[OSGeo-Board] FW: LDCM and OSGeo input

Thu May 18 06:53:10 PDT 2006

Mark,

We just changed the title for the proposal so I attached a revised letter of
support reflecting that change. Sorry for the confusion. 

All the best, 

Ned 

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Lucas [mailto:mlucas17 at mac.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2006 10:58 PM
To: Ned Horning
Cc: board at board.osgeo.org; discuss at mail.osgeo.org
Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Board] FW: LDCM and OSGeo input

Ned and fellow board members,

I'd certainly support this. I'd suggest we put it out for quick comment on
discuss, prepare a letter for the board, put it on the agenda for the next
board meeting, discuss and approve. I've added it to the agenda for this
Friday's board meeting. If there are any concerns or issues that arise from
the discuss list or fellow board members we can discuss and/or defer until
they are resolved.

Ned, it would expedite things if you could draft the letter for the board.

comments?

Mark

On May 16, 2006, at 10:37 PM, Ned Horning wrote:

Mark,

Thanks for the quick reply. The proposal I am working on now needs to be

wrapped up by Monday the 29th so this is somewhat urgent. Assuming the board

considers that our proposed work falls within the category of a "well

intentioned effort" would it be best for me to draft a letter of support so

you have something to work with or is there a good wordsmith on the board

who could write something without too much trouble?

I'll start thinking about a protocol for receiving and processing this sort

of request. Would you prefer that I float initial ideas with the board or

the discuss list?

Here is the summary section as it stands now and I'm happy to provide more

details from the proposal if that would be useful. Comments would also be

welcome.

--

Landsat image data are an invaluable component for conservation planning and

management (REF). With an archive beginning in 1972, the Landsat program

represents the premier Earth observing satellite by providing the longest

contiguous dataset of repeat satellite imagery applicable to analyses of

land use/land cover (LULC) and to land use/land cover change (LULCC) at

local (REF), regional (REF) and continental (REF) scales. Despite the great

potential of Landsat image data for use in natural resource management and

conservation planning, broader application of these data and acceptance of

their derived products has been slow within both the biological and

conservation community. The general reluctance toward the use of Landsat

image date is partially due to the limited accessibility of affordable

analytical tools. However, there are also overarching concerns regarding the

ability to precisely identify features within satellite imagery and validate

the accuracy of resulting products. While access to Landsat image data has

dramatically improved in recent years, access to analytical tools and data

vital for interpretation, classification, and validation of image data has

largely been overlooked.

Greater use of Landsat image data and better acceptance of derived products

could be achieved through improved awareness of open source tools and the

formulation of a spatially and temporally complementary archive of ground

data collected in situ. Ground data provides an important reference set

(e.g., land cover, habitat type, percent canopy closure) that can be used to

improve interpretation, classification, and validation of analyses based on

Landsat image data. Typically, ground data are collected on a project by

project basis in a geographically focused area and simply recorded as

geocoded textual descriptions. Textual descriptions are perceived to have

limited usability because they are not always reinterpretable. A more robust

form of ground data are geocoded ground-level photographs. Photographic data

contain a greater amount of information than textual descriptions alone and

can be reexamined and reinterpreted as needed.

Since 1993, the American Museum of Natural History's (AMNH) Center for

Biodiversity and Conservation (CBC) has been working locally and

internationally with conservation professionals and governmental and

non-governmental agencies to foster a greater interest and capacity for

applying remote sensing techniques to the conservation and management of

biodiversity by 1) expanding scientific research on diverse species in

critical ecosystems; 2) strengthening the quality and quantity of scientific

data used to inform conservation strategies and public policy; 3) building

professional and institutional capacity; and 4) contributing to the Museum's

efforts to heighten public understanding and stewardship of biodiversity.

Through these efforts and a diverse network of individual, institutional,

and organizational collaborators, the American Museum of Natural History's

Center for Biodiversity and Conservation is uniquely positioned to represent

the conservation community and make a considerable contribution to the

Landsat Data Continuity Mission's (LDCM) objectives.

