Excerpt from Press Release, Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey, Public Affairs Office, Phone (703) 648-4460
A new satellite image map of south Florida that will aid resource managers planning a $2-3 billion restoration effort in the Everglades and Florida Bay was presented to the Governor's office August 23.
The "snapshot" image covers over 35,000-square miles of the state, from north of Orlando to Key West, and provides a key to 21 vegetation types and other land-cover features. The map was produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in collaboration with the National Biological Service, also of the Interior Department, which provided the interpretive key to land-cover information.
The 1:500,000-scale map is designed to aid the efforts of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, a partnership of federal and state agencies and Native American Tribes that are involved in planning and implementing the changes to restore natural ecosystem functions. This map combines images from an Earth-observing satellite with latitude, longitude and map-scale references using high-technology image processing and computerized cartographic techniques. The USGS-prepared map provides more up-to-date, land-cover information than was previously available and shows exceptionally clear Landsat Thematic Mapper images taken during 1992 and 1993.
This satellite image map is one of the first products of the USGS South Florida Ecosystem Program, which provides scientific information to land and resource managers and other potential users so that they can improve their understanding of the ecosystem and enhance their ability to predict the effects of restoration efforts. This program is a collaborative effort between USGS, the South Florida Water Management District, the Corps of Engineers, the National Park Service, and other agencies within the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force.
More information about the USGS's South Florida Ecosystem Program is available through fax-on-demand as document 2052 on USGS EarthFax, phone 703-648-4888, and on the World Wide Web at http://fl-h2o.usgs.gov/sfei.html. Additional information about the USGS is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.usgs.gov.