Timothy W. Foresman

A conceptual framework for the study of human ecosystems in urban areas

The need for integrated concepts, capable of satisfying natural and social scientists and supporting integrated research, motivates a conceptual framework for understanding the role of humans in ecosystems. The question is how to add humans to the ecological models used to understand urban ecosystems. The ecosystem concept can serve as the basis, but specific social attributes of humans and their institutions must be added. Learning and feedback between the human and natural components of urban ecosystems are key attributes of the integrated model. Parallels with familiar ecological approaches can help in understanding the ecology of urban ecosystems. These include the role of spatial heterogeneity and organizational hierarchies in both the social and natural components of urban ecosystems. Although urban watersheds are commonly highly altered, the watershed approach can serve as a spatial basis for organizing comparative studies of ecosystems exhibiting differing degrees of urbanization. The watershed concept can also spatially organize the hierarchically scaled linkages by which the integrated human ecosystem model can be applied. The study of urban ecosystems is a relatively new field, and the questions suggested by the integrated framework can be used to frame ecosystem research in and associated with urban and metropolitan areas.

Urban tree cover: an ecological perspective

Analysis of urban tree cover is generally limited to inventories of tree structure and composition on public lands. This approach provided valuable information for resource management. However, it does not account for all tree cover within an urban landscape, thus providing insufficient information on ecological patterns and processes. We propose evaluating tree cover for an entire urban area that is based on patch dynamics. Treed patches are classified by their origin, structure, and management intensity. A patch approach enables ecologists to evaluate ecological patterns and processes for the entire urban landscape and to examine how social patterns influence these ecological patterns and processes.

Methods for spatial and temporal land use and land cover assessment for urban ecosystems and application in the greater Baltimore-Chesapeake region

Understanding contemporary urban landscapes requires multiple sets of spatially and temporally compatible data that can integrate historical land use patterns and disturbances to land cover. This paper presents three principal methods: (1) core analysis; (2) historic mapping; and (3) gradient analysis, to link spatial and temporal data for urban ecosystems and applies their use in the Baltimore-Chesapeake region. Paleoecological evidence derived from the geochronology of sediment cores provides data on long-term as well as recent changes in vegetative land cover. This information, combined with contemporary vegetation maps, provides a baseline for conducting trend analyses to evaluate urbanization of the landscape. A 200-year historical land use database created from historical maps, census data, and remotely sensed data provides a spatial framework for investigating human impacts on the region. A geographic information system (GIS) integrates core analyses with historic data on land use change to yield a comprehensive land use and land cover framework and rates of change. These data resources establish the regional foundation for investigating the ecological components of an urban ecosystem. Urban-rural gradient analyses and patch analyses are proposed as the most appropriate methods for studying the urban ecosystem as they link ecological and social patterns and processes for varying degrees of urbanization.

Evolution and implementation of the Digital Earth vision, technology and society

Abstract Digital Earths framework can be traced to evolutionary threads with historic foundations that fostered the fertile conceptual and technological incubation. These threads incorporate writings, such as those of the visionary engineering-genius, Buckminster Fuller, in conjunction with an array of space age developments in computers, internet and communications, satellites, and education. In 1998, when Vice President Al Gore articulated the Digital Earth Vision, he portrayed the vision based upon myriad technology factors for the intellectual foundation and sparked a worldwide phenomenon that fortuitously included the Chinese leaderships recognition and acceptance. The Beijing Declaration is recognised for its role promulgating the International Digital Earth Symposium series to promote better understanding of the impacts of Digital Earth technology and applications on behalf of all humankind. Combinations of industrial, academic, and government organisations have advanced the technological components necessary for implementing the Digital Earth Vision at a prodigious rate. Commercial leaders, such as Google, have accelerated the influence of large segments of society towards components of the Digital Earth Vision. However, challenges still remain regarding requisite collaboration on international standards for metadata, interoperability, and data formats for space and time that will affect Digital Earth implementation scenarios. Functional requirements for the model Digital Earth geobrowser remain to be fully articulated. The current paper presents an overview of the historical components, the key players on the international scene, the catalytic technological advances, and the societal response to the growth of the Digital Earth community.

Coordinating hazardous waste management activities using geographical information systems

Abstract This paper describes a framework for the role of geographical information systems (GIS) in the monitoring and management of hazardous waste sites. Compilation of required information, incorporation of existing strategies for waste monitoring, analysis of these data in a GIS environment and the integration of computerized models for transport processes are discussed. Examples for the analysis of spatial data using techniques of cartographic overlay and the implementation of geo-statistical methods on monitoring data are provided from work in progress by the authors. These examples are set in the context of developing a fully integrated monitoring and management system utilizing GIS technology.

