Biscayne National Park Vegetation Map Project Report [and associated files]
Whelan KR, Ruiz PL, Shamblin RB, Houle PA, Ross MR, Atkinson AJ, Patterson JM , Alonso J. 2013. Biscayne National Park Vegetation Map Project Report [and associated files]. Natural Resource Technical Report. NPS/SFCN/NRTR—2013/774. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
Biscayne National Park’s 3,096 hectares of terrestrial vegetation, including the wetlands along the western shore of Biscayne Bay, mangrove islands in the bay, and islands that parallel the mainland, were mapped with a vector-based approach using photo-interpretation of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) 2005 aerial imagery (30cm, 5-band) as well as 2002 Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data (mainland only). An additional 429 hectares were mapped in areas immediately adjacent to the park boundary. The map was made in UTM, NAD 83, Zone 17N coordinates with a minimum mapping unit of 400m2 with notable smaller objects mapped at the photo-interpreter’s discretion. The vegetation classification system used is a 6- level hierarchical vegetation classification system developed by Rutchey et al. (2006, ver. 5/22/2007) with 29 new map classes added in this project. Digitized polygons were classified to the highest feasible level of resolution. The map consists of a total of 3,524 hectares delineated into 4,672 polygons representing 100 map classes and using 1,081 training field points. A high resolution shoreline layer was also created as part of this project. An accuracy assessment of the draft map was conducted by the National Park Service South Florida/Caribbean Inventory and Monitoring Network. The assessment included the imagery positional accuracy, the map positional accuracy, and vegetation classification accuracy. The horizontal accuracy of the aerial imagery was checked using 12 ground control locations and measured ±2.7m at the 95% confidence level. The positional accuracy of well-defined map features was checked with 25 positional accuracy assessment locations and measured ±2.5m at the 95% confidence level. The vegetation classification accuracy was checked using a total of 390 locations to determine if the vegetation community observed in the field matched the annotated map classification at the most detailed level. The draft Biscayne National Park vegetation map’s overall accuracy is 83.3% (325 of 390 accuracy assessment locations were acceptable) with a lower 90% confidence level of 80.7% accuracy (Kappa index 82.6%) when assessed at the most detailed level of the classification. The draft Biscayne National Park vegetation map was updated to include corrections to polygons based on findings from the 390 accuracy assessment locations. The final map product for this project is this updated map and is refered to as the Biscayne National Park vegetation map.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Whelan, Kevin; Ruiz, Pablo; Shamblin, Robert; Houle, Patricia; Ross, Micael; Atkinson, Andrea; Patterson, Judd; Alonso, Joaquin
- Date of Issue
- 2013-07
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- BISC , NRSS , SFCN , VMI
- Keywords
- Accuracy Assessment, Biota, BISC, Biscayne National Park, Digital Spatial Database, Field Data, GIS, GPS, ImageryBaseMapsEarthCover, International Vegetation Classification, Map, National Park, National Park Service, National Vegetation Classification Standard, National Vegetation Classification System, NPS, NVCS, SFCN, South Florida/Caribbean Network, U.S. National Vegetation Classification, USA, USGS, USNVC, Vegetation, Vegetation Inventory, Vegetation Map, Vegetation Mapping Inventory