Remote Sensing by NOAA Coastal Services Center

7/21/2019 Remote Sensing by NOAA Coastal Services Center

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NOAA Coastal Services Center

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R EMOTE S ENSING AT THE NOAA C OASTAL S ERVICES C ENTER

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Dear Employees of the NOAA Coastal Services Center:

Recent technological advances are improving the relevancy of remotesensing for coastal resource managers. It is only a matter of time beforethis technology becomes a more commonly used tool when addressingcoastal issues.

This document, a concept of operations, relays the philosophy behind theNOAA Coastal Service Center’s remote sensing efforts. This philosophywas developed over time through contact with the nation’s coastalmanagers, and with help from a blue ribbon panel convened to determine

the appropriate role the Center should play in this growing field. Thisdocument is a companion piece to the Center’s strategic plan, as thecontents are used to direct the Center’s remote sensing program.

The ultimate goal of the remote sensing program is to further the Center’smission, which is to become the most useful federal organization possibleby linking the nation’s coastal resource managers with the people,information, and technology they need to protect coastal resources.

In the field of remote sensing, the Center accomplishes this goal bybuying down the cost, in terms of time and money, of getting the relevantapplications of this technology into the hands of coastal managers.This is being accomplished as the Center’s coastal remote sensing

program bridges the lingering gaps between coastal resourcemanagers, data providers, and researchers.

I look forward to working with you to achieve this goal.

Sincerely,

Margaret A. Davidson

FROM THE DIRECTOR



The National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA) Coastal ServicesCenter (Center) helps support themanagement of a valuable geographicregion—the coastal zone. This relativelyfragile area is host to an increasingresident and tourist population, a largeand stable contributor to the nation’seconomy, a unique supplier of outdoorrecreation opportunities, and home tomany irreplaceable natural assets. As thedemands on the coastal zone increase,so do the challenges before the nation’scoastal resource managers. Geospatialtechnology, such as geographicinformation systems (GIS), is playingan increasingly vital role in the coastalmanagement process.

Remote sensing is another geospatial toolthat holds tremendous promise for coastalresource managers. Technologicaladvances and a new and growingunderstanding of the benefits of thispowerful tool and data source are causingcoastal managers to look to remotesensing for help in ways that would nothave been possible in the past. Thisdocument, Remote Sensing at the NOAACoastal Services Center: A Conceptof Operations, describes the Center’sphilosophy and action plan for addressingthe remote sensing needs of the nation’scoastal resource managers.

This concept of operations seeks toaccomplish three objectives:• Provide a solid conceptual framework for

the Center’s remote sensing efforts;

• Document and align remote sensingactivities with the Center’sstrategic plan;

• Document the Center’s commitmentto addressing emerging remote sensingopportunities for the Center’s customers.

The primary audience for the concept

of operations includes the following:• Center employees;• The Center’s primary customers (the

nation’s coastal resource managers)and partners;

• Private sector data and serviceproviders.

This document is written in accordancewith the Center’s overall strategic plan. Itis a “living document” that will be modifiedand strengthened as the Center andits external audiences alter their courseto meet the demands and opportunitiesbefore them. The primary Center programentrusted with carrying out this conceptof operations is the Center’s CoastalRemote Sensing (CRS) program.

INTRODUCTION

A C ONCEPT OF O PERA




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The NOAA Coastal Services Center’sCoastal Remote Sensing (CRS) program

is a service-oriented enterprise drivenby the needs of its customers—primarilystate, local, and federal entities involvedwith managing coastal resources. CRSserves this community through a portfolioof projects that produce, support, andtransfer remote sensing-based dataproducts, technology tools, andapplications to coastal managers. CRSassumes a “service” role toward itscustomers, or one that enables others toeffectively carry out their missions. Thisenabling role helps the Center achieve itsstrategic goals, as well as those of thenation’s coastal resource managementcommunity. Ultimately, CRS’ success isdefined by the success of its customers.

CRS assesses, tests, and validatesremotely sensed data for its customersand for more general national use.CRS supports the coastal aspects ofthe National Spatial Data Infrastructure(NSDI) by contributing to remote sensingdata product validation, protocols,metadata, and standards. The dataacquired through the Center’s private-sector outsourcing will serve itscustomers and help populate thecoastal NSDI.

CRS develops two types of managementapplications: issue or thematic-based andsoftware-based decision support tools.

Applications and data products includeresearch and development, testing, anddelivery mechanisms tailored to meetthe needs of the Center’s customers.

Training seminars and technical supportcomplement CRS applications andproducts, which help increase the useof remote sensing-based solutions by thenation’s coastal resource managementcommunity.

In order to provide continuing value toits customers and partners, CRS updatesand maintains its distinctive competenciesin geospatial data and technologies,

applied knowledge of coastal processes,and remote sensing-based applications

development. To maintain itscompetencies, CRS sponsors or conductsapplied research that is customercentered and problem defined. CRSconducts structured assessments of thestatus of remote sensing technologiesand relevant coastal knowledge. CRSalso encourages and supports bothprofessional and technical interactionand educational opportunities for thecontinuing professional development ofits staff.

The foundation of CRS is its people. Toprovide lasting benefits to its customers,CRS’ people bridge, integrate, andsimplify the often-separated domains ofscience, technology, and management.CRS then finds the best ways to deliverongoing results.


SUMMARY CONCEPT AND DEFINITIONST HE C ONCEPT



A well-defined and consistently usedvocabulary of concepts and terms is

necessary for a coherent and consistentCRS effort within the Center, and alsoto provide the basis to communicateeffectively with CRS customers andpartners. All too often, key concepts andterms used within an organization lackdefinition. This section was positionedearly in the document, rather than as anappendix, to better emphasize the needfor this common vocabulary.

Applications —this term is used in atleast two distinct but related ways withrespect to remote sensing at the Center.Thematic or issue-based applicationsrefer to those areas of applied remotesensing that focus on coastal issues (e.g.,smart growth), coastal features (e.g.,land cover, topography, etc.), or specificcoastal phenomena (e.g., harmful algalblooms). “Software applications” is aterm taken from computer science, whichmeans the process of creating oradapting software tools for the specifiedneeds of end users.

Applications Development —at theCenter, the definition of this term includesboth the identification and validation ofspecific uses of a technology, such asremote sensing, as well as the necessarytools (e.g., software) for applying thetechnology to coastal issues. Applicationsdevelopment is broadly defined here, asopposed to many software developmentorganizations where the term frequentlyonly equates to the development ofsoftware programs.

Applied —means put to practical use.Through close coordination with Centercustomers and other Center groups, CRSdetermines “practical use.” The disciplineof maintaining focus on practical usecharacterizes most Center functions andguides all CRS activities.

Applied Research —is investigationconducted to achieve a practical purpose

and is the type of research supportedat the Center. The National Science

Foundation defines applied research as“research aimed at gaining the knowledgeor understanding necessary to meet aspecific, recognized need.” Researchthat is supported by CRS must have adefined, specific constituency and a well-defined problem before it is undertaken.

