United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Research and Development 	
oEPA Remote Sensing at the
Crossroads in EPA
Manned satellites
Automatic satellites
Ground
Observation
Target Area
5318odc93
High altitude aircraft

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December 22, 1993 (Final Draft #2)
CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY	I
INTRODUCTION	1
REMOTE SENSING OVERVIEW	1
Definition	1
History	2
Remote Sensing Systems - Operational Principles	3
Remote Sensing Systems - Performance Characteristics	4
Examples of Current Technologies	5
Data Collection, Management, Analysis and Interpretation 7
REMOTE SENSING IN EPA	9
Past and Present Use of Remote Sensing in EPA	10
Trends in Use of Remote Sensing in EPA	11
Examples of Future Applications in Environmental
Regulation	13
Future Applications in Environmental Research and Policy 15
THE PROPOSAL	16
Issue	16
Barriers	17
Proposed Response	18
ORD Program Planning Process	18
Remote Sensing Research Program	19
Technical Support and Training	22
Program Coordination	2 4
PRODUCTS	2 6
OMMSQA CAPABILITY TO PROVIDE A REMOTE SENSING PROGRAM	2 8
Acronyms and Definitions	A-l
References	B-l

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December 22, 1993 (Final Draft #2)
POSITION PAPER
REMOTE SENSING AT THE CROSSROADS IN EPA
Executive Summary
Remote sensing technology and its applications to
environmental monitoring have undergone explosive growth
over the last twenty years. This is seen in EPA, where
remote sensing is becoming a fundamental monitoring tool for
environmental investigations and research, implementation of
regulatory programs, and responses to environmental
emergencies.
Despite the growth, power, and utility of remote sensing and
related information technology in environmental monitoring,
the Office of Research and Development (ORD) does not have a
core research program in this area. ORD's ability to
provide remote sensing support to the Agency is being
overwhelmed by increased demand. EPA has not gained
recognition, or effectively leveraged support, from other
agencies and organizations for its remote sensing
requirements. Without appropriate technical leadership and
training, there is the possibility of misapplication of
remote sensing technology and data by EPA staff which could
create problems for EPA in the future. ORD must provide
this technical leadership and assure that appropriate
technology, guidance, and training are available. It must
also influence the development of remote sensing technology
in other organizations and assure that the technology
reaches applications in EPA with appropriate guidance and
training.
This paper proposes establishment of an EPA Remote Sensing
Program. It provides a technical overview to help the
reader understand the basics of remote sensing; a
description of the use of remote sensing in EPA; and, the
proposal for the EPA Remote Sensing Program. Descriptions
of the products and the capability of the Office of
Modeling, Monitoring Systems and Quality Assurance (OMMSQA)
to implement the Program are also provided.
The proposal offers ORD leadership and recommends nine
actions to establish the Program. It addresses the need for
recognition of remote sensing in the ORD research planning
process and for improved coordination of remote sensing
requirements within EPA as well as with other agencies and
organizations that have remote sensing capabilities.
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The proposed EPA Remote Sensing Program consists of a
Research Program (core and applied research) in remote
sensing and an EPA Remote Sensinq/GIS Technical Support
Center. The proposal recommends that a stable budget be
identified for the core research component.
The Research Program will be organized and managed in two
thematic areas, with Atmospheric Research and Exposure
Assessment Laboratory (AREAL) as the lead for air monitoring
and the Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory - Las
Vegas (EMSL-LV) as the lead for terrestrial and aquatic
monitoring. Within these thematic areas, the research will
be performed in three functional areas: remote sensing
systems evaluation and applications, information technology,
and remote sensing gualitv assurance. The research efforts
will identify new technology and develop and evaluate
applications to environmental requirements; standardize
proven applications for use across the Agency; help transfer
new technology and applications to the EPA user; develop
guidance and help train the user in the applications; and,
develop quality assurance guidance to assure that the
technology is being used in an appropriate manner.
The EPA Remote Sensing/GIS Technical Support Center will be
a joint activity with the Regional and Program Offices. ORD
will work with these Offices to transition the current ORD
technical support capability to an intraagency Center,
primarily staffed by EPA users. The Center will provide
specialized remote sensing technical support and training
for Agency programs. This proposal takes advantage of the
expertise in ORD. while incorporating the Regions and
Program Offices as partners in the endeavor. It would
eventually replace most of the current ORD technical support
FTE and resources with those from Regional and Program
Offices. Oversight and expertise in unique technological
areas will continue to be provided by ORD. The Center will
be closely tied to the research activities at AREAL and
EMSL-LV and will have access to classified remote sensing
systems via a joint effort with the United States Geological
Survey. It will provide a remote sensing training program
to help EPA staff and managers become qualified in the use
of remote sensing and information technology for their
program applications and management responsibilities.
