This cooperative hyperspectral scanning (HSS) remote sensing project is the
first of its type that we know of in the midcontinental US. The use of this
type of imagery at a 1 m resolution has been used for agricultural purposes
for many years. However, its use for ecological purposes in the Chicago area
has not been previously documented to our knowledge.
As the project unfolded, we realized that he amount of data gathered by this
method is overwhelming. For this reason, we have focused in this report on one
site, Grant Creek Nature Preserve, of the eight sites that were imaged. There
is further work that can be done on Grant Creek and the remaining sites that
must be left to the future. Images for all flight lines are posted in Appendix
A. . Clicking on the Figure or Table number within the report text will bring
that particular item to the screen.
In this web-based site we provide the opportunity for interested parties to
continue the exploration that we have begun. Those interested in remote sensing,
and particularly, this type of remote sensing of natural resources can learn
the basics of image analysis and, through the resources that we have provided,
can continue this work. The Laboratory for Applications of Remote Sensing (LARS)
at Purdue University has a free image analysis program, MultiSpec, that we have
used in this analysis. A MultiSpec tutorial specific to this project is posted
here, along with links to the MultiSpec home page and the LARS home page for
those interested in learning more about image analysis and other aspects of
remote sensing.
Chicago Wilderness provided funds for the study through a grant program supported
by the USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area, State and Private Forestry, and
the USDI Fish and Wildlife Service, Chicago Field Office. The Illinois Conservation
Foundation administers Chicago Wilderness grants. In addition, "the work
displayed on this site was funded from the Material Service Corporation Settlement
Fund. This fund was established as part of a judicial settlement of an alleged
violation of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act" and is administered by
CorLands. The study was carried out in cooperation with the staff of Midewin
National Tallgrass Prairie and the Illinois Department of Conservation. We are
grateful for the collaboration with ITD Spectral Visions who provided the flight
and subsequent imagery. David Clark of The Wetlands Initiative (TWI) provided
valuable GIS assistance. In addition David Clark and Jackie Dobrinska of TWI
relocated and globally positioned the ground reference points for this study.