel maximum likelihood classification is examined, and four optimal TMS channels are classified in order to ascertain if the full complement of TM channels provide higher accuracies than the four optimal ones.

Spanner, M. A.↗

Interseismic deformation for normal fault earthquakes

Comparison between the coseismic vertical deformation associated with normal fault earthquakes and permanent deformation indicated by geologic structure indicates that large deformation must occur during the period between earthquakes. When sufficient geodetic and geologic information is available it is possible to estimate the spatial character of this interseismic deformation. A case in point is the 1983 Borah Peak, Idaho earthquake. This normal fault earthquake produced roughly 5 times as much basin subsidence as it did uplift of the adjacent mountain ranges. In contrast, geophysical and geological observations show that the basin is roughly as deep as the bounding range is high. A similar normal fault event in the Basin and Range, the 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake, was also accompanied by substantially larger subsidence than uplift. In this case, postseismic geodetic measurements show broad regional uplift with a spatial pattern which is roughly consistent with that proposed for the Borah Peak event. Modeling suggests that postseismic viscoelastic relaxation and strain accumulation in an elastic lithosphere overlying a viscoelastic asthenosphere are possible physical mechanisms to generate interseismic uplift. These mechanisms may be the contemporary expression of those processes responsible for the high elevation of the Basin and Range Province.

Reilinger, Robert↗

A quad-pol radar scattering model for use in remote sensing of lava flow morphology

Mapping of spatial variations in surface roughness over large regions is required to understand the nature of volcanic terrains. An invertible scattering model for quad-polarization radar data is presented to assist in the remote-sensing analysis of lava flow surface morphology. This model permits separation of the polarized part of the radar echo into quasispecular, dihedral, and small-perturbation scatterin components, based on an assumed surface dielectric constant. Tests are presented for a quad-pol scene of Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho, where there are a number of basaltic lava flows of differing surface morphology. Comparison of calculated model components with the observed morphology of the lava flows suggests that this technique may be useful for the remote description of changes in surface roughness. The scattering mechanisms chosen to represent the polarizing behavior of the real surface display correlations which indicate that they are sensitive to the expected scales of roughness.

Campbell, Bruce A.↗

A proven knowledge-based approach to prioritizing process information

Many space-related processes are highly complex systems subject to sudden, major transients. In any complex process control system, a critical aspect is rapid analysis of the changing process information. During a disturbance, this task can overwhelm humans as well as computers. Humans deal with this by applying heuristics in determining significant information. A simple, knowledge-based approach to prioritizing information is described. The approach models those heuristics that humans would use in similar circumstances. The approach described has received two patents and was implemented in the Alarm Filtering System (AFS) at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL). AFS was first developed for application in a nuclear reactor control room. It has since been used in chemical processing applications, where it has had a significant impact on control room environments. The approach uses knowledge-based heuristics to analyze data from process instrumentation and respond to that data according to knowledge encapsulated in objects and rules. While AFS cannot perform the complete diagnosis and control task, it has proven to be extremely effective at filtering and prioritizing information. AFS was used for over two years as a first level of analysis for human diagnosticians. Given the approach's proven track record in a wide variety of practical applications, it should be useful in both ground- and space-based systems.

Corsberg, Daniel R.↗

Implementation of the FAA research and development electromagnetic database

The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) has been assisting the FAA in developing a database of information about lightning. The FAA Research and Development Electromagnetic Database (FRED) will ultimately contain data from a variety of airborne and ground-based lightning research projects. An outline of the data currently available in FRED is presented. The data sources which the FAA intends to incorporate into FRED are listed. In addition, it describes how the researchers may access and use the FRED menu system.

Mcdowall, R. L.↗

Compositional range in the Canyon Diablo meteoroid

The compositional range within the Canyon Diablo (CD) iron meteorites associated with the formation of the Meteor Crater (Arizona) was examined, using the INAA to analyze a set of CD samples consisting of nine irons collected within 7 km of the Meteor Crater, four Arizona IAB irons that were identified by Wasson (1968) as transported CD fragments, and irons from Las Vegas (Nevada) and Moab (Utah) that Buchwald (1975) suggested to be transported CD fragments. Results show that the irons named Helt Township, Idaho, Las Vegas, Mamaroneck, Moab, and Pulaski County are, most likely, mislabeled CD specimens. On the other hand, meteorites named Alexander County, Allan Hills A77283, Ashfork, Fairfield, and Rifle are identified as compositionally distinct independent falls.

Wasson, John T.↗