Title: Spatially Locating FIA Plots from Pixel Values

Author: Liknes, Greg C.; Holden, Geoffrey R.; Nelson, Mark D.; McRoberts, Ronald E.

Year: 2005

Publication: In: McRoberts, Ronald E.; Reams, Gregory A.; Van Deusen, Paul C.; McWilliams, William H.; Cieszewski, Chris J., eds. Proceedings of the fourth annual forest inventory and analysis symposium; Gen. Tech. Rep. NC-252. St. Paul, MN: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Research Station. 99-103

Abstract: The USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program is required to ensure the confidentiality of the geographic locations of plots. To accommodate user requests for data without releasing actual plot coordinates, FIA creates overlays of plot locations on various geospatial data, including satellite imagery. Methods for reporting pixel values associated with FIA plots that reduce the likelihood of inadvertent release of plot locations were tested. The number of plots that can be correctly located using only pixel values was reduced by perturbing image band values, averaging band values of neighboring pixels, and reducing the number of image bands.