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Seven Geographic Information System (GIS) layers comprise this dataset intended for understanding the Marco Polo argali habitat in the southeastern Tajikistan Pamirs (37°33′ N, 74°09′ E). Extensive remote sensing habitat data processing and field data analysis of the Marco Polo sheep study area have yielded these layers that are now available online to download and for use by other researchers interested in studying the argali patterns and habitat suitability in the southeastern Tajik Pamirs. It is important to note that the layers were generated using a 30-m Landsat ETM image and field data from 2012.
Eric Ariel L. Salas; Raul Valdez; Kenneth G. Boykin. Open-Access Geographic Data for the Argali Habitat in the Southeastern Tajik Pamirs. Data 2016, 1, 5 .
AMA StyleEric Ariel L. Salas, Raul Valdez, Kenneth G. Boykin. Open-Access Geographic Data for the Argali Habitat in the Southeastern Tajik Pamirs. Data. 2016; 1 (1):5.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEric Ariel L. Salas; Raul Valdez; Kenneth G. Boykin. 2016. "Open-Access Geographic Data for the Argali Habitat in the Southeastern Tajik Pamirs." Data 1, no. 1: 5.
We tested the Moment Distance Index (MDI) in combination with texture features for the summer vegetation mapping in the eastern Pamir Mountains, Tajikistan using the 2014 Landsat OLI (Operational Land Imager) image. The five major classes identified were sparse vegetation, medium-dense vegetation, dense vegetation, barren land, and water bodies. By utilizing object features in a random forest (RF) classifier, the overall classification accuracy of the land cover maps were 92% using a set of variables including texture features and MDI, and 84% using a set of variables including texture but without MDI. A decrease of the Kappa statistics, from 0.89 to 0.79, was observed when MDI was removed from the set of predictor variables. McNemar’s test showed that the increase in the classification accuracy due to the addition of MDI was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The proposed method provides an effective way of discriminating sparse vegetation from barren land in an arid environment, such as the Pamir Mountains.
Eric Ariel L. Salas; Kenneth G. Boykin; Raul Valdez. Multispectral and Texture Feature Application in Image-Object Analysis of Summer Vegetation in Eastern Tajikistan Pamirs. Remote Sensing 2016, 8, 78 .
AMA StyleEric Ariel L. Salas, Kenneth G. Boykin, Raul Valdez. Multispectral and Texture Feature Application in Image-Object Analysis of Summer Vegetation in Eastern Tajikistan Pamirs. Remote Sensing. 2016; 8 (1):78.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEric Ariel L. Salas; Kenneth G. Boykin; Raul Valdez. 2016. "Multispectral and Texture Feature Application in Image-Object Analysis of Summer Vegetation in Eastern Tajikistan Pamirs." Remote Sensing 8, no. 1: 78.
We described in this report the essential geographic layers used as landscape drivers for the Marco Polo Argali habitat in the eastern Tajik Pamirs. Using remote sensing techniques and geographic information systems (GIS), individual layers were generated in order to acquire more information on argali patterns and habitat suitability and to make the dataset available online. We introduced an improved object-based image analysis in our mapping of the vegetation cover by utilizing spectral, topographic, and texture variables. We exhausted every Landsat image band and texture feature combination to select the best pairing of band-texture components. For vegetation class alone, the producer’s accuracy was 90.8% and the user’s accuracy was 91.6%.
Eric Ariel L. Salas; Raul Valdez; Kenneth G. Boykin. Geographic Layers as Landscape Drivers for the Marco Polo Argali Habitat in the Southeastern Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 2015, 4, 2094 -2108.
AMA StyleEric Ariel L. Salas, Raul Valdez, Kenneth G. Boykin. Geographic Layers as Landscape Drivers for the Marco Polo Argali Habitat in the Southeastern Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information. 2015; 4 (4):2094-2108.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEric Ariel L. Salas; Raul Valdez; Kenneth G. Boykin. 2015. "Geographic Layers as Landscape Drivers for the Marco Polo Argali Habitat in the Southeastern Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan." ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 4, no. 4: 2094-2108.
