The South Dakota cooperative land use effort: A state level remote sensing demonstration project

Remote sensing technology can satisfy or make significant contributions toward satisfying many of the information needs of governmental natural resource planners and policy makers. Recognizing this potential, the South Dakota State Planning Bureau and the EROS Data Center together formulated the framework for an ongoing Land Use and Natural Resource Inventory and Information System Program. Statewide land use/land cover information is generated from LANDSAT digital data and high altitude photography. Many applications of the system are anticipated as it evolves and data are added from more conventional sources. The conceptualization, design, and implementation of the program are discussed

Modelling ecological values in heterogeneous and dynamic landscapes with geospatial data

Our surrounding landscape is in a constantly dynamic state, but recently the rate of changes and their effects on the environment have considerably increased. In terms of the impact on nature, this development has not been entirely positive, but has rather caused a decline in valuable species, habitats, and general biodiversity. Regardless of recognizing the problem and its high importance, plans and actions of how to stop the detrimental development are largely lacking. This partly originates from a lack of genuine will, but is also due to difficulties in detecting many valuable landscape components and their consequent neglect. To support knowledge extraction, various digital environmental data sources may be of substantial help, but only if all the relevant background factors are known and the data is processed in a suitable way. This dissertation concentrates on detecting ecologically valuable landscape components by using geospatial data sources, and applies this knowledge to support spatial planning and management activities. In other words, the focus is on observing regionally valuable species, habitats, and biotopes with GIS and remote sensing data, using suitable methods for their analysis. Primary emphasis is given to the hemiboreal vegetation zone and the drastic decline in its semi-natural grasslands, which were created by a long trajectory of traditional grazing and management activities. However, the applied perspective is largely methodological, and allows for the application of the obtained results in various contexts. Models based on statistical dependencies and correlations of multiple variables, which are able to extract desired properties from a large mass of initial data, are emphasized in the dissertation. In addition, the papers included combine several data sets from different sources and dates together, with the aim of detecting a wider range of environmental characteristics, as well as pointing out their temporal dynamics. The results of the dissertation emphasise the multidimensionality and dynamics of landscapes, which need to be understood in order to be able to recognise their ecologically valuable components. This not only requires knowledge about the emergence of these components and an understanding of the used data, but also the need to focus the observations on minute details that are able to indicate the existence of fragmented and partly overlapping landscape targets. In addition, this pinpoints the fact that most of the existing classifications are too generalised as such to provide all the required details, but they can be utilized at various steps along a longer processing chain. The dissertation also emphases the importance of landscape history as an important factor, which both creates and preserves ecological values, and which sets an essential standpoint for understanding the present landscape characteristics. The obtained results are significant both in terms of preserving semi-natural grasslands, as well as general methodological development, giving support to science-based framework in order to evaluate ecological values and guide spatial planning.Ympäröivä maisemamme on alati muuttuvassa tilassa, mutta viime aikoina muutosten nopeus ja niiden vaikutukset ympäristöön ovat kasvaneet. Luontoarvojen kannalta kehitys ei ole ollut pelkästään myönteistä, vaan monin paikoin lajistollisesti arvokkaat elinympäristöt ovat vähentyneet ja yleinen luonnon monimuotoisuus on kaventunut. Vaikka ongelma ja sen laajuus on yleisesti tunnistettu, ovat suunnitelmat ja toimet negatiivisen kehityksen pysäyttämiseksi paljolti keskeneräisiä. Osaltaan tämä johtuu tahtotilan puutteesta, mutta myös siitä että monet arvokkaista maisemakomponenteista ovat hankalasti havaittavia ja puutteellisesti tunnettuja, jolloin niihin ei osata kohdistaa tarvittavaa huomiota. Tässä yhteydessä erilaiset ympäristöön liittyvät digitaaliset tietolähteet voivat auttaa tiedon kartuttamisessa mutta vain, jos tarvittavat taustatekijät tunnetaan ja aineistoja osataan käsitellä soveltuvalla tavalla. Tässä väitöskirjassa keskitytään ekologisesti arvokkaiden maiseman ominaisuuksien tunnistamiseen geospatiaalisten aineistojen avulla, ja suositellaan käyttämään tätä tietoa aluesuunnittelun ja luonnonhoidon tarpeisiin. Tällä tarkoitetaan alueellisesti arvokkaiden lajien ja niiden elinympäristöjen havainnointia paikkatieto- ja kaukokartoitusaineistoja käyttäen, sekä tarkoitukseen sopivien analysointimenetelmien kehittämistä. Tutkimuksen kohteena on lounaissuomalainen maisema hemiboraalisessa kasvillisuusvyöhykkeessä, ja etenkin alueella esiintyvät arvokkaat perinnemaisemat, joilla pitkäkestoinen laidunnus ja hoitotoimenpiteet ovat luoneet monimuotoisen eliölajiston. Tutkimuksessa kehitetään yleistettäviä menetelmiä, ja saatuja tuloksia voidaan soveltaa myös laajempiin käyttötarkoituksiin. Tärkeässä osassa ovat erilaiset tilastollisiin tekijöihin ja muuttujien yhteisvaihteluun perustuvat mallinnusmenetelmät, joilla suuresta määrästä alkuperäisaineistoja erotetaan halutut ominaisuudet. Mallinnukset tehdään yhdistämällä useita maiseman ajallisia ja alueellisia muutoksia kuvaavia paikkatietoaineistoja. Väitöskirjan tulokset osoittavat, että maiseman dynamiikan ymmärtäminen ja muutosten tulkinta on olennaista luontoarvoiltaan tärkeiden kohteiden löytämiseksi. Tämä vaatii tietoa tutkitun ilmiön syntymekanismeista ja tehtävään käytetyistä aineistoista, mutta usein myös havainnoinnin kohdistamista riittävän yksityiskohtaiseen vaihteluun jonka avulla pirstoutuneita ja osin päällekkäisiä maisemakomponentteja voidaan tunnistaa. Näiden syiden takia valmiiksi luokitellut aineistot ovat usein liian yleistettyjä soveltuakseen sellaisenaan pienialaisten maisemakohteiden löytämiseen, mutta niitä voidaan kuitenkin hyödyntää osana pidempää työketjua. Tutkimuksen tulokset tukevat sitä tulkintaa, että maiseman nykytilaa edeltävät muutokset ovat olennaisia ekologisia arvoja maisemassa säilyttäviä tekijöitä.Tästä syystä on erityisen tarpeellista tuntea maiseman menneisyys osana nykyistä maisemarakennetta. Saadut tulokset ovat merkittäviä niin perinnemaisemien säilyttämisen kuin maisemaekologisen tutkimuksen menetelmäkehityksenkin kannalta, ja ne tukevat paikkatietoon ja tieteelliseen tutkimukseen perustuvaa luonnonsuojelua ja aluesuunnittelua.Siirretty Doriast

