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O O Q + UZQ ZU - WVAGP · Curran, Megan* Undergraduate Student, West Virginia University, [email protected] Using Spatial and Economic Attributes in Geographic Information Systems

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Page 1: O O Q + UZQ ZU - WVAGP · Curran, Megan* Undergraduate Student, West Virginia University, mcurran@mix.wvu.edu Using Spatial and Economic Attributes in Geographic Information Systems

WWW .WVAGP .COM /CONFERENCE /

20 16 /ABSTRACTS

20 16 WV G IS CONFERENCE ,

MORGANTOWN , WEST V IRG IN IA

P A P E R &P O S T E RA B S T R A C T S

M A Y 5 T H

Page 2: O O Q + UZQ ZU - WVAGP · Curran, Megan* Undergraduate Student, West Virginia University, mcurran@mix.wvu.edu Using Spatial and Economic Attributes in Geographic Information Systems

i 2016 WV GIS Conference

Paper Abstracts

Bess, Eric Intro to GPS/GIS .......................................................................................................................... 1

Bocan, John Three Crowd-sourced Mapping Examples ...and Yes, You Too Can Be a HOT Mapper! ........... 1

Bocan, John Two Free and Open Source Templates for JavaScript Mapping Applications ............................ 2

Brancheau, Lee WV Flood Risk Mapping Needs ................................................................................................... 2

Brown, Thomas* Visualizing Storm Damage in 3D GIS to Aid Pre-Event Risk Awareness (CAVE) ...................... 3

Curran, Megan* Using Spatial and Economic Attributes in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to Analyze

Patterns of Merit Based and Need Based Scholarships in Higher Education Institutions in West

Virginia ........................................................................................................................................ 3

Davis, Marvin* 3D GeoDesign (CAVE) ................................................................................................................ 4

Del Greco, Gene History of the GIS-World, Part II: A Look at the History of GIS in Film and Television ........... 4

Deng, Jinyang Sensitivity Analysis of Nature-based Tourism Using GIS and Analytic Hierarchy Process ....... 5

Donaldson, David* West Virginia Trail Inventory ...................................................................................................... 5

Ferrari, Aaron* Olfaction, GIS and Immersion (CAVE) ....................................................................................... 6

Gross, Thomson* Supporting People-Centered Food Networks across West Virginia; Toward a Participatory

Mapping Framework ................................................................................................................... 6

Grow, York ArcGIS Online for Water Operations – Trimble Unity ................................................................ 7

He, Yaqian* Land Use and Land Cover Change Detection in China Based on AVHRR GIMMS NDVI3g and

MODIS MCD12Q1 from 1982 to 2012 ........................................................................................ 7

Hopkins, Eric West Virginia Flood Tool and Flood Risk Analysis for Mitigation Planning.............................. 8

Iksic, Christine Bluefield Sanitary Board GIS/Trimble......................................................................................... 8

Jeffers, Anne Community TIGER ....................................................................................................................... 9

08 Fall

Page 3: O O Q + UZQ ZU - WVAGP · Curran, Megan* Undergraduate Student, West Virginia University, mcurran@mix.wvu.edu Using Spatial and Economic Attributes in Geographic Information Systems

ii 2016 WV GIS Conference

LaFone, Frank A National Look at Soil Carbon .................................................................................................. 9

Lovin, Jeff Single Photon/Geiger Mode LiDAR............................................................................................. 9

Maxwell, Aaron Predicting the Topographic Likelihood of Palustrine Wetland Occurrence in West Virginia

Using Machine Learning and Terrain Variables ....................................................................... 10

McColloch, Scott LiDAR Enhanced Bedrock Geological Mapping in the Appalachian High Plateau ................. 10

Moser, Tyran Energy Sector GIS Applications ................................................................................................ 11

Perettie, Nicholas* Exploring the Battle of Blair Mountain in Immersive GIS (CAVE) ........................................... 11

Penegar, Tre Esri Local Government Model, Parcel Fabric, Countywide OrthoImagery ............................. 11

Reck, Nate State and Local Project Planning – GIS is the Key to Success .................................................. 12

Scott, Matt ArcGIS Platform Desktop & Server ........................................................................................... 12

Shank, Michael Elevation/LiDAR Stakeholders .................................................................................................. 12

Sharma, Maneesh NHD/WBD Stakeholders Meeting.............................................................................................. 13

Shokri, Mohammad* Assessment of Karstification by Means of GIS and RS in Damghan's Cheshme-Ali basin, NE

Iran ............................................................................................................................................ 14

Shy, Alex* Analyzing the Sensitivity of a Real Time Surface Water Flow Model to Protect Public Water

Intakes in West Virginia ............................................................................................................. 14

Simental, Tony GISP Certification ..................................................................................................................... 15

Sovich, Madeline An Overview of Geographic Partnerships at the US Census Bureau ........................................ 15

Starcher, Jennings E-911 Session/SAMS-II Update ................................................................................................. 15

Strager, Jackie The Impact of Landscape Change and Hydrologic Alterations on the NHD, WBD and

StreamStats for West Virginia .................................................................................................... 16

Thomas, Christian Using Google Earth Engine to Identify Mountaintop Removal Mines ...................................... 16

Page 4: O O Q + UZQ ZU - WVAGP · Curran, Megan* Undergraduate Student, West Virginia University, mcurran@mix.wvu.edu Using Spatial and Economic Attributes in Geographic Information Systems

2016 WV GIS Conference iii

Srivastava, Pragya* Modeling Subsurface Infrastructure in Immersive 3D (CAVE) ................................................. 17

Poster Abstracts

Campbell, Sarah* Implementing an Enterprise-Level Geospatial Application for Improving Transportation and

Planning ..................................................................................................................................... 18

Dickle, Zac* Open GIS for Emergency Response Mapping ........................................................................... 19

Edwards, Cori West Virginia Regional Planning & Development Councils and Metropolitan Planning

Organizations ............................................................................................................................ 19

Fang, Fang* Discriminating tree species using crown-scale measurements: fusing leaf-on LiDAR and high-

resolution multi-spectral satellite data ...................................................................................... 20

Feng, Snow (Xue)* Dental Work Force and Geographical Disparities in Dental Services Utilization in Appalachia

................................................................................................................................................... 20

Pourmohammadi, Pariya* Analysis of Land Cover and Use Change Rivers in Monongalia River Basin ........................... 21

Rice, Cynthia* High spatial resolution land cover classification in Preston County, WV using GEOBIA,

machine learning, NAIP orthophotography, LiDAR, and ancillary GIS data ........................... 21

Schindling, James* Challenging Historical GIS through Unstructured Primary Source Materials ......................... 22

Sharp, Adam* Forest type mapping in the Monongahela National Forest ....................................................... 22

