The bobcat, Lynx Rufus, has been increasingly observed in urban areas of Southern California. Habitat fragmentation caused by human development has forced the bobcat to adapt to new urban influences. Although the bobcat is currently thriving in these urban areas, the continued reduction of critical habitat and the increase in bobcat interaction may ultimately lead to decline in future populations.
The client for this project is a research ecologist with the USGS Western Ecological Research Center. Her bobcat research requires tracking bobcats with GPS radio-collars and collecting sighting information from the public. Her goal was to utilize GIS technologies to gain a better understanding of how bobcats are surviving in urban areas. She aimed to achieve this by the examination of bobcats’ behavior with certain habitat variables and how they are characterized within defined study areas. Four tools were developed to measure the proximity and density of roads, hydrography (flow lines and water bodies), urban edges, and land cover
