Anthropogenic Ecotope Mapping (AEM)
Mapping Soft Features without Clear Edges
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Ecotope features without clear edges are soft features with fuzzy
edges and relatively heterogeneous cores resulting from gradual variation in
vegetation cover, making these a challenge to map consistently by image
interpretation and groundtruthing. The main goal in mapping these features is
to capture substantial differences in land use and vegetation cover within the
largest vegetation patches while avoiding detailed distinctions that cannot be
consistently applied by ecologists and land managers under both current and
historic mapping conditions. |
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| Humans often have significant ecological impacts
without consistent intention to cause these, especially in areas surrounding
high impact land uses such as artificial structures and mines. These Disturbed areas
can be identified and mapped based on the concept of a potentially
Disturbed zone surrounding artificial structures and mines. |
Vegetation patches
| Vegetation varies
gradually across large, relatively undisturbed areas. Even when this variation
is apparent in imagery and on the ground, the consistent and repeatable mapping
of discrete features within gradually varying vegetation is a major challenge
for feature mapping by image interpretation and groundtruthing. We therefore
limit the mapping of these features to contiguous vegetation cover patches ≥ 30
m in dimension (area ≥1000 m2) that differ significantly from
surrounding cover within even larger soft features with area ≥1 ha. This scale
rule limits mapping to the most consistently identifiable features and
facilitates the use of higher spectral resolution systems (e.g. Landsat) for
vegetation classification where vegetation cover varies more gradually. |
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