Applied research is contrasted with“basic” or theoretical research, whichis aimed at illuminating or discoveringfundamental principles or advancingknowledge without reference to specificapplications. CRS periodically assessesthe status of, but does not necessarilyinvest in, advancing the frontiers ofscientific coastal knowledge.

Applied Technology —CRS conducts“applied” technology development—meaning putting available remote sensingand related technologies to practical use.

Applied technology and innovation, whichCRS undertakes, should be contrastedwith technology development that seeksto create new technologies or to pushthe state of the technical arts. CRStracks and assesses remote sensing-based technology developments at theDepartments of Defense and Energy,NASA, and academia, for example,but does not undertake technologydevelopment itself.

Assessments —are structured andsystematic evaluations of the state ofremote sensing technology and thestates of knowledge and understanding ofrelevant coastal phenomena. When these

are combined with a grasp of customerproblems and capabilities, CRS is able tooffer a scarce resource to its customers—in the form of skilled advisors, developers,and innovators in applied remote sensing.

C-CAP —Coastal Change AnalysisProgram (C-CAP) refers to (1) a nationaleffort by CRS to produce and distributeregional land cover and change datain the coastal zone, and (2) the digital


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W ORKING T ERMS AND D EFINITIONS




land cover (and “change analysis”) dataproducts that are developed according

to the standards and specifications ofthe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). For more details,see Appendix 3.

Constituents —are the intendedbeneficiaries of CRS investments,products, processes and services. Theprimary constituents of CRS are state,local, and federal coastal resourcemanagers. Terms such as “client,”“customer,” and “stakeholder” often areused interchangeably with the termconstituents. This can sometimes lead toconfusion, for there are few if any truecustomer transactions managed by CRSwherein a product, process, or serviceis provided in exchange for payment.There also are stakeholders (i.e., groupsthat have a stake in CRS) that areprimarily congressional, NOAA, and CRSconstituents, but the term “stakeholder”is better applied to private-sectorcorporate relationships among managers,owners, shareholders, and suppliers.Nonetheless, at the Center, the term“customer” often is used interchangeablywith the term “constituent.”

Data Products —“data” are consideredthe basic elements of information (e.g.,level 1 or “unprocessed” image data).Remote sensing data products in CRSare defined as the elements of informationprocessed and organized in ways thatsupport reasoning and analysis, that inturn help to support customer decisionmaking. The program’s data products

generally are geospatial (or “geo-referenced”) in nature and have beenverified, characterized, and validated.Whenever possible, CRS data productsmeet defined national standards. Note:the phrase “data development” is regularlyused at the Center to mean the processof transforming raw, or unprocessed, datainto a more usable, value-added form ofdata, such as the process of creating landcover “data” from raw satellite imagery.

This is noted here because the term“development” has different connotations

in different professional circles (see“development” below).

Decision Support —most CRS andCenter outputs are designed to supportmanagement decisions and take severalforms, including data products, technologydemonstrations, and software applicationtools and CD-ROMs. Decision supportshould be understood broadly to includeany routine, reliable way to supportcustomer decision processes. Moreformally, decision-support tools can bedefined as any computer-based,interactive system intended to helpmanagers retrieve, summarize, andanalyze decision-relevant data.

Development —(as in Research &Development) is the systematic useof knowledge or understanding in theproduction of useful materials, devices,systems, or methods, including prototypesand processes. CRS developmentsoften are combined with demonstrationsto test results in operational settingswith customers and potential operationalsuppliers.

Geospatial Technologies —“geospatial”means earth-located. Geospatialtechnologies include any technology andassociated methods that are used toacquire, process, analyze, use, or displaygeospatial data and data products.

National Spatial Data Infrastructure(NSDI) —is defined as the technologies,

policies, and people necessary topromote sharing of geospatial datathroughout all levels of government, theprivate and nonprofit sectors, and theacademic community. NSDI is envisionedas a way of enhancing the accessibility,communication, and use of geospatialdata to support a wide variety ofdecisions. The basic goals of theNSDI are to reduce redundancy andcosts in geospatial data creation and



maintenance, improve access togeospatial data, and improve the

accuracy of geospatial data used by thebroader community.

Outsource —means to contract outsidethe organization for an item, in contrastto producing it internally. “Outsource”has a particular meaning in CRS, namelythe specification, negotiation of terms andconditions, quality assurance, and releaseof data products produced by the privatesector for use by CRS customers,the NSDI, and the general public.Transitioning certain mature CRSproducts or processes to another entityfor routine delivery to customers alsofalls under the broader definition of thisterm. An example may be transitioningor transferring the services associatedwith archiving and delivering very largeamounts of LIDAR data (i.e., the Center’sLIDAR Data And Retrieval Tool—LDART)to another, more suitable organization.

Partnership —is defined as adocumented relationship with one ormore collaborators and/or customers thatemploys a mutual agreement and specificcommitments for action among theseparticipants toward a defined purpose.

Project —is the basic unit of budgetedwork within the program, which range intype from highly structured data productactivities with an established heritage(e.g., land cover analysis) to thematicapplications such as harmful algal bloomforecasting.

Protocol —a formal method or widelyaccepted customary procedure that iffollowed yields consistent, reliable, andmeasurable results.

Remote Sensing —is in the name ofthe program and thus is defined toreflect the roles and competencies ofCRS. A generic definition is drawn fromengineering and image analysis practicewhere remote sensing is “the acquisition

and analysis of data about objectsfrom sensing equipment from stations or

platforms physically remote from suchobjects.” CRS primarily employs data andinformation derived from remote sensingof the Earth (including both land andwater bodies) from all types of platformswith the aim of enabling improved coastaldecision support. The distinctive remotesensing competencies of CRS includethe analysis and technical translation ofcustomer requirements, assessments andintegration of the state of remote sensingpractice, thematic coastal applicationsdevelopment, and software applications toachieve reliability, utility, and simplicity.

Standards —are documented agreementscontaining technical specifications orother precise criteria to be usedconsistently as rules, guidelines, ordefinitions to ensure that materials,products, processes, or services are fit fortheir intended purposes.

Validation —in the general sense,involves laboratory or field methods andprocedures to check remotely senseddata and products for conformance withspecifications or performance standards.

Applications validation specifically refersto the laboratory and/or field evaluationto determine if a remote sensing methodmeets the requirements of a specificapplication.

Verification —is the act of measuringthe results of an operation to determinewhether it has been completed asdesigned (as in the send-receive

verification of telecommunications).Verification also refers to the processof proving quantitatively that a system’soutputs meet its formal requirements.Sensor verification entails calibration,transformation, and other measurementdisciplines.


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A fully enabled coastal resourcemanagement community is national in

scope, yet has the tools and informationneeded to resolve coastal issues at thelocal level. From a remote sensingperspective, an enabled community isable to accurately characterize, measure,understand, monitor, visualize, andmanage coastal resources and theman-made environment. By doing so,the nation’s coastal management issueswill be addressed.