An evaluation of Landsat MSS data for ecological land classification and mapping in the Northern Cape

This paper examines the issues that arise in the use of visual interpretation of Landsat data during the analysis, classification and mapping of the natural vegetation of the semi-arid Northern Cape. Initial research involved the classifying and mapping of the vegetation using conventional methods. A vegetation map, accompanying legend and descriptive key were produced. The problems encountered during this process, and the constraints of manpower, time and funds, stimulated the investigation of Landsat imagery as a means of improving the speed and accuracy of vegetation classification and mapping. A study area comprising one Landsat scene and which met certain requirements was selected: a) The area had already been surveyed and mapped at a scale of 1:250 000. b) As many vegetation units as possible were included. c) There was maximum diversity, complexity and variability in terms of soil, geology and terrain morphology. Initially a suitable mapping scale was selected, viz. 1:250 000, as it met the requirements of nature conservation authorities and agricultural planners. The scales of survey and remote sensing were based on this. The basic unit of survey was the 1:50 000 topographical map and satellite imagery at a scale of 1:250 000 was found to meet the requirements of reconnaissance level mapping. The usefulness of Landsat imagery was markedly affected by the quality of image production and enhancement. Optimum image production was vitally important and to this end, interaction between the user and the operations engineer at the Satellite Applications Centre, Hartebeeshoek was essential. All images used, were edge-enhanced and systematically corrected. While these procedures were costly, they proved to be fundamental to the success of the investigation. Precision geometric correction was not required for reconnaissance level investigation. The manual superimposition of the UTM grid, using ground control points from 1:250 000 topographical maps, proved to be accurate and convenient. Pattern recognition on single-band, panchromatic imagery was difficult. The scene lacked crispness and contrast, and it was evident that black and white imagery did not satisfy the objectives of the study. Three-band false colour composite imagery was superior to single-band imagery in terms of clarity and number of cover classes. The addition of colour undoubtedly facilitated visual interpretation. False colour composite imagery was investigated further to establish which year, season and possibly time of season would best suit the objectives of the investigation. It was found that the environmental parameters affecting reflectance are relatively stable over time and it was not necessary to acquire imagery of the same year as field surveys. However, the year of imagery should be chosen so that similar climatic conditions prevail. While, in certain instances, imagery captured during winter had advantages in separating complex mosaics, summer imagery was superior in most respects. Furthermore, given "normal" climatic conditions, the ideal period during which there was maximum contrast between and within ground classes, and thus spectral classes, was narrowed to mid-January to mid-April. Units which were acceptably heterogeneous (relatively homogeneous) in terms of reflectance levels were delineated manually on the image. This delineation was done at three levels of complexity and the units were compared with the vegetation map. A series of field trips aided the interpretation of the images, especially where discrepancies occurred between the map and the image. In general, there was a close degree of correspondence between the prepared vegetation map and the delineated image. Field investigation revealed the image units to be more accurate than those on the vegetation map, and the image served to highlight the inadequacies inherent in classifying and mapping vegetation of extensive areas with limited resources