The EPA Remote Sensing Program will be managed by OMMSQA. A
two-person OMMSQA team is recommended to provide
headquarters coordination and oversight; a Remote Sensing
Program Coordinator and a Staff Remote Sensing Scientist.
The Program Coordinator will be the senior manager
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responsible for representing the Program in the ORD planning
and budget process and for OMMSQA coordination of Program
activities at the EMSL-LV and AREAL. The Staff Scientist
will support the Program Coordinator with the technical
aspects of headquarters coordination and will be ORD's first
point of contact for technical questions on remote sensing.
Staffing and resources already exist to implement most of
the Program requirements. In some cases, redirection of
staff and resources may be required for the initial
implementation of this proposal. Transition of the current
ORD technical support capability to a joint activity with
the Regional and Program Offices is expected to free ORD
resources that will be used in the Research Program. Budget
initiatives may be developed later to address high priority
requirements identified in the planning process.
Ill

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December 22, 1993 (Final Draft #2)
POSITION PAPER
REMOTE SENSING AT THE CROSSROADS IN EPA
INTRODUCTION
Since 1960, there has been an explosive growth of remote
sensing technology and its applications to environmental
monitoring. For example, satellite weather maps have become
commonplace and appear on TV every day. This growth is
expected to continue into the future with an emphasis on the
terrestrial environment, especially ecosystem monitoring.
Remote sensing is becoming a fundamental monitoring tool in
EPA for environmental investigations and research,
implementation of regulatory programs, and responses to
environmental emergencies. It is particularly useful for
monitoring activities that require information and analysis
at regional, national or global scales. It will
significantly benefit high-priority EPA programs such as the
Global Change Research Program (GCRP), the Environmental
Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) and the Office of
Research and Development (ORD) Ecosystem Research
Initiative.
Despite the growth, power, and utility of remote sensing and
related information technology in environmental monitoring,
ORD does not have a core research program in this area.
Meanwhile, ORD's ability to provide operational remote
sensing support to EPA is being overwhelmed by the growth in
demand. EPA has not gained recognition, nor effectively
leveraged support, from other organizations for its remote
sensing reguirements.
This paper proposes establishment of an EPA Remote Sensing
Program to remedy this situation. It provides a technical
overview to help the reader understand the basic concepts of
remote sensing; a description of the use of remote sensing
in EPA; and the proposal for the EPA Remote Sensing Program.
You mav skip to the Proposal starting on page 16. if vou are
already familiar with remote sensing and its uses in EPA.
REMOTE SENSING OVERVIEW
Definition
Remote sensing can be described as the acguisition of
information about an object without physical contact with
it. Barrett and Curtiss (l) defined it as the science of
observation from a distance. Cracknel1 and Hayes (2)
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stated, "Remote sensing may be taken to mean the observation
of, or gathering information about, a target by a device
separated from it by some distance." "Terrestrial remote
sensing" refers to monitoring the surface of the earth;
however, the terms "terrestrial and aquatic remote sensing"
are used in this paper to avoid confusion among scientists
who think of "terrestrial" as referring only to land
surfaces.
History
The first aerial photos were taken from a balloon in 1859.
Aerial photography from balloons and aircraft became a
valuable tool to the military in the Civil War and World
Wars I and II. "Spy" satellites became a new monitoring
tool for the military in the late 1950's. Remote sensing
from aircraft and satellites began moving out of the
military sphere and into the civilian sector in the 1960's.
Initial growth was in applications of aerial photography (3)
to civilian requirements such as forest inventory,
agricultural studies, soil mapping, etc. Space age
satellite technology and subsequent advances in information
technology such as geographic information systems (GIS) have
significantly increased the applicability of remote sensing
to civilian uses.
The 1972 launch of the first Earth Resources Technology
Satellite (ERTS-1), later known as Landsat-1, provided the
first real environmental satellite. Since then, there has
been increased emphasis on the use of remote sensing as an
environmental monitoring tool. Processing of remote sensing
data has advanced from a technology dominated by electrical
engineers and computer scientists with access to expensive
mainframe computer resources to one of scientists with
access to small efficient microcomputers and workstations
with user-friendly software. In the late 1980's, EPA
implemented a GIS capability in all of its Regions and
Program Offices. This capability now makes it possible for
EPA's program staff to more effectively utilize remote
sensing data.
In the next decade, NASA will implement its Earth
Observation System (EOS, a series of satellites and remote
sensing systems to monitor the earth); other agencies (such
as NOAA) and countries (such as France, Japan and India)
will add new systems to their remote sensing capabilities;
and, the private sector will launch commercial aircraft and
satellite systems. This accelerated development of remote
sensing systems, satellite platforms, and computer
technology will add significant new capabilities for
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environmental monitoring, greatly increase the kinds and
amount of data available, and improve access to that data.
Remote sensing is "coming of age." With adequate research
and development, it will become a fundamental tool for
environmental monitoring.