The coastal management communityincludes customers from the naturalresource management and environmentalcommunities, elected officials, nonprofitorganizations, and relevant sectors ofprivate industry (insurance underwriters,real estate developers, etc.). The coastalremote sensing program helps thiscommunity gain access to and gain theability and confidence to employ remotesensing-based knowledge, information,and technology. Consistent with theCenter’s strategic plan, coastal remotesensing efforts will help advance smart

growth principles, which include theprotection of a community’s economic,historical, and natural resources.

As the coastal remote sensing programhelps its customers move toward anenabled coastal management community,it is helpful to refer to a progressionof support capabilities that roughlyrepresent the past state of remote sensingapplications, current conditions, and thevisionary use of remote sensing in thefuture.

Remote sensing yesterday —a basicremote sensing characteristic is the abilityto capture what has happened. Thisincludes the ability to inventory,characterize, visualize, and measure theextent, nature, and uses of coastalresources. Typical outputs of retrospectiveremote sensing applications include thecreation of annual or biennial dataproducts (digital), reports, or archives on

such things as water resources, coastalwetlands, and recreational uses. Historical

databases of coastal resources andtheir uses provide meaningful informationthat can be used to create baselinesagainst which change may be researched,described, or computed.

Inventories were a major application ofremote sensing early on and remain animportant contribution of the technologies.Inventories were based in part on whatremote sensing technically “could do.”However, it sometimes was sold as asolution to resource management andoperations. The disappointing realities ofwhat remote sensing-based technologiesactually delivered, together with theircosts and complexity, disappointed manycustomers and may have set backthe acceptance of remote sensing.

Acceptance of the value of remote sensingbaselines today, for example in disasterpreparedness, has come a long waytoward reinstating remote sensing as animportant part of decision-support systems.

Remote sensing today —the ability tocapture what is happening is a commoncomponent in some aspects of remotesensing today. Remote sensing is usedto monitor, characterize, measure, andrespond to recent or current conditionsand events. This aspect focuses onthe timeliness of remote sensing-basedacquisition and delivery and on the speedof transformation from “raw” image todecision-support information. In manyinstances the utility of current information

is dependent on the availability ofinventories and baselines for determiningchanges or trends.

Considerable attention has been givenover the past decade to overcoming thelimitations of satellite-based observationsfor current management purposes. Thisin turn focuses attention on integratingmulti-platform and multi-source inputs intodecision support. Significant progress was

STRATEGIC GUIDANCET HE V ISION : A F ULLY E NABLED C OASTAL C OMMUNITY



made during the 1990s in the speed andrelative ease of transforming and linking

remote sensing sources to other sourcesof management information. An examplewould be disaster readiness applications.

As delivery and processing hurdles arereduced, customers exhibit greater interestin higher resolution baselines and thedelivery of current products. Much ofthis progress from data to decisionsupport is associated with progress inGIS and software applications. CRShas contributed to this trend by trainingthe community; connecting customers withservice providers that can effectivelyproduce timely, accurate data andinformation in a repeatable, standard way;and helping to find funding mechanismsto support customer adoption of remotesensing-based applications.

Remote sensing tomorrow —the use ofremote sensing will eventually help givecoastal resource managers the ability todetermine why events or impacts arehappening, and the ability to associate,correlate, or measure cause and effectamong activities, resources, andoutcomes. This is a demanding areaof synthesis where scientific/engineeringknowledge, remote sensing-basedtechnology, and applications intersect. Itis an area where enabling practitioners,such as those at CRS, are asked tobalance the needs of their customers(where a step toward better correlationis a breakthrough) with the ideal worldof scientific proof. This is an areathat benefits from the results of previous

efforts, and may benefit from carefullycrafted CRS-sponsored applied research.Contributing to causal understanding andmeasuring correlations appears to bea step where scientific and technicalpartnerships are especially suited to theCRS concept of operations.

The foreseeable future —the ability topredict or forecast with reliability what willhappen given a reasonable understanding

of what has happened, what is happening,and why something is happening, is a

real possibility. Improving the capabilityof projecting or forecasting outcomes is along-term goal for CRS and the communityit serves. Customers will welcome anysound improvement in this area. This isthe domain of modeling, estimation, andcontinuing research and development.

CRS customers have made significant butnot uniform or nationwide progress in thisarena. Much CRS effort is directed,as it should be, toward refining andexpanding data products (e.g., coastalNSDI) and applications that supportnationwide understanding of the past andpresent and detect the changes that mayconstitute trends. These core functions ofCRS must be accompanied by significantcapacity building among its customersif the effort is to be sustainable andsuccessful.

At the same time, the Center strategysets an enterprise course toward theintegration of coastal factors and issues(i.e., causes and effects) that, for example,are necessary to promote “smart” coastalgrowth. The Center strategic plan alsomakes helping coastal managers copewith natural and human-induced hazardsa primary priority. Both of these Centerstrategies imply that CRS must contributeto pushing the applied state of thepractice toward improved cause-effectunderstanding and predictive approachesand tools.

CRS should carefully identify opportunities

to advance the state of customer decisionsupport. This concept implies that CRSmust set aside resources to expand itsrelationships and potential partnershipswith knowledge providers in appliedresearch, with emerging technologists(public and private), and withdecision-support innovators (e.g., hazardmodelers). Expanded relationships amongthese interests are needed to move towarda fully enabled coastal community.


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As a customer-driven enterprise, all CRSactivities must trace back to customer

needs and priorities. Therefore, it is fittingfor this section to begin with some of thegeneric challenges that stand betweenremote sensing-based capabilities and acoastal community fully enabled with thetechnology.

Awareness —Center conferences andsurveys reveal that many coastalpractitioners and, proportionately, manymore policy makers remain unawareof contemporary remote sensingcapabilities. CRS experience shows thatremote sensing technologies themselvesevoke little interest in customers unlessthey are intertwined with relevant coastalknowledge, practice, and priorities.Effective communication of germaneremote sensing capabilities (both publicand private sector), demonstratedrelevance to important coastal resourcesand issues, and information aboutaffordability are major aspects of remotesensing that must be addressed.

Understanding —remote sensing has itsroots in “high technology,” particularlynational security, a use that constrainedthe development of practical userrequirements and responses for thecoastal management community. Thisgenesis also resulted in many yearsof restrictions on satellite observations,resulting in slow evolution of high-resolution civil systems. For the coastalresource management community, remotesensing continues to be a relatively newdata resource. There is frequently little

time or budget available to commit to thistechnology. An opportunity presents itselfin supporting the needs of this communityby developing understanding througheffectively and objectively straddling thescientific and technical realms, the publicand private sectors, and the coastalcommunity. Private sector firms can alsobenefit from CRS information and trainingactivities and should be included in plansto further “community” understanding.

Reliability and simplicity —remotesensing products and services still lag

behind standard mapping andengineering in regard to supply reliability,product standards, and use in decision-support systems. In the past, falseexpectations of what remote sensingcould and could not provide, in additionto the timeliness (or “currentness”) ofproducts, may have contributed to a lackof confidence or perception of unreliability.