Probing resting-state functional connectivity in the infant brain: methods and potentiality

Early brain development is characterized by rapid growth and perpetual reconfiguration, driven by a dynamic milieu of heterogeneous processes. Moreover, potent postnatal brain plasticity engenders increased vulnerability to environmental stimuli. However, little is known regarding the ontogeny and temporal manifestations of inter- and intra-regional functional connectivity that comprise functional brain networks. Recently, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) emerged as a promising non-invasive neuroinvestigative tool, measuring spontaneous fluctuations in blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal at rest that reflect baseline neuronal activity. Its application has expanded to infant populations in the past decade, providing unprecedented insight into functional organization of the developing brain, as well as early biomarkers of abnormal/ disease states. However, rapid extension of the resting-state technique to infant populations leaves many methodological issues need to be resolved prior to standardization of the technique. The purpose of this thesis is to describe a protocol for intrinsic functional connectivity analysis, and extraction of resting-state networks in infants <12 months of age using the data-driven approach independent component analysis (ICA). To begin, we review the evolution of resting-state fMRI application in infant populations, including the biological premise for neural networks. Next, we present a protocol designed such that investigators without previous knowledge in the field can implement the analysis and reliably obtain viable results consistent with previous literature. Presented protocol provides detailed, albeit basic framework for RSN analysis, with interwoven discussion of basic theory behind each technique, as well as the rationale behind selecting parameters. The overarching goal is to catalyze efforts towards development of robust, infant-specific acquisition and preprocessing pipelines, as well as promote greater transparency by researchers regarding methods used. Finally, we review the literature, current methodological challenges and potential future directions for the field of infant resting-state fMRI

Wind tunnel testing of low-drag airfoils

Results are presented for the measured performance recently obtained on several airfoil concepts designed to achieve low drag by maintaining extensive regions of laminar flow without compromising high-lift performance. The wind tunnel results extend from subsonic to transonic speeds and include boundary-layer control through shaping and suction. The research was conducted in the NASA Langley 8-Ft Transonic Pressure Tunnel (TPT) and Low Turbulence Pressure Tunnel (LTPT) which have been developed for testing such low-drag airfoils. Emphasis is placed on identifying some of the major factors influencing the anticipated performance of low-drag airfoils

Digital Image Access & Retrieval

The 33th Annual Clinic on Library Applications of Data Processing, held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in March of 1996, addressed the theme of "Digital Image Access & Retrieval." The papers from this conference cover a wide range of topics concerning digital imaging technology for visual resource collections. Papers covered three general areas: (1) systems, planning, and implementation; (2) automatic and semi-automatic indexing; and (3) preservation with the bulk of the conference focusing on indexing and retrieval.published or submitted for publicatio

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Neonatal Cardiovascular System : Impact of Patent Ductus Arteriosus

The incidence of premature birth is increasing in absolute number and as a proportion of all births around the world. Many pathologies seen in this cohort are related to abnormal blood supply. Fetal and premature cardiovascular systems differ greatly as to maintain adequate blood flow to the developing organs in the uterine and extra-uterine environments require very different circulations. Subsequently following preterm birth the immature cardiovascular system undergoes abrupt adaptations, often resulting in the prolonged patency of the fetal shunt, ductus arteriosus. The impact of a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is poorly understood. However it is thought that large ductal shunt volumes may result in congestive cardiac failure and systemic hypo-­‐perfusion. Cardiac MRI has contributed greatly to the understanding of many cardiovascular diseases and congenital defects in paediatric and adult patients. Translating these imaging techniques to assess the preterm cardiovascular system requires careful optimization due to their condition, size and significantly increased heart rate. The work presented in this thesis employs multiple functional CMR techniques to investigate the preterm cardiovascular system in the presence and absence of PDA and the resultant cardiac function. A novel technique utilizing PC MRI to quantify PDA shunt volume and its impact on flow distribution is presented. Despite large shunt volumes, systemic circulation remained within normal range, although slight reduction is detectable when assessed at group level. Subsequently the impact of PDA and associated increased work load on left ventricular dimensions and function was then investigated using SSFP imaging. Results indicated that cardiac function was maintained even in the presence of large shunt volumes. Finally 4D PC sequences were employed to evaluate pulse wave velocity and flow regime within the preterm aorta, demonstrating the feasibility of hemodynamic assessment in this cohort. The findings of these studies provide insight into the impact of PDA. The reliable measurement and assessment of preterm cardiovascular system provides the potential to improve the understanding of the development and effects of certain pathologies seen in this cohort.Open Acces

Examining the development of brain structure in utero with fetal MRI, acquired as part of the Developing Human Connectome Project

The human brain is an incredibly complex organ, and the study of it traverses many scales across space and time. The development of the brain is a protracted process that begins embryonically but continues into adulthood. Although neural circuits have the capacity to adapt and are modulated throughout life, the major structural foundations are laid in utero during the fetal period, through a series of rapid but precisely timed, dynamic processes. These include neuronal proliferation, migration, differentiation, axonal pathfinding, and myelination, to name a few. The fetal origins of disease hypothesis proposed that a variety of non-communicable diseases emerging in childhood and adulthood could be traced back to a series of risk factors effecting neurodevelopment in utero (Barker 1995). Since this publication, many studies have shown that the structural scaffolding of the brain is vulnerable to external environmental influences and the perinatal developmental window is a crucial determinant of neurological health later in life. However, there remain many fundamental gaps in our understanding of it. The study of human brain development is riddled with biophysical, ethical, and technical challenges. The Developing Human Connectome Project (dHCP) was designed to tackle these specific challenges and produce high quality open-access perinatal MRI data, to enable researchers to investigate normal and abnormal neurodevelopment (Edwards et al., 2022). This thesis will focus on investigating the diffusion-weighted and anatomical (T2) imaging data acquired in the fetal period, between the second to third trimester (22 – 37 gestational weeks). The limitations of fetal MR data are ill-defined due to a lack of literature and therefore this thesis aims to explore the data through a series of critical and strategic analysis approaches that are mindful of the biophysical challenges associated with fetal imaging. A variety of analysis approaches are optimised to quantify structural brain development in utero, exploring avenues to relate the changes in MR signal to possible neurobiological correlates. In doing so, the work in this thesis aims to improve mechanistic understanding about how the human brain develops in utero, providing the clinical and medical imaging community with a normative reference point. To this aim, this thesis investigates fetal neurodevelopment with advanced in utero MRI methods, with a particular emphasis on diffusion MRI. Initially, the first chapter outlines a descriptive, average trajectory of diffusion metrics in different white matter fiber bundles across the second to third trimester. This work identified unique polynomial trajectories in diffusion metrics that characterise white matter development (Wilson et al., 2021). Guided by previous literature on the sensitivity of DWI to cellular processes, I formulated a hypothesis about the biophysical correlates of diffusion signal components that might underpin this trend in transitioning microstructure. This hypothesis accounted for the high sensitivity of the diffusion signal to a multitude of simultaneously occurring processes, such as the dissipating radial glial scaffold, commencement of pre-myelination and arborization of dendritic trees. In the next chapter, the methods were adapted to address this hypothesis by introducing another dimension, and charting changes in diffusion properties along developing fiber pathways. With this approach it was possible to identify compartment-specific microstructural maturation, refining the spatial and temporal specificity (Wilson et al., 2023). The results reveal that the dynamic fluctuations in the components of the diffusion signal correlate with observations from previous histological work. Overall, this work allowed me to consolidate my interpretation of the changing diffusion signal from the first chapter. It also serves to improve understanding about how diffusion signal properties are affected by processes in transient compartments of the fetal brain. The third chapter of this thesis addresses the hypothesis that cortical gyrification is influenced by both underlying fiber connectivity and cytoarchitecture. Using the same fetal imaging dataset, I analyse the tissue microstructural change underlying the formation of cortical folds. I investigate correlations between macrostructural surface features (curvature, sulcal depth) and tissue microstructural measures (diffusion tensor metrics, and multi-shell multi-tissue decomposition) in the subplate and cortical plate across gestational age, exploring this relationship both at the population level and within subjects. This study provides empirical evidence to support the hypotheses that microstructural properties in the subplate and cortical plate are altered with the development of sulci. The final chapter explores the data without anatomical priors, using a data-driven method to extract components that represent coordinated structural maturation. This analysis aims to examine if brain regions with coherent patterns of growth over the fetal period converge on neonatal functional networks. I extract spatially independent features from the anatomical imaging data and quantify the spatial overlap with pre-defined neonatal resting state networks. I hypothesised that coherent spatial patterns of anatomical development over the fetal period would map onto the functional networks observed in the neonatal period. Overall, this thesis provides new insight about the developmental contrast over the second to third trimester of human development, and the biophysical correlates affecting T2 and diffusion MR signal. The results highlight the utility of fetal MRI to research critical mechanisms of structural brain maturation in utero, including white matter development and cortical gyrification, bridging scales from neurobiological processes to whole brain macrostructure. their gendered constructions relating to women