Srivastava, Pragya* Exploring Immersive Geovisualization and 3D GIS Modeling of Subsurface Infrastructure ... 23

Strager, Jackie Terrestrial vertebrate species distribution modeling for the mountaintop removal mining region

of Appalachia ............................................................................................................................. 23

* Student Presenters

Page 5: O O Q + UZQ ZU - WVAGP · Curran, Megan* Undergraduate Student, West Virginia University, mcurran@mix.wvu.edu Using Spatial and Economic Attributes in Geographic Information Systems

1 2016 WV GIS Conference

2016 WV GIS Conference

Paper Abstracts

Bess, Eric

Senior GIS Specialist, Mott MacDonald, [email protected]

Intro to GPS/GIS

In today's world, organization, efficiency and accuracy are key components of data and

asset management. Modern technology has granted a variety of tools and methodologies

that enable companies to manage their assets in ways that offer a positive return on their

investment. Some of these tools include Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and

Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Data structure is a key component to data

management. Data should be structured to have flexibility and versatility for analysis and

reporting on a variety of levels. This process begins at the point of collection.

Standardization and consistency are important for efficiency and ensuring the collected

data is received in the proper format and with the required content. A data dictionary is a

useful tool in achieving this goal. The attendees will receive a high level overview of how

a GPS works, how to use a data dictionary for field data collection, what makes up a GIS

and how these systems can work together to gather, analyze, and deliver information for

critical decision making related to company assets. Understanding these concepts can

also offer insight on streamlining data flow and work flow within the company's

processes and more efficient resource allocation.

Bocan, John

GIS Programmer/Analyst, West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey,

[email protected]

Three Crowd-sourced Mapping Examples ...and Yes, You Too Can Be a HOT Mapper!

There has been a rise in “crowd-sourced” participation in the sciences in the past few

years. One of the better well-known crowd-sourced efforts in mapping is that of the Open

Street Map (OSM) project. You may have even seen or used the OSM maps among

ESRI's basemaps! This presentation will try to introduce you to what OSM is, why did it

come about and how to get involved. Another example we will explore will be the effort

of The National Map Corps which has many similarities to OSM. Lastly, you will be

introduced into what it takes to be a HOT mapper! We could use more of these! Come

and find out!

Page 6: O O Q + UZQ ZU - WVAGP · Curran, Megan* Undergraduate Student, West Virginia University, mcurran@mix.wvu.edu Using Spatial and Economic Attributes in Geographic Information Systems

2 2016 WV GIS Conference

Bocan, John

GIS Programmer/Analyst, West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey,

[email protected]

Two Free and Open Source Templates for JavaScript Mapping Applications

Gone are the days of ArcIMS. However surprisingly, there are still some IMS

applications here and there. There are a few developers and designers who still scurry for

(easy) upgradeable solutions! For a while, Flash/FLEX was the craze and many

developers jumped aboard that platform to transform IMS to nice “flashy” maps. Then

came the rise of mobile applications which shoved Flash away which left developers in

need for yet another means of providing decent interactive maps without the need to

“reinvent the wheel”. ESRI's powerful JavaScript API and ArcGIS for Server enables a

developer to greatly customize applications. ArcGIS Online gives rich value-added tools

and abilities to facilitate interactive mapping—almost without the need of a developer!

Some developers may not chose (or be able to choose) some of that route but they still

may not want to design an application from scratch. This session will explore two Free

and Open Source templates or viewers of which you can employ and leverage an ArcGIS

REST Map Service. One application/template was developed by a state government, the

other was constructed by a grassroots endeavor of other talented developers. Examples of

each in use will be shown.

Brancheau, Lee

Geographer, Federal Emergency Management Agency,

[email protected]

WV Flood Risk Mapping Needs

FEMA manages the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) which aims to reduce the

impact of flooding on private and public structures. It does so by providing affordable

insurance to property owners and by encouraging communities to adopt and enforce

floodplain management regulations. These efforts help mitigate the effects of flooding on

new and improved structures. The NFIP relies on the availability of high quality

floodplain modeling and mapping. As technologies improve and development increases,

FEMA continues to update floodplain studies and maps in West Virginia and throughout

the nation. This talk discusses the current modeling, mapping, and flood risk reduction

efforts FEMA is undertaking in West Virginia as part of its Risk MAP and other

programs.

Page 7: O O Q + UZQ ZU - WVAGP · Curran, Megan* Undergraduate Student, West Virginia University, mcurran@mix.wvu.edu Using Spatial and Economic Attributes in Geographic Information Systems

2016 WV GIS Conference 3

Brown, Thomas*

Graduate Student, West Virginia GIS Technical Center, West Virginia University,

[email protected]

Visualizing Storm Damage in 3D GIS to Aid Pre-Event Risk Awareness (CAVE)

Hurricane damage visualization presents an opportunity to expand emergency warning

products from text announcements to realistic depictions of storm damage. Emergency

managers are requesting and developing 3-dimensional objects that embed expert

knowledge into critical information products that are able to be used by the general public.

This research is an extension of existing storm warning products such as maps, text

announcement and social media accounts that address and attempt to reduce the

knowledge boundary between emergency management experts and the general public.

Information and communication of potential hurricane damage in the past have focused

on abstract values that represent potential damage, wind speeds, potential flooding, etc.

by fitting them within discrete hurricane categories. This research challenges the existing

methodology for storm warnings by embedding storm data into a 3-dimensional

visualization product. This method attempts to reduce the amount of translation necessary

for the general public to understand expert storm warning data. The goal is to create a

pre-event warning and preparation visualization that can provide critical storm damage

information to the general public for a variety of weather events before the event arrives.

Curran, Megan*

Undergraduate Student, West Virginia University, [email protected]

Using Spatial and Economic Attributes in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to

Analyze Patterns of Merit Based and Need Based Scholarships in Higher Education

Institutions in West Virginia

This presentation will demonstrate how Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be

used by higher education institutional research offices to identify state student

populations to detect patterns of access to post-secondary education. This research allows

the analyst to identify higher education access through need based and merit based

scholarships over time and spotlight HEPG financial aid programs, which are doing the

most to increase the success rate of students in West Virginia. Data layers containing

student higher education going rates, number and type of scholarship recipients, along

with other various outside spatial factors such as interstates, geographical barriers, and

economic development allow patterns to become more apparent. These patterns are vital

to institutional research because they allow college recruiters and k-12 education to have

a better idea of where to place specific resources and funds through the counties of West

Virginia to better prepare students for post-secondary education. This presentation also

demonstrates how to more effectively utilize data that is already available to HEPC and

other institutional research organizations. By using GIS to find these patterns changes can

be made in the legislature to better allocate resources and adjust policies to better assists

West Virginias high school graduates seeking financial assistance for post-secondary

education.

