Using Spatial Data in Land Management Decisions
When it comes to measuring the environment, historically, data availability and resolution have been some of the biggest limitations. Now that we have been collecting high-resolution satellite and lidar data for many years, we have the ability to measure changes in the land over time. This isn’t a new feat; humans have been quantifying how land changes ever since we gained the tools to do so. With the advent of big data and capable GIS software such as Global Mapper, we have the power to measure high-resolution data across large areas with a regular at-home computer. We can measure changes of the past, such as ground erosion, vegetation growth, urban sprawl, and also map issues of the present, such as how water moves across the terrain.