Remote Sensing systems - operational Principles
Remote sensing systems measure radiation received from a
target of interest. The system separates the radiation into
bands or wavelengths of energy, and measures the intensity •
of each, to characterize the target (similar to the use of a
spectrometer to characterize a sample in the analytical
laboratory). The energy of interest in environmental remote
sensing is electromagnetic radiation, typically in the
visible, near-infrared, thermal infrared, microwave, and
radio wavelengths.
The terms "sensor" and "system" are used interchangeably in
the literature to describe the device placed on an aircraft
or satellite platform for performing a specific remote
sensing function. The term sensor can give the impression
that the device is just a detector. A remote sensing system
is all of the components (e.g., detector, optics,
electronics, computer support, etc.) required to sense and
record the signals of interest from the target; therefore,
the term "system" will be used in this paper.
A remote sensing system may operate in a "passive" or
"active" mode. A passive system measures radiation emitted
by the target or reflected by the target from another source
such as the sun. It includes optics and/or electronics to
receive radiation from the target, and a detector assembly
to isolate, measure and record the radiation received. The
simplest passive system is the photographic camera where the
lenses of the camera are the optics and the detector is the
emulsion on the film.
An active system is more complex. The instrument itself
generates radiation, transmits that radiation toward the
target, receives radiation returned from the target and
extracts information from the return signal. In addition to
the components of a passive system, it has a radiation
source and additional optics and electronics to direct
radiation at the target. The source may be a laser or an
electronic system that generates the radiation of interest.
The more intricate systems use filters, prisms or gratings
(like a spectrometer) to separate the radiation received by
the sensor into discrete bands or wavelengths. The
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intensity of each is recorded on photographic film or
converted by a more sophisticated detector into electronic
data that are recorded for later processing and analysis.
In many cases, a computer system is required to manage and
preprocess the data collected.
The data may be viewed as tabulated information or as an
image that represents the scene observed by the system, like
a photograph. Images are rich in information and easier to
interpret than tabulated data. Photographs are the most
common remote sensing images and have been used since the
Civil War for analysis of terrestrial activity. Systems
with electronic detectors record the data for later
computerized analysis on an interactive image-processing
system. The more complex systems have enough spectral
resolution to allow more detailed analyses of the individual
spectral responses and provide enhanced images of the target
scene. The image enhancements distinguish characteristics
of interest and significantly improve the ability of the
user to visually interpret the data.
Remote Sensing Systems - Performance Characteristics
The performance of a remote sensing system is described by
its resolution. Resolution is defined in terms of spectral
resolution (the ability to distinguish different wavelengths
of radiation, analogous to different colors), spatial
resolution (the ability to distinguish two points in space
or resolve objects on the ground at various levels of
detail), and temporal resolution (the frequency at which the
same point on the ground can be monitored). Spectral
resolution is dependent on the source and intensity of
radiation and the optics of the system. Spatial resolution
is determined by the optics of the system and the distance
between the system and the target. Temporal resolution is
determined by the availability of the system to observe the
target.
Remote sensing systems can operate from ground, aircraft, or
satellite platforms. More than one system may be operated
from a single platform. The location of the system with
respect to the target has a significant impact on its
spectral and temporal resolution. For the same system, a
ground platform generally allows higher spatial and temporal
resolution because the system is closer to the target and
available when required. Because the system is on the
ground and immediately available, it is generally easier to
maintain while in operation. Its closeness to the target
limits a ground-based system to observation of small scenes
within the field of view of its optics. Ground-based
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systems cannot easily monitor inaccessible sites. On the
other hand, satellite-based systems can "see" larger areas
and sites that are inaccessible on the ground. Because of
their distance from the target, they may have lower spatial
resolution; and, temporal resolution is limited to the time
when their orbit places them over the target. Satellite
systems are usually more expensive to launch and maintain.
Aircraft-based systems have capabilities that fall between
those of ground and satellite systems.
For optimum performance, remote sensing should be used to
supplement and extend traditional sources of information.
Multiple systems may be used on a single platform to take
advantage of the performance characteristics of each system.
In larger efforts, it may be desirable to use a combination
of remote sensing platforms (ground, aircraft, or satellite)
in coordination with field activities on the ground. This
"multistage approach,11 takes advantage of the performance
strengths of each platform/system combination and allows
extrapolation of data from restricted and expensive field
studies to larger areas or more parameters depending upon
the capabilities of the systems employed.
Examples of Current Technologies
Aerial photography has been the most popular source of
imagery for industrial and environmental analysis. It is
cost effective, requiring an estimated 15 hours to analyze
the photos of a site compared with an estimated 15 employee-
weeks for a field survey to obtain the same information.