Page 8: O O Q + UZQ ZU - WVAGP · Curran, Megan* Undergraduate Student, West Virginia University, mcurran@mix.wvu.edu Using Spatial and Economic Attributes in Geographic Information Systems

4 2016 WV GIS Conference

Davis, Marvin*

Graduate Student, West Virginia University; GIS Coordinator, City of Oak Hill

[email protected]

3D GeoDesign (CAVE)

GeoDesign is a relatively new field that serves as a repurposing of many different

disciplines concerned with design decisions about the built environment. More

specifically, GeoDesign represents a coupling of urban planning concepts with the

analytical capabilities of GIS. While GIS has been used in planning mostly in the two-

dimensional realm, the built environment is three-dimensional and challenges GIS in the

handling of the vertical dimension, notably in floor-by-floor uses in mixed-use

developments, basement-level parking, light capture, and intervisibility between

structures. This presentation advances GeoDesign by addressing these three-dimensional

issues through the utilization of highly-detailed 3D models using Trimble SketchUp, the

mass-model generation power of ERSI’s CityEngine, and the analytical capabilities of 3D

Analyst to study potential impacts of changes within the built environment.

Del Greco, Gene

GIS Manager, K.E. McCartney & Associates, Inc., [email protected]

History of the GIS-World, Part II: A Look at the History of GIS in Film and Television

This presentation provides a historical look at how GIS technologies have been presented

in the past in film and television and how today's seemingly farfetched technological

scenarios actually point to genuine and practical developments in the future. Extensive

research was done by screening science fiction, spy movies and other genres for

representations of geospatial technology. This presentation picks up where Part I

(presented at the 2014 WV GIS Conference) left off showing more clips on how GIS

technologies have been portrayed in both films and television.

Page 9: O O Q + UZQ ZU - WVAGP · Curran, Megan* Undergraduate Student, West Virginia University, mcurran@mix.wvu.edu Using Spatial and Economic Attributes in Geographic Information Systems

2016 WV GIS Conference 5

Deng, Jinyang

Associate Professor, Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, West

Virginia University, [email protected]

Sensitivity Analysis of Nature-based Tourism Using GIS and Analytic Hierarchy Process

Identification and evaluation of nature-based tourism (NBT) destinations is not a new

practice, however, evaluating the variability of various inputs in the identification and

evaluation of NBT destinations have only recently gained special attention. This study

highlights the importance of conducting sensitivity analysis of criteria weights in

mapping NBT areas in the state of West Virginia. As an extension to the study by Dhami,

Deng, Burns, and Pierskalla (2014) who examined and mapped NBT areas in West

Virginia by incorporating visitors’ perceptions as criteria weights into a spatial suitability

model, this study focuses on how sensitive NBT areas are to the variations of visitors’

and ecotourism experts’ perceptions of selected criteria (i.e., remoteness, slope,

vegetation, wildlife, mining, logging) using a simple one-at-a-time (OAT) method.

Results indicate that visitors and ecotourism experts perceived the criteria in a similar

manner with the presence of vegetation and remoteness being ranked as the most

important criteria for NBT areas. The results also show that about one third of West

Virginia is highly suitable and least sensitive to variations in criteria weights, and

therefore suitable for a wide range of NBT tourists, irrespective of their preferences for

the selected NBT criteria. This study provides a science-based information for land use

planners and decision makers as to where should be conserved in order to attract nature

tourists. Research implications and limitations are discussed.

Donaldson, David*

Undergraduate Student, West Virginia GIS Technical Center, West Virginia University,

[email protected]

West Virginia Trail Inventory

Starting in 2010, the WV Trail Inventory project was funded by the WV Division of

Highways to inventory, collect, and integrate all publicly accessible trails in West

Virginia. Currently there are 5,000 miles of inventoried trails in West Virginia. An

online trail application (www.mapwv.gov/trails) allows users to view and identify

recreational trails inventoried in West Virginia. In addition, the online trail application

allows trails stewards to validate their trail geometry, attributes (e.g., trail surface, trail

use, organization), and contact information. The Web trail application can be accessed

by users with multiple devices including phones, tablets, or computers. Lastly, the

statewide GIS trails inventory database can be used for multiple purposes in that it allows

users to make customized maps, online trail maps, generate trail statistics, and plan for

future trail projects.

Page 10: O O Q + UZQ ZU - WVAGP · Curran, Megan* Undergraduate Student, West Virginia University, mcurran@mix.wvu.edu Using Spatial and Economic Attributes in Geographic Information Systems

6 2016 WV GIS Conference

Ferrari, Aaron*

Graduate Student, West Virginia University, [email protected]

Olfaction, GIS and Immersion (CAVE)

Immersive, virtual environments have proven to be a valuable tool for geographic

research of place, embodiment, and experience. Although current trends in Geography

indicate a shirt toward 3D GIS and visualization, there remains a visucentric focus that

has, so far, discounted additional senses beyond sight and sound. This paper examines the

incorporation of olfactory stimuli in a Computer Assisted Virtual Environment (CAVE)

and its effectiveness in contributing to and evoking a sense of place. Because of the direct

link between olfactory and limbic systems, olfactory stimulation can instantly evoke

vivid memories and emotional responses that sights and sounds alone cannot attain. The

sensory experience of space in the principle factor in creating a sense of place. This

research seeks to explain how sense of place can be tested and analyzed through an

examination of the influence of olfactory stimulation on one’s sense of place in a

geosensory, immersive environment.

Gross, Thomson*

Graduate Student, WV FOODLINK, Food Justice Lab, West Virginia University,

[email protected]

Supporting People-Centered Food Networks across West Virginia; Toward a

Participatory Mapping Framework

Food mapping is increasingly in vogue as anti-hunger organizations and community food

security coalitions across the country grapple with the spatial dimensions of food access.

The USDA’s Food Access Research Atlas for example has been highly influential for

policy makers using a ‘food deserts’ frame to address food access gaps across the United

States. Similarly Feeding America has developed the ‘Map the Meal Gap’, a web based

mapping application meant to highlight food insecurity rates at the county and

congressional district levels. These maps however were developed by experts based on

national scale models rather than from local geographical knowledge, and often fail to

fully capture differences in regional foodscapes. This presentation will discuss

methodologies used by the WV FOODLINK project to engage anti-hunger practitioners

across West Virginia and produce more representative cartographies of food access in

state to the sub-county scale. It will especially focus on the development of an ESRI web

application meant to engage food access advocates in participatory mapping exercises.

The WV Community Food Access Mapper is a key component of gathering data about

and representing local knowledge from the many different components of West

Virginia’s food system, from retailers, to farms, to food pantries and state based

assistance programs.

