USDA Disaster Response: Acquisition, Integration, Packaging, Delivery, and Uses January 19, 2006

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USDA Disaster ResponseAcquisition, Integration,
Packaging, Delivery, and UsesJanuary 19, 2006
Glenn R. Bethel USDA Remote Sensing Advisor
[phone] Tony Kimmet GIS
Analyst/Cartographer Natural Resources
Conservation Service (817)-509-3434 Paul
Greenfield National Remote Sensing Program
ManagerUSDA Forest Service(703)605-4581

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Search for Best Available Pre-Hurricane Imagery

• 1 meter or better
• LA NDOP/NAPP 2004
• MS NAIP 2004
• TX NAIP 2004
• FL NDOP and State Agencies
• Obtain and package imagery not in-house
• Inform response community of imagery
  availability. Package and deliver imagery.

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USDA Activates (ongoing NAIP acquisitions)

• In 2005, 2 meter NAIP was in the being acquired
  for AL, FL, LA, MS, and TX when the hurricanes
  hit.

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So What Is NAIP?

• Yearly Coverage of CONUS Ag Areas
• 5 year cycle for 1 meter imagery
• Products
• Digital Orthorectified Imagery
• Compressed County Mosaics
• Fielded 30 days after acquisition
• MrSID MG3 format
• Compression Ratios 501 2004 - 151 2005
• 1 or 2 meter GEOTIFFS
• Film (if acquired)

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Example NAIP Mosaics for Lafayette Parish, LA
2005
2004
One file per year! Much better than using
10-10,000 quarter quads
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2-meter imagery still provides great information!
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USDA has Thousands of GIS Enabled Employees

• USDA delivers GIS ready imagery to employees.
• Imagery is used on a daily basis to administer
  programs and monitor conditions.
• Image processing expertise ranges from highly
  technical (mostly ERDAS users) to clueless.
• Commitment to empower employees to use imagery
  within GIS without needing to understand the
  technical issues.
• Example The Service Center agencies (NRCS, RD,
  FSA, and conservation districts) have
  approximately 1200 employee in Mississippi.

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Satellites
High Altitude Airborne

Low Altitude Airborne
USDA Employees
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USDA Infrastructure

• USDA
• ESRI Site License for all agencies
• Configuration Control
• Makes new image file formats useless
• USDA Service CenterCommon Computing Environment
• PCs, Servers, Laptops, Plotters
• 2,500 offices

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USDA Service Centers have over 7,000 GPS units.

• At least two GPS/NDGPS units in each USDA Service
  Center.
• Forest Service and APHIS also have mobile
  computing environments with GPS unit.

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Best Available, Packaged Data is Loaded to
Service Center Computers and Updated by the USDA
Geospatial Data Gateway,
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Red Areas are Without Powerhttp//www.ngdc.noaa.g
ov/spotlight/Nighttime Change Image (2004
Annual Composite vs August 31, 2005)
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Poultry Houses Loss of Power and Physical
Damage Catastrophic Animal Disposal
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USDA-NRCS Disaster Assistance - Catastrophic
Animal Burial
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USDA-NRCS Disaster Assistance Debris
Identification and Removal
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USDA Hurricane Katrina, Rita and Wilma Disaster
Assistance
NRCS Disaster Response Major Activities

• NRCS has the lead responsible for catastrophic
  animal burial. NRCS coordinates with FEMA and
  USDA-APHIS on this task.
• Testing of Soils for Salt Concentration.
• Analysis of Cultural Sites for possible debris
  removal. This includes structures listed in the
  National Historic Register Sites.
• NRCS through the Emergency Watershed Protection
  (EWP) program locates, prioritize, and contracts
  for the cleanup of streams/canals.
• Debris assessment in agricultural areas
• Provide support to landowners

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Information Cycle

• Early Warning of Impact on Agriculture and Food
  Supply Using Modeled Data Provided to Senior
  Management.
• Set of maps created for significant crops.

