Vegetation classification and mapping project report, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
Story M, Owns T, Landgraf I, Reid M, Stevens J. 2004. Vegetation classification and mapping project report, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), Biological Resources Discipline, in cooperation with the Inventory and Monitoring Program of the National Park Service, has initiated a multi-year project to classify, describe, and map vegetation for 270 national parks. As a cooperator under the national vegetation mapping program, the USGS Rocky Mountain Mapping Center, with assistance from the Monument, NatureServe, the Colorado Natural Heritage Program, and engineering-environmental Management, Inc. has classified and mapped the vegetation occurring in and around Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. Twenty eight vegetation map units (Table ES-1) and Anderson Level II land-use units were used for interpretation of approximately 8,000 acres encompassing the Monument (approximately 5,998 acres) and surrounding environs (approximately 2,002 acres). The interpreted data were digitally transferred into a geographic information system database. Vegetation map units were determined through thorough field reconnaissance, data collection, and analysis in accordance with the National Vegetation Classification System. The vegetation map was created from photographic interpretation of 1996, 1:15,000 scale color aerial photographs (0.5 hectare minimum mapping unit). All vegetation and land-use information was then transferred to USGS digital orthophoto quarter-quads created from the color photography using a combination of on-screen digitizing and image processing techniques. Arc/InfoTM (ESRI, Inc.) software was used throughout the project for digitizing, scanning, transforming, registering, and plotting the interpreted data. Overall thematic accuracy for the entire mapping effort was assessed at 76.9% with a Kappa Index of .744. The overall 90% confidence interval was 73.8% to 80.0 %.
- Type
- Unpublished Report
- Authors
- Story, Mike; Owns, Tom; Landgraf, Ingrid; Reid, Marion; Stevens, Joe
- Date of Issue
- 2004-01
- Units
- FLFO , VMI
- Keywords
- Accuracy Assessment, Aerial Photography, alliances, Associations, community association, Digital Orthophoto, Digital Spatial Database, DOQ, DOQQ, Field Data, flight line, GIS, GPS, habitat mapping, Inventory Projects, Landcover, Landscape, National Park, National Park Service Inventory, National Vegetation Classification Standard, National Vegetation Classification System, NVCS, Orthophoto, Plots, U.S. National Vegetation Classification, USNVC, USNVCS, Vegetation Composition Inventory, Vegetation Inventory, Vegetation Inventory Report, Vegetation Map Report, Vegetation Mapping, Vegetation Plots