Page 11: O O Q + UZQ ZU - WVAGP · Curran, Megan* Undergraduate Student, West Virginia University, mcurran@mix.wvu.edu Using Spatial and Economic Attributes in Geographic Information Systems

2016 WV GIS Conference 7

Grow, York

Mapping and GIS Sales Manager, Duncan-Parnell, Inc, [email protected]

ArcGIS Online for Water Operations – Trimble Unity

Using the core technology of ArcGIS Online, Trimble Navigation has developed Trimble

Unity as an operations-centric solution that takes the power of spatial data and

intertwines it with every day inspection, maintenance and other operations activities. This

presentation would look at how Trimble Unity allows an operations manager to select

and deploy work to the field, how the average working using a phone or tablet can

perform their work assignment and how the progress of that work gets returned to the

office. http://www.trimblewater.com/unity.html

He, Yaqian*

Graduate Student, West Virginia University, [email protected]

Co-Authors: Eungul Lee, Timothy A. Warner

Land Use and Land Cover Change Detection in China Based on AVHRR GIMMS

NDVI3g and MODIS MCD12Q1 from 1982 to 2012

Land use and land cover change (LULCC) can influence regional climate by altering the

surface roughness, soil moisture, and heat flux partition. LULCC information therefore is

important for providing a better understanding of land-atmosphere interaction. A key

requirement for climatological studies is the generation of continuous long-term land use

and land cover maps on at least an annual basis. However, current continuous annual

LULC maps are only available from 2001 to present, limiting the span of the period that

can be studied. This study applied a random forests classifier based on nineteen

phenological metrics to produce LULC maps of China from 1982 to 2012 using

Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) third generation NDVI

(NDVI3g), and Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) land cover

type product (MCD12Q1) datasets. The LULCCs were then detected through the

produced continuous LULC maps during the three decades. Compared with images from

Google earth, the overall accuracy of LULC map in 2012 is 74.0%, which indicates the

reliability of the maps. The croplands and forests have been increased, and grasslands

decreased over the recent three decades.

Page 12: O O Q + UZQ ZU - WVAGP · Curran, Megan* Undergraduate Student, West Virginia University, mcurran@mix.wvu.edu Using Spatial and Economic Attributes in Geographic Information Systems

8 2016 WV GIS Conference

Hopkins, Eric

West Virginia GIS Technical Center, [email protected]

Co-Authors: Xiannian Chen, Kurt Donaldson, Jessica Garrett, Frank Lafone

West Virginia Flood Tool and Flood Risk Analysis for Mitigation Planning

The West Virginia Flood Tool (http://www.MapWV.gov/flood) provides statewide

floodplain management stakeholders with a convenient yet powerful online resource for

evaluating flood risk and FEMA flood zone/National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)

status. In addition to the Public (basic) and Expert views, the Flood Tool offers a

RiskMAP View focused on flood vulnerability and loss estimation. In 2015 the

WVGISTC expanded their efforts into Flood Risk Analysis in support of county and/or

regional Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plans (MHMP). Local, county and statewide data are

processed using ArcGIS models to produce a current, accurate countywide building

inventory and user defined facilities lying within the 1% annual chance floodplain. The

updated inventory is then used as input to FEMA Hazus-MH software to generate

estimated losses. The revised loss information is then integrated into the Flood Tool for

stakeholder use.

Iksic, Christine

Director of Sales and Marketing, Geo-Precision Solutions, [email protected]

Bluefield Sanitary Board GIS/Trimble

The Bluefield Sanitary Board of Bluefield, West Virginia has built a unique GIS system

that is built on local resources and hosted software services from Esri and Trimble. This

system allows staff at the Bluefield Sanitary Board to use a high-accuracy GNSS receiver

to collect new and update existing asset locations, distribute data to field personnel, and

provide access to photo, video, and related documents to users throughout the

organization. This presentation will review the methods and solutions they used to

implement this tailored GIS system so others can benefit from their successes and road

blocks.

Page 13: O O Q + UZQ ZU - WVAGP · Curran, Megan* Undergraduate Student, West Virginia University, mcurran@mix.wvu.edu Using Spatial and Economic Attributes in Geographic Information Systems

2016 WV GIS Conference 9

Jeffers, Anne

Geographer, U.S. Census Bureau, [email protected]

Community TIGER

Community TIGER is a set a free tools to streamlines the file acquisition process for data

exchanged between the Census Bureau and its partners in preparation for the 2020

Census. These tools enable agency collaboration. The Community TIGER system uses

cloud technology to provide Census Bureau partners with free access to Esri ArcGIS,

which includes the Community TIGER partner toolbox and a Contribution Management

System.

LaFone, Frank

Lead Technical Lead, West Virginia GIS Technical Center, West Virginia University,

[email protected]

Co-Authors: Eric Hopkins, Kurt Donaldson, Jessica Garrett

A National Look at Soil Carbon

Carbon is a fundamental element, which touches on a wide range of human existence,

from farming to climate change. Understanding the Carbon Stock contained within soil in

a particular geographic extent is critical for decision makers and the general population if

they wish to make informed, sustainable decisions about land use and management.

Scientists know a great deal about carbon stocks/mass within soil, yet this information

has been challenging to communicate in clear and understandable ways to the ‘layperson’.

A web application www.Carbonscapes.org was created to present a more holistic view of

carbon, the carbon cycle, and soil’s role within each. It features a Soil Atlas designed to

communicate complex scientific analysis of soil carbon in easily understandable metrics.

It has a more feature rich view of carbon designed for the more knowledgeable user or

scientist. The application also features a data clearinghouse for soil carbon experts.

Carbonscapes.org might present a useful model for future governmental scientific

communications with an audience of mixed expertise and advanced knowledge.

Lovin, Jeff

Director of Government Solutions, Senior Vice President, Woolpert,

[email protected]

Single Photon/Geiger Mode LiDAR

[From WVAGP Spring 2016 Newsletter] Another hot GIS topic noted was innovations in

lidar technology, with the commercialization of single photon and Geiger mode lidar. “In

layman’s terms, both of these new lidar technologies collect up to 10 times the density of

data from three to four times the current flying height of linear mode sensors being used

today,” Lovin said. “This will provide great value and efficiency to the end user.”

Page 14: O O Q + UZQ ZU - WVAGP · Curran, Megan* Undergraduate Student, West Virginia University, mcurran@mix.wvu.edu Using Spatial and Economic Attributes in Geographic Information Systems

10 2016 WV GIS Conference

Maxwell, Aaron

Assistant Professor, Alderson Broaddus University, [email protected]

Predicting the Topographic Likelihood of Palustrine Wetland Occurrence in West

Virginia Using Machine Learning and Terrain Variables

The topographic probability of palustrine wetland occurrence in West Virginia was

mapped based on topographic variables and using random forests (RF) machine learning.