The degree of accuracy achieved is highly dependent on the
nature of the subject, the type of film, and the skill of
the interpreter. Photo interpretation is considered by many
to be as much an art as a science. It is highly deductive
and proceeds in stages that are dependent on the knowledge
and skills of the interpreter. Traditional techniques of
photo interpretation and photogrammetry are being automated
as new computer technology becomes available. The most
common imagery utilized for environmental site assessment
are natural color, black and white, and false color infrared
photographs from the visible and near-infrared spectrum.
Mid- and short-wave infrared systems provide imagery that
shows moisture content and vegetation reflectance, and is
used to delineate areas inundated by water, saturated soils,
and stressed vegetation. Long wavelength infrared (thermal)
systems respond to heat and provide imagery to characterize
targets based on temperature differences. Thermal imagery
has been used by EPA to delineate warm or cold discharges
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(in some cases hidden and illegal) into aquatic systems, for
detecting springs, for determining extent of surface and
underground fires, and for characterization of waste sites.
Multispectral scanner systems (MSS) use several bands of the
spectrum. Availability of several bands of information
permits broader applications of the system and enhanced
analysis of the data. MSS has been used to assess water
quality and landscape features that can be distinguished by
selection of bands characteristic of the phenomenon or
parameter of interest. The more complex imaging
spectrometers increase the number of combinations of bands
or wavelengths that can be utilized and show promise for
more extensive applications in assessment of aquatic and
plant systems and in landscape characterization. These
systems will have applications to ecosystem monitoring.
Microwave systems (RADAR) have been used to map oil spills
in coastal and ocean waters. They have potential for
monitoring beneath the forest canopy and for determining
relative soil moisture content, important data for the
Global Change Research Program and for ecosystem monitoring.
Open Path Monitoring (OPM) Systems use ultra-violet and
infrared spectroscopy to monitor individual gas species
along pathlengths of typically 100 to 5000 meters. The
technique is especially appropriate when the gases to be
measured present difficult sampling problems. For example,
application of 0PM systems to monitor continuously along
industrial fencelines, or from central locations inside a
plant to multiple locations around the plant, eliminate the
need for sampling. Physical or manmade obstacles such as
roadways, rivers, open pit mines, waste sites, hazardous
spill areas, etc. can be spanned with the 0PM systems to
allow real-time monitoring. Large metropolitan areas can be
monitored using the UV-based OPMs because of the lack of
interference from permanent atmospheric gases and the
inherently large absorption coefficients of many gases in
the UV. Other advantages include the detection of multiple
pollutants in near real time.
Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) Systems use pulsed
multi-wavelength lasers to map pollutant concentrations in
the open space around the system location. The laser pulses
are scattered from particulate in the air. A portion of the
pulse energy is backscattered to the system, collected and
recorded as a function of time. This signal is analyzed as
a function of time (or equivalent distance to the point of
backscattering) to obtain the profile of pollutant
concentrations. A DIAL system has been developed and
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evaluated for measuring the vertical profile of ozone from
an airborne platform and has been used in regional studies
with the objective of providing initial boundary conditions
or a check of model predictions. Ground-based and airborne
systems are being considered for use in combination with
systems that monitor wind vectors to determine source
emission rates.
New hyperspectral technology will have applications to
environmental monitoring. The Airborne Visible Infrared
Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) is a prototype aircraft system
flown by NASA. It covers the entire spectral region of 0.4
to 2.5 micrometers in 210 continuous spectral bands and will
be a key terrestrial monitoring system for the next decade.
The Hyperspectral Digital Imagery Exploitation Collection
Experiment (HYDICE) and the Airborne Emission Spectrometer
(AES) Project are Department of Defense efforts that will
provide prototype aircraft systems, sometimes referred to as
"flying spectrometers." These hyperspectral systems will
provide very high spectral resolution and are prototypes for
satellite systems that will be developed as part of EOS.
They represent significant advances in the technology.
Considerable research will be required to develop and
evaluate their environmental applications. With sufficient
applications research, these systems will be especially
useful for monitoring condition of ecosystems.
Because of the importance of the spatial component of remote
sensing data, an accurate and precise measurement of
location of each datum is necessary. Global Positioning
System (GPS) technology is now available that can achieve
spatial measurement to several meters or better in accuracy
and precision. This technology is being paired with remote
sensing systems to automatically record a spatial component
with the remote sensing data.
Data Collection, Management, Analysis and Interpretation
The success of a remote sensing effort depends not only upon
the system used, but upon the steps followed in collection,
management, analysis and interpretation of the data. The
past experience of the analyst, the availability of ground
truth data, and the approach used for analysis and
presentation of the data are key factors. Information
technology and good quality assurance are required for these
steps to result in a usable product.
Remote sensing data are collected as analog or digital data
and stored as photographs, video tapes or on computer media.
A photograph is analog data. A digital image is an array or
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matrix of numbers where each element of the array
corresponds to an element of the image (a picture element or
pixel). Digital imagery is easily processed by computers;
whereas, analog data must first be converted to digital data
before it can be processed. Photographic data may be
converted to digital data and stored on computer media.