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River traffic is closed from Natchez South as
of 200PM, September 1, 2005
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Impacts on Trade
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Bunges Facility at Destrehan Mile Marker 120.1
Post-Katrina
Pre-Katrina
Aerial image of grain-loading facility at
Destrehan, LA. No vessels at loading facility
(blue arrows). Image date is Aug. 30, 2005
(Digital Globe).
Aerial image of grain-loading facility at
Destrehan, LA. No vessels at loading facility
(blue arrows).
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USDA Hurricane Katrina, Rita and Wilma Disaster
Assistance

• NRCS-NCGC provided the following Katrina/Rita
  Products and Services.
• Pre-Katrina mosaics for 36 Parishes in Louisiana
  using 2004 CIR NAPP orthoimagery
• Completed 5 large composite mosaics for
  Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas using
  Pre-Katrina/Rita data from 2004 NAPP/NAIP
  orthoimagery
• Created 440 7.5 Minute Quad Tile High Resolution
  Imagery Mosaics from over 3,700 (1/16th Quad)
  ADS40 input data files collected from contract
  with FEMA/USACOE/USGS
• Processed Pre/Post Disaster Satellite Imagery
• Support custom image processing

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USDA Hurricane Katrina, Rita and Wilma Disaster
Assistance

• NRCS-NCGC and FSA-APFO provided Geospatial Data
  to many Disaster Relief Agencies including..
• FEMA/DHS
• NORTHCOM
• USGS
• NGA
• USACOE
• Louisiana Oil Spill
• Coordinators Office
• Office of the Governor
• in Louisiana
• USDA
• Louisiana State
• University
• Mississippi State
• University
• Including contractors to FEMA

ADS40 Data, St. Tammany Parish, North Shore Quad
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Data Delivery Accomplished by

• Web based applications and services
• http//datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov/
• Mapping Services
• http//gdw.apfo.usda.gov/naip/viewer
• http//gdw.apfo.usda.gov/mdoq/viewer
• Media delivery
• (CD, DVD, Portable Hard Drive)
• FTP
• Example FTP New Orleans Mosaic
• ftp//ftp.ftw.nrcs.usda.gov/outgoing/
• APFO Sales Department http//www.apfo.usda.gov/

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ArcIMS Server http//gdw.apfo.usda.gov
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USDA Hurricane Katrina, Rita and Wilma Disaster
Assistance
USDA-NRCS and FSA Investment and support in the
Geospatial Data Warehouse (GDW) has enable the to
provide critically needed support for Disaster
Assistance. The NCGC has processed over 8
Terabytes of imagery data in support of NRCS
State and Field offices for Hurricanes Katrina,
Rita and Wilma. (November 2005) The GDW is an
important asset for current and future disaster
support for USDA. Geospatial Data is mirrored.
(Ft Worth and Salt Lake City)
NCGC Geospatial Data Warehouse Infrastructure
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USDA Hurricane Katrina, Rita and Wilma Disaster
Assistance
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USDA Hurricane Katrina and Rita Disaster
Assistance
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USDA Hurricane Katrina, Rita and Wilma Disaster
Assistance
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Creation of Natural Color imagery for easier
interpretation.
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USDA Hurricane Katrina, Rita and Wilma Disaster
Assistance
Resolution 1-Foot
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USDA Hurricane Katrina, Rita and Wilma Disaster
Assistance
NRCS Disaster Response Major Activities
- NRCS through the Emergency Watershed Protection
(EWP) program has responsibility for locating
debris clogged stream, prioritizing and
contracting for cleanup. NRCS is coordinating
with FEMA and the USACOE for this project.
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NRCS Field Use of High Resolution ADS40 Mosaics
Louisiana Mandeville Quad Northern Lake
Pontchartrain Castain Bayou
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ADS40 Mosaics were used to Direct Field Personnel
Louisiana Mandeville Quad Northern Lake
Pontchartrain Castain Bayou
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NRCS has been using the ADS40 imagery in
providing post-Katrina GIS for EWP Damage Survey
Reports. Maps are then disseminated to NRCS
State Conservationist, NRCS State Engineer, FEMA,
USACOE, the Governors Office and other agencies
to show where NRCS is placing debris removal
contractors. NRCS is sharing this information to
avoid duplication of removal efforts.
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USDA Hurricane Katrina and Rita Disaster
Assistance
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USDA Hurricane Katrina and Rita Disaster
Assistance
Resolution 1-Foot
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Data Discovery and Delivery
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Hurricane Katrina and Rita Disaster Assistance
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Example of APHIS Response

• Collected GPS coordinates on all cattle located
  during our recon flights.
• Viewed locations GIS on tablet PC
• Used Imagery from Goggle Earth
• Showed producers where we had located cattle,
  measure distances from known locations and to
  zoom and pan the map to give them reference
  points.
• Information was used each morning to update the
  crews and plan and strategize our efforts each
  day.
• Collected GPS coordinates on caskets and other
  items we found during our surveys and sent them
  to the appropriate individuals.