Models were developed for selected ecological subregions and also the entire state. The

models were first trained using pixels randomly selected from the United States National

Wetland Inventory (NWI) dataset and were tested using a separate random subset from

the NWI and a database of wetlands not found in the NWI provided by the West Virginia

Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR). The models produced area under the curve

(AUC) values in excess of 0.90, and as high as 0.998. Models developed in one

ecological subregion of the state produced significantly different AUC values when

applied to other subregions, indicating that the topographical models should be

extrapolated to new physiographic regions with caution. Non-NWI wetlands were

mapped with an AUC value of 0.956, indicating that the probability maps may be useful

for finding potential palustrine wetlands not found in the NWI.

McColloch, Scott

Senior Geologist, West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey,

[email protected]

LiDAR Enhanced Bedrock Geological Mapping in the Appalachian High Plateau

The High Appalachian Plateau of West Virginia and adjacent states, frequently referred

to as the "Allegheny Mountain Section" lies between the relatively flat-lying lower

plateau to the west through which the Ohio and Monongahela Rivers flow and the

Appalachian Valley and Ridge. Although the younger rock units are the same as those of

the low plateau, this distinct region is marked by more structural deformation of older

rock units that are exposed in the cores of high relief anticlines. Bedrock mapping in the

region provides an opportunity to observe how deep-seated folding and faulting of the

Appalachian Basin dies out as it migrates up section into younger rocks. The high plateau

is also subject to both high humidity and the highest precipitation in the region. This

climate results in both lush vegetation and enhanced weathering of some rock units

making high quality exposures, relied upon by field geologists, rare. LiDAR derived

surfaces including hillshades, slope shades, and occasionally other products are helpful in

mapping as both cliffs formed by resistant sandstone units and terrain textures

characteristic of certain rock units can be used to interpolate between rare, high quality

exposures. Careful observation of LiDAR-derived surfaces can also lead to the discovery

of previously unrecognized geologic structures. Economic implications include impacts

of these structures on fluid disposal, conventional petroleum traps, and issues relating to

newer unconventional shale reservoirs.

Page 15: O O Q + UZQ ZU - WVAGP · Curran, Megan* Undergraduate Student, West Virginia University, mcurran@mix.wvu.edu Using Spatial and Economic Attributes in Geographic Information Systems

2016 WV GIS Conference 11

Moser, Tyran

GIS Analyst, EQT Midstream Operations, [email protected]

Energy Sector GIS Applications

Taryn Moser of EQT will be presenting on the utilization of Smart Pig, In Line

Inspections, and Trimble GPS Data. After 13 years of GIS experience and 6 years in the

Oil and Gas Industry this is a current project that I am working on to show the accuracy

of our line data in our GIS. With compiling all the data we are also looking at how we

need to look at our data with different circumstances such as lines purchased from other

companies, how the smart pigs react in the pipe with the Above Ground Locators,

whether the line has been bored, and many other factors. There are many different

questions we are answering with analyzing this type of data. My presentation will go

over why we are using this data, how we are utilizing the data, and in what instances to

we actually correct our data.

Perettie, Nicholas*

Undergraduate Student, West Virginia University, [email protected]

Co-Authors*: Jeffery Cazenas, Alex Stout, Jonathan Suite, Ellie Williams, Jaryd Wolak

Exploring the Battle of Blair Mountain in Immersive GIS (CAVE)

The Battle of Blair Mountain was the largest labor uprising in U.S. history, culminating

from the deplorable working and living conditions of mining towns in southern West

Virginia during the early 1900's. In late August of 1921, a band of miners faced off with

Logan County lawmen, hired strikebreakers, and federal troops in a violent effort to

finally unionize the coalfields of southern West Virginia by force. Using the immersive

3D technology of the CAVE system and tools within the ArcGIS suite of software, our

team has modeled the Battle of Blair Mountain to promote positive awareness of an event

that has been largely forgotten. We hope that our research in immersive virtual

technology within a geographic context will encourage the future use of this technology

for spatial analysis and demonstration, while also shedding light on an important part of

West Virginia history.

Penegar, Tre

Project Manager, Atlas Geographic Data, [email protected]

Co-Presenter: Larry, Kirkpatrick, Vice President, Atlas Geographic Data,

[email protected]

Esri Local Government Model, Parcel Fabric, Countywide OrthoImagery

Advantages of implementing Esri local government model and parcel fabric as it relates

to WV land records, 911 addressing and other local government needs. Techniques and

processes for Countywide OrthoImagery quality control.

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12 2016 WV GIS Conference

Reck, Nate

Director of Gov’t Solutions, GeoDecisions, [email protected]

State and Local Project Planning – GIS is the Key to Success

GIS is a perfect fit for state and local governments to plan projects and share those plans

with stakeholders and the public. GeoDecisions has worked with numerous state DOTs

and also MPO/RPOs to manage their STIP, TIP, and LRTP programs, using GIS as the

key piece to help define and manage those programs. For example, GeoDecisions is

partnering with WVDOT to manage and disseminate its STIP data using GIS to

legislators, stakeholders, and the general public to provide awareness for projects being

planned across the state. GeoDecisions will also highlight tools created for MPO/RPOs

that provides a GIS-centric suite to create, manage, and amend its TIP and LRTP, which

ultimately feeds the DOT’s STIP program.

Scott, Matt

Solutions Engineer, ESRI, [email protected]

ArcGIS Platform Desktop & Server

The ArcGIS Platform continues to evolve, with the release of ArcGIS 10.4 and ArcGIS

Pro 1.2. In this session, an Esri representative will outline new features in ArcGIS 10.4

from the Desktop and Server side, as well as new capabilities of ArcGIS Pro at release

1.2.

Shank, Michael

GIS Manager, WV Department of Environmental Protection, [email protected]

Elevation/LiDAR Stakeholders

This session will discuss the present LiDAR coverage in West Virginia, new acquisitions

planned by FEMA for nine WV counties, and filling in the gaps to attain statewide

LiDAR coverage. In addition to improving the statewide digital elevation model,

geospatial leaders from the federal, state, and private sector will be in attendance to

discuss topics such as the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) and LiDAR training/resources

for the WV GIS community.

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2016 WV GIS Conference 13

Sharma, Maneesh

West Virginia GIS Technical Center, Research Associate,

[email protected]

NHD/WBD Stakeholders Meeting

The High Resolution National Hydrographic Dataset is a GIS dataset that maps and

describes the surface waters of the United States and its territories. The original source

data for NHD development in West Virginia were the features contained on 1:24,000

scale topographic maps. At the time, these maps represented the only standardized,

quality checked statewide data source for surface water features. Due to scale and

temporal limitations of the source data, as well as large scale surface change in certain

regions of West Virginia, NHD dataset is visibly out of date when compared with

commonly available high resolution aerial photographs.

In 2010, a memorandum of understanding between the United States Geologic Survey

and the WV Office of GIS Coordination established the WV NHD Stewardship program.

WVGISTC was identified in that MOU as the technical lead of NHD stewardship in West

Virginia. Since then, WVGISTC has conducted two one-year NHD stewardship projects,

both funded by the USGS. WVGISTC has worked closely with NRAC (Technical

partner), WVDEP, USDA and USGS. Recently, WVGISTC was awarded a grant by EPA

to document surface disturbance and hydrologic change. As part of this project,

WVGISTC will update NHD in disturbed areas and is coordinating update efforts with

NRAC, USGS and WVDEP and local stake holders. Jefferson County has already

identified edits in their county and is working to incorporate those edits in the database.

The goal of the stakeholders meeting is to communicate the progress on NHD and to

discuss mechanisms for updates to NHD. We will also discuss mechanisms for WBD

updates.

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Shokri, Mohammad*

Graduate Student, West Virginia University, [email protected]

Assessment of Karstification by Means of GIS and RS in Damghan's Cheshme-Ali basin,

NE Iran

Karst development is the result of geological, climatologic, topographic, hydrologic, and

tectonic factors impacting karstic areas. The variety of their intensity leads to different

degree of karstification in a region as well as a standard to compare different areas. In

terms of cost, it is much more effective to assess karstification in large-scale areas with

inexpensive and accurate methods. In this research, it is shown how GIS and RS

techniques can be used for this purpose. The study area is Cheshme-Ali basin, located in

NE Iran. To determine which factors and to what degree they are affecting karstification

in the region, experts were consulted to provide judgments on their importance. Ten

effective data layers were created including: lithology, precipitation, temperature, slope,

distance to fault, fault density, distance to lineament, lineament density, distance to

drainage, and vegetation cover.

By using analytic hierarchy process (AHP), each criteria was ranked by relative weighted

percent. Combination of the created data layers results a relative potential of

karstification map with regard to the spatial variation. Several field checks were

completed to assess the procedure. The final karstification map was validated and showed

that the watershed is mainly moderately karstified.

Shy, Alex*

Student, West Virginia University, [email protected]

Analyzing the Sensitivity of a Real Time Surface Water Flow Model to Protect Public

Water Intakes in West Virginia

In January of 2014 West Virginia experienced a chemical spill upstream of a public water

intake on the Elk River near Charleston, West Virginia that made the water unusable for

300,000 people for weeks. In response to this disaster, state officials enacted legislation

to protect the future public water intake locations by requiring the delineation of zones of

critical concern that extend a five hour travel time above the intakes. Each zone is defined

by the travel time and buffered along the river mainstem and tributary locations to

identify future potential threats to the water supply. While this approach helps to identify

potential problems before they occur, the need existed to test the sensitivity of the time of

travel equation (Jobson, 1996) to modeled stream flow data. This study performed a

sensitivity analysis of how the travel time results differ with real time surface flow

conditions for 12 different USGS stream gages across West Virginia. This effort can help

to further understand the variance and limitations when modeling time of travel in

streams and rivers throughout the state.

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2016 WV GIS Conference 15

Simental, Tony

WV State GIS Coordinator, WV Office of GIS Coordination, [email protected]

GISP Certification

The GIS Certification Institute (GISCI) completed a big step in the improvement of its

GIS Professional (GISP) certification process in late 2015, by instituting the Geospatial

Core Technical Knowledge Exam. The exam is now a required part of the GISP

certification process, and naturally, many questions have arisen regarding its

development. This presentation will attempt to answer some of those questions by briefly

discussing the exam development process and future plans.

Sovich, Madeline

Geographer, U.S. Census Bureau, [email protected]

An Overview of Geographic Partnerships at the US Census Bureau

A high level overview of the current Geographic Programs going on at the Census

Bureau as a lead up to the 2020 Decennial Census. Partnership opportunities include the

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS), Boundary Quality Assessment and

Reconciliation Project (BQARP), State Agreements, Local Update of Census Addresses

(LUCA), Geographic Support System Initiatives (GSS-I), and Community TIGER.

Participation in these programs will help communities and governments get more

accurate population counts in the 2020 Census. The presentation will include what the

programs are, what’s new, how the programs can benefit West Virginia and who to

contact for more information.

Starcher, Jennings

GIS Manager, WV Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management,

[email protected]; Kuhn, Kevin GIS Analyst, West Virginia GIS Technical

Center, [email protected]

E-911 Session/SAMS-II Update

Jennings Starcher will provide an overview of addressing in West Virginia, while Kevin

Kuhn will discuss the new Statewide Addressing and Mapping System based on the Esri

platform. The session will provide a forum for attendees to participate in statewide

addressing topics and ideas.

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Strager, Jackie

Research Coordinator, West Virginia University, Natural Resource Analysis Center,

[email protected]

The Impact of Landscape Change and Hydrologic Alterations on the NHD, WBD and

StreamStats for West Virginia

This presentation will cover recent experience in West Virginia with broad scale

landscape changes and associated impacts on hydrologic datasets, particularly the

National Hydrography Dataset (NHD). The extent of recent landscape change in West

Virginia will be described, with an emphasis on mountaintop removal mining, which

extends throughout southwestern WV and neighboring states. The impact of mountaintop

mining on existing surface water datasets in WV (including the NHD and the Watershed

Boundary Dataset (WBD) will be described, along with a discussion of increased NHD

maintenance in WV and the ongoing development of a West Virginia StreamStats

application using recently acquired LiDAR derived elevation data.

Thomas, Christian

Geospatial Analyst, Sky Truth, [email protected]

Using Google Earth Engine to Identify Mountaintop Removal Mines

Coal mining is an issue of specific environmental importance in West Virginia;

MountaintopRemoval (MTR) mining, a type of surface mining, which became prevalent

in Appalachia in the 1970's. The large scale nature of MTR mining rearranges

topography, impacts diverse habitats, and causes changes in surface water hydrology. In

2007 SkyTruth produced a comprehensive dataset cataloging the footprint of MTR sites

from 1976-2005 using a multispectral Land Use Land Cover classification. While this

study relied upon an iterative, time-intensive manual classification, the results of the 2007

study proved valuable, prompting SkyTruth to work on regularly updating and

maintaining the database. Google's cloud-based geospatial computing platform Earth

Engine (EE) was chosen as the tool to create the updated MTR map. Earth Engine

provides access to, and allows automated analysis of, the entire Landsat imagery archive.

Using EE's Application Program Interface (API), a Normalized Difference Vegetation

Index (NDVI) threshold was applied to historic Landsat image composites to classify

land as mining or non-mining, track the location of MTR sites over time, as well as

calculate the area of mined land. A mask was created using 2015 data from the US

Census Bureau to avoid mistakenly classifying streams, roads, and urban areas as mine

land by an automated process. The study update also examines the use a Soil Adjusted

Vegetation Index (SAVI) and an Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) as alternatives to

NDVI based classification.

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2016 WV GIS Conference 17

Srivastava, Pragya*

Graduate Student, West Virginia University, [email protected]

Modeling Subsurface Infrastructure in Immersive 3D (CAVE)

Extensive research has been undertaken on the simulation and visualization of surface

features in GIS, yet there is much still to explore about the capabilities of 3D GIS to

simulate, visualize, and analyze the subsurface environment. Subsurface infrastructure

plays a major role in supporting the needs of modern society yet the problems of mapping

utilities that cannot be seen and that exist in a critical three dimensional environment are

problematic to GIS. This research uses immersive geovisualization, GIS, and 3D

modeling to create subsurface features such as utility pipelines and bore holes that can be

viewed and interpreted within a stereo enabled virtual Computer Assisted Virtual

Environment (CAVE). The CAVE provides powerful visual environment that allows the

user to become immersed within an interactive three dimensional virtual scene. These

subsurface features are linked to the surface terrain model and subsequently will be

linked to subsurface strata and aquifers to provide a consistent geography of the surface

landscape and subsurface features. The utility features are extensively attributed and 3D

geoprocessing is undertaken to calculate volumes, flow rates, and intersections between

surface and subsurface features. The role of head mounted virtual environments such as

the Oculus Rift and augmented reality systems are explored.

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Poster Abstracts

Campbell, Sarah*

Undergraduate Student, West Virginia GIS Technical Center, West Virginia University,

[email protected]

Implementing an Enterprise-Level Geospatial Application for Improving Transportation

and Planning

The West Virginia Department of Highways houses thousands of vital engineering plans

in documents that are rapidly deteriorating and extremely difficult to access in an

efficient manner. Given the demand for these plans and the high content volume, the task

of information retrieval for planning and contractual work has created a significant

accessibility gap between designers, contractors, and field personnel and the engineering

plans. The development and implementation of a digital geospatial application will

considerably reduce this accessibility gap and provide effective identification and

transmission of critical engineering information to personnel. The development process

to create a geospatial repository involved transforming hard copy highway plans into

digital versions by scanning, enhancing image quality, consolidating, and geo-referencing

these images with their respective geographic location. It is the geographic location that

the engineering plan refers to you that drives the search criteria and using this within GIS

creates a very effective search and retrieval environment. The digital search index and

repository proves a secure, efficient, and accessible database for storing and maintaining

DOT plan archives. Over 70,000 plans were scanned and processed and great care was

exercised to make the digital data consistent and readable. Adobe products and especially

their Optical Character Recognition tools were used to enable text searches of the plans to

be performed. This geospatial application comprises and online database of GIS Mosaics

created from processed DOH plans. The benefits of such a system are manifold: 1. The

system provides a long term solution to decaying engineering hard copy plans. 2.

Conversion to digital format negates the need for massive climate controlled storage

warehouses. 3. The knowledge needed to access relevant stored plans no longer depends

on specific individuals. 4. Access to this vast repository of engineering plans is now

available to all DOH personnel and delegated authorities. 5. Plan search and retrieval is

almost instantaneous resulting in immediate efficiency improvements. 6. Multi-party

project connectivity and communication between designers, contractors, and field

personnel is greatly improved. 7. Ultimately the system results in improved and timely

decision making, lessened bureaucracy, savings in document storage, and more effective

and cost efficient government.

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2016 WV GIS Conference 19

Dickle, Zac*

Student, West Virginia University, [email protected]

Co-Authors: Garrett PIllis

Open GIS for Emergency Response Mapping

Geographic data infrastructure helps to empower local and international communities to

make vital decisions in their economic, environmental, and emergency response

management. For many developing countries, there is little incentive for the creation of

geographic data, leaving a gap in the ability to make those important decisions. In

conjunction with USAID, YouthMappers, and West Virginia University - Maptime

Morgantown remotely created thousands of new building, road and stream vectors in an

effort to reduce the geographic data gap, and to use in Mozambique’s Malaria Prevention

Plan. Through the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team Task Manager, Maptime

Morgantown was able to contribute the creation, modification, and the sharing of

Mozambique’s infrastructure data publicly. With OpenStreetMap both the maps of the

area and the underlying data can be downloaded for free. Additionally, in Mozambique,

where there is no commercial motivation to develop this data, OpenStreetMap is the best

available resource for emergency response mapping. Malaria prevention and control

remains a major U.S. foreign assistance objective and critical for ending preventable

child and maternal deaths for populations suffering extreme poverty. Once remote

mapping of these districts are complete, USAID and Peace Corps volunteers along with

their counterparts on the ground verify, add local knowledge, and create metadata to

increase the efficiency of the data Maptime Morgantown created. The data will improve

efficiency and reach of the 2016 spraying campaigns for malaria prevention. In the past 3

months, Maptime Morgantown is responsible for the creation of over 20,000 local and

international OpenStreetMap edits, and hopes to expand its efforts in the creation of

geographic data for Ecuador and Bangladesh.

Edwards, Cori

GIS Specialist/ Project Manager. Region 1 Planning and Development Council,

[email protected]

West Virginia Regional Planning & Development Councils and Metropolitan Planning

Organizations

This map was primarily created to benefit political leaders and planning agencies. It

allows frequently changing state and locally elected politicians an overview of the

jurisdictional boundaries concerning two major sets of long term planning agencies

within the state of West Virginia: Regional Planning & Development Councils (RPDCs)

and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs). These planning agencies

inconspicuously assist in a wide range of infrastructure and transportation related

development. The map also promotes interagency geographic awareness for the RPDCs,

MPOs, and a vast multitude of state and federal infrastructure funding agencies.

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20 2016 WV GIS Conference

Fang, Fang*

Graduate Student, West Virginia University, [email protected]

Co-Authors: Brenden McNeil

Discriminating tree species using crown-scale measurements: fusing leaf-on LiDAR and

high-resolution multi-spectral satellite data

Tree species distribution and detection are key components of forest inventories. The

availability of high-resolution LiDAR and multi-spectral satellite data now opens the

possibility to improve forest inventories by measuring architectural and spectral

properties of tree species at the crown-scale (e.g. Holmgren et al. 2008). In this study, we

used GeoEye and Pleiades multi-spectral images, and airborne leaf-on LiDAR data to

begin discriminating the four most abundant tree species at the Fernow Experimental

Forest in West Virginia.

Feng, Snow (Xue)*

Graduate Student, West Virginia University, [email protected]

Dental Work Force and Geographical Disparities in Dental Services Utilization in

Appalachia

There is widespread variation in the use of dental services across geographic regions and

a plausible explanation for these variations is that some geographical areas do not have

adequate access to dental care due to shortage of dental workforce. We conducted an

ecological study on the relationship between dental workforce and dental utilization.