As a result, remote sensing products andprocesses generally are not incorporatedinto routine operational decision making(weather reporting and forecasting beinga major exception). The reliability ofremote sensing supply is in flux, butsigns show that reliable supplies of higherresolution data products will increase.Regardless of recent gains, insufficientreliability, simplicity, and standards remainmajor hurdles to widespread operationaladoption of remote sensing capabilities.

Affordability, costs, and benefits —affordability of remote sensing dataproducts and applications continues tobe a major hurdle. The potential ofcompetitive pricing to reduce costs hasyet to be realized. The imbalancebetween potential remote sensing usesand customer remote sensing budgets islikely to remain significant until more andbetter efforts are mounted to demonstrateand measure remote sensing benefitsversus costs. This is an area ofunderinvestment that shows a need forinnovation on the part of applicationsdevelopment programs.


C HALLENGES



It is only through partnerships betweenthe end users, data providers in the public

and private sectors, and the researchcommunity that the previously notedchallenges can be addressed. CRS isworking to become the linchpin in thiseffort. In this role, the CRS challengeis to relate, leverage, and channel theresearch, technology, and informationcapabilities of agencies and otherorganizations to enable the coastalcommunity. Operating in this capacityis challenging because CRS mustunderstand each community, the drivingforces behind them, and the changesthat are constantly occurring in eachcommunity. The key ways by which suchenergies and interests can be engagedis through partnerships (both internal andexternal to the Center) that truly shareaccomplishments, as well as risks—and“give” results to users.

EXTERNAL PARTNERSHIPSCRS’ external partners can becategorized generally into three separatecommunities. It is important to notethat these communities don’t necessarilyoperate mutually exclusively from oneanother, but for the purposes of thisconcept of operations, they will bedescribed separately.

Coastal Resource ManagementCommunity—the End-UsersThe end-user community consists ofthose individuals and agencies that aregiven the authority to decide how naturalresources are managed and maintainedwithin the coastal zone. This community

uses remote sensing to support the day-to-day decisions that impact the naturalenvironment and quality of life along thecoast. They have a need to implementmethods that work—methods that havebeen tried and tested. They have limitedresources for research and development,and usually have limited time. They striveto make effective decisions in a timelyfashion that maintain a well-managedcoastal zone.

Private Sector—the ProvidersThe private sector consists of companiesand corporations that provide productsand services. They develop (supply) andmarket operational technologies, researchcapabilities, and technology innovation tovarious market sectors. They look fornew markets to exploit products andservices, and strive to reduce cost,increase efficiency, and maintain quality.

Research and Academic Community—the DiscoverersThe research and academic communitylargely consists of academic institutions

(i.e., universities, colleges, etc.), portionsof federal agencies (i.e., NASA, NOAA,U.S. Geological Survey, EnvironmentalProtection Agency, etc.), andnongovernmental organizations (NGOs).This community explores data,technologies, and applications. Theyindirectly support natural resourcedecision making through basic andapplied research, but may not be awareof coastal management needs. They


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CoastalResource

ManagementCommunity

PrivateSector

Researchand Academia

IMPLEMENTING THE V ISION



strive to understand or discover physical,chemical, and technological processes

and how they relate to each other.

INTERNAL PARTNERSHIPSThe Center’s strategic plan (2001)provides the essential framework for theCRS concept of operations. The Center’smission is “to support the environmental,social, and economic well being of thecoast by linking people, information, andtechnology.” A CRS or remote sensingstrategy does not appear in the strategicplan. The important message CRS drawsfrom this is that remote sensing in and ofitself is not a strategy; the CRS strategyis serving the Center’s mission throughremote sensing-based services.

The Center’s driving concept of “linkingpeople, information, and technology” canbe thought of in the CRS context as“linking coastal resource managers andpartners to relevant remote sensing tools,data, and information.”

A good conceptual fit exists between theCenter mission and the CRS program.CRS provides the following specificcontributions to the Center mission:

• Data products, including validationand demonstration

• Applications development anddemonstration

• Support services and training• Applied research and technology

Comparison of a few specific examplesof the Center’s operating principles and

themes with CRS’ four major areas ofCenter contribution reveals the followingcomplementary relationships:

• CRS data products, especiallythose that move from developmentto validation and demonstration tothe coastal NSDI, provide “commonlinkages” among the social, economic,and environmental issues in thenation’s coastal region.

• Many CRS applications are “localin approach, but national in scope”

because the spatial ranges andcoverage of remote sensingtechnology lend themselves tocommon methods and digital productsthat support diverse local andregional applications and, at the sametime, are amenable to nationwideadoption.

• CRS support services and trainingprovide states and localities theknow-how and skills to realize thebenefits of remote sensing productsand applications—CRS designs itsadvisory and training delivery to thesepractical needs.

• CRS applied research andtechnology allow it to provideobjective and competent advisoryservices to its Center colleagues andto its customers. As issues such ashomeland security, climate change,and ocean observations emerge topolicy and practical importance,CRS’ applied research andtechnology expertise will increase inimportance, too.

The matrix on the next page links andcompares the 2001 CRS project portfolioand the five strategic themes of theCenter. CRS projects are assigned eithera primary (P) or secondary (S) link to theCenter’s strategic themes. In the case ofCRS projects currently being defined, anasterisk is assigned noting a provisionaltheme linkage. As a further aid to

understanding this matrix of relationships,a brief description of the Center themes isoutlined on next page.




Strategic Theme I:Smart Coastal GrowthSmart coastal growth focuses Centerresults on supporting an informed balanceamong coastal environmental, social,economic, and quality of life issues.

Strategic Theme II: HabitatThe habitat theme involves informationand tools to characterize the coastalenvironments wherein plants, animals,and other organisms live.

Strategic Theme III: HazardsThe hazards theme seeks to reducethe adverse impacts of natural andman-made hazards that threaten thehealth of coastal ecosystems andsafety of communities.

Strategic Theme IV: Coastal NSDI The coastal NSDI theme supports thedevelopment and implementation of theNSDI for coastal and marinemanagement, including especiallynational framework data/products.

Strategic Theme V:Organization and CultureThe organization and culture theme isinwardly focused on Center capabilities toserve the changing needs and priorities ofits customers and thus to advance coastalresource management nationwide, atthe same time that it provides aninnovative, challenging, and rewardingwork environment for CRS peopleand partners.


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Benthic Mapping P S

Estuarine Habitat *S P

Harmful Algal S PBloomForecasting

Impervious P *SSurfaces

Land Cover S P Analysis

Outsourcing P *S

Remote Sensing P Applications

Remote Sensing P *SOutreach /Training

Topographic S PChange Mapping

Visualizing PCoastal Growth

I.Smart Coastal

Growth

II.Habitat

III.Hazards

IV.Coastal

NSDI

V.Organizationand Culture



This section of the concept of operationsmoves from “concept” to “operations” andfrom Center-level matters to program-level

matters. The section shifts attentionfrom the more abstract to the particularand from what CRS is about to how itis expected to operate. The followingsection seeks to clarify, communicate, andguide the more day-to-day life of theprogram and its employees.

