Nearly 20 million people live within the three-state region included in the Upper Midwest RESAC. A majority of these live in the large metropolitan areas of Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Milwaukee. Each of the metropolitan areas is undergoing decentralization - rapid growth and development of suburban areas. The public, as well as many resource managers and local planners, are becoming increasingly alarmed over the drastic alteration of the regional landscape that this process (known also as urban sprawl) is generating.
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Planners and resource managers in the region recognize urban sprawl as a significant local problem. Understanding where, how and projecting the extent of changes in use/cover is essential to preserving our natural resources for future generations. Consequently, many state governments are beginning to enact "smart growth" legislation that is designed to help local governments in their land use planning. Much of this legislation requires that local governments assess the potential environmental and economic impacts of their land use plans. Decision-support tools, such as computer simulation models, and information products such as those generated from remote sensing, are essential in making better decisions about how to use our land.
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Scientists at participating universities within the Upper Midwest Regional Earth Science Applications Center are attempting to understand how large-scale changes in land use/cover occur with time. They use satellite remote sensing technologies to accurately monitor and map changes in land use and the associated changes in land cover. Using satellite remote sensing in conjunction with geographic information systems, the Center can analyze future trends, and spatial patterns, routinely providing Environmental Information Services regarding landscape change.
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To provide forecasts of land use trends the Center relies on state-of-the-art models. Some incorporate new techniques to relate the different land uses to the probability of that land use changing in time. Other models utilize principles of economic geography to evaluate how changing economic factors influence land values, and hence the future economic development of an area. Finally, the Center uses urban growth models that relate land use change to transportation development.
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| To read more about Land Applications please see our whitepaper (2.02 MB PDF). |
