A Proposal for Caribbean-Wide Land Cover/Use Mapping

1. A Proposal for Caribbean-Wide Land Cover/Use Mapping U.S. Geological Survey National Mapping Division EROS Data Center

2. Developing a Regional Planning Framework for Biodiversity Conservation, Disaster Preparedness, and Economic and Agricultural Development In the Insular Caribbean A Proposal funded by the USAID Caribbean Regional Office & supported by FAO, NASA The Nature Conservancy U.S. Forest Service U.S. Geological Survey International Conservation Program International Institute of EROS Data Center Conservation Science Department Tropical Forestry

3. WHY make Consistent Land Cover/Use Products for the Caribbean? • To respond to Strategic Objective 2 of the Caribbean Regional Program Strategy (USAID, 2000): “Environmental Management – Improved environmental management by public and private entities” • To enable integrated environmental and economic planning by: • providing improved access to information for regional and in-region planners and other stakeholders, • bringing the spatial dimension to the development of best practices, and • developing national capacity and management resources in an integrated and cooperative regional framework.

4. Integrated Land Cover/Use System for the Caribbean Islands DEM Soil + Climate Other Soil + Other Imagery Soil + Other DEM + Decision Tree Training of Complete Data Set Field Refinement Documented and Adaptable Land Classification Small Grain Barren Sedge Wetland Indus- trial Shrub Grass Montane Forest Internet Map Server Applications for Diverse Clients Source Data and Rules for Specific Client Applications IMS Implementation

5. Internet Map Server Applications for Diverse Clients (browser) Source Data and Rules for Specific Client Applications Integrated Land Cover/Use System for the Caribbean Islands Static Products: Digital (CD, Internet) & Hard Copy Documented and Adaptable Land Classification Dynamic Products: Digital (CD, Internet Map Server) Landslide Risk Flood Risk Basin Delineation Vulnerable Populations Ridge to Reef Analyses Terrestrial/Marine DEMs Commodity/Parcel Certification Historical Land Change Land Cover Land Use Urban Expansion Natural Vegetation Gap Analysis Agricultural Class. Forest Density Carbon Stocks

6. Final Products will Consist of: • High resolution land cover/use database & maps with best georectification for each island (MRLC-like) • Ancillary databases including where possible • prior land cover maps, GIS data layers, digital elevation models, forest inventory data, soils maps, and others • Consistently labeled and interpreted products for the Caribbean • A flexible mapping framework for specific client refinement and modification • Vector-based land cover units designed for conservation planning • A network of knowledgeable users among the Caribbean Islands • (An ArcIMS Data Querying & Distribution System for each country and cooperating regional organizations)

7. WHO will do the work? • USGS, EROS Data Center • USFS, International Institute for Tropical Forestry • The Nature Conservancy, International Conservation Program • National Cooperators • Regional Organizations Collaborating Institutions:

8. Anticipated Work Flow – An Iterative Process • The Lead Institution Primary Analyst is responsible for coordinating all efforts for an island. • EDC will have specific roles in • training, • image acquisition, • processing all data inputs, and • implementing a distributed data dissemination system Secure, Process TM Images Calibrate Subset Mask Create Field Map Plan/Perform Fieldwork Spectral Data Stack Field Map Combine Create Metadata Digitize Rasterize Georegister Resample Review Edit Extract Field Data Training Data Ancillary Data Ancillary Data Stack Metadata Explain Rejection Submit to EDC All Data Stack Review/Edit/Identify Corrections Create Improved Training Data Reject Return Review Accept Generate Additional Data Submit To Primary Analyst Run Preliminary Decision Tree Preliminary Classification Image New Training Data Submit to EDC Review Submit To Primary Analyst Accept Run Final Decision Tree Final Classification Image Review/Edit “Final” Land Cover Maps & Databases EROS/USGS SCIENTIST “Final” Land Cover Maps & Databases “Final” Land Cover Maps & Databases ArcIMS-based Distribution by Country

9. Acquire Landsat 7 ETM+ Imagery Multiple date acquisitions are anticipated to negate clouds and seasonal impacts.

10. Finished Land Cover/Use Maps and Databases • After edits and reviews are incorporated by all interested local agencies, the final Land Cover/Use Maps and ancillary databases are released for use and distribution.

11. Distribution of Products • Complete data set to collaborators and each island. • Digital versions on CDs with convenient interface. • A Caribbean web site for information and down load. • Data for a Caribbean Digital Atlas. • Source data available from web sites, collaborators and others.

