Research Seminar To: From: "System Administrator" Subject: Research Seminar X-Incognito-SN: 712 X-Incognito-Format: VERSION=2.01a ENCRYPTED=NO To: All Reston USGS Employees From: Dave Kirtland, NMD Subject: Research Seminar Topic: Long-Term Monitoring of Changes in Senegal's Natural Resources Speaker: Gray Tappan, EDC Time and Place: Friday, April 25 in the Geospatial Technology Lab, Room 2A224, at 10:00am. Gray Tappan from the EROS Data Center will be presenting an overview of his work on monitoring long-term natural resource changes in Senegal, West Africa. Gray and his colleagues have developed a practical long-term monitoring framework that is applicable not just to Senegal, but to many parts of the world. Because of the rapid changes occurring in Senegal, it makes for an interesting study area. The framework is being used to assess long-term biophysical changes and to examine the cause-and-effect relationships between resource conditions and human activity. The framework relies on a three-tiered approach using 10-year repeat visits to hundreds of ground sites, repetitive aerial videography, and time-series Landsat satellite data. Comparisons of present conditions to a geographic data base on vegetation, soils and land use practices from the early 1970's and 1980's, has resulted in a clearer picture of the nature and magnitude of change. The driving forces of change are complex, but the human dimension is generally the primary cause. Results from the long-term monitoring framework will help Senegal's policy-makers formulate sound natural resource management plans.