Mandate for Remote Sensing Education and the Remote Sensing Core Curriculum

Consensus was developed by the remote sensing community during the 1980s and early 1990s regarding the need for an organized approach to teaching remote sensing fundamentals for collegiate institutions. Growth of the remote sensing industry might be seriously hampered without concerted efforts to bolster the capacity to teach state-of-the-practice remote sensing theory and practice to the next generation of professionals. A concerted effort of educators, researchers, government, and industry began in 1992 to meet these demands leading to the creation of the Remote Sensing Core Curriculum. The RSCC is currently sustained by cooperative efforts of the ASPRS, ICRSE, NASA, NCGIA, and others in the remote sensing community. Growth of the RSCC into the K-12 community resulted from its Internet teaching foundation that enables comprehensive and response reference links to the whole of the education community.

The second law of geography for a spatially enabled economy

ABSTRACT Location has proven axiomatic as an economic variable throughout human history. Tobler’s first law of geography introduced the importance of location; in that, near things are more related than far things. In an age of digital economies, a new research frontier exists where everything is more related to everything else and has an increased economic value from spatially enabled technology. The accessibility of digital-spatial information has brought economic geographers to a new understanding of markets within a Digital Earth framework. The importance of location to economic value can be expected to grow as the Internet of Things develops in sophistication. New business models enter and disrupt established markets with innovative spatially enabled approaches. A successful penetration of established markets suggests a new business model for financial and functional utility by engaging spatially enabled assets. The second law of geography is introduced as a conceptual framework to comprehend the economic potential of spatially enabled information. A comparative analysis of non-spatial versus spatial web agents provides a quantitative framework to demonstrate the benefits of the Digital Earth economy.

Report on the 5th International Symposium on Digital Earth

The 5th International Symposium on Digital Earth was successfully convened at the University of California, Berkeley, USA on 5 9 June 2007. It is another successful conference since the launch of the first International Symposium on Digital Earth held in Beijing in 1999. Some 390 delegates from 28 countries representing different governments, academic agencies, industries, NGOs, and private organisations, attended. Participants focused on the conference theme ‘Bringing Digital Earth Down to Earth,’ through an impressive array of presentations and discussions that highlighted the active areas of applications using Google Earth, Microsoft’s Virtual Earth, NASA’s WorldWind, and many others. Examples of leading applications ranged from exposing human rights abuses in Darfur to mountain top removal for coal in the Appalachian Mountains. The symposium started on 5 June, World Environment Day, which reinforced the strong linkage of Digital Earth to the litany of environmental problems, such as climate change, facing all nations. On behalf of Norway, the host nation for World Environment Day in 2007, Mr Jan-Gunnar Winther, Director of the Norwegian Polar Institute, gave a live online presentation on the topic of climate change impacts on Arctic nations. Next, California’s Lt. Governor John Garamendi, welcomed all participants on behalf of the host state and emphasised the significant links between critical issues of water and agriculture in the face of climate change and the need for raising the topic of global climate change research. Professor Xu Guanhua, the former Minister of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology and the honorary president of the Chinese National Committee of International Society for Digital Earth, addressed relevant areas related to digital earth in China. Mr Tom Kalil from the Office of the vice Chancellor of the University California Berkeley delivered a warm welcome and introduced the role of universities for science applications. Dr Tim Foresman, the symposium director-general and local organiser, reviewed the development of digital earth and introduced previous symposia, the summit of Digital Earth, and the International Society for Digital Earth. Seven special invited reports were presented at the conference on the first day. Dr Edgar Mitchell, the sixth human to walk on the Moon as the 14th Apollo astronaut, used ESRI’s ArcGIS Explorer to recreate his three-dimensional (3D) lunar landing activities. Ambassador John McDonald shared his experiences with the UN environmental, economic and social affairs and testified to the potential of using the UN system to benefit human beings and the planet. Dr Doug Engelbart, inventor of the computer mouse and a trailblazer of interactive computers, presented a report titled Technology for Change, which introduced the idea that human beings

Remote sensing and core data needed to support planning and policy decision making

A variety of sustainable development research efforts and related activities are attempting to reconcile the issues of conserving our natural resources without limiting economic motivation while also improving our social equity and quality of life. Land use/land cover change, occurring on a global scale, is an aggregate of local land use decisions and profoundly impacts our environment. It is therefore the local decision making process that should be the eventual target of many of the ongoing data collection and research efforts which strive toward supporting a sustainable future. Satellite imagery data is a primary source of data upon which to build a core data set for use by researchers in analyzing this global change. A process is necessary to link global change research, utilizing satellite imagery, to the local land use decision making process. One example of this is the NASA-sponsored Regional Data Center (RDC) prototype. The RDC approach is an attempt to integrate science and technology at the community level. The anticipated result of this complex interaction between research and the decision making communities will be realized in the form of long-term benefits to the public.