"Ground Truth" data are often collected to help verify or
validate the remotely sensed data. These are measurements
of the parameters of interest obtained on the ground by
standard methods at approximately the same time as the
collection of the remotely sensed data. Other supplemental
information bearing on the phenomena or parameters of
interest may also be collected to help in verification,
analysis and interpretation of the remotely sensed data.
After collection, there are several stages in the conversion
of remote sensing data to useful information. These may be
described as processing, analysis and interpretation.
Processing refers to the steps that must take place before
remote sensing data are analyzed by the user. Initial
processing of the raw data, or preprocessing, is done to
calibrate radiometrical data, georeference the data to map
coordinates and, in some cases, to make corrections for
atmospheric interferences and system artifacts. This puts
the data in a calibrated format for further analysis.
Additional standardized data processing for later
scientific analysis or interpretation may be done as the
data are collected. It is important to ensure that this
process has been evaluated and standardized for the problem
at hand.
Analysis is the detailed inspection and classification of
the data set, such as searches and statistical analyses for
important features and patterns. This stage is highly
dependent upon the availability of ground truth data and the
skills and experience of the analyst both in remote sensing
and in the scientific disciplines associated with the
problem being addressed. The use of automated approaches is
growing as computer technology becomes available and
problem-specific analytical algorithms are developed and
tested. However, such "automated" image analysis technigues
should be used only after the specific algorithms have been
proven for use in the application at hand and there is
sufficient experience with the type of problem being
addressed. It is also essential to ensure that the
procedures selected for integration of the remote sensing
data with other information are correct and do not add
unknown error in the analysis.
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Interpretation is the assessment of the analysis results
through comparison with the nature and condition of the
target, and wherever possible, by comparison and integration
with information from ground observations. It utilizes the
facts and observations from the analysis stage to develop an
explanation of the issue being studied.
The analysis and interpretation of remote sensing data are
greatly assisted by the use of a GIS, Remote sensing data
are easily managed by a GIS because each datum is associated
with a location in space. This common spatial attribute
provides the key for integration and analysis of remote
sensing data with other information such as property
boundaries, census information, environmental
characteristics, etc. The results can be visualized as
maps, pictures, statistical tables, narratives, etc. to help
scientists, policy makers, and the public analyze and
understand the issue at hand. Advances in remote sensing
and information technology are expected to result in
development of combined remote sensing/GIS systems that will
make remote sensing data easier to use. These systems will
enhance the scientist's ability to integrate remote sensing
information with other available data and models and enable
better environmental understanding and decision making.
The increased availability of GIS technology, advanced
computer work stations, and powerful personal computer
technology has made remote sensing systems and data easier
to use and is helping remote sensing become more of a
"distributed" than a "centralized" activity. The danger in
this shift in capability is that remote sensing technology
is becoming available to untrained users who are vulnerable
to making significant interpretation errors. This is
especially important to EPA, where such errors could result
in regulatory or policy decisions that may cost millions of
dollars to implement, or unfavorable rulings in important
environmental litigation.
REMOTE SENSING IN EPA
Remote sensing provides the only viable and cost-effective
means of acquiring many of the data required by today's
environmental managers. This is especially true for studies
of very large areas (i.e., regional and global programs),
for collection of data from areas that are inaccessible
because of geography (e.g., jungle or mountainous terrain)
or potential hazard (e.g., waste sites), and for emergency
response. Historical imagery (photographic and digital) may
be the only source of data to answer questions related to
past practices at a site or trends in the environment.
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Remote sensing can cost-effectively provide data to extend
findings from field studies to larger areas or to more
targets than would be feasible with ground sampling alone.
Data from remote sensing systems can be used to test and
validate models or to supplement models in areas where they
may not perform effectively.
Past and Present Use of Remote Sensing in EPA
Remote sensing has been used as a monitoring tool in EPA
since 1971. Aerial photography has been the primary
technology. The old adage, "a picture is worth a thousand
words" rings true in EPA. Aerial photography has been used
in the discovery, investigation, and mapping of hazardous
waste sites; evaluation of industrial sites and preparation
of response plans for the Spill Prevention, Containment, and
Countermeasures Program; evaluation of potential sources of
pollution of streams and water bodies; identification and
protection of wetlands; and, response to environmental
emergencies. Current and historical aerial photographs
provide the "pictures" that document the history and status
of a site and have been strong evidence for settling
litigation and convincing guilty parties to accept
responsibility and take action. Use of aerial photography
has also allowed EPA investigators to gather information
about waste sites before going on site, thereby improving
safety and efficiency of on-site visits. More than 6,000
aerial photointerpretation reports have been produced by EPA
since 1971 (4). The application of this technology in EPA
programs has been described in numerous Laboratory Fact
Sheets (5).
