arrow
Return

Open-source mapping and services for Web-based land-cover validation

delete2013-03-01
delete40
delete
OA
AI
L
Lucy Bastin *
G
Graham Buchanan
A
Alison E. Beresford
J
Jean‐François Pekel
G
Grégoire Dubois
DOI:10.1016/j.ecoinf.2012.11.013delete
deleteOriginal
deleteShare
deleteSave
View PDF
Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Monitoring land-cover changes on sites of conservation importance allows environmental problems to be detected, solutions to be developed and the effectiveness of actions to be assessed. However, the remoteness of many sites or a lack of resources means these data are frequently not available. Remote sensing may provide a solution, but large-scale mapping and change detection may not be appropriate, necessitating site-level assessments. These need to be easy to undertake, rapid and cheap. We present an example of a Web-based solution based on free and open-source software and standards (including PostGIS, OpenLayers, Web Map Services, Web Feature Services and GeoServer) to support assessments of land-cover change (and validation of global land-cover maps). Authorised users are provided with means to assess land-cover visually and may optionally provide uncertainty information at various levels: from a general rating of their confidence in an assessment to a quantification of the proportions of land-cover types within a reference area. Versions of this tool have been developed for the TREES-3 initiative (Simonetti et al., 2011). This monitors tropical land-cover change through ground-truthing at latitude/longitude degree confluence points, and for monitoring of change within and around Important Bird Areas (IBAs) by Birdlife International and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). In this paper we present results from the second of these applications. We also present further details on the potential use of the land-cover change assessment tool on sites of recognised conservation importance, in combination with NDVI and other time series data from the eStation (a system for receiving, processing and disseminating environmental data). We show how the tool can be used to increase the usability of Earth observation data by local stakeholders and experts, and assist in evaluating the impact of protection regimes on land-cover change. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords:
Land-cover change
Conservation monitoring
Web Map Services
Protected areas
Open standards
Habitat
AI Summary

AI Summary

Key information extracted from the uploaded paper, including a brief overview, abstract, background, key highlights, visual analysis, and future outlook.

Journal

Ecological Informatics cover
Ecological Informatics
IF:
7.3
Papers:
3.7K
Citations:
1.3W

Organization

A
Aston University
Scholars:
4.8K
Papers: 5.6K
Citations: 8.8K
E
ec jrc ispra site
Scholars:
3.5K
Papers: 2.9K
Citations: 5
E
European Commission Joint Research Centre
Scholars:
6.7K
Papers: 5.9K
Citations: 8
researcher View more organizations