Description: High-resolution dataset depicting restorable wetlands in Pennsylvania. It includes agricultural fields that have topographic, hydrological flow, and climate characteristics indicative of wetlands. Theoretically, these features could be restored as wetlands if different land uses were practiced at each site.The primary sources used to derive this restorable wetlands layer were 2006-2008 leaf-off LiDAR data, 2005-2008 leaf-off orthoimagery, 2013 high-resolution land-cover data, and moderate-resolution predictive wetlands maps incorporating topography, hydrological flow potential, and climate data. This dataset is considered current based on the 2013 land-cover map.Restorable wetlands were mapped using a rule-based expert system embedded within an object-based framework. Object-based image analysis techniques (OBIA) work by grouping pixels into meaningful objects based on their spectral and spatial properties, while taking into account land-cover boundaries imposed by the 2013 land-cover map. Using this technique, a rule-based expert system was designed to effectively mimic the process of manual image analysis by incorporating the elements of image interpretation (color/tone, texture, pattern, location, size, and shape) into the classification process. A series of morphological procedures were employed to ensure that the end product was both accurate and cartographically coherent.This dataset was developed to support land-cover mapping and modeling initiatives in Pennsylvania.This vector version was derived from the original 1-meter raster layer.
Copyright Text: This dataset was developed by the University of Vermont Spatial Analysis Laboratory in collaboration with Patrick Raney of Ducks Unlimited. Funding was provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through a grant with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. An earlier project focusing on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed portion of Pennsylvania was funded by the National Park Service and Environmental Protection Agency under a collaborative grant with the Chesapeake Bay Conservancy.