andrew. doyle " Wildlife Monographs"

Many of the topics discussed in this article are useful not only for studio this semester, but for any landscape architects entire career. After a brief introduction about recent problems with mapping and sustaining both conservation areas, as well as endangered species, the reading explores several technical aspects of recent advances in digital photography. While I can only begin to grasp the notion that LANDSAT Thematic Mapper trumps the French SPOT satellite, (because SPOT has a lower spectral dimensionality and it lacks midinfrared bands) the reading does give an insight to how the various GIS data sources we utilize were developed. Further, these tools can be implemented into processes like GAP analysis. One example used is how vegetation maps were developed for California; by layering existing wildlife habitat, vegetation, and land use, one could located specific types of vegetation based on proximity to development/specific fauna. Moreover, the gaps between these three layers offered an ability to predict future distribution patterns. Utilizing this process at a variety of scales could then help protect biodiversity and endangered species, by making educated predictions.