The primary customers from whichrequirements have been drawn andresults should be focused include stateand local governments, federalcounterparts, and nongovernmental

organizations (NGOs) within the coastalzone of the United States and itsterritories. Typical examples of thisconstituency include the following:

• Coastal management programs• Coastal natural resource agencies• Regulatory agencies• Protected area programs• Emergency management agencies• Sea Grant and related coastal

extension services

Although the geographic extent of wherethe Center works will remain flexible, it isimportant to outline the criteria used to

define the boundaries of Center efforts.The inland extent is primarily basedon three components: (1) the coastalzone as defined by the Coastal ZoneManagement Act, as amended; (2) theestuarine drainage areas as defined byNOAA (and based on watersheds definedby the U.S. Geological Survey—USGS);and (3) the inland boundaries of thecoastal counties. The diagram on thispage illustrates the synthesis of thesethree components. The seaward extent ofinterest generally is defined by the 3-mile

jurisdictional boundaries, although someCenter and CRS projects have extendedinto the nation’s maritime exclusiveeconomic zone (EEZ). The CRSgeographic extent of interest and itsconstituency mirrors the Center’s.


OPERATIONS GUIDANCEO UR C ONSTITUENCY

United States Coastal Regions



By design, CRS employees embodya diverse set of technical skills andeducational backgrounds, includingcomputer science, ecology, environmentalstudies, geography, GIS, marine biology,meteorology, oceanography, policy,remote sensing, resource management,and more. In addition to technicalproficiency, the employees must be wellversed in the needs of the coastalmanagement community, for these twobanks of knowledge are equally valued inthis customer service organization. This

blend of diverse backgrounds, all focusedon customer needs and on the coastalapplications of remote sensing, providesa unique opportunity for effectivelyimplementing the vision of an enabledcoastal community.

One of the primary roles of the coastalremote sensing program is that of

an interpreter. Many in the coastalmanagement community do not have theexpertise or the time to understand theunderlying details associated with remotesensing. Filling in this gap is one of themost important roles of CRS. The staffmust not only be technically proficient,but also must be able to transfer thisknowledge to the coastal managementcommunity. Remote sensing employeesmust help coastal managers find effectiveuses of remote sensing data, and work toensure that the data and information are

in a form that is readily accessible anduseable for this community. Another partof the mission is the relationship betweenthe remote sensing program, the privatesector, and academia. Employees workwith this community to help themdesign and deliver the products coastalmanagers need.


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T HE P EOPLE OF THE C OASTAL R EMOTE S ENSING P ROGRAM



WORKING WITHIN THE CENTEROne of the reoccurring themes at theCenter is the importance of partnerships,both externally and internally. Very rarelyis an issue resolved because of oneorganization or one discipline. Mostissues are too complex for that. TheCenter values the team approach, and thecoastal remote sensing program is a teammember for many Center projects wherethe lead is outside of the remote sensingprogram and vice versa.

Some of the basic components of Centerteamwork include

• having an understanding of theCenter strategy—know what the restof the Center does

• performing all work according tothe Center’s goals and objectives, asoutlined in the Center’s strategic plan

• organizing and planning projectsby interacting closely with othermembers of the Center, includingsharing of information on the broadbase of customer requirements

• seeking to integrate CRS with otherCenter projects and provide proactiveassistance

• conducting business primarilythrough teamwork, using collaborativeapproaches—this means that themembers of a project team develop

and accomplish project goals andobjectives together. Achieving thegoals and objectives of a particularproject will be the responsibility ofthe team.

• communicating and sharing ideaswithin the program and throughoutthe Center

• embracing change and the need toadapt work. Adapting to change isone of the few things that will remaina constant.

As the Center leaders in remote sensingtechnology and remote sensing-basedapplications, CRS employees

• act as proactive, in-house remotesensing resources and advisors toCenter projects by offering assistanceas a regular part of doing business

• provide expertise within the largerNOAA community on coastalresource applications, both thematicand software

• keep abreast of customer needs andopportunities to work with them

• keep abreast of commercialtechnology and opportunities throughthe use of focus groups and othermeans that explore technical andmarket needs

• help bridge the gap betweenterrestrial and oceanographic remotesensing (and their communities) byidentifying the synergies andchallenges of both disciplines

• embrace emerging technologies andapplications and transfer to othersthose results that have achievedoperational readiness

• participate in multiagency initiativesto increase the effective use ofresources and to help shape theseinitiatives to serve Center customers.Examples of such initiatives are theNational Spatial Data Infrastructure(NSDI), the USGS National Map, theMulti-Resolution Land Characteristics


R OLES AND E XPECTATIONS



consortium (MRLC), the NationalDigital Elevation Program (NDEP), the

Gulf of Mexico Program’s Harmful Algal Blooms Observing System(HABSOS), the Joint AgencyCommercial Imagery Evaluation(JACIE) team, and NASA’s ProgramPlanning and Assessment activity.

PROMOTING THECUSTOMER FOCUSCRS employees are customer centered,focused on results, and committed topartnerships. A key criterion of employeeand program success is the usefulnessand adoption of results by customers.Program leadership will increase itsreliance on customer evaluations andeliciting of customer requirements inprogram planning and metrics. End-userrelevance is the litmus test for allprogram efforts.

The ability to anticipate and acceptchange is an important part of acustomer-focused organization. As CRSdefines, develops, and delivers high-quality data products, applications, andservices in this environment, the definitionof project transition or completion pointsbecomes more and more important. Forexample, the Center is committed toproducing a national coastal land cover/change baseline in the next three years.Completing this nationwide baselinewithout delay, while simultaneouslydeveloping specific applications of thesedata products, is a program and Centercommitment. While this effort is underway, CRS employees must be prepared

to respond to changing customerdemands, changes in government satellitepolicy, the potential for private-sectorpartnerships, the coastal NSDI, andpotential technical challenges.

An important but often overlooked roleof CRS on behalf of its customers isits ability to separate the remote sensing“chaff” from the “wheat.” CRS mustobjectively and skillfully discern what istechnically relevant and useful for the

coastal management community, fromwhat may simply be interesting, unusual,

or “glitzy.” This objective technicaladvisory role entails the ability to provideInternet-distributed or direct consultationsupport to customers and to help connectcustomers with private-sector data, tools,and services. This is accomplished asCRS employees

• work with customers to identify,validate, document, trace, andmanage the process of changingrequirements

• seek solutions to customer issuesand problems through a thoroughunderstanding of what others aredoing and through partnerships andlinkages

• provide technical remote sensingexpertise to the customers and to theCenter

• provide technical assistance tailoredto specific needs, both internallyand externally (e.g., recent efforts tohelp the National Estuarine ResearchReserves develop a nationwide planfor habitat mapping)

Another vital role and significantchallenge for CRS is making remotesensing more easily understandable tothe user community. As enablersor facilitators, CRS contributes to the“link” articulated for the Center in theorganization’s mission statement, “linkingpeople, information, and technology.”