Two techniques frequently used for monitoring pronghorn populations were compared in vegetation communities of the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico, USA. The evaluated techniques included the walking line transect and the driving line transect under two vegetation types and relative to season. The true population value (control) used to evaluate the techniques was a complete census using flights conducted over the entire study area (8000 ha). On grassland vegetation, the walking transect overestimates pronghorn density (n/km2), compared with the control (0.77 vs. 0.18 n/km2), as well as in the mesquite-grassland vegetation where the walking transect overestimates density (0.26 n/km2) compared with the control (0.11 n/km2). An increase in overestimation was found in the walking technique as the number of pronghorns in an area increased. In contrast, the driving technique showed no significant differences (P>0.05) compared with the control, in both grassland and mesquite-grassland pastures. It can be concluded that driving transect sampling is an accurate method to study pronghorn densities in the Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem, while walking transect sampling estimations need to be adjusted to obtain accurate population sizes.
Fernando Clemente-Sánchez; Jerry Lee Holechek; Raul Valdez; German David Mendoza-Martínez; Octavio Cesar Rosas-Rosas; Luis Antonio Tarango-Arámbula. Accuracy of two techniques used to estimate pronghorn ( Antilocapra americana ) numbers in Chihuahuan Desert rangelands. Journal of Applied Animal Research 2013, 41, 149 -155.
AMA StyleFernando Clemente-Sánchez, Jerry Lee Holechek, Raul Valdez, German David Mendoza-Martínez, Octavio Cesar Rosas-Rosas, Luis Antonio Tarango-Arámbula. Accuracy of two techniques used to estimate pronghorn ( Antilocapra americana ) numbers in Chihuahuan Desert rangelands. Journal of Applied Animal Research. 2013; 41 (2):149-155.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFernando Clemente-Sánchez; Jerry Lee Holechek; Raul Valdez; German David Mendoza-Martínez; Octavio Cesar Rosas-Rosas; Luis Antonio Tarango-Arámbula. 2013. "Accuracy of two techniques used to estimate pronghorn ( Antilocapra americana ) numbers in Chihuahuan Desert rangelands." Journal of Applied Animal Research 41, no. 2: 149-155.
Mexico's wildlife has been impacted by human land use changes and socioeconomic and political factors since before the Spanish conquest in 1521. Presently, it has been estimated that more than 60% of the land area has been severely degraded. Mexico ranks in the top 3 countries in biodiversity, is a plant and faunal dispersal corridor, and is a crucial element in the conservation and management of North American wildlife. Wildlife management prerogatives and regulatory powers reside in the federal government with states relegated a minimum role. The continuous shifting of federal agencies responsible for wildlife management with the concomitant lack of adequate federal funding has not permitted the establishment of a robust wildlife program. In addition, wildlife conservation has been further impacted by a failure to establish landowner incentives, power struggles over user rights, resistance to change, and lack of trust and experience in protecting and managing Mexico's wildlife. We believe future strategies for wildlife programs must take into account Mexico's highly diversified mosaic of ecosystems, cultures, socioeconomic levels, and land tenure and political systems. The private sector, along with communal properties, in cooperation with federal and municipal governments, nongovernmental organizations, corporations, and international agencies may have the greatest potential of sustainable management of Mexico's wildlife. The present federal wildlife management strategy is an initial positive effort because it promotes participatory wildlife conservation by key stakeholders. We identify the aspects of this strategy that we believe will be needed to establish a sustainable program to manage Mexico's wildlife.
Raul Valdez; Juan C. Guzmán-Aranda; Francisco J. Abarca; Luis Antonio Tarango Arambula; Fernando Clemente-Sánchez. Wildlife Conservation and Management in Mexico. Wildlife Society Bulletin 2006, 34, 270 -282.
AMA StyleRaul Valdez, Juan C. Guzmán-Aranda, Francisco J. Abarca, Luis Antonio Tarango Arambula, Fernando Clemente-Sánchez. Wildlife Conservation and Management in Mexico. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 2006; 34 (2):270-282.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRaul Valdez; Juan C. Guzmán-Aranda; Francisco J. Abarca; Luis Antonio Tarango Arambula; Fernando Clemente-Sánchez. 2006. "Wildlife Conservation and Management in Mexico." Wildlife Society Bulletin 34, no. 2: 270-282.