Progress 10/01/10 to 12/31/12

Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416): This project evaluates the potential value of the proposed hyperspectral/ multispectral remote sensing platform known as HyspIRI for assessment of vegetation cover in arid lands; cover assessment is critical for understanding the surface water budget. Existing airborne remote sensing data will be used to simulate HypsIRI data and to assess how much better land cover monitoring could be with the newer remote sensing technology. Approach (from AD-416): Methods will use existing MASTER and AVIRIS data collected over New Mexico and Oklahoma. Land surface temperatures, emissivities, and reflectances will be estimated. Cover change analysis using emissivity and narrowband visible-near infrared data will be performed using airborne and ancillary ASTER/MODIS data in conjunction with classification techniques. Spatial statistics will help assess resolution and scale effects. MASTER and ancillary data will be used for time scale analyses. Regression analyses will evaluate the significance of different thermal infrared bands. For the third and final year USDA and Spanish co-investigators completed the processing and modeling of evapotranspiration (ET) patterns over the USDA Jornada Experimental Range in 2001-2003. The project is directly related to Objective 2 of the inhouse parent project, �Develop and verify remote sensing methods, tools, and decision support systems�. The utility of hyperspectral data for improved land cover classification was tested at 60 m resolution. Eighty-six satellite and airborne remote sensing scenes were compared with ground-based ET observations at two sites and showed that the ET modeling approaches worked well at 60-m resolution. This result confirms that the proposed National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) HyspIRI satellite will have sufficient spatial and spectral resolution to monitor ET over arid lands at weekly time steps.

Impacts
(N/A)

Publications

Progress 10/01/11 to 09/30/12

Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416): This project evaluates the potential value of the proposed hyperspectral/multispectral remote sensing platform known as HyspIRI for assessment of vegetation cover in arid lands; cover assessment is critical for understanding the surface water budget. Existing airborne remote sensing data will be used to simulate HypsIRI data and to assess how much better land cover monitoring could be with the newer remote sensing technology. Approach (from AD-416): Methods will use existing MASTER and AVIRIS data collected over New Mexico and Oklahoma. Land surface temperatures, emissivities, and reflectances will be estimated. Cover change analysis using emissivity and narrowband visible-near infrared data will be performed using airborne and ancillary ASTER/MODIS data in conjunction with classification techniques. Spatial statistics will help assess resolution and scale effects. MASTER and ancillary data will be used for time scale analyses. Regression analyses will evaluate the significance of different thermal infrared bands. Our NASA-funded project to generate, model and interpret synthetic HyspIRI data made substantial progress in 2012. HyspIRI is a transformative spaceborne remote sensing effort in support of NASA�s decadal survey. HyspIRI will contain hyperspectral and multispectral systems with 60 m spatial resolution and 5-19 day observational periodicity. Among other goals, HyspIRI will enable weekly estimation of evapotranspiration (ET) at farm scales, thus making possible detailed and accurate water use and management support systems across the globe. This funded work relates to objective 2 of the parent project, �Develop and verify remote sensing methods, tools and decision support systems�. For 2012, airborne and spaceborne remote sensing were acquired georegistered, atmospherically corrected modeled for surface reflectance, temperature and emissivities, and incorporated into evapotranspiration (ET) routines. Project deliverables, including temperature/emissivity maps, land cover change maps, evapotranspiration maps, modeling uncertainty results were partially completed for the Jornada, Sevilleta and Southern Great Plains sites. In 2012 more than 115 MASTER, 81 AVIRIS and 27 ASTER scenes were processed. Facilitated by a no-cost extension, all deliverables will be finalized in 2012.

Impacts
(N/A)

Publications

Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/11

Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416) This project evaluates the potential value of the proposed hyperspectral/multispectral remote sensing platform known as HyspIRI for assessment of vegetation cover in arid lands; cover assessment is critical for understanding the surface water budget. Existing airborne remote sensing data will be used to simulate HypsIRI data and to assess how much better land cover monitoring could be with the newer remote sensing technology. Approach (from AD-416) Methods will use existing MASTER and AVIRIS data collected over New Mexico and Oklahoma. Land surface temperatures, emissivities, and reflectances will be estimated. Cover change analysis using emissivity and narrowband visible-near infrared data will be performed using airborne and ancillary ASTER/MODIS data in conjunction with classification techniques. Spatial statistics will help assess resolution and scale effects. MASTER and ancillary data will be used for time scale analyses. Regression analyses will evaluate the significance of different thermal infrared bands. During FY2011 we began a new NASA-funded project to simulate remote sensing data for a proposed NASA satellite called HyspIRI. Ten years (2001-2010) of airborne and satellite data were collected, processed and registered for study sites at Jornada and Sevilleta in New Mexico. These data will be integrated into 60-m resolution hyperspectral and thermal infrared images. This project will assess the benefits of new satellite technologies for the estimation of evapotranspiration over arid lands and thus is closely aligned with our base-funded remote sensing research. Most of the data collection and processing activities were performed on- site by project investigators at Arid Land Agricultural Research Center (ALARC) and monitored by personal contact and email. Other modeling activities were performed by a University of Arizona professor at Tucson, and were monitored by frequent visits, email, and phone calls.

Impacts
(N/A)

Publications