From the CRS program perspective,linkage is achieved when the employees

• understand the CRS constituency(their needs and requirements, theirsetting, their level of skill, limitations,and so on)

• enable the coastal resourcemanagement community to effectivelyuse remote sensing data, information,and technology, through


16



demonstrations, partnerships, andcapacity building

• provide tailored technology trainingto customers (integrated with otherCenter program training areas suchas GIS, metadata, etc.)

• develop applications anddemonstrate the uses of remotesensing, taking user needs directlyinto account

• develop software application tools tobetter exploit data and information forcoastal applications

• provide a “reality check” on thepotentials and limitations of remotesensing and of the relationships ofremote sensing to other enablingtechnologies

One of CRS’ greatest contributionsto the coastal resource managementcommunity is providing access tospatial data derived from remotesensing technology. CRS will continueto meet this need by ensuring thatthese data products are easilyaccessible and understandable.

As data providers, the remotesensing team must

• understand the ways in whichcustomers currently use andinterpret spatial data

• understand the strengths andlimitations of selected current

products, processes, and serviceofferings of government and theremote sensing industry

• pursue the best value for thegovernment by outsourcingdefined coastal data productsto private industry

• develop strong working relationshipswith citizens and industry, including

market development ideas that informindustry of coastal managementneeds and help link industry to thecoastal community

PROVIDING TECHNOLOGYASSESSMENT AND VALIDATION

An important role of CRS is to be alertand knowledgeable concerning emergingtechnologies and to understand thesetechnologies as they unfold. Closeattention must be paid to technologiesthat have reasonable promise of beingadopted by the customers. As providersof technology assessments andvalidation, it is expected that CRSemployees engage in assessments ofcustomer-relevant remote sensingtechnologies, to include

detailed assessments of the promisingapplications of coastal data, rather thanin-depth studies of specific sensorsairborne and satellite sensors, especiallyfor their potential to be used in operational“mapping” applicationsrigorous evaluation of performancecharacteristics, but this should be pursuedin partnership with organizations bettersuited to analyze these aspectsexperimental sensors, only for thepurposes of gaining awareness. Littletime will be spent assessing thosesensors that have a known life expectancyand are planned for experimentalpurposes only. Priorities will be based ondirect application to coastal managementand on the feasibility of getting these

sensors’ data and derived products intothe hands of the coastal community.

APPLIED RESEARCHPrimarily through partnerships, CRS willconduct limited applied research todetermine which technologies have directapplication to coastal management. CRS’role will be primarily supportive ratherthan a lead role. Participation in




partnerships similar to the Joint AgencyCommercial Imagery Evaluation (JACIE)

team will be pursued. Specific to appliedresearch (which goes hand in hand withassessment and validation), CRS will

• develop understanding of the stateof knowledge in areas of high prioritycustomer interest; this understandingwill be derived from both disciplinaryexpertise and by participating inor conducting relevant scienceassessments.

• Formulate and carry out, orcontract with experts to conduct,tightly focused research, the results ofwhich will make a positive practicaldifference to customers

• Identify specific customer advocacyprior to embarking on an appliedresearch project, for example, acoastal resource managementorganization with an identified issueand a reasonable likelihood ofadopting the results or outcomes ofsuch applied research

WORKING WITH THEPRIVATE SECTORCRS works with the private sectorto obtain data products and servicesfor customers. The role of CRSin outsourcing is to define, acquire,and demonstrate the technical andperformance characteristics of these dataproducts (e.g., land cover, digital elevationmodels). CRS specifications are usedas a basis to outsource data production

through competitive solicitation of serviceand product providers. CRS thenprovides contractual, technical, andquality assurance oversight for theoutsourced production on behalf ofthe coastal management community.The resulting data are then ultimately

incorporated into the NSDI by workingclosely with the coastal community to

access and effectively use these dataproducts for decision support.

Consistent with Center guidance tocontinue beneficial private-sectorpartnerships, new CRS roles will continueto be explored and developed. Aspartners with private industry, CRS willfollow these guidelines.

Develop positive and mutually beneficialrelationships with private-sector suppliersand users:

• Invite dialogue on issues andinterests

• Clarify interests and issues• Identify and clarify Center needs

and expectations• Respond quickly and consistently

to inquiries• Create an environment of trust

Develop understanding of private-sectorinterests and practices:

• Understand key products,processes, and services

• Understand federal policies(e.g., licensing and contracting)

• Conduct product and servicevalidations (e.g., the work of theJoint Agency Commercial ImageryEvaluation (JACIE) team) whenappropriate

Develop constructive workingrelationships:

• Share customer needs,requirements, and standards

• Increase efforts to inform andeducate private firms about programand Center plans and results

• Identify and communicate inherentlygovernmental functions


18



• Identify likely transfers ofgovernment data products,

processes, and services• Develop an outsourcing policyand guide

The Center also contributes to public-private partnerships by employing on-sitecontractors who share the Center’s vision,mission, and goals. The role of theprivate sector at the Center is to supportproject activities as full members ofthe team. Through a very explicitprocess, the on-site contractor teamdevelops project implementation plans(PIPs) based on the documented needsand objectives of NOAA. As projectsare carried out by the contractor team,these plans are used by NOAA and thecontractor throughout the fiscal year totrack progress and deliverables. Thesetechnical contributions of the privatesector are paramount to the successof the Center, and this positiverelationship helps demonstrate howeffective government-private partnershipscan work. More than half of the CRSprogram consists of on-site contractoremployees.




The concept of a “balanced portfolio” ofprojects reflects CRS’ response to the

Center’s broadly charted mission. SomeCRS projects focus directly on needsidentified by state and local customers;some projects help other NOAA officesserve the coastal management community;and some projects explore emerging issuesand technologies expected to becomeimportant over the long term. As CRSmatures, this balance of projects will adjustto stay in alignment with the Center’sstrategic theme areas.

The process of determining which projectsto pursue within CRS employs theconcept of integrated approaches to projectplanning and execution. Strong intra-Center coordination must take place earlyin the process. To create balance,consideration must be given to anumber of factors:

• Customer goals and needs• Center goals and objectives• Strengths and limitations of the

Center and its employees• The balance between mature projects

and developmental projects

During project planning, importantquestions must also be considered, suchas the following:

• What is the status of work in thisregion—are there other similar effortsbeing conducted?

• Have interested and qualified peoplebeen consulted and coordinated with

here at the Center?

• Does relevant expertise exist withinNOAA or elsewhere?

• Will the results of this project beaffordable?

• Who are the potential partners inthis project?

The Center’s management informationsystem (MIS), the on-site contractor’sproject implementation plans (PIPs), andthe Center’s annual operating plan are themechanisms that track timelines and definespecific goals, objectives, and outcomes. Itis expected that these tools will continue tobe used to articulate detailed aspectsand expected results of the project, butalso to logically constrain the project todeliberate and timely schedules. Deliveringon commitments in a timely manner is afundamental aspect of the Center.

