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Past Projects
Bathymetric Change Analysis, Moriches Inlet, Fire Island National Seashore, New York James R. Allen1, Charles L. LaBash2, and Peter V. August2 2Department of
Natural Resources Science Introduction:. Ebb tidal delta
development following stabilization of Moriches Inlet in 1953 has decreased
the alongshore sediment transport to Fire Island National Seashore. This
has contributed to erosion of the barrier island. Recent shoreline change
patterns suggest that effective sediment bypassing of the inlet is occurring
now. To verify bypassing and assess the patterns of movement, we conducted
bathymetric surveys of the ebb tidal delta in the summers of 1995 and
1996. Six thousand site measurements of depth and horizontal location
were obtained in each survey using a real-time differential Global Positioning
System receiver coupled with a survey-quality fathometer. All depth measurements
were tidally corrected and referenced to NGVD 1929. Rigorous analysis
of these very large, irregularly spaced, 3-dimensional datasets was carried
out using Arc/Info 7.1.1 running on an Intel Pentium Pro-based computer.
Analysis: The following data
were used as inputs to the CREATETIN routine in Arc/Info to produce a
bathymetric surface model.
Quantitative resolution of bathymetric change over annual time scales is limited by small-scale (< 1 std. dev.) dynamic instabilities in the datasets, such as surface waves and mobile bed forms, dominating much of the nearshore area. We conclude that these results provide strong support for substantial sediment bypassing of Moriches Inlet due to system equilibration by natural processes. Alongshore
Variability in shoreline and foredune mobility: space/time scaling Fire
Island National Seashore New York 2Institute of Marine
and Coastal Sciences 3Department of
Natural Resources Science Introduction. Rhythmic, alongshore patterns are identified in shoreline and foredune mobility at different scales in space and time. Offshore and nearshore processes control shoreline behavior directly whereas the intervening beach buffers foredune change from lower magnitude events. The dataset for the 50 km long Fire Island barrier describes shoreline change at centurial, decadal, annual, seasonal, and single-event scales; foredune crestline change is presented at decadal to single-event scales. Highly accurate, digital data sources range from differentially-corrected GPS traverses and GPS geo-registered aerial photographs, maps, and field surveys. Using GIS technology and statistical analysis, the assembly and subsequent decomposition identifies alongshore periodicities with wavelengths of hundreds of meters to tens of kilometers and that some of the features are phase-coupled. The research is designed to quantify the variation in position to understand how much and where future changes are most likely. Because different processes vary in magnitude at different time and space scales, we focus on trends and the variability in spatial and temporal persistence. Centurial Scale. The trend of shoreline change is erosional over the 109 years (island-wide mean of 0.4 m per year) but the data is spatially dominated by responses to inlet processes and a net westward sediment transport direction. Migration of the locus of sediment surplus results in a change to a deficit condition causing shoreline retreat. Jettying of Democrat Point in 1941 arrested further extension but capture of the littoral drift led to shoreline accretion. Formation of Moriches Inlet in 1933 and jettying by 1953 has led to sediment interception, hence a budget deficit for eastern Fire Island. The panels also depict the presence of several waveforms at different length scales and, apparently, their westward migration resulting in alternating phases of shore advance and retreat at a given site. Especially noticeable is the movement of an accretionary wave from the eastern portion to the center of the island this century. Short Time Scale. Interannual, seasonal, and storm event changes are highly variable and appear dominated by stochastic processes (both natural and human) controlled at small length scales. One exception is for low frequency, high magnitude events and we are fortunate to incorporate the effects of a very large mid-latitude coastal storm during December 1992 in the dune data. It is clear that the pattern of dune retreat during this storm also dominates the previous fifteen years of change. An example of shoreline change during the passage of Hurricane Eduoard offshore in 1996 depicts a 14 m retreat with much less spatial variability than at longer timescales (the western spike reflects emergency beach fill to protect an access road).
Serving GPS Community Base Station Data and Rhode Island GIS Data Over The World Wide Web Department of Natural Resources
Science Since the inception of the RIGIS database, data have been transferred using magnetic media. This technique is often slow, limited by storage size, and can be expensive. With the advent of the World Wide Web, access has been enhanced by providing the database on a WWW server. Users are able to point at ARC/INFO export files and their corresponding metadata files and have them download to their computer for immediate use. Users are instructed to complete an on-line registration form before accessing the data. Registration information is used by the RIGIS coordinator to assure that users agree to the RIGIS license agreement. In addition, the WWW server (http://www.edc.uri.edu) is being used to provide GPS community base station data over the WWW. This presentation will focus on RIGIS and GPS data access. Issues of data security, access control, file size, file format, metadata, and usage statistics will be discussed. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the Internet: Mapping From Your Den Roland J. Duhaime
In this presentation I introduce basic principles of the Internet, I demonstrate some exciting GIS sites on the Web, and I also review how to access Rhode Island GIS data over the web. As a teaser I will touch upon how to access Global Positioning System base station data at the University of Rhode Island. Here is a listing of the sites we will visit together:
http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/vplanet.html http://www.mapsonus.com http://www.mapquest.com http://www.delorme.com http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/home/giswww.html http://www.magellangeo.com/HTML/atlas.html http://www.ncg.nrcs.usda.gov/nsdi_node.html http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/webglis http://tiger.census.gov/instruct.html http://cello.cs.uiuc.edu/cgi-bin/slamm/ip2ll/ http://www.edc.uri.edu/rirpp Automated
Vegetation Mapping Using Digital Orthophotography
Training
in the Use of Desktop Mapping and the RIGIS Database.
