U.S. Geological Survey-National Park Service Vegetation Mapping Program: Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park
Hop K. 2007. U.S. Geological Survey-National Park Service Vegetation Mapping Program: Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. La Crosse, Wisconsin
Ecologists and mappers from the United States (Glacier National Park, NatureServe, MT Natural Heritage Program) and Canada (Waterton Lakes National Park) collaborated to describe National Vegetation Classification (NVC) System plant associations (communities) and determine how best to map them using aerial photographs. The team collected 682 vegetation sampling plots within the Waterton-Glacier IPP project extent; 628 from the Glacier (GNP) project area, and 54 from the Waterton (WLNP) project area. Vegetation data from other existing data sets provided an additional 1,100 plots for the vegetation analysis. Furthermore, data from 1,160 accuracy assessment (AA) sites were collected (918 from GNP and 242 from WLNP). These data sets combined led to the identification of 226 NVC plant communities at Waterton-Glacier IPP (198 from vegetation plots, and 28 from AA sites). Forty-eight map classes were developed to map the vegetation and general land cover of Waterton-Glacier IPP, with 42 of them representing NVC vegetation types. The other six map classes depict general land cover; three representing non-vegetated land cover and three representing developed areas. Two spatial databases were produced to show locations of vegetation and general land cover; one of GNP and environs and one of WLNP and adjoining Blood Indian Timber Limit. Features were interpreted using 1:15,840-scale true color aerial photographs dated August 1999. An additional set of 1:24,000-scale color infrared aerial photos dated August 1997 were used for additional reference. Polygon units were mapped to 0.5 ha (1.25 acres) and, for specific cases, to 0.25 ha (0.62 acres). The interpreted data were digitally and spatially referenced, making the spatial database layers usable in geographic information systems (GIS). Collectively, the GNP and WLNP spatial database layers provide nearly 109,833 polygons of detailed attribute data covering 494,842.6 ha (1,222,782.8 acres), with an average polygon size of 4.5 ha (11.1 acres). Of the area mapped, 102,124 polygons (93%) represent NVC vegetation types, encompassing 469,190 ha (1,159,394.3 acres; 94.8%) of the total map extent. The GNP lands account for 82.5% of the entire map extent, with an additional 7.1% for environs around GNP, making up 89.6% of the combined Waterton-Glacier IPP project boundary extent. The WLNP lands account for about 10% of the map extent, with the BITL about 0.4%; the WLNP spatial database makes up 10.4% of the full boundary extent. Summary reports generated from the spatial database layers indicate forest and woodland types dominating the landscape, populating 55% of the polygons and covering 66.5% of the entire Waterton-Glacier IPP map extent. Two thematic AA studies were conducted of map classes representing NVC plant communities; one on the GNP layer, and the other on the WLNP layer. (Two AA studies were performed independent each other because the GNP and WLNP layers were each mapped by a different mapping group.) Results for the GNP layer present an overall accuracy of 87.9% (Kappa index of 87.4%); based on data from 918 AA field sites. Results for the WLNP layer give an overall accuracy of 77.9% (Kappa index of 76.8%); based on data from 242 AA field sites. Most individual map class themes exceed the VMP standard of 80% with a 90% confidence interval. Additional products consist of an in-depth project summary report discussing methods and results, which include plant community descriptions and dichotomous keys, map classification and descriptions, AA contingency tables, representative ground photos of plant communities, database sets of vegetation plots and AA sites, field data sheets, aerial photograph prints and images, hardcopy maps, and spatial databases of vegetation communities, fieldwork locations, aerial photo indexes, and project boundaries. All geospatial products are in UTM projection, Zone 12 (NAD83).
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Hop, Kevin
- Date of Issue
- 2007
- Units
- GLAC , 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