Since CRS is committed to timely delivery

of products and services, there will betimes when even the best conceivedprojects fail to produce results—for avariety of reasons. In these cases,terminating a project and documenting thereasons for its conclusion are truly in theprogram’s highest interest. There willbe no penalties associated with projectsthat are terminated for cause; in fact,there will be positive acknowledgementsof management performance, anddocumented feedback and learning thatwill reduce the risk for future endeavors.

An important part of project deliveryincludes the implementation plan, for itis in the Center and its customers’ bestinterest for the product to receive as muchcustomer exposure as possible. Properconclusion to a project, though, is asimportant as its initiation. Finalizingand wrapping up projects must involvedocumented metrics and “lessons learned.”The reactions of partners and customersmust be captured as part of thisdocumentation. The elements of finishingalso include product evaluations,packaging, metadata, partner meetings,and plans to sustain the results.Frequently, the final ten percent of a projectis given little to no attention, but within theCenter’s philosophy is considered a criticalpart of the CRS “deliverable.” It is expectedthat with every project these completionelements be considered, planned for,and executed.


20

CRS P ROJECT S ELECTION AND L IFE C YCLE



This section outlines three primaryinitiatives to be developed and

implemented in the fiscal year (FY)2002-2004 time frame.

1. The first initiative is tosystematically identify and documentthe emerging remote sensing needs/requirements, technologies, andpriorities that will best serve CRScustomers. This initiative will involvean assessment of the Center’s 2002Coastal Resource ManagementCustomer Survey and closeralignment of the FY 2003 CRSprogram and projects to the Center’sstrategic theme areas, in particularhabitat, smart coastal growth,hazards, and ocean observations.It will involve conducting formalassessments of emerging remotesensing-based technologies andselected areas of applicationsdevelopment. It will involve furtherclarification of options to strengthenCRS relationships with the privatesector for future projectimplementation. The preliminaryresults of this process will bepresented and discussed at GeoTools2003.

2. The second initiative is to developa plan and process for the effectivedistribution of mature CRS products,processes, and services to sustainingproviders, such as other NOAA

offices and federal, state, or localagencies. Candidates for such

transition include long-range trendanalyses associated with CoastalChange Analysis Program (C-CAP)land cover data sets, the LDARTtopographic LIDAR database function,and certain aspects of the harmfulalgal bloom forecasting (HABF)function. Transition of theresponsibility for the product orprocess is a fundamental “enabling”concept. However, CRS, as expertswith these functions, must continueto work (or stay at “the table”) withthese organizations as they transitionto “maintainers” of such functions.

3. The third initiative is to improvethe understanding and measurementof the values and benefits of remotesensing-based applications ingeneral, and CRS results specifically.CRS will also seek to improve itsproject performance metrics and itsmeans of eliciting customer feedbackon CRS outputs. These evaluationchallenges require CRS to linkeffectively to outside sources thatspecialize in outcome measurement,including benefit/cost analysis ofapplied remote sensing. In particular,the private sector may provide uniquecontributions to this task. Theseinvestigations will push CRS toadopt new concepts of operation,relationships, and partnerships.


T HE F UTURE




22



Recent examples of remote sensing-based products developed by the Center

and its partners

Spatial Data Products• Coastal land cover / change• Coastal topography• Benthic habitat / cover

Demonstration CD-ROM Products• Using Remote Sensing to Address

Coastal Management Issue— The Maine Project• Submerged Aquatic Vegetation— Data Development and Applied Uses

• South Carolina’s Coast— A Remote Sensing Perspective• Topographic LIDAR: An Emerging Beach ManagementTool—The Northwest Project

• Topographic LIDAR: Exploring theCape Hatteras National Seashore

Methods and Protocols• NOAA’s Coastal Change Analysis

Program, Guidance for RegionalImplementation

• Benthic Habitat Mapping, An AerialPhotographic Approach

Decision Support Tools• C-CAP Data Handler—for assessing

coastal land cover changes(ArcView extension)

• C-CAP Legend Handler—for viewingcoastal land cover changes(ArcView extension)

• Chart Viewer—for viewing digitalNOAA nautical charts

(ArcGIS extension)• Dune Hazard Assessment Tool(DHAT)—for assessing the hazardpotential of beach property(ArcView extension)

• HAB Bulletin System—for trackingthe extent and direction of harmfulalgal blooms

• Impervious Surface Analysis Tool(ISAT)—for estimatingpercent-impervious cover

• LIDAR Data Handler—for assessingcoastal beach topography changes

(ArcView extension)

Outreach• Technical remote sensing support

and guidance to all Centercustomers

• Web-based tools and information onremote sensing – Internet map accessibility to

spatial data – Demonstration of coastal land

cover changes – Frequently asked questions

(FAQs) – Appropriate uses of remote

sensing• One-pagers on coastal applications

of remote sensing• Image maps and posters

– The Main Hawaiian Islands— A View from Space

– A Satellite View of Hurricanes

Training Seminars and Courses• Introduction to Remote Sensing

(2 hour seminar)• Remote Sensing for Geospatial Analysts (2 day course)

• Supplemental training modules tostandard 3-Day ArcView course

– Coastwatch training module – LIDAR training module – C-CAP training module

Applied ResearchExamples of current appliedresearch projects

• Forecasting of harmful algal bloom

events• Determining impervious surfacesfrom C-CAP land cover data

• Evaluation of airborne sensorsfor use in estuarine water qualitymeasurements

• Evaluation of airborne multispectralcameras (digital) for use interrestrial and benthic mappingapplications (e.g., mapping landcover, oyster reefs, submergedaquatic vegetation)


Appendix 1

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES



Sample resultsThe Center’s triennial Coastal Resource

Management Customer Survey serves as amechanism for determining whether the Center’sproducts and services are meeting the needs ofthe Center’s constituency. Examples of the 1999survey results are provided here to help illustrateinformation that CRS uses to plan projects that meetthe needs of the coastal resource managementcommunity. This survey had a 70% responserate (270 surveys were distributed). For moreinformation on the Center’s triennial survey, seewww.csc.noaa.gov/survey/.

1. Special purpose software used by survey

respondents’ officeGIS = 91%Database management systems = 65%Remote Sensing* = 42%Visualization = 36%Environmental process modeling = 33%Computer-aided design = 26%Decision support / decision analysis = 10%

*19 % of respondents use ERDAS IMAGINE, 10 % useESRI’s Image Analysis for remote sensing purposes.

2. Level of expertise in GIS in the

coastal communityNone = 14%Beginning = 42%Intermediate = 44%

Advanced = 33%

3. Level of expertise in remote sensingin the coastal communityNone = 47%Beginning = 24%Intermediate = 22%

Advanced = 9%

4. Nearly 40% of the offices surveyed have oneto two staff trained in remote sensing softwareuse. Nearly 30% of the respondents have staffmembers who regularly use remote sensingsoftware.