In recent years, digital techniques with data from passive
systems on aircraft and satellite platforms have been
applied to water quality issues, wetlands delineation and
protection, waste site characterization, landscape
characterization, intertidal habitat surveys, and ecological
pilot studies. Landsat data are being used in the North
American Landscape Characterization Program (NALC) to
characterize land use and landcover changes for the GCRP.
Pilot studies in the Great Lakes and the Chesapeake Bay
watersheds are helping to demonstrate the use of remote
sensing in watershed and ecological monitoring (EMAP) and
landscape characterization (GCRP and EMAP).
Active remote sensing systems have been used by ORD to
monitor water quality in lakes and rivers (laser
fluorosensor technology, references 6-8), monitor aerosols
and particulate over complex terrain (LIDAR technology,
references 9-14), measure automobile emissions (FEAT, 15),
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measure ozone in the atmosphere (UV DIAL references 16-18),
and monitor air pollutants (DOAS references 19-20, and FTIR
references 21-23). Air quality data collected by remote
sensing over large areas are being used to extrapolate
ground data and as input to test, validate and improve
models that are used to evaluate and establish air quality
standards.
The Ultraviolet Differential Absorption Lidar (UV DIAL),
recently developed by ORD with support from NASA, has been
evaluated in a pilot study that is also supporting the
Coastal Oxidant Assessment for Southeast Texas (COAST)
Project. COAST is a study of the transport of photochemical
oxidants in the coastal vicinity of Houston and Beaumont,
Texas. It is a joint effort between Region 6 and the Texas
Air Control Board. The study will provide data to support
development of model-based State Implementation Plans to
meet ambient air quality standards for the area (under the
Clean Air Act) and will provide a better understanding of
the unique oxidant chemistry that occurs in a hot and humid
petrochemical industrial area. The pilot study provided
ambient ozone data for the project and for evaluating the UV
DIAL for measurement of ozone in a hot and humid operational
setting.
GIS technology has significantly facilitated the use of
remote sensing data in EPA. A commercial software package
entitled ARC/INFO was introduced by ORD in the late 1980's
and is now used extensively in EPA's Regional and Program
Offices (24). This technology has improved management,
analysis, and presentation of EPA data and has made it
easier for EPA staff to use remote sensing data. As a
result, more staff are using remote sensing data in their
regulatory and enforcement activities. This has created a
demand for improved access to such data, training in its
applications, and standardized methods for its application
to EPA requirements.
Trends in Use of Remote Sensing in EFA
There has been a significant investment by government and
the private sector in hardware systems for remote sensing
and information technology. The ensuing growth in the
technology will result in a tremendous amount of remote
sensing data becoming available within this decade that can
be applied to priority activities in EPA such as ecosystem
monitoring. However, the investment in hardware has not
been matched with a similar investment in development of
applications of the technology and data, especially for
environmental monitoring.
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The shift in this decade to more complex environmental
issues makes this problem more acute for EPA. Environmental
issues of regional or broader scale demand remote sensing as
the only cost-effective way to collect much of the required
data. This means that EPA will have to place additional
effort in the development, evaluation and standardization of
remote sensing methods for its programs. Limited budgets
will cause EPA programs to make better use of existing data
from operational programs to supplement the field and remote
sensing data obtained to address these issues. New
information technology will be required to manage,
integrate, analyze and present the large amounts of data
that will be utilized.
EPA's Regional and Program Offices will continue to require
remote sensing support for their policy planning activities
and regulatory programs. The emphasis is shifting from a
strong human health perspective to a balanced program that
also considers human impacts on the ecosystem. This means
that monitoring activities will shift from a focus on site-
specific and chemical-specific issues to an ecosystem or
watershed level. The new focus will require increased use
of remote sensing from aircraft and satellites.
Guidance and standardized approaches for this expanded use
of remote sensing will be required by EPA's Regional and
Program Offices. This includes quality assurance guidance
for collection and integration of data to ensure an
understanding of the quality of the resulting information,
especially when remote sensing data are integrated with data
from other sources. Training will be required to ensure
that the EPA users have adequate skills in remote sensing to
apply the data correctly. Remote sensing is becoming an
important tool for EPA's research activities, especially
national and global programs such as EMAP and GCRP. Because
many of the monitoring requirements are new, research will
be necessary to test new technology or to evaluate and
standardize new applications.
Research pilot studies with new remote sensing technology or
applications will continue to support Regional or Program
field studies. These pilot studies provide data that would
not otherwise be available, while also providing an
opportunity to evaluate the technology or application.
Interest in remote sensing is evidenced by an increase in
the number of symposia devoted to optical remote sensing.
In 1992, the Air & Waste Management Association sponsored
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the symposium entitled, "Optical Remote Sensing -
Applications to Environmental and Industrial Safety
Problems" in Houston, Texas. The most recent was the
international symposium, "Optical Sensing for Environmental
Monitoring." Over half of the 35 technical sessions were
devoted to open path monitoring (OPM), while a significant
portion of the remaining program was devoted to topics
related to DIAL and LIDAR. These topics generally dealt
with site-specific and chemical-specific issues and are now
receiving wider interest as applications become widespread.
Examples of Future Applications in Environmental Regulation
EPA has addressed the "easy" site- or pollutant-specific
problems, and implemented regulatory programs in response to
media-specific legislation such as the Clean Air Act, Clean
Water Act, RCRA and CERCLA. Emphasis is shifting to larger
more complex issues such as non-point source pollution,
cross-media impacts of current regulatory efforts, pollution
prevention, and protection of ecosystems. Remote sensing
and related information technology will be key tools to
collect and analyze the large quantity of information
required to address these issues. Examples of future
applications of remote sensing to five important regulatory
programs are:
Ecosystems. Applications of remote sensing to
ecological monitoring are being developed and will
become important tools for EMAP and other Agency
initiatives in this area. Two areas of expanded
application are Habitat/Biodiversity and Landscape
Ecology. Another new area that is appearing in the
literature, but has not received attention from EPA, is
Urban Ecology.
Water. Remote sensing will play a large role in water
quality management under the Clean Water Act. Aerial
photography and digital data from aircraft and
satellite sensors will support wetlands mapping,
watershed protection, ecosystem management, status and
trends monitoring, and compliance monitoring and
enforcement. Land use/land cover data collected by
remote sensing will be important inputs for monitoring
urban and agricultural impacts on water quality.
Remote sensing, including active systems such as the
laser fluorosensor, will be used to collect water
quality data for parameters such as turbidity,
temperature, suspended sediment, and chlorophyll. It
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has promise for use in watershed terrain analysis
including applications to stream network analysis,
flood plain mapping, flood monitoring, and watershed
restoration.
Comparative Risk. Remote sensing and information
technology will.enhance the ability of Regional
scientists and managers to visualize Regional data and
information. This will ensure that available data are
used more effectively and will facilitate comparison of
options in the Comparative Risk process.
RCRA/CERCLA. Aerial photography will continue to be a
key tool in the investigation of hazardous waste sites
and for other similar site-specific activities.
Management and interpretation of photographic data will
become more automated, enhancing the cost-effectiveness
of this approach. Digital imagery will play an
increasing role in these activities as applications are
developed, piloted and standardized in the research and
development program, and as more EPA staff become
trained in the use of remote sensing and related
information technology.
Air. New remote sensing technology such as DOAS, FTIR-
based OPMs and UV DIAL will become important monitoring
tools to supplement and extend ground data in Regional
and Program Office field studies and to provide data
for use in validation and improvement of models in the
air program. Equivalency status for DOAS systems as
criteria pollutant monitors for ozone, nitrogen oxide
and sulfur dioxide is currently under consideration.
Methods using FTIR-based OPMs will be standardized in
guidance documents to simplify compliance monitoring
and enforcement at industrial complexes and waste
sites. The application of all system types will expand
as performance-limiting features are eliminated by
technological advances.
Remote sensing will continue to be important for EPA's
enforcement activities. It will continue to be used in
civil and criminal actions brought by EPA Regional and
Program Offices, the National Enforcement Investigations
Center, and the Office of the Inspector General. It will
support cases brought under CERCLA, RCRA, the Clean Water
Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. Typical
products include historical and current imagery, enlarged
photographs, analytical reports, affidavits and expert
witness testimony by EPA remote sensing experts, and
demonstrative evidence developed for courtroom testimony.
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Future Applications in Environmental Research and Policy
The environmental community is focusing on new broad
environmental issues that range from global to local in
scope and are more complex and potentially more important
than any that have been addressed in the past. Remote
sensing is a cost-effective monitoring tool that will
provide data at the scales required for these broad issues.
It will not replace field studies nor the use of models. It
will supplement and extend data from these activities, and,
when used with improved information technology, will enhance
the capability of scientists and managers to analyze and
understand ecological changes and communicate their findings
to EPA decision makers and the public.
National/Global Issues. The effects of environmental
pollution are not limited by political boundaries. Many of
today's environmental problems have become national and
global issues. Overgrazing and deforestation have changed
the vegetative cover of the Earth. Increasing
concentrations of man-induced "greenhouse gases" in the
atmosphere may induce changes in global climate. The
subsequent effects, perhaps irreversible, of these changes
on the hydrologic cycle, carbon dioxide balance, and habitat
structure may significantly change the Earth's ecological
balance. The destruction of stratospheric ozone, related to
the environmental release of man-made chloroflorocarbons,
may have disastrous impacts on the health of Earth's living
organisms. Acid rain is caused by acidic compounds in the
atmosphere from burning of fossil fuels. It causes
degradation of man-built structures, acidifies poorly
buffered lakes (essentially killing them), and may have
harmful effects on plants and animals. Photochemical
products from reactions of man-made pollutants in the
atmosphere degrade visibility and damage plants and human
health. Remote sensing technology can help in the
assessment and response to these environmental threats.
gcrp and EMAP are interagency research and monitoring
programs that have been established to gain more information
to help policy makers respond to these national and global
issues. The scale, cost, and complexity of the research
demands better use of existing data and more efficient
monitoring approaches such as remote sensing to gain the
information required. The use of Landsat data in the NALC
Project of the GCRP and the Landscape Characterization
Project of EMAP are important examples.
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Local/Regional Issues. Public concern with the safe
disposal of waste and with government's response to
environmental emergencies are two examples of local and
regional issues that receive considerable attention in EPA.
Remote sensing data alone, or integrated with other
information in a GIS, will provide very effective visual
products for communications on these issues among
scientists, policy makers and the public. Environmental and
political concerns have made selection of new sites for
disposal of sewage, garbage, hazardous and radioactive
wastes difficult, if not impossible. Many of these concerns
could be alleviated, or at least discussed on their
technical merits, if adequate information were available in
a format that could be easily communicated and understood by
a broad cross-section of people. The process for using
remote sensing and GIS to identify potential locations for
waste sites will continue to improve and the resulting
visual products will become important elements in resolving
the public debate over site selection.
Both human-caused disasters such as oil spills, and natural
disasters such as storms, earthquakes and volcanoes, can
have highly visible and disastrous impacts on large areas of
the environment. Quick response to these emergencies with
information in a format that is easily communicated and
understood among the public and scientific communities is
very important in understanding and limiting negative
environmental impacts. Remote sensing will continue to be
an effective tool to provide this response.
THE PROPOSAL
Issue
Demand for remote sensing technology and data in EPA's
programs is increasing. Without appropriate technical
leadership and training, there is the possibility that the
technology and data will be used incorrectly by untrained
staff. ORD must provide this technical leadership and
ensure that appropriate technology, guidance, and training
are available. It must also influence the development of
remote sensing technology in other organizations to
guarantee that proven technology reaches applications in EPA
with appropriate guidance and training. Several barriers
must be overcome for ORD to be successful.
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Barriers
ORD's Issue Planning process does not readily accommodate
support for cross-cutting technology, no matter how
attractive or useful it is. It is difficult, if not
impossible, to convince numerous issue writers to budget for
remote sensing. Because of this split support and the
associated small (easy to cut) resource levels in each
issue, remote sensing resources are among the first to be
considered for budget cuts; and, attempts to establish a
stable budget for remote sensing research have been
unsuccessful.
Similarly, ORD has traditionally provided remote sensing
technical support to the Regions and Program Offices with
ORD staff and base resources. Though the offices receiving
the support provide significant supplemental funding and
consider the products highly important, they have not had to
plan nor provide the staffing and administrative support
(e.g., contracts management) required to maintain the
technical activity. As a result, the capability provided by
ORD is taken for granted, and the users have no ownership of
remote sensing in EPA.
These problems are exacerbated by administrative
difficulties in budget and contract management. Funding for
technical support activities comes from multiple clients and
multiple appropriations. The ORD accounting system makes it
difficult to process a task or contract that has multiple
appropriations and in some cases will not allow funding to
be transferred from the customer to ORD. The research
resources come from multiple Research Issues within ORD,
which makes it difficult to coordinate and maintain
management's support. Finally, late distribution of the
budget, especially to clients of the technical support
program, makes it difficult to have funding available in the
appropriate contract at the time the support is required by
the customer.
Coordination of remote sensing activities in EPA is
difficult. No one in the Office of Modeling, Monitoring
Systems and Quality Assurance (OMMSQA) has the clear
responsibility to represent and coordinate EPA's remote
sensing requirements in ORD's planning and budget process
and with other organizations outside the Agency. No one on
the OMMSQA headquarters' staff has a technical background in
remote sensing or related information technology. This
hinders ORD's response to technical questions on remote
sensing and prevents the technical program from having
adequate representation in daily budget and planning
activities in ORD.
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Proposed Response
ORD will be the EPA focal point for remote sensing and will
take steps to eliminate the barriers that prevent a fully
successful remote sensing program. To accomplish this, ORD
will formalize its Research Program in remote sensing;
reevaluate and reorganize operation and management of its
technical support program in remote sensing; and, improve
coordination of EPA's remote sensing requirements within EPA
and with other agencies and organizations. The Research
Program will have core research and applications research
components. The core research component will address
anticipated future (five years and beyond) requirements and
explore application of new remote sensing and information
management technology to EPA global change and ecological
monitoring requirements. The applications research
component will address immediate requirements and fully
evaluate and standardize remote sