Going High-Tech for Wildlife

By Matt Young Senior Writer
Satellite imagery provides a wealth of useful information to DU's conservation staff

Ducks Unlimited's standing among the world's premier conservation organizations is built upon more than 60 years of hands-on experience. Whereas early DU wetland engineers once used steam shovels and mule teams to build dikes and levees, DU's staff now uses space-age technology and high-tech tools to conserve wildlife habitat more efficiently than ever before.

Among the most powerful new technologies supporting DU's conservation programs are geographic information systems (GIS). First used by DU in the mid-1980s to inventory wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region, GIS display layers of landscape data, such as the location of wetlands, grasslands, croplands, roads, and urban development, in a user-friendly map format.

Much of the data incorporated in GIS maps developed by DU are gathered by satellites equipped with remote sensors that measure solar energy reflected from the Earth's surface.

Each landcover type emits a specific level of radiation, providing a signature that distinguishes it from others. DU's skilled GIS staff uses specialized software to process this data and create highly detailed maps of the landscape. Additional data from other sources are also added, or layered, on GIS maps to display other relevant information to DU's conservation staff.

To ensure accuracy, satellite image classifications are compared with existing sources and, in some cases, DU field biologists conduct ground surveys to verify landcover information provided by satellites.