| OCR Text |
Show Sky-high sensing information water management hmv wrared aerial Photographs Wying aircraft and computer Sv L Landsat satellite date have ' Zl Utah Division of Water "wcesa new perspective on water- ' S , use'nthe Uintah Basin in : """astern UUh. iJefinitive look at irrigated andwetlands is contained in a ( 2!atrrelated land use study ilah fkPr?tos mer8ed with digital nil r r ne Cet,ter for Remote Sensing r '"wgraphy at-the University of Kesearch Institute, and Land " a private firm. rs swiy was funded jointly by the National 1 Conservation Service, Aernautics and Space Ad-ater Ad-ater r ' and the utah Division of atM?Urces- The study uses dearth Vecorded 570 miles above tohn a,erial Ptos taken at a Mv, 65 in August, 1979. The aerial Cfmpiled last summer from iadissJ, , ormation and field work "JW last December. '2an1E.Stauffer,Jr.,chiefof WcauZ S hydrolgy and computer an V'ews the results of the !iti'8 hvV"lproved method of up-al up-al gic inventories of thod the state. He says the tvof th a more accurate , bid"e ater budget and water iniali classi'ying habitat and "lote 'i1' Ridd director of the fch il,'-"g 0Peration at the tior, o k u.te' savs the com-Nelv com-Nelv wtos and digital data Und .Sickly maps large ter than traditional aerial and field methods. The resolution of digital print maps from satellite sensors sen-sors is as fine as 1.1 acre. Because satellite information is updated every 18 days, a new view of every acre on earth is available, weather permitting, every 18 days, according to Dr Ridd. Not only is vegetation identified accurately, which shows up as various shades of red in color infrared photos, but additional information is provided about the relative amounts of water being consumed in one pasture in comparison to another, according to Dr. Stauffer. The date clearly shows the interplay between terrain and surface and subsurface water and the manipulation of water supplies. Areas that area adequately watered, excessively ex-cessively water or poorly watered are easily distinguishable. The photo-digital data method also is available to classify such things as irrigated and dry croplands, residential yards and farmsteads, industrial sites, open water surfaces, and vegetation such as sagebrush, field crops and stream-side brush. Dr. Stauffer says the Division is investigating the feasibility of obtaining water-related land use date on a continuing basis. Dr. Stauffer indicates that the major advantage of the satellite-based information in-formation is that all date is quantified using a number of values and not just based on a subjective interpretation of a" photograph. The method clearly develops a distinction about the types of vegetation, whether trees or ground cover, their stages of growth, the timing of irrigating water use and general irrigated land management practices. |