5. Current number of staff members(respondents) with formal remote sensingtraining0 = 47%1-2 = 34%

3-5 = 12%6-10 = 0

Over 10 = 1

6. Number of staff who use remotesensing regularly0 = 59%1-2 = 27%2-5 = 9%6-10 = 1%Over 10 = 0%

7. External sources of GIS / remotesensing expertiseNo access = 13%

State remote sensing / GIS coord. council = 9%Partnership with other agency = 18%

Academic institutions = 22%Private sector = 9%Non-government = 3%

8. Top coastal application prioritiesHabitat mapping = 48%Habitat status and health = 39%Watershed management planning = 38%Protected area management = 37%Habitat restoration = 30%Protected or endangered species = 29%Surface waters = 26%Fish and shellfish stocks = 26%Land use or changes in land use = 25%Coastal erosion or accretion = 23%

9. Top coastal data layer priorities (data setsconsidered very useful)High resolution aerial photography = 61%Nearshore bathymetry (0–3 miles) = 59%Fish distributions = 57%Estuarine and bay bathymetry = 56%Wetland function = 56%Coastal land cover change maps = 54%Shoreline erosion or accretion rates = 53%Habitat suitability indices = 53%Coastal topography = 52%Shoreline = 51%Shellfish bed distribution maps = 50%


24

Appendix 2

1999 CUSTOMER SURVEY



The NOAA Coastal Change AnalysisProgram (C-CAP) evolved over the last15 years and most recently operated asan independent program of the Center.In 2000, the C-CAP function was mergedwith the other remote sensing activitiesat the Center. This merger createda stronger, more comprehensive remotesensing program that is better suitedfor addressing both the land and wateraspects of the coast.

C-CAP now refers to both a national effortto develop and distribute regional landcover and “change” data in the coastalzone, and to the digital data products thatare developed according to the specificstandards and methods developed bythe National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA). As part of theNOAA Coastal Services Center’s CoastalRemote Sensing (CRS) program, C-CAPproducts have been produced for most ofthe east coast, Hawaii, and portions of thewest coast and Alaska. The majorityof these data products illustrate landcover for one date, a 5-year retrospectiveland cover product, and a product thatillustrates the changes between the twodates. In fiscal year 2001, baseline landcover (circa 2000) data products wereproduced for the main eight islands ofHawaii, and a contract has been awardedfor the production of land cover and“change” data products for the GreatLakes region. Contracting for theproduction of C-CAP data products inother regions of the country is on

schedule for fiscal year 2002.

The basic vision for the C-CAP land cover“product-line” is to complete the nationalbaseline as soon as possible throughcontracts with the private sector. Thesecontracts will include land cover for themost current date available, a 5-yearretrospective land cover product, anda product that illustrates the changesbetween the two dates. During the

production of this national baseline, CRSwill emphasize the applications of theseproducts to coastal management issues.In tandem, documented methodologies/procedures will be made available toanyone interested in adding additionalland cover dates. This will then providea means for others to track regionaltrends over time. It is also envisionedthat methodologies for introducing moredetailed (higher spatial resolution) landcover, for those coastal areas that arechanging rapidly, will be developed.

Benthic mapping, originally envisionedas part of the C-CAP function, will bepursued separately and according tonew standards. The original visionof linking changes in land cover tothe changes occurring in the estuarineaquatic environment, to better observecausal relationships, remains an interestto the program, and perhaps presentsitself as a partnership opportunity.

NOAA COASTAL CHANGE ANALYSISPROGRAM (C-CAP)


Appendix 3



C-CAP Coastal Change Analysis Program (NOAA)CRS Coastal Remote Sensing (Center program)

DHAT Dune Hazard Assessment ToolEEZ Exclusive Economic ZoneEPA Environmental Protection AgencyFGDC Federal Geographic Data CommitteeGIS geographic information systemGPS Global Positioning SystemHAB harmful algal bloomHABSOS Harmful Algal Blooms Observing SystemJACIE Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation team

(NASA, USGS, NIMA)LCA Land Cover Analysis (CRS project)LDART LIDAR Data Retrieval ToolLIDAR Light Detection and RangingMRLC Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics consortiumNASA National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNDEP National Digital Elevation ProgramNIMA National Imagery and Mapping AgencyNOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationNSDI National Spatial Data InfrastructurePIP project implementation planPP&A Program Planning and Assessment (NASA)SAV Submerged Aquatic VegetationUSGS United States Geological Survey


26

Appendix 4

ACRONYMS




• Dictionary of Science and Technology • National Academy for Public

Administration• National Institute for Scienceand Technology

• Office of Management and Budget U.S. Geological Survey

Christensen, Claude J., InformationSciences Program Manager, Departmentof the Interior, “A RecommendedFramework for Defining and Implementinga Decision Support System,” November21, 1997.

D.J. Power, “Decision Support SystemsGlossary,” < http://dssresources.com >,1999.

Executive Office of the President, Officeof Management and Budget, “RevisedOMB Circular A-16: Coordination ofGeographic Information and RelatedSpatial Data Activities,” (Draft), June 20,2001.

Independent Commission on the NationalImagery and Mapping Agency, TheInformation Edge: Imagery Intelligenceand Geospatial Information in an EvolvingNational Security Environment , FinalReport, December 2000.

National Academy of Science, SpaceStudies Board, Committee on Space

Applications and Commercialization,“Remote Sensing Data: The ChangingEnvironment for Earth Science Research:Workshop,” March 27-28, 2001.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Earth Science Enterprise:Research Strategy , December 2000.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Earth Science Enterprise:Technology Strategy , June 1999.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Applications Program,Stennis Lead Center for Applications

(together with NIMA and USGS), “HighSpatial Resolution Commercial Imagery

Workshop,” Greenbelt Marriott Hotel,March 19-21, 2001.

National Council for Science and theEnvironment, “First National Conferenceon Science, Policy and the Environment,”December 2000.

National Research Council, Committeeto Assess the Portfolio of the Divisionof Science Resources Studies of NSF,Measuring the Science and EngineeringEnterprise: Priorities for the Division ofScience Resources Studies , 2000.

National Research Council, Committeeon Global Change Research, Scienceof Regional and Global Change: PuttingKnowledge to Work , 2001.

National Science Board, “EnvironmentalScience and Engineering for the 21 st Century: The Role of the National ScienceFoundation,” 2000.

National Science Foundation, NationalScience Board, Science and EngineeringIndicators —1998, 1999.

NOAA Coastal Change Analysis ProgramEffectiveness Review—Summary Report,June 27, 2000.

NOAA Coastal Services Center, NOAACoastal Change Analysis Program—Guidance for Regional Implementation ,NOAA Technical Report NMFS 123,U.S. Dept. of Commerce, 1995

<www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/lca/protocol.html >.

NOAA Coastal Services Center, 1999Coastal Resource Management CustomerSurvey < www.csc.noaa.gov/survey/ >.

NOAA Coastal Services Center, StrategicPlan 2001 – 2006 <www.csc.noaa.gov/ strategic_plan.pdf >.

SOURCES AND REFERENCES

Appendix 5




2234 South Hobson AvenueCharleston, South Carolina 29405

(843) 740-1200www.csc.noaa.gov

Remote Sensing by NOAA Coastal Services Center

Documents

Transcript of Remote Sensing by NOAA Coastal Services Center