Earth Resources Laboratory research and technology

The accomplishments of the Earth Resources Laboratory's research and technology program are reported. Sensors and data systems, the AGRISTARS project, applied research and data analysis, joint research projects, test and evaluation studies, and space station support activities are addressed

FIREX mission requirements document for renewable resources

The initial experimental program and mission requirements for a satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system FIREX (Free-Flying Imaging Radar Experiment) for renewable resources is described. The spacecraft SAR is a C-band and L-band VV polarized system operating at two angles of incidence which is designated as a research instrument for crop identification, crop canopy condition assessments, soil moisture condition estimation, forestry type and condition assessments, snow water equivalent and snow wetness assessments, wetland and coastal land type identification and mapping, flood extent mapping, and assessment of drainage characteristics of watersheds for water resources applications. Specific mission design issues such as the preferred incidence angles for vegetation canopy measurements and the utility of a dual frequency (L and C-band) or dual polarization system as compared to the baseline system are addressed

AgRISTARS: Agriculture and resources inventory surveys through aerospace remote sensing

The rationale, objectives, participants, and approach of the AgRISTARS program are described. Progress is reported in activities related to early warning and crop condition assessment; inventory technology development (formerly foreign commodity production forecasting); yield model development; supporting research; soil moisture; renewable resources inventory; domestic crops and land cover; and conservation and pollution. Emphasis is on technological highlights

Quarterly literature review of the remote sensing of natural resources

The Technology Application Center reviewed abstracted literature sources, and selected document data and data gathering techniques which were performed or obtained remotely from space, aircraft or groundbased stations. All of the documentation was related to remote sensing sensors or the remote sensing of the natural resources. Sensors were primarily those operating within the 10 to the minus 8 power to 1 meter wavelength band. Included are NASA Tech Briefs, ARAC Industrial Applications Reports, U.S. Navy Technical Reports, U.S. Patent reports, and other technical articles and reports

Application of remote sensing and GIS in modelling bison carrying capacity in mixed-grass prairie

Understanding carrying capacity of plains bison (B. bison bison) is critical for protecting this wild species and grassland ecosystem in mixed-grass prairie. The overall goal of this study is to examine plains bison carrying capacity in the mixed-grass prairie. There are four specific objectives: 1) investigate annual space use of plains bison and their seasonal core ranges, 2) assess seasonal Resources Selection Functions (RSFs) of plains bison, 3) estimate vegetation biomass and productivity of mixed-grass prairie, and 4) estimate carrying capacity taking into account RSFs. I used Kernel Density Estimator to address the first objective. Generalized Linear Mixed Effects models were used for the second objective. The last two objectives were completed using Sentinel-2 Multispectral Image (MSI). This study highlights the power of remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techniques in estimating key driver of bison carrying capacity (available forage) and adjusting factor (RSFs). Results show that bison family groups in Grasslands National Park frequent specific areas. They mainly use the northeast corner of the West Block and expand the core range when it comes to dormant season. Vegetation type information and other landscape factors (slope, distance to water, roads, fences, and prairie dog town) are influencing seasonal RSFs of bison family groups. Vegetation productivity is 734 kg ha-1 supporting 671 - 959 Bison Unit as the carrying capacity. Our study not only contributes to a better bison management plan for Grasslands National Park, one of seven conservation areas of wild plains bison in Canada, but also assists in understanding the interaction of this wild species with the mixed-grass prairie ecosystem

Applications review for a Space Program Imaging Radar (SPIR)

The needs, applications, user support, research, and theoretical studies of imaging radar are reviewed. The applications of radar in water resources, minerals and petroleum exploration, vegetation resources, ocean radar imaging, and cartography are discussed. The advantages of space imaging radar are presented, and it is recommended that imaging radar be placed on the space shuttle