12. Multiple Product Benefits -National Planning/Management -Natural Resource Monitoring -Regional Assessments and Planning -Smallholder Development -Public Relations, Advertising, and Tourism -Personal Networking Premium Value for Banana Certification

13. What do we gain with new and Consistent Land Cover/Use Mapping? A standardized classification schema, high resolution land cover/use maps, and associated databases will: • Permit inter-island comparisons of the status and ecological variability of similar landscape units, • Enable regional conservation strategies, • Provide a baseline for regional biodiversity monitoring programs. • Protect coastal environments, • Enable regional land use planning • Facilitate environmental management • Support agricultural certification, and • Enable change comparisons

14. Don’t Land Cover/Use Maps Already Exist? Although maps of “vegetation” exist for many of the individual Caribbean islands, these are often: • out of date, • erroneous, • lacking information, • frequently too coarse, both spatially and in classification, for many practical applications, • unsuitable for diverse client needs, i.e. too categoric • non-standardized in both classification and methodology, • not integrated with ancillary databases, • not incorporated in integrated applications, • not in a framework that promotes upgrading and refinement • not available to a general group of users via browsers, and • not integrated into an Internet Mapping System

15. Aren’t the Global & Regional Maps Adequate? • Global and regional land cover maps that already exist are not suitable for the Insular Caribbean because of: • Spatial Scales • Classification Details • Lack of Ancillary Databases • Lack of Internet Map Serving Therefore, most existing maps are unsuitable for local terrestrial land use and coastal planning, monitoring, management or for comparisons of vegetation across multiple islands.

16. HOW do we propose to do this? • Draw on existing methods developed by USGS for the National Land Cover project (MRLC) • Landsat 7 ETM+ Source • 30 Meter Pixel • Standardized Projection • Consistent Classification • Large-area Applications • Associated Databases

17. Landsat 7 ETM+ Instrument Characteristics Band Spectral Ground Number Range (micrometers) Resolution (m) 1 .450 to .515 30 2 .525 to .605 30 3 .630 to .690 30 4 .750 to .900 30 5 1.55 to 1.75 30 6 10.40 to 12.5 60 7 2.09 to 2.35 30 Pan .520 to .900 15 Swath Width: 185 km Repeat Coverage Interval: 16 days (233 orbits) Altitude: 705 km Quantization: Best 8 of 9 bits On-board data storage: ~375Gb (solid state) Inclination: Sun-synchronous, 98.2o Equatorial Crossing: Descending, 10:00am +/- 15 min. Launch vehicle: Delta II Launch Date: April 15, 1998

18. Use On-Island Expertise Identify and contact island specific agencies and experts to enlist their interest, expertise, and input. Those islands able to contribute to the process are encouraged to do so. • Field validation • Image interpretation • Image processing • Data distribution Appropriate Land Use at Forest Margins

19. Obtain Existing Datasets Acquire any available ancillary data (prior land cover mapping efforts, GIS data layers, digital elevation models, forest inventory data, soils maps, etc.). Where such data are only available in hardcopy format, they will be transformed into digital formats.

20. Responsibilities of The Primary Analyst • All ancillary datasets will be digitized, rasterized, and georegistered to the Landsat 7 ETM+ imagery. • Metadata describing each dataset will be generated. • Metadata and Data will be Placed in Distributed Clearinghouses. Support Parcel and Commodity Identity or Certification

21. Responsibilities of The Primary Analyst (cont) • An unsupervised classification will be used to create cloud, cloud shadow, and water masks. Protect “reef to ridge” Systems and Environmental Protection

22. Responsibilities of The Primary Analyst (cont) • Secure Local Knowledge of the island to help identify spectral groups which correspond to the proposed land cover schema. • This will provide a realistic check on spectral separability of land cover classes. • This will guide productive field data collection. Identify, Conserve and Protect Rare Communities and Species

23. Responsibilities of The Primary Analyst (cont) • Islands with existing land cover maps will be “crosswalked” into the proposed regional land cover classification schema. • Unchanged portions of the island may be used to provide training data for an intermediate classification on this new schema.

24. Responsibilities of The Primary Analyst (cont) • Field data, collected via GPS, recent aerial photography, or other means, will be used to verify and correct both of these preliminary efforts at generating training data. • A final training dataset will be assembled. Assist Management of Natural Resources

25. Responsibilities of The Primary Analyst (cont) • Provide all imagery, ancillary data, metadata, and training data for initial EDC processing. • EDC prepares a preliminary classification using a “decision tree” linear regression technique. • Identify local experts who can take advantage of sub-regional training as processing is done.

26. EROS Data Center will Process all Data Input Database Training Data Land Cover Map Slope Multiple Dates and Spectral Bands of LANDSAT TM ETM+ Imagery Elevation Position Index Textual Expression Decision Tree If tm2b1 > 30 and tm1b5 < 45 and tm1b3 > 30 and tm2b4 < 25 and tm1b1 < 127 and slope < 5 and elevation > 4500 and position < 3 and aspect eq north and soil eq 2 Then SHRUB Aspect Spatial Expression Soil

27. Responsibilities of the Primary Analyst (cont) • The land cover map resulting from this preliminary classification will be returned to primary analyst and each island for review, edits, and corrections. • Corrections will be used to provide improved training data to EDC. • EDC will use the new training data to run a final classification with the same “decision tree” technique. This land cover map will be the last submission EDC plans to make in the process. • Any further classification efforts will be done by more traditional, supervised classification methods, by the Primary Analyst and Island entities.

28. Contributors to Caribbean Mapping • IITF, USDA $225k • NASA Data Buy 75+ • IITF, USDA 180 • UN FAO Caribbean Training 15 • USAID/W, TNC (Dominica and Bahamas) 150 • USAID/Jamaica 70 • USAID/Dominican Republic 200 • EDC and TNC 27 • EDC/MRLC (Puerto Rico and U.S.V.I.) 100 TOTAL = $1,022k