We propose a new initiative focused on improving access to complementary

resources vital for accurate analysis of land use/land cover change with the

goal of increasing the use and interoperability of Landsat image data with

historic, current, and future remotely sensed data for the purpose of

ecosystems monitoring.

To accomplish this goal we will:

1.       Develop an Internet-based interactive archive and complementary

desktop tools for the acquisition, visualization, and distribution of

geocoded, ground-level photographs to support the interpretation, analysis,

and validation of Landsat image data and their derived products,

2.       Implement and promote open data standards for the collection,

storage, and distribution of data within the scope of LDCM objectives

3.       Promote, distribute and develop additional free resources and tools

pertaining to the use and integration of Landsat image data with other

remotely sensed image data for LULCC analysis,

4.       Encourage public involvement in the collection and stewardship of

spatial data relevant LDCM objectives through citizen science initiatives.

--

All the best,

Ned

-----Original Message-----

From: Mark Lucas [mailto:mlucas17 at mac.com]

Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2006 3:08 PM

To: Ned Horning

Cc: board at board.osgeo.org

Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Board] FW: LDCM and OSGeo input

Ned,

First, thanks for taking the initiative on these efforts. Being fairly new,

we don't have a formal process for any of this yet. In general, everyone

that is pitching in is of like mind on what we are trying to accomplish and

understands what the goals and limits of osgeo are. Given the common

motivation and open source background I would expect that we could move

pretty rapidly to put together a support letter for well intentioned

efforts.

I would welcome your efforts to put forward a protocol for deciding what

gets supported and how we communicate and approve it. We can review it

before the board and then approve the process. In the interim, if there is

something that needs to get worked quickly, we can probably move quickly and

bring it up at the next board meeting.

Let us know when you are ready and we can bring it and discuss it with you

at an upcoming board telecon. Let me know if you need anything.

Mark

On May 16, 2006, at 2:22 PM, Ned Horning wrote:

Hi,

Last week I sent the message below to the "discuss" list and didn't get a

response so I thought trying the "Board" list might be a good second step.

The basic question I have is if it is possible to receive a letter of

support from OSGeo for specific proposals. This seems to be an important

question and I expect the response will be of interest to many in the OSGeo

community. For the proposal I am working on at the moment I mention how we

will promote (through example and discussion) the OSGeo ideals but getting a

letter of support from OSGeo would carry significant weight to show that the

foundation explicitly supports our proposed work.

If this is possible then a protocol for deciding what gets supported should

be put in place so folks like me know how to go about it. I am happy to help

define and document this process. I will also send more details about the

proposal to see if this specific project is something OSGeo should support.

If the basic concept of formally supporting project proposals doesn't fit in

the scope of the Foundation then that would be good to know as well.

Any comments would be helpful.

Thanks,

Ned

--

-----Original Message-----

From: Ned Horning [mailto:nedh at lightlink.com]

Sent: Monday, May 08, 2006 11:26 AM

To: 'discuss at mail.osgeo.org'

Subject: LDCM and OSGeo input

All,

I wanted to see if I could get some feedback regarding a proposal I am

starting to write. I envision the project would have an open source software

development component as well as exploration of open data and public

participation issues related to data collection that would mesh well with

the OSGeo goals. Two objectives are to improve accessibility to Landsat data

as well as involve a broader community in the collection of ancillary data

(primarily photographs) to help users of Landsat data better interpret land

cover from the imagery. The details are still being worked out and probably

aren't important at this point. I'd like to know appropriate ways to

associate this work with OSGeo goals in the proposal. For example, do you

think it would be possible to get a letter of support from OSGeo? Can you

think of other ways association with OSGeo can benefit and benefit from new

projects? This discussion/information might be useful to others who are

thinking about mutual benefits of associating proposed projects with OSGeo.

All the best,

Ned

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