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Multiple Innovative Models in Regional Land Cover Change Studies
Abstract
This project is to study the effects of natural and human-induced land cover changes in metropolitan region. Primary focuses of this investigation are urbanization processes and changes of globally significant concentrations of endangered and rare natural communities survived in Chicago’s urban settings in the past three decades (spanned by Landsat Program. Multiple innovative models are to be developed and validated. These include spatial dynamic mechanism (SDM) model, artificial neural network (ANN) model, and remote sensing/GIS (RSGIS) model. SDM model is aimed to reveal regional urban sprawl patterns by integration of physical and socioeconomic driving factors and the regional land cover changes. Key driving factors, such as whether major federal and state activities — spending programs, tax expenditures, regulatory and administrative actions favor development in or residents of different parts of the metropolitan region, will be examined and imbedded into SDM model. By bridging the driving factors and processes of land cover changes, SDM model will be used to depict the effects of land cover changes on regional ecosystems, to simulate land use and land cover change processes, to predict potential changes under defined driving conditions, and to provide options for improved land use and management. ANN model is to reveal the degradation of natural communities in the region caused by urbanization processes. Remote sensing and in situ data from intensive field campaigns will be integrated to derive region-wide evaluation of degradation status and processes. RSGIS model is to reveal the fact of land cover change and to characterize land cover patterns of the region. Land transformation matrixes, landscape indices, fragmentation evaluation of the natural communities are the primary outputs of RSGIS model. The models, under the framework of Regional Dynamic Change Modeling System (RDCMS), provide a comprehensive theoretical and practical approach to foster a regional vision of sustaining ecosystems in Chicago’s metropolitan environment. Innovative education, partnership, and outreach programs are to be developed to promote and increase the use of remotely sensed information for detecting and evaluating regional land cover changes and environmental impacts.
This project is funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant No. NAG58829) (NASA). Check for the project background (NASA Research Announcement NRA 98-OES-10), and the award selections
Selected project publications include:
- Wang, Y. and X. Zhang, 2001. Dynamic Modeling Approach to Simulating Socioeconomic Effects on Landscape Change, Ecological Modelling, 140(1-2): 141-162.
- Wang, Y. and K. Zhang, 2004. A SPLIT Model for Extraction of Subpixel Impervious Surface Information, Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing, 70(7): 821-828.
- Elvidge, C., Sutton, P., Wagner, T., Ryzner, R., Vogelmann, J., Goetz, S., Smith, A., Jantz, C., Seto, K., Imhoff, M., Wang, Y., Milesi, C., and Nemani, R., 2004. Urbanization, in Gutman et al. (eds.) Land Change Science, Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp. 315-328.
- Novak, A. and Y. Wang, 2004. Effects of suburban sprawl on Rhode Island ’s forest: A Landsat view from 1972 to 1999, Northeast Naturalist, 11(1) 67-74.
- Zhang, X. and Y. Wang, 2001. Spatial Dynamic Modeling for Urban Development,Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing, 67(9): 1049-1057.
- Wang, Y. 2001. “Land Use and Land Cover Change in the Chicago Metropolitan Region between 1972 and 1997”, in “Our Changing Planet, The FY 2002 U.S. Global Change Research Program”, A Report by the Subcommittee on Global Change Research, Committee on Environment and Natural resources of the National Science and Technology Council, A Supplement to the President’s Fiscal Year 2002 Budget, Washington D.C., p.33 and p.72.
