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USGS at Tsunami Education Workshop for Washington Tribe:
On Sept. 6, USGS researchers are participating in a tsunami
public education program for the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe in Tokeland, WA by presenting information on community
vulnerability to Cascadia-related tsunamis. The workshop, organized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration and local emergency managers, is designed to provide a forum for discussing hazards, community exposure,
preparedness and response strategies, and community resilience related to Cascadia earthquakes and tsunamis.
(Nathan Wood, Vancouver, WA, 360-993-8951)
9-11-2008
New USGS Report on Willamette Valley Land Cover Change:
USGS scientists have published a summary report documenting
30 years of land-use/land-cover change in the Willamette Valley ecoregion (OR, WA). Unlike any other western U.S.
ecoregion, logging intensified during the study period in the predominantly privately-owned forests here, likely an
unintended result of the implementation of federal and state laws protecting habitat on adjacent public lands. The
rates and timing of agricultural land conversion to developed land also appears to be a function of the implementation
of varying state and local land-use planning laws. See: http://landcovertrends.usgs.gov/west/eco3Report.html
(Tamara Wilson, Menlo Park, CA, 650-329-4247)
9-11-2008
New USGS Technique Measures Historical Change in Lake Tahoe Landscape:
Until recently, there have been few efforts to document landscape change in the Lake Tahoe Basin during
the historically recent period of development, and to measure the relatively rapid changes in land-use and
land-cover that have taken place throughout the area. On Aug. 7, USGS Geographer Chris Soulard is participating
in the 2008 ESRI International User Conference, Aug. 4-8, in San Diego, California, by presenting a USGS
technique for producing historical digital orthophotos from historical aerial photography, while adhering to
National Map Accuracy Standards. Soulard will discuss using this type of product to gauge changes that have
occurred in the Lake Tahoe Basin since 1940, including transportation networks, impervious-surface areas, and
stream channel morphology. This technique will be useful for measuring temporal land-cover change, providing a
useful tool for regional land-use planners to assess surface changes in the Lake Tahoe region.
8-8-2008
USGS at Australasian Natural Hazards Management Conference:
USGS researchers are participating in the 2nd Australasian Natural Hazards Management Conference,
July 28-30, in Wellington, New Zealand by presenting information on using GIS in hazards vulnerability
research, and discussing societal vulnerability to Cascadia-related tsunamis and building of tsunami ready
communities. The conference which is being organized by the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS Science),
the New Zealand Ministry of Civil Defense, the International Association of Emergency Managers, and several universities
in the Australasian region, is designed to provide a forum for discussing the integration of hazard information into tools
for effective risk management. (Nathan Wood, Vancouver, WA, 360-993-8951)
8-8-2008
New Techniques and Methods report: Dasymetric Mapping Methods
Sleeter, Rachel, and Gould, Michael, 2007, Geographic Information
System Software to Remodel Population Data Using Dasymetric Mapping
Methods: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods 11-C2, 15 p.
Many cartographers prefer dasymetric
mapping to map population because of its ability to more
accurately distribute data over geographic space. Similar to
"choropleth maps", a dasymetric map utilizes standardized
data (for example, census data). However, rather than using
arbitrary enumeration zones to symbolize population distribution,
a dasymetric approach introduces ancillary information
to redistribute the standardized data into zones relative to land
use and land cover (LULC)
An extension module to add specialized functionality to
a GIS was created to automate the process of transferring data
from source population zones (census enumeration districts)
to overlaying target zones (LULC). This report reviews the
extension installation, the dasymetric mapping methodologies
behind each point-and-click feature, and the benefits of using
this method and associated extension by examining the output
files.
For more see U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods 11-C2, 15 p
5-4-2008
USGS geographer Nathan Wood featured in The Oregonian :
USGS geographer Nathan Wood was featured in a March 9 The Oregonian (Portland, OR) article about areas of coastal Oregon
vulnerable to damage from tsunamis and the possible economic impact on coastal communities.
