Kansas Academy of Science
Geospatial Analysis in the Great Plains
Proceedings of a Symposium
Held at the 1996 Annual Meeting
Edited by James S. Aber
Earth Science, Emporia State University
Emporia, Kansas 66801
aberjame@esumail.emporia.edu
Rapid development has occurred during the past decade in geographic information
systems (GIS) and remote sensing of the Earth. In combination with dramatic advances
in computer hardware and software, these developments have led to a revolution in
handling and analysis of geospatial data about the Earth's surface and environment.
A new scientific paradigm, earth-system science, has arisen. The basis of
earth-system science is the ability to collect and analyze large, complex datasets,
both spatially and temporally, in order to better understand and predict how the
Earth's environment functions. This approach is strongly interdisciplinary, as it
depends upon physical, biological, and cultural aspects of the environment, all of
which interact and are subject to change.
To recognize these scientific trends, a special symposium was held at the 1996
annual meeting of the Kansas Academy of Science. The general theme was geospatial
analysis in natural and cultural sciences of the Great Plains region. Invited
speakers came from academic, governmental, and commercial settings. They represented
specialties in biology, cartography, ecology, geology, geomorphology, land-use
management, and water resources, as well as archiving and distribution of geospatial
information. They described GIS, remote sensing, and related technologies applied to
various research and development projects. The following presentations were given at
the symposium.
- Application of Landsat imagery in the Great Plains, by James S. Aber, Laura L. Rand,
Michael P. Webster (Emporia State University); and Everett E. Spellman (Kansas
Dept. Health and Environment).
- Use of remotely sensed data on phenological activity and heterogeneity to detect
changes in grassland species composition in response to stress, by John M. Briggs,
Donna Riech, Clarence L. Turner, Geoffrey M. Henebry, Douglas G. Goodin, and M.
Duane Nellis (Kansas State University).
- Data mining in the Great Plains, by Ed Crane (M.J. Harden Associates).
- Geospatial analysis of water quality in Great Plains rerservoirs, by John Harrington,
Jr., Douglas Goodin, and M. Duane Nellis (Kansas State University); and Frank
Schiebe (Site-Specific Technology Development Group, Inc.).
- Digital orthophotography quarter quadrangle (DOQQ) data and products, by Thomas D.
Mettille, Kenneth A. Nelson, David F. Hogben, and Erik Patton (Kansas Geological
Survey--DASC).
- Modeling spatial dimensions of bison impact on the Konza Prairie landscape ecology,
by M. Duane Nellis and John M. Briggs (Kansas State University).
- Developing a land cover modeling procedure for the High Plains using multidate
Thematic Mapper imagery, by Kevin P. Price, Stephen L. Egbert (University of
Kansas); Duane Nellis (Kansas State University); and Re-Yang Lee (University of
Kansas).
- Butler County geologic map: Case study of map production at the Kansas Geological
Survey (KGS), by Jorgina A. Ross (Kansas Geological Survey).
- Landscape and climate variability and change on the southern Canadian Interior
Plains, by David J. Sauchyn (University of Regina, Canada).
Symposium
abstracts.
Symposium articles
We are pleased to have six articles derived from the symposium, which have been published
in the Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science, vol. 100, no. 1/2 (1997). These
articles are provided here in recognition of the increasing importance of interdisciplinary
studies based on geospatial analysis in the Great Plains region. Case studies from
Kansas, North Dakota, Saskatchewan and Alberta are included in these six articles.
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