Laserfiche WebLink
THE DEVELOPMENT OF TH*E LONG-TERM MONITORING PILOT <br />Long-term monitoring is defined as "measuring the change over time in riparian vegetation, <br />geology, hydrology, population responses, cultural resource areas, and habitat for rare and <br />endangered species. The plan should be integrated with and based upon a sound scientific <br />understanding of the effects of operations on environmental resources. The predictions of effects <br />should be viewed as working hypotheses about river processes; these hypotheses can be tested <br />by use of monitoring data" (National Research Council, 1987). <br />A GIS is an invaluable tool for integrating data and documenting the effects of dam operations <br />on the environmental resources of the Grand Canyon because it is a georeferenced data base <br />that has the ability to manipulate and analyze spatially referenced data. Because the data <br />within a GIS are georeferenced, the GIS can address questions about: <br />A. Location - "What is at...?" <br />B. Conditions - "Where is it true that ...?" <br />1. query by variable or item <br />2. query by class or alphanumeric or numeric value <br />3. query using logical expression <br />4. query can be implemented and displayed graphically or numerically <br />C. Trends - "What has changed...?" = long-term monitoring <br />1. change in area and volume <br />2. change in location (x, y, and z) <br />3. change in shape <br />4. change in class <br />5. statistical operations <br />D. Patterns - "Which data are related ... <br />1. geographic correlations <br />2. statistical correlations <br />E. Models - "What happens if...?" <br />1. graphic/numeric modeling - grid cell and vector <br />2. numeric modeling - AML (ARC macro language) programming - Fortran <br />The GCES/GIS is being used to address and satisfy many of the objectives for long-term <br />monitoring defined in the draft report "Long-Term Monitoring In The Grand Canyon: Response <br />To Operations Of Glen Canyon Dam" (National Research Council, 1994). <br />Feature Selection <br />Over 70 individual research studies have taken place within long-term monitoring site No. 5. <br />Fourteen of these studies were found to be acceptable for inclusion in the GIS pilot study based <br />on: <br />1) The cooperation of principal investigator-several researchers were either reluctant to <br />release their results, did not have their studies completed on time, or both. <br />10