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Emergency Conservation Program (ECP)

• ECP provides money to producers to rehabilitate
  farmland.
• ECP participants may implement emergency
  conservation practices, such as
• Remove debris
• Restore fences
• Restore conservation structures
• Where available, the 1 foot Imagery facilitated
  program delivery.

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Analysis of Forest Damage In the DeSoto National
Forest

• Forest Service Imagery use Example.

Multi Spectral Temporal Spatial
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CIR, 115,840 or 1"1320 Scanned and
Orthorectified
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Hurricane Katrina Damage Assessment Using FHTET
Photos with Landsat TM Imagery From 2004 and
2005
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Red Loss in vegetation Green Increase in
vegetation.
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Single Image Frame Aerial Imagery over Landsat
TM Imagery
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• Change product (preNDVI postNDVI) over aerial
  image.
• Not all red polygons in the change product
  indicated damage from the hurricane.
• Without aerial acquisition, damage areas would be
  over estimated.

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IMAGERY ISSUES

• Imagery focused on coastal areas.
• The majority of disaster declared counties were
  not covered with 1 foot 1 meter imagery.
• Additional coverage would
• Help recovery efforts
• Aid in USDA Program delivery
• Less temptation to commit fraud, waste and abuse.
  

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IMAGERY ISSUES

• Only limited formats can be fielded.
• Operational Agencies on under configuration
  management.
• Do not try a new format during a disaster.
• At least six months notice would be required to
  add a new image format.
• GIS ready imagery must be one of the
  deliverables.
• Compressed imagery helps with band-width and disk
  space issues.
• Use compression with caution. Trade-offs between
  interpretability and file size.
• Landsat

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IMAGERY ISSUES

• Commercial Satellite Imagery needs to be
  packaged.
• Mosaics
• Compressed versions
• Web mapping services that allows the integration
  of other GIS layers without loading imagery to
  local servers.
• Need way to understand what is on the DVDs
  without loading the imagery.
• NITF is a barrier.

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OTHER ISSUES

• Estimated Extent of Storm Surge needs to be
  provided in a timely manner.
• We must have a timely Official source for Wind
  Speeds.
• Wind Speed data varied by source.
• Early delivery of winds is a requirement.
• Used as an indicator for damage to trees and
  crops.
• Many Maps created with different wind speed
  shapefiles.

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Great Stuff

• Daily coordination between, state, federal civil,
  DOD... Facilitated by NGA and USGS
• Cooperation, Data Sharing, Cost of sending
  physical media was not a barrier.
• New products
• Google Earth
• Great non-USDA Sites
• USACE Blue Roof IMS https//mapper.tec.army.mil/we
  bsite/Katrina/viewer.htm
• UTEXAS ftp//helios.tacc.utexas.edu/Projects
• USGS site for having everything somewhere.

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How Can We Become More Effective with Geospatial
Data Acquisition, Production and Distribution?
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Questions?
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USDA Aerial Photography Field Office

• 2222 West 2300 South
• Salt Lake City, Utah 84119-2020
• www.apfo.usda.gov
• Questions on NAIP?

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National Cartography Geospatial Center
NCGC Home Page http//www.ncgc.nrcs.usda.gov NCGC
Ordering System http//www.ftw.nrcs.usda.gov/ncg
cos
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• Extra Slides

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FSA Digitized Farm Field Boundaries
FSA Farm Field Boundaries a.k.a. Common Land
Units (CLU) Are Related to Property Ownership
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USDA Hurricane Katrina and Rita Disaster
Assistance
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USDA Hurricane Katrina, Rita and Wilma Disaster
Assistance
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NRCS Field Use of High Resolution ADS40 Mosaics
Louisiana Mandeville Quad Northern Lake
Pontchartrain Castain Bayou
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USDA Hurricane Katrina and Rita Disaster
Assistance
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USDA Hurricane Katrina and Rita Disaster
Assistance

• NCGC provided 1-m resolution NAIP county mosaics
  over all affected areas.

2004 NAIP 1-m
NCGC also provided ADS40 image over same area for
damage assessment. Note no leaves on trees and
sand washed inland.
2005 ADS40 1-ft
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USDA Hurricane Katrina and Rita Disaster
Assistance
NCGC Current Mosaic Method Requires Five steps
to create a MrSID mosaic (UTM) from GeoTIF (GCS)
raw data. EarthWhere created mosaic One step
to go from raw data in GeoTIF format to a UTM
mosaic in MrSID MG2 format. The NCGC has
recently incorporated an unlimited version of
MrSID (MG2/MG3) into EarthWhere.