Digital Coast In Action
Land Cover Monitoring Enhances Planning Efforts in South Carolina
From 1972 to 2000, the suburb of Mount Pleasant in Greater Charleston experienced a 250 percent increase in development and a 160 percent increase in grasslands (the latter is commonly associated with parks, lawns, and golf courses). More than half the affected area was previously forested—and this drastic land cover change has increased Mount Pleasant’s vulnerability to sediment and pollution runoff, as well as to diminished wildlife habitat and water quality. Much development abuts the marsh edge, leaving little buffer for neighborhoods in the event of hurricanes or other natural disasters. Moreover, development continues at a brisk pace.
The Process
Land regulation agencies and state and local planners are using three geospatial technology tools to evaluate past management policies, assess current landscape conditions, and guide future development in Mount Pleasant.
The Nonpoint-Source Pollution and Erosion Comparison Tool (N-SPECT) is a geographic information system (GIS) extension that is enabling users to create different land cover change scenarios for Mount Pleasant in order to view potential changes in surface water runoff, nonpoint source pollution, and erosion.
The Impervious Surface Analysis Tool (ISAT), available as a GIS extension, is helping officials calculate Mount Pleasant’s area of impervious surface and relate this to impacts on local water quality.
The Habitat Priority Planner (HPP), a GIS-based tool, is allowing officials to inventory Mount Pleasant in the following ways: assess habitats and habitat conditions; identify and rank potential restoration and conservation sites; analyze "what if" scenarios; and create maps, reports, and data tables.
These images (left to right) show land cover changes in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina from 1972 to 2000.
Partners in This Effort
- NOAA Coastal Services Center
- University of Connecticut’s Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) program
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