Department of Natural
Resources Science The University of Rhode Island
Cooperative Extension Program has initiated a series of hands-on training
courses using the ArcView software. The course is designed to provide
professionals with the tools to conduct land use management and planning
via GIS. The goals of the training program are to teach participants the
fundamentals of GIS and spatial data, the functionality of the ArcView
software, and accessing and using the RIGIS database. The course also
highlights local applications in the areas of natural resource management
and economic development. Our target audience includes municipal staff
and volunteer members of boards and commissions, state and federal regulatory
staff, and the private sector. This presentation will highlight the GIS training strategies. Over 200 individuals have participated in GIS training since the beginning of the program 3 years ago. We will discuss the development of the course and present the materials and methods used in the teaching.
Training Local Officials in User-Friendly Geographic Information System Software and Applications for Watershed Management Alyson McCann,* Lorraine Joubert,
Aimée Mandeville, Arthur Gold, and Peter August For many community leaders, the thrill of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is gone. Planners and administrators, lured by the promise of easy map editing and multiple overlays, were captivated by GIS as a land use planning and resource management tool. Only after further investigation and for some, substantial investment in computer equipment and employee training, were they disillusioned by the cost of maintaining a full-scale GIS. All this is changing with the advent of "user-friendly" GIS software. This "browsing" technology allows users to view and analyze map coverage with minimal training using comparatively low-cost computer equipment and software. The University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension is helping municipalities make practical use of this "browsing" technology to solve pressing land use management problems. The goal of the program is to help municipalities integrate GIS-based resource data in their land use decisions. Our approach is to:
Christopher Damon1, Duane Chapman1, Nigel Shaw2, Charles LaBash1, and Peter August1 1 Department of
Natural Resources Science 2 National Park
Service The need for a GIS at GATE becomes clear when viewing the physical and administrative complexities of the system. Administratively GATE is composed of 5 districts, 11 discrete land areas, and over 20 islands. Physically GATE is a highly interspersed mix of urban and natural systems receiving approximately 10 million visitors each year. GATE’s natural resources represent the single largest protected area in the New York Metropolitan area, providing a critical habitat for several federal and state listed species, and making GATE a pivotal component in the maintenance of regional biodiversity. Culturally, GATE contains the largest collection of classified structures in the Northeast, virtually defining the historic coastal defense systems of New York Harbor. No data management system exists for GATE at this time which can adequately assess and display the spatial relationships within the park, the individual units, or the surrounding urban areas. Development of a GIS at GATE will allow daily pressures and concerns to be addressed in a timely manner, with potential solutions being communicated to federal, state, and local agencies, as well as to Congress and the public. Applications include identifying
habitat for special status species, assessing cumulative impacts of internal
and adjacent development, designing dredging and beach nourishment projects,
interpreting archaeological discoveries, managing crowd control, and extensive
documentation of a dense network of park facilities. Christopher Damon1, Matthew Nicholson1, Diana Sinton1,2, Peter August1, and Charles LaBash1 1 Department of
Natural Resources Science 2 Division of Environmental
Studies Eleven years (1977-1987) of NMFS Marine Mapping (MARMAP) data were incorporated into a GIS for visualization and analysis of spatial and temporal variability in the northeast shelf marine ecosystem. Because this was a prototype system to test the viability of converting sampled point data into gridded surfaces, six biological and six physical variables were selected from the more than 200 items in the MARMAP database. All data were provided by NOAA NMFS Narragansett lab. To establish baseline numbers for each of the six sampling seasons, 11 year median values were calculated and imported into GS+â for semivariance analysis and surface interpolation through kriging. Extrapolated surfaces were created for each median season/variable combination, as well as for the zooplankton Calanus finmarchicus abundance in 1984 and 1985 average water column temperature. The minimum cell size for interpolated surfaces was 25km. Surfaces were transferred into ArcViewâ where the Spatial Analyst module was used for quantitative analysis of the data. To exemplify future applications, the Map Calculator tool within Spatial Analyst was used to assess seasonal variation from the median for both 1984 Calanus finmarchicus abundance and 1985 average water column temperature. Results from this study have
been very positive, indicating the process to be a relatively simple means
to measure and assess regional relationships within the MARMAP database.
PATTERNS
AND CORRELATES OF LANDSCAPE CHANGE IN NORTHERN THAILAND
Jarunee Nugranad and Peter August Department of Natural Resources
Science The major driving forces in land use and land cover change include population growth and movement, technological capacity, economic development, political structures, culture, and the environment. Thailand is a developing country with enormous natural resources and great potential for development that, in the past two decades, has experienced major land cover change. Because of its rapid population growth, Thailand has already consumed much of its natural resource capitol. In this study, we will use Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) remote sensing data from three years (1989, 1993, and 1997) to quantify patterns of landscape change in the Mae Taeng watershed, Chiang Mai Province in northern Thailand. The major objectives of this study are to understand land use dynamics, land cover dynamics, and the spatial and temporal variability in land use/cover dynamics. The spatial unit of analysis will be sub-district and sub-sub-district levels, using the national census and economic data. The temporal unit of land use and land cover change analysis will be 5-10 year-intervals, from 1989 to 1997. We will use a geographic information system (GIS) to measure the environmental and socio-economic characteristics of the change. The study of land use dynamics in Mae Taeng watershed, one of the most significant watersheds in Thailand with a wide range of land uses, will serve as a model for other parts of Thailand. As a result, this study will be of significant value to understanding the determinants of land use change so that future patterns of land use and land cover conversion can be projected, planned, and managed under suitable conditions. In addition, factors affecting landscape change in northern Thailand might be representative for tropical ecosystems undergoing rapid development in other parts of the world.
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