Irrigation is essential for profitable agriculture in the western
United States. It is the largest consumer of water and power in
Oregon. Conflicting uses of water and power and their scarcity demands
judicious planning for allocation of these resources. Creditable
baseline data are not only needed for irrigated crop acreages,...
The development of a geographic information system
(GIS) requires the development of large databases of
spatially related information. Scale, resolution and the
classification of thematic data can vary considerably in
terms of the level of detail at which the data are compiled
and converted to machine readable form. The level...
In this paper "map complexity" refers to the inherent
intricacy of a mapped geographic pattern. Map complexity and sample
size are two variables shown to influence the accuracy of
interpolated dasymetric maps.
An automated experiment was designed to investigate the
precise relationship among map complexity, sample size, and the
accuracy...
A psychophysical bisectioning experiment was performed
to evaluate equal steps within tint progressions on a high
resolution graphics terminal. In the bisectioning
experiment each respondent partitioned a tint progression
by interactively defining colors that were perceptually
equidistant between two previously defined colors. Twenty
test subjects performed the test on the...
Historically the U.S. Forest Service has used uncorrected
aerial photographs to delineate proposed and past management
activities on the land base it manages. Transferring a boundary
from an image not planimetrically correct to a planimetrically
corrected image introduces errors. Positional accuracy of
boundaries affects the number of acres the Forest...
Aerial photographs and field sampling were used to compare aspen (Populus tremuloides) age structure and stand conditions on elk winter range in the northern Yellowstone ecosystem. The elk winter ranges studied were the northern range in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) and the Gallatin National Forest and the Sunlight/Crandall elk winter...
Many diverse applications have begun to study processes and patterns at a global
scale. To aid in this research, discrete global grid systems (DGGSs) are data models
which enable environmental modeling, monitoring and sampling across the earth at a
variety of spatial scales. A DGGS can be evaluated on a...
Modern environmental monitoring and modeling requires a good global
grid system for survey sampling and accurate, spatially complete data
collection of relevant environmental phenomena. A prime requirement for the
global grid system is that the global sampling grids be regular and equal in area
and have minimal shape distortion. None...
Remote sensing is an attractive method for the
detection and monitoring of crop stress. The feasibility of
using remote sensing for the detection and monitoring of
fungal diseases, insects, weeds, and non-infectious
diseases affecting the cultivated cranberry (Vaccinium
macrocarpon Ait.) is evaluated. A study on the fungal
disease twig blight...
This thesis considered current approaches to describing landscape pattern,
identified scale issues associated with defining objects, and explored techniques to
reliably group elements based on land cover as represented by satellite imagery. It
was recognized that there is an important need to develop tools that can be applied
using remotely...
The H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest in the Cascades of
central Oregon provides a unique opportunity to study spatial
climate patterns on a relatively small scale. Historical
records at the 64 square-kilometer site provide a spatiallydense
30-year dataset. Thermal regimes at the H. J. Andrews
are generally known but the...
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a burgeoning
field with its roots in geography. It is increasingly
being used by a large variety of disciplines, including
land use planning, as a decision support tool to help solve
complex spatial problems. At Oregon State University,
researchers have developed an analog model which...
The American Proposed Standard for Digital
Cartographic Data presents the new national exchange format
which allows the transfer of spatial data among parties
that may use different computer hardware and different
operating system software.
A translator program for the conversion of the AutoCAD
DXf data structure to the Standard's output...
The Corvallis area study is made to help evaluate the local need
for additional system capacity ten years in the future. The product of
the study is an areally detailed projection of electrical demand.
The demand is derived in two steps: the location, nature, and
intensity of specific land uses...
Models that assess the risk to biodiversity from landscape change can help
communities prioritize planning decisions. Accurate representation of the ecology and
life history traits of species is necessary. This study introduces the use of habitat
quality in a biodiversity risk model to determine the significance of habitat quality when...
A method for delineating watersheds by computer using digital
elevation model (OEM) data is presented. The five steps in this
process are detailed and examples are shown. The algorithm was tested
using a manually created OEM for a small area in Northern
California. Three basins were delineated using the delineation...
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's (ODFW) Ecological Analysis
Center (EAC) is in the process of creating, from Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM)
imagery, a vegetation map of Oregon that will meet the latest standards set by the
National Gap Analysis Program. Since field verification is often expensive and by...
The relationships between spectral reflectance in the Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) bands and grass canopy variables were evaluated using in situ remote sensing techniques. Reflectance data were collected from experimental plots of annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) using a Barnes Modular Multiband Radiometer (MMR). The canopy...
The effect of scale is an important concern in mapping of biodiversity. Scale issues include the grid cell size used for analysis and the effect of the extent and internal boundaries. Because biodiversity analysis involves combinatorial processes, determining the proper scale is data dependent and cannot be predicted from the...
The main theme of this research is the application of geographic techniques in a study involving environmental monitoring and analysis of the associations between landscape and in-stream characteristics in the Pacific Northwest. The geographic techniques used in this study include (1) geographic information systems (GIS) coupled with statistical analysis and...