Biodiversity and Habitat: Quantity and Quality in Indiana in 2000

Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is requesting a “Manuscript on Habitat Features” detailing the extent and condition of wildlife habitats and community types for the State of Indiana in the year 2000. IDNR has identified the eight major habitats for delineation as: agricultural land, aquatic system, barren land, developed land, forestland, grassland, subterranean system, and wetland. IDNR has also stated a need for delineating historic and current information for these habitats. To determine the best way to meet IDNR’s requests, a team of experts on Indiana’s various natural resources (plants, fish, wildlife, habitat, land use change mapping, environmental planning, etc.) has been made up led by Drs. Berta, Weng, Amlaner, and Whitaker of Indiana State University. The habitat mapping portion of the project utilizes Terra’s Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) images, digital aerial photos, Landsat and other satellite imagery to map major habitats (land use and land covers), as well as conducts field data collection and builds a GIS Database under the supervision of Drs. Weng and Berta.