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2016 WV GIS Conference 21

Pourmohammadi, Pariya*

Graduate Student, WVU Department of Geology and Geography,

[email protected]

Analysis of Land Cover and Use Change Rivers in Monongalia River Basin

The Central Appalachians are an area rich in natural and cultural resources. Due to the

elevation of this area it is the headwaters for major river systems such as the Ohio,

Potomac, James, New River and Susquehanna. This area has been experiencing

accelerated land conversion as it contains many dry and wet gas fields being extracted

with new horizontal drilling approaches. The impact on the water resources of this

activity can be analyzed by examining the drivers for land cover and use change. Our

study approach was to investigate the spatially explicit ways land conversion has

occurred in Monongahela River basin using the Land Transformation Model (LTM). This

model uses non-parametric statistics and applies Artificial Neural Network to predict land

transformation of a determined category. Drivers of this model are defined according to

topological, demographic and spatial characteristics of this area. This is especially

important to this region where rural areas can benefit from proactive planning to protect

their way of life and existing natural resource base. In addition to the anthropogenic

drivers we are integrating climate models to examine how temperature and precipitation

changes can impact the landscape. The climate scenarios provide a holistic future

analysis of scenarios to drive policies options.

Rice, Cynthia*

Student, Anderson-Broaddus College, [email protected]

High spatial resolution land cover classification in Preston County, WV using GEOBIA,

machine learning, NAIP orthophotography, LiDAR, and ancillary GIS data

This poster highlights a mapping project undertaken to map general land cover classes in

Preston County, WV using machine learning, geographic object-based image analysis

(GEOBIA), and a variety of spatial datasets, including National Agriculture Imagery

Program (NAIP) orhphotography and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data.

GEOBIA and machine learning are valuable tools for leveraging and combining a variety

of data for high resolution land cover mapping at the county scale. Measures derived

from imagery (including band means and 2nd order texture), LiDAR (nDSM and first

return intensity), and ancillary GIS data (density of roads and man-made structures) were

of value for mapping the six land cover classes. High highest classification accuracy

achieved was 95.2%.

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22 2016 WV GIS Conference

Schindling, James*

Graduate Student, WVU Department of Geology and Geography, WV GIS Technical

Center, [email protected]

Challenging Historical GIS through Unstructured Primary Source Materials

This research explores the capabilities of Historical GIS using historical primary sources

and unstructured data from the sixteenth-century town of St. Vincent in the Italian Alps.

This research demonstrates the application of historical GIS as a means of developing a

richer understanding of the cultures and peoples of the past through the use of GIS and

exploratory spatial analysis. Two of the sets of primary source documents are available;

the first is a set of notarial records that includes listings of property transactions,

marriages, deaths and various other transactions that involved transfers of wealth. The

second is set a set of detailed maps of the region that were created in the late nineteenth

century. Along with the maps themselves, there is a corresponding set of ledgers

containing a detailed listing of the individual toponyms, land parcels, and structures as

they existed in the nineteenth century. These materials are combined to produce an

integrated information management and query user interface. The system also

demonstrates the use of mobile devices for data collection and remote collaboration. The

types of processing undertaken include place-name and surname disambiguation,

scanning and georectifying maps, and creation of 3D rendering of the historical landscape.

Additionally, this research acts as a case study for developing techniques that can be

applied to the analysis of other similar document sets.

Sharp, Adam*

Student, Anderson-Broaddus College, [email protected]

Forest type mapping in the Monongahela National Forest

This poster highlights a mapping project undertaken to map forest types throughout the

entirety of the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. Mapping was undertaken

using the random forest machine learning algorithm and a variety of predictor variables,

including multi-temporal Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data and terrain variables

derived from 2003 Statewide Addressing and Mapping Board (SAMB) digital elevation

model (DEM) data . We found that it is essential to use multi-temporal data as well as

terrain data when classifying forest stand types. Both data types were of value; however,

the spectral data were generally of greater value for differentiating the forest types.

Considering the difficulty of classifying these broad forest types among such a large

study area, we suggest that probability models are more valuable to predict where these

stand types might exist based on various terrain and spectral characteristics. This research

suggests the value of probabilistic classification as opposed to hard classification for

mapping complex classes over large areas.

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2016 WV GIS Conference 23

Srivastava, Pragya*

Graduate Student, West Virginia University, [email protected]

Co-Authors: Trevor Harris

Exploring Immersive Geovisualization and 3D GIS Modeling of Subsurface

Infrastructure

Extensive research has been undertaken on the simulation and visualization of surface

features in GIS, yet there is much still to explore about the capabilities of 3D GIS to

simulate, visualize, and analyze the subsurface environment. Subsurface infrastructure

plays a major role in supporting the needs of modern society yet the problems of mapping

utilities that cannot be seen and that exist in a critical three dimensional environment are

problematic to GIS. This research uses immersive geovisualization, GIS, and 3D

modeling to create subsurface features such as utility pipelines and bore holes that can be

viewed and interpreted within a stereo enabled virtual Computer Assisted Virtual

Environment (CAVE). The CAVE provides powerful visual environment that allows the

user to become immersed within an interactive three dimensional virtual scene. These

subsurface features are linked to the surface terrain model and subsequently will be

linked to subsurface strata and aquifers to provide a consistent geography of the surface

landscape and subsurface features. The utility features are extensively attributed and 3D

geoprocessing is undertaken to calculate volumes, flow rates, and intersections between

surface and subsurface features. The role of head mounted virtual environments such as

the Oculus Rift and augmented reality systems are explored.

Strager, Jackie

Research Coordinator, West Virginia University, Natural Resource Analysis Center,

[email protected]

Terrestrial vertebrate species distribution modeling for the mountaintop removal mining

region of Appalachia

This work examined a methodology to combine land cover mapping and predictive

vertebrate species distribution modeling for the mountaintop removal/valley fill region of

southern West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and portions of Tennessee and Virginia. The

majority of recent land cover change across the region is a direct result of mountain

surface mining, with associated impacts to vertebrate habitat and potential biodiversity.

Results of this work include a highly spatially detailed land cover dataset for the region,

along with numerous related ancillary habitat requirement datasets developed to aid in

wildlife distribution modeling, including distance to streams and other water features,

edge habitat, and more. Additional analyses were conducted to specifically examine land

cover change and effects on wildlife distributions within areas impacted by recent surface

mining. The vast majority of wildlife species lost habitat in areas affected by recent

mining, while a small number of species gained apparent habitat. The general modeling

process followed here has limitations in its application, and is by necessity an

oversimplification of processes affecting species distribution. However, the results gained

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24 2016 WV GIS Conference

from this work may be useful in assessing the impact of current and future land cover

change on vertebrate species distribution throughout the region.