To the CIC, precision conservation means doing projects at the right place, the right scale, the right size, and the right time. This movement is redefining how landscape conservation is approached. We can use the latest high-resolution datasets to conduct geospatial analysis that allow us to better plan and implement on-the-ground restoration and conservation best management practices.
The Conservation Innovation Center works with organizations of all types and sizes, including land trusts, community watershed organizations, soil and water conservation districts, private environmental firms, and local, state, and federal agencies. No matter who we work with, we emphasize the importance of understanding each organization’s unique challenges and designing customized solutions. We strive to help our partners integrate geospatial data and analyses into their work to effectively overcome these challenges. In addition to developing new products, we also conduct hands-on training, host workshops, and create customized user’s guides.
To the right, you can view our Chesapeake Bay High-Resolution Land Cover Project. For 10 months, analysts worked to produce one-meter resolution land cover data for approximately 100,000 square miles of land in and surrounding the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This new classification provides 900 times the amount of information as conventional 30-meter resolution land cover data.
Click the image above to view our land cover project in greater detail.
High-resolution data generation
Cheapeake Bay Watershed Land cover 2013/2014
The CIC translates raw aerial and satellite imagery into usable data that can categorize the landscape, and help make decisions about where and how to work.
Land use
The way a landscape is used is just as important as what kind of land it is. Different kinds of land cover can be utilized in a variety of ways, meaning that accurate representations of the way it’s used are key. The CIC works to show the way land is used just as clearly as the way its covered.
Enhanced flow paths
By leveraging high-quality flow path data, the CIC and its partners can map the flow of water across a landscape to assist restoration efforts. This work allows for identification, prioritization, and optimization of both conservation and restoration initiatives.