AmericaView Who we are and what we can do

for you

Carolyn Ownby ColoradoView Coordinator USDA UV-B Monitoring and Research Program Colorado State University

Overview AmericaView is a national, 39-state non-profit consortium working to promote the understanding and utilization of remotely sensed data throughout the United States.

Funding is awarded on an annual basis and is subject to peer and USGS review.

http://www.americaview.org/ http://ColoradoView.org

Teachers gather ground reference data to check the accuracy of their land cover map.

What does AmericaView do? • Serves educational institutions (K–12, community colleges and

universities) through teacher workshops and expanded course offerings

• Provides workforce development though local and state workshops

• Provides state satellite data free of cost and in easily-used formats

• Supports other (non-USGS) federal agencies (e.g., BLM, BIA, NPS, USDA, NASA) thus increasing efficiency and effectiveness

• Has improved response to disasters such as hurricanes, floods and tornados in member states through networking and cooperative work

• Undertakes applied research on natural resources, including forests, grasslands, agricultural systems, and coastal zones

http://www.americaview.org/ http://ColoradoView.org

History • 1998: Began as a pilot project to overcome

Landsat data access challenges. (Ohio) • 2000: Congress directed the USGS to expand

nationally. • 2003: AmericaView was incorporated as a

501(c)(3) non-profit

http://www.americaview.org/ http://ColoradoView.org

Today

http://www.americaview.org/ http://ColoradoView.org

Why Join the Consortium? • Pooled resources and NETWORKING! • Place to ask questions, find new lab

material, keep up with research, and get mentoring.

http://www.americaview.org/ http://ColoradoView.org

Program Areas

• Imagery and Data Resources • Technology • Research • Education and Outreach

http://www.americaview.org/ http://ColoradoView.org

Program Areas: 1 of 4 Imagery and Data Resources

• StateViews provide – public domain archive links – state specific data

http://www.americaview.org/ http://ColoradoView.org

Program Areas: 2 of 4 Technology

• Wiki page for idea exchange • Multi-State delivery project • REDDnet

http://www.americaview.org/ http://ColoradoView.org

Program Areas: 3 of 4 Research

• Scholarly exchange of insights and experiences; • Developing and sharing of applied research

expertise and resources; • Fostering and developing collaborative applied

research and infrastructure projects;

http://www.americaview.org/ http://ColoradoView.org

Program Areas: 4 of 4 Education and Outreach

• Outreach: raising awareness of the uses of remote sensing technology in service to society

• Education: Committee mission to support consortia members interested in geospatial education, training, and professional development

http://www.americaview.org/ http://ColoradoView.org

AV Education Portal

• Expected by 2014 • Goal: consolidate AV-generated

educational resources into one easily accessible and useable location.

• 125 Higher Ed Materials • 76 K-12 Materials

http://www.americaview.org/ http://ColoradoView.org

Mulitspec • Tool for analyzing multispectral imagery • Developed by IndianaView • Alternative to Imagine or ENVI • Free

http://www.americaview.org/ http://ColoradoView.org

A classification result in color thematic map form.

AV Online University

• Under Development • Online Course Platform (like WebCT) • Intro to Remote Sensing Course

(GeorgiaView & TexasView) • Courses can be used as is, or • Copied & adapted for individual needs

http://www.americaview.org/ http://ColoradoView.org

Earth Observation Day

• Earth Observation Day is a STEM educational outreach event of AmericaView and our partners. Celebrated in the Spring, the goal is to engage students and teachers in remote sensing as an exciting and powerful educational tool.

http://www.americaview.org/ http://ColoradoView.org

Landsat in K-12 Education

http://www.americaview.org/

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) are the most obvious disciplines for Landsat application, but images can also be used in geography, social studies, and history. Dating back to 1972, the Landsat series of satellites provide the most continuous and comprehensive record of Earth’s surface features, allowing students to explore changes occurring in their local neighborhoods, and around the world.

Lesson Ideas and Plans Map Scale

• (6-12) (CA-View) • Uses Google Earth • 15 minutes prep, 30 minutes class time • Fully guided with questions &

examples

http://www.americaview.org/ http://ColoradoView.org

Purple Buildings Dark green Trees Bright green Grass Grey Parking lots Orange Stadiums Black highways

Each student completed a Land Use / Land Cover Map of a U.S. college or university. Then they compared their results with other students and discussed how landscapes may influence students’ decisions to attend a particular school.

Lesson Plans & Ideas Land Use and Land Cover

Lesson Ideas and Plans USGS Tracking Changes Over Time

The objective of the Tracking Change Over Time lesson plan is to get students excited about studying the changing Earth. Enhance students’ learning of geography, map reading, earth science, and problem solving by seeing landscape changes from space.

http://www.americaview.org/ http://ColoradoView.org

Seminole and Pathfinder Reservoirs, WY Normal & Drought years, 1986 vs. 2002

1986 2002

Lesson Ideas and Plans Tutorials

ColoradoView offers several tutorials on field measurements, remote sensing & GIS topics, and performing geospatial modeling. Examples: • How to calculate vegetation indices • How to download & decompress

Landsat Data • Create Euclidean Distance from a

Water Layer

http://www.americaview.org/ http://ColoradoView.org

Lesson Ideas and Plans Watershed Tutorial

• Provided by MarylandView, covers: – What is a Watershed, Stream Order, Sub-

watershed? – Basin vs. Non-basin Drainage – Stream Functions and Urbanization

http://www.americaview.org/ http://ColoradoView.org

Lesson Ideas and Plans Spectral Reflectance

• Eighth graders measure and analyze the spectral reflection pattern of live and dead plant leaves

http://www.americaview.org/ http://ColoradoView.org

“This hands-on exercise helped me to understand electromagnetic radiation by showing me that it is used in everyday life by a lot of different careers. It was interesting and showed me science is more than formulas.”

Lesson Ideas and Plans Impervious Surfaces Tutorial

(MarylandView)

• Effects of Imperviousness

• Water Quality Impact • Microclimate Impact

http://www.americaview.org/ http://ColoradoView.org

Cost What’s in it for AmericaView?

We want your success stories! Your testimonials are critical to USGS funding

http://www.americaview.org/ http://ColoradoView.org

Example, WyomingVeiw Intern Claire Hudson: I recently graduated with a B.S. in biology and am going on to get my M.S. in botany. My project, funded by WyomingView, used MODIS images to characterize the relationship between NDVI and ambient temperature in two forest types in the Snowy Range Mountains, WY, and examined how the relationship changed with bark beetle attack. This project was my first experience working with remotely sensed images, and taught me how large-scale satellite images can be used to determine ecological relationships at a smaller scale. The skills I acquired working with remotely sensed images during this project will continue to serve me throughout my graduate studies and in my future career.

Thank you! Carolyn Ownby ColoradoView Coordinator USDA UV-B Monitoring and Research Program Colorado State University

http://www.americaview.org http://coloradoview.org http://uvb.nrel.colostate.edu/UVB

http://www.americaview.org/ http://ColoradoView.org