See
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1204880107210470.xml&coll=7
3-24-2008
New USGS Report Assesses Oregon Tsunami Vulnerability:
A recently released assessment of community vulnerability to tsunamis in Oregon is being presented to local emergency managers by
USGS research geographer Nathan Wood, Jan. 15-16, in Astoria, Oregon. The new report, USGS SIR 2007-5283, documents community
variations in the amount and percentage of developed land, residents, employees, public venues, and critical facilities in areas
prone to tsunami inundation related to a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake. The briefing is part of the annual vulnerability assessment
training held for county managers and given by the USGS and the Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience. A similar analysis is under
way for the open-ocean and Strait of Juan de Fuca coasts of Washington. See http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2007/5283/.
(Nathan Wood, Vancouver, WA, 360-993-8951)
1-24-2008
WGSC Scientists win 2007 Best Paper Award
Dr. Richard Bernknopf and Dr. Anne Wein, USGS Western Geography Science Center, Dr. Marc St-Onge, Geological Survey of Canada,
and Dr. Stephen Lucas, Natural Resources Canada, are the recipients of the USGS Geography Discipline's 2007 Best Scientific
Paper in Geography Award. Their paper entitled “Analysis of Improved Government Geological Map Information for Mineral Exploration:
Incorporating Efficiency, Productivity, Effectiveness, and Risk Considerations” was published as a joint Geological Survey of Canada
Bulletin (593) and U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper (1721). Joint publications of the two agencies are rare and the results
represent a significant advancement of approaches to estimate how updated and improved geologic maps influence costs, efficiencies, and
uncertainties associated with mineral exploration. Additionally, the methodologies highlighted in this report should be broadly applicable
in assessing relationships between other environmental and economic endpoints and themes.
New Land-cover trends report: Southern California Mountains ecoregion
Soulard, Christopher E., Raumann, Christian G., and Wilson, Tamara S.,
2007, Land-cover trends of the Southern California Mountains ecoregion:
This report presents an assessment of land-use and land-cover (LU/LC) change in the Southern California
Mountains ecoregion for the period 1973-2001. The Southern California Mountains is one of 84 Level-III
ecoregions as defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
For more see U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5235
10-29-2007
See announcement, Geography’s Best Scientific Paper Awards for 2007.
11-26-2007
New WGSC Fact Sheet: Geographic Research in the Western Region
Reports from the National Academy of Sciences and others invariably ask USGS
to ensure the quality of its science while finding ways to make it more relevant to
important societal issues. Much of the research conducted in Western Region
Geography does exactly that.
For more see the Fact Sheet(pdf).
8-9-2007
USGS Predictive Modeling for U.S.-Mexico Border Planning:
USGS scientist Laura M. Norman is participating in the U.S.-Mexico Binational Center for Environmental Sciences and Toxicology
Inaugural Ceremony and Global Environmental Health Workshop, March 12-14, in Tucson, Arizona, by presenting information about
"Multiple Applications of Hot Spot Predictive Modeling for Ambos Nogales". This new alternate approach is being considered by the
Ambos Nogales Revegetation Partnership, ARAN (Asociación de Reforestación en Ambos Nogales); the City of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico;
the State of Sonora Civil Protection Unit (Unidad Estatal de Proteccion Civil de Sonora); and the U.S.Environmental Protection
Agency to implement and practice sustainable development, and differs from other techniques by utilizing geospatial capabilities to
save time and money while using a binational watershed approach to planning. (Laura M. Norman, Tucson, AZ, 520-670-5510)
3-8-2007
USGS Progress on San Carlos Apache Reservation Project:
On March 7, USGS Southwest Geographic Science Team members are giving a presentation to the San Carlos Apache
TribalCouncil, and Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tribal natural resource managers, on the status, progress, and future direction of
the jointly funded Tribal Lands Monitoring and Analysis project evaluating the health of San Carlos Indian Reservation grasslands
used for cattle grazing, evaluation of forested areas affected by bark beetles, and the development of a remote sensing monitoring
and analysis capability within the San Carlos Tribal Natural Resource Department. (Ed Pfeifer, Tucson, AZ, 520-670-5019)
3-8-2007
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