Remote Sensing and GIS in Ecosystem Management

Recent advances in remote-sensing technology and the processing of remote-sensing data through geographic information systems (GIS) present ecologists and resource managers with a tremendously valuable tool -- but only if they are able to understand its capabilities and capture its potential.

Remote Sensing and GIS in Ecosystem Management identifies and articulates current and emerging information needs of those involved with the management of forest ecosystems. It explores the potential of remote-sensing/GIS technologies to address those needs, examining:

• the need for landscape-scale analysis to support forest ecosystem research and management
• current challenges in the development of remote-sensing/GIS applications
• case studies of different forest regions in the United States
• the potential for further development or declassification of military and aerospace remote-sensing/GIS technologies

As well as providing important information for ecologists and resource managers, the book will serve as a valuable resource for legislative and judicial policymakers who do not have a technical background in either remote sensing or resource management but who are nonetheless called upon to make decisions regarding the protection and management of forest ecosystems.