Range Tech DSS: Decision Support System for Rangeland Health Monitoring

Current systems for acquiring and accessing rangeland health data are inadequate to meet the needs of an increasingly complex management process that requires public accountability. Traditional field-based data acquisition, such as visual assessment, quadrat, and point frame methods are highly subjective, time consuming or too costly to practically apply over large land management units. While the availability of remotely sensed data has expanded substantially with the use of satellite and aircraft mounted hyperspectral scanners, these products are expensive, lack flexibility, can be misinterpreted, and often lack the resolution required by land managers. The purpose of this project is to reduce the costs and improve the efficiency and objectivity in monitoring for rangeland health conditions and wildlife habitat assessments.