Initial experimental analysis of ERTS-1 imagery has demonstrated that remote sensing from space is a means of delineating and inventorying Ohio's strip-mined areas, detecting power plant smoke plumes, and proving the data necessary for periodically compiling land use maps for the entire state. The nature and extent of these problems throughout Ohio, how ERTS data can contribute to their solution, and estimates of the long term significance of these initial findings to overall resource management interests in Ohio are summarized

Sweet, D. C.

Wells, T. L.

Wukelic, G. E.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

U 
Paper R 3 
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS OF ERTS-1 DATA TO OHIO 
David C. Sweet and Terry L. Wells, State of Ohio, Department of Economic and 
Community Development and George E. Wukelic, Battelle Columbus Laboratories 
ABSTRACT 
I n i t i a l  experimental a n a l y s i s  of ERTS-1 imagery has 
demonstrated t h a t  remote sensing from space is  a means of de- 
l i n e a t i n g  and inventorying Ohio's strip-mined areas , de tec t -  
ing power-plant smoke plumes ¶ and providing the  d a t a  necessary 
f o r  pe r iod ica l ly  compiling land-use maps f o r  the e n t i r e  state. 
This paper summarizes the na tu re  and e x t e n t  of these problem8 
throughout Ohio, i l l u s t r a t e s  how ERTS d a t a  can con t r ibu te  t o  
t h e i r  so lu t ion ,  and estimates the long-term s ign i f i cance  of 
these i n i t i a l  f indings t o  o v e r a l l  resource management i n t e r -  
ests i n  Ohio. 
1. INTRODUCTION 
NASA has provided the S t a t e  Government of Ohio, on behalf of a number of 
i t s  agencies* and a s s i s t e d  by Battelle Memorial I n s t i t u t e ' s  Columbus 
Laborator ies ,  w i th  the  opportuni ty  t o  p a r t i c i p a t e  i n  the ERTS-1 program 
as a mu1 t i d i s c  i p l i n a r  y user - inve s t iga t or concerned with evaluat ing the 
state resource management implicat ions of ERTS-1 data .  This symposium 
has  been organized t o  pub l i c i ze  s i g n i f i c a n t  r e s u l t s  thus f a r  obtained 
from ERTS-1. I n  t h i s  connection I would l i k e  t o  r e p o r t  f i r s t  on what we 
f e e l  is our  most s i g n i f i c a n t  result t o  da t e .  This i s  the swif tness  with 
which remote sensing from space has  captured the  i n t e r e s t  and confidence 
of p o t e n t i a l  s tate and l o c a l  u se r  groups, i n  s p i t e  of t h e i r  l imi t ed  
previous experience i n  applying remote sensing technology. Moreover a 
s i g n i f i c a n t  progress toward demonstrating s t a t e - l e v e l  u t i l i t y  has 
occurred. 
f r a r e d  d a t a  f o r  many app l i ca t ions  are much in  evidence. While i n  many 
cises our a p p l i c a t i o n  f ind ings  and p o t e n t i a l  b e n e f i t s  are not d i r e c t l y  
t r a n s l a t a b l e  t o  other  states, we nonetheless f e e l  confident  t h a t  the 
promise of ERTS w i l l  spread throughout t he  na t ion ,  insuring adequate 
use r  support f o r  continuing o r b i t a l  survey missions.  
* Department of Economic and Community Development (Lead Agency) 
However, s tate needs f o r  l a rge r  s c a l e  imagery and thermal in- 
Department of Natural  Resources 
Department of Transportat ion 
Ohio Environmental P ro tec t ion  Agency 
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https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19730019629 2020-03-17T08:51:04+00:00Z
' 2, PRELIMINARY RESULT8 
Although clouds have been a continuing problem, usable ERTS MSS 
However, the imagery has been acquired fo r  almost the e n t i r e  state. 
cu r ren t  a v a i l a b i l i t y  of usable r e p e t i t i v e  d a t a  is  l imited t o  portione of 
e a s t e r n  Ohio, For imagery ana lys i s  and i n t e r p r e t a t i o n  we are u t i l i z i n g  
manual e l e c t r o - o p t i c a l  image ana lys i s  techniques (mult ispectral  and 
dene i ty l co lo r  viewers) 
demonstrating ERTS p o t e n t i a l i t i e s ,  accommodating real-time problem solv- 
ing exercises involving t e c h n i c a l  and planning s p e c i a l i s t s ,  and generat-  
ing sample ERTS d a t a  app l i ca t ion  products f o r  subsequent u t i l i t y  assess- 
ment. The s t a t u s  of and s ta te  i n t e r e s t  i n  our a n a l y t i c a l  program 
e f f o r t s  are b r i e f l y  summarized i n  Table I. , Further  discussion is l imited 
t o  areas wherein ERTS d a t a  u t i l i t y  has  d e f i n i t e l y  been demonstrated. 
These have been equal ly  e f f e c t i v e  i n  v i s u a l l y  
TABLE I. STATUS OF MAJOR ERTS DATA APPLICATION 
CANDIDATES UNDER EXAMINATION I N  OHIO 
Area S t a t e  Need P o t e n t i a l  State Value 
S t r i p  mining 
Land use 
A i r  q u a l i t y  
Mapping 
San i t a ry  land 
Flood p l a i n s  
f i l l s  
Outdoor recre- 
a t i o n  
Lake Erie 
U t i l i t y  F e a s i b i l i t y  Demonstrated 
> 114 mi l l i on  a c r e s  
Multiagency p r i o r i t y  prob- 
H e l p  implement 1972 s t r i p -  
Provide per iodic  s ta tewide 
a f f e c t e d  mine law 
lem views of major land-use 
changes 
New Ohio EPA i n t e r e s t  
Current maps needed a t  a l l  
Test computer .model 
Prepare photo base maps 
agency l e v e l s  
U t i l i t y  F e a s i b i l i t y  Under Study 
> 1,400 i l l e g a l  si tes es t i -  
mated s i tes  
50 % of Ohio c i t ies  sub jec t  
t o  flood damage 
50 state parks exist--major 
expansion program underway 
Unusual high water l e v e l  
posing severe erosion and 
flood hazard problems 
Detect i l l e g a l  and/or new 
H e l p  de f ine  and enforce 
Help select new sites 
Support Operation Foresight  
s ta tewide r egu la to ry  law 
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A. Strip-Mine Reclamation Planning 
and Monitoring Implications 
I n  A p r i l  1972, responding t o  overwhelming public sentiment , t h e  
Ohio Legis la ture  passed l e g i s l a t i o n  placing very  s t r i n g e n t  c o n t r o l s  on 
s t r i p  mining i n  t h e  state. This l a w  places many new reclamation re- 
quirements on t h e  operator ,  requi res  extensive preplanning of strip-mine 
operat ions,  and gives  the state the  power t o  deny l icenses  t o  s t r i p  mine 
under c e r t a i n  conditions.  The implementation of t h i s  l a w  is a tremen- 
dous t a s k  which as ye t  h a s n ' t  been t o t a l l y  e f fec ted .  
The state a n t i c i p a t e s  t h a t  ERTS d a t a  w i l l  prove usefu l  i n  severa l  
ways i n  implementing the  law.  I n i t i a l l y ,  there  is a need f o r  an  inven- 
t o r y  and map of a l l  strip-mined land t o  support reclamation planning 
a c t i v i t i e s ,  as an accurate  and recent  inventory i n  a r e a d i l y  a v a i l a b l e  . 
form does not  e x i s t .  Information is e s p e c i a l l y  scanty on land s t r ipped  
before 1948, when Ohio passed i ts  f i r s t  strip-mine l e g i s l a t i o n .  
As can be seen i n  Figure 1, ERTS photography is q u i t e  responsive t o  
de tec t ing  surface-mining operations and reclamation e f f o r t s .  This 
ERTS-1 scene of southeastern Ohio taken on August 21, 1972, shows an 
8 - m i l e  long strip-mined area i n  which t h e  Big Muskie is operating. 
Ground t r u t h  confirms t h a t  the  dark square i n  t h e  center  of the  s t r ipped 
area w a s  the locat ion of t h e  Big Muskie a t  the t i m e .  Figure 2 i l l u s -  
trates how w e l l  ERTS strip-mine imagery compares with a i r c r a f t  photog- 
raphy. 
Ohio. The sa te l l i t e  imagery has been magnified over 140 times t o  match 
the 1:24,000 scale rout ine ly  used i n  planning and map preparation. 
This photo shows a very small strip-mined area near Zaleski ,  
With the a b i l i t y  t o  i d e n t i f y  strip-mined areas es tab l i shed ,  an 
attempt was made t o  inventory and map the  strip-mined areas of one Ohio 
county. Figures 3 and 4 show the d i s t r i b u t i o n  of s t r ipped and unre- 
claimed land f o r  Harrison County as displayed i n  an 32-color viewer en- 
largement of ERTS-1 MSS band 5 imagery. Area ca lcu la t ions  correspond 
q u i t e  favorably t o  Department of Natural  Resources (DNR) data.  ERTS-1 
d a t a  showed a t o t a l  s t r ipped  acreage of 18.4 percent (or 47,472 acres) 
as compared t o  19.01 percent (or 49,064 acres) f o r  DNR. For unreclaimed 
acreage the f i g u r e s  were 6.2 percent f o r  ERTS-1 and 6.8 percent f o r  DNR. 
Comparison with a i r c r a f t  da ta  and on-si te  v i s i t a t i o n s  are planned t o  
f u r t h e r  subs tan t ia te  the accuracy of the inventory before proceeding 
wi th  a 23 county survey of strip-mined areas  i n  southeastern Ohio. 
The current  e f f o r t  i s  t o  determine the ex ten t  t o  which ERTS mult i -  
da te  da ta  can a i d  i n  enforcing t h e  reclamation provisions of t h e  s t r i p -  
mine law.  Under the l a w  a strip-mine operator is required t o  ccnnmence 
b a c k f i l l i n g  , grading, and r e s o i l i n g  wi th in  three  months a f t e r  removal 
of overburden. 
next appropriate  season. With present ERTS r e s o l u t i o n  c a p a b i l i t i e s ,  it 
is doubtful  t h a t  b a c k f i l l i n g  e f f o r t s  can be monitored t o  the ex ten t  
Plant ing of vegetat ion must take place no later than the  
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Fig ,  1, Enlargement of ERTS PlSS Band 5 Imagery (21 Aug 72) 
Showing Ohio Strip-Mine Areas, 
1462 
Figure 2. Comparison of ERTS-1 and A i r c r a f t  Photos of Strip-Mine 
Area Near Za le sk i ,  Ohio. 
of 1 :24,000. ) 
(Comparison Made a t  a Scale 
Fig. 3 ,  Black Areas Represent Fig. 4 .  Black Areas Represent 
Total  Strip-Mined Areas Unrec laimed Strip-Mine 
of Harrison County, Ohio. Areas of Harrison 
(ERTS Imagery as Displayed County, Ohio. (ERTS 
on 32-Color V i e w e r  .) Imagery as Displayed 
on 32-Co1or V i e w e r  .) 
1463 
necessary fo r  regulatory purposes. However, ERTS data  w i l l  be useful  i n  
determining i f  l as t ing  reclamation has been accomplished. In  many cases 
the i n i t i a l  vegetat ive cover appears healthy a t  f i r s t ,  but a f t e r  several  
years a change in  hydrologic conditions may cause acid water t o  reappear 
and destroy the vegetation. 
judgments i n  issuing permits and releasing bonds posted by strip-mine 
operators. 
This capabi l i ty  w i l l  permit more accurate 
B. S ta te  Land-Use Planning Implications 
Support for  a nat ional  land-use policy has grown s teadi ly  stronger 
and indicat ions are tha t  Congress w i l l  soon a c t  on one of the several  
land-use b i l l s  present ly  under consideration. 
features  of these b i l l s  is tha t  states w i l l  be required as pa r t  of t h e i r  
land-use planning process t o  include "the preparation and continuing 
revis ion of a statewide inventory of the land and na tura l  resources of 
the State". This is one area in  which o r b i t a l  survey data  w i l l  he lp  
multiagency e f f o r t s  i n  Ohio. 
current  and comprehensive, data base i l l u s t r a t i n g  the inter-relat ionships  
of s t a t i c  and dynamic na tura l  and cu l tu ra l  surface features.  
One of the common 
Specif ical ly ,  ERTS imagery w i l l  provide a 
Thus f a r  we have established tha t  mapping of na tura l  and cu l tu ra l  
features  from ERTS imagery can be done with confidence t o  scales  of 
larger  than 1:125,000. Figure 5 provides examples of our p i l o t  land-use 
mapping e f f o r t s  i n  the over 500 square m i l e  Columbus /Franklin County 
area. These scenes, taken from the Spat ia l  Data 32-color viewer, show 
the  various major land-use features  discernible:  t o t a l  urban coverage $ 
urban growth tha t  has occurred pr incipal ly  over the last 12 years,  and 
d i s t r ibu t ion  of tree stands,  parks, and woods. Aerial  photo index 
sheets  have been found qu i t e  valuable i n  verifying the extent  and 
geometry of the land-use pat terns  generated. 
Our current objective i s  t o  attempt t o  update the general  1:500,000 
scale land-use map of Ohio which w a s  completed i n  1967 a t  a cos t  of 
approximately a quarter mil l ion dol lars .  I f  successful,  a t  l e a s t  for  
USGS recanmended Level I land-use categories,  s t a t e  planners w i l l  have 
a r e l a t ive ly  inexpensive and periodic information base fo r  making gen- 
eral land-use decisions. This information w i l l  not replace the need f o r  
more detai led s tudies  i n  spec i f ic  areas; and therefore,  any improvement 
of resolut ion in  fu ture  s a t e l l i t e  survey missions w i l l  increase the 
value of the information provided. 
C. Environmental Quality Implications 
An Ohio Environmental Protection Agency w a s  established i n  October 
1972 t o  consolidate environmental qua l i ty  protection a c t i v i t i e s  in  Ohio. 
It has prepared the implementation plan required by the Federal Clean 
A i r  A c t  t o  meet standards set by the Federal EPA. As part  of t h i s  plan, 
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Figure 5 ,  Il lustrations of Urbanized Land-Use Features 
Discernible on ERTS-1 Photography. 
1465 
o f f i c i a l s  are required t o  e s t a b l i s h  emission l imi ta t ions  for  a l l  s i g n i -  
f i c a n t  state pol lu t ion  sources. I n  an e f f o r t  t o  determine t h e  e f f e c t  of 
po l lu t ion  sources on a i r  q u a l i t y ,  the  state has  developed an  a i r  move- 
ment model. 
plumes on a r e p e t i t i v e  b a s i s  w i l l  be u t i l i z e d  in  combination w i t h  met- 
eorological  d a t a  t o  evaluate  and v e r i f y  t h i s  model. 
reveal the ex ten t  t o  which smoke plume confluence is  occurring. 
The demonstrated a b i l i t y  of ERTS t o  d e t e c t  major smoke 
ERTS imagey may also 
Although t h e  prime i n t e r e s t s  of state EPA personnel general ly  asso- 
ciate with thermal in f ra red  d a t a  (unfortunately unavailable from ERTS-1) , 
some preliminary assessments have been made as t o  the u t i l i t y  of ERITS 
f o r  de tec t ing  i l l e g a l  and/or s e l e c t i n g  new s a n i t a r y  l a n d f i l l  s i tes and 
monitoring Lake Erie sedimentation. Ohio EPA i n t e r e s t  and confidence i n  
applying remote sensing technology are manifest  i n  a grant  request  sub- 
mitted t o  enable t h e  agency t o  purchase and operate  a f u l l y  equipped 
remote sen8 ing a i r c r a f t  . 
D Mapping Implications 
Enlargements of bulk processed ERTS MSS i p g e r y  have been found t o  
match very c l o s e l y  most standard map s c a l e s  i n  common use i n  Ohio. The 
resource management implicat ions from the  standpoint of preparing up- 
to-date thematic maps are obvious. Current ly ,  1:250,000 mosaics of 
Ohio i n  two MSS bands (5 and 7) are being prepared by the Department of 
Transportation. 
t ranspor ta t  ion research and planning. 
These mosaics w i l l  serve as photo base maps f o r  state 
3. SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS 
Obviously, Ohio is opt imis t ic  about t h e  resource management appl i -  
c a t i o n  opportuni t ies  emerging from i n i t i a l  ERTS imagery ana lys i s .  Hope- 
f u l l y ,  s e v e r a l  demonstrated appl ica t ions  w i l l  mature i n t o  rout ine  state- 
wide planning funct ions,  and a d d i t i o n a l  appl ica t ion  p o s s i b i l i t i e s  w i l l  
surface.  
r e s u l t s  remain t o  be determined. 
enthusiasm is being l o s t  because of t h e  u n a v a i l a b i l i t y  of thermal i n f r a -  
red data.  
agencies but found t o  be marginal or inappropriate  based on cur ren t  ERTS 
da ta  c a p a b i l i t i e s ,  could become f e a s i b l e  were higher reso lu t ion  imagery 
provided. 
t o  incorporate a thermal in f ra red  c a p a b i l i t y  i n  the  ERTS-B mission i s  
sound and we suggest a l s o  t h a t  ser ious considerat ion be given t o  modify- 
ing the  mostly redundant RBV i n t o  a system f o r  providing la rger  s c a l e  
imagery on a r e p e t i t i v e  but  longer t e r m  bas i s .  
The economic and operat ional  implicat ions of these e a r l y  
Equally important is t h a t  some user 
Also, many appl ica t ion  candidates proposed by state user  
Accordingly, from a state viewpoint , NASA's recent  decis ion 
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Resource management implications of ERTS-1 data to Ohio

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