The Appalachian Trail (A.T.) Decision Support System (DSS) is an Internet-based implementation and dissemination toolset to access remote sensing and geospatial data for decision support. Tools are organized by their primary functions - Mapping Viewer, Monitoring, Reporting / Forecasting, and Data Gateway.

The Mapping Viewer is an ArcGIS interactive mapping tool that allows users to pan / zoom to areas of interest, turn data layers on / off, and integrate data in combinations that suit their immediate needs. Specific tools were added to the viewer to aid in decision-making, such as the time-series slider for visualizing land cover change, and elevation surface profile mapping. The Mapping Viewer capitalizes on the latest technology and was developed using the ArcGIS Flex viewer. The software is fully customizable and easily allows system users to develop new visualization or analysis tools as priorities change.

Viewshed data modeled in a GIS are best viewed in a 3D mapping environment. Under the Monitoring toolbar, the Viewshed toolset is designed to depict the A.T. viewshed data within the Google Earth plugin. This tool allows users to investigate the viewsheds of scenic vistas along the trail for visualizing landscape patterns with land cover types. Users are able to explore the detailed imagery and elevation data in Google Earth in concert with the vista points and their respective viewshed areas. This suite of visualization tools also incorporates real-time data to inform system users of current conditions within the trail region. Examples of applicable data include current weather (NOAA) and possible fires (NASA MODIS). The nightlight data embedded into this toolset provides a sense of changing lightscapes - an important component of the A.T. experience.

Reporting and Forecasting provides summaries of the A.T. environment - phenology and climate, forest health, and landscape dynamics - for the past, present, and future. The Data Gateway is where users can select and download seamless geospatial and remote sensing data for local processing.

About This Project

This project represents a collaborative multi-agency effort to support decision-making for the A.T. by providing a coherent framework for data integration, monitoring, reporting and forecasting. The A.T.-DSS integrates NASA multi-platform sensor data, NASA Terrestrial Observation and Prediction System (TOPS) models, and in situ measurements from A.T. MEGA-Transect partners to address the management issues of the A.T. environment. The TOPS models allow multi-platform sensor data to be integrated, making it possible to obtain near real-time observations of current (nowcast) ecological conditions as well as predictions for future ecological condition over extensive areas. The A.T.-DSS focuses on primary vital signs of phenology and climate, forest health and landscape dynamics, among others. By integration of NASA EOS data and modeling products that link climate models (e.g., TOPS) and ecological models (e.g., habitat suitability) with in situ observations, the A.T.-DSS provides geospatial information and supports effective decision-making for the management of the A.T. lands.

About the Appalachian Trail and the A.T. HUC-10 Shell

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail (A.T.) is 2,175 miles long and crosses 14 states in the eastern United States. It intersects eight National Forests; six units of the National Park system; more than 70 state park, forest, and game management units; and 287 local jurisdictions. The A.T. and its surrounding 250,000 acres of protected lands harbor forests with significant biological diversity, including rare, threatened, and endangered species, and diverse bird and wildlife habitats. A.T. lands are the headwaters of important water resources for millions of people. The Trail’s north-south alignment represents a cross-section of the Nation's forests and alpine areas. It is a MEGA-Transect for collecting data on the health of ecosystems and the species that inhabit them. The high elevation setting of the A.T. and its protected corridor provide an ideal barometer for early detection of undesirable changes in the natural resources of the eastern United States.

The A.T. DSS is focused on the HUC-10 (Hydrologic Unit Code) shell area. The HUC-10 shell is a "zone" around the A.T. that defines an area of interest. The boundary was established by selecting all 10-digit HUC watersheds that are within 5 statute miles of the A.T. land base. There are 236 HUC-10 watersheds within this zone. All 236 watersheds were subsequently merged into a single polygon to create the "shell." The shell represents an ecologically relevant boundary around the A.T. that can be used to identify existing and readily available data near the A.T. corridor. Data from outside the "shell" may still have relevance. (click for a metadata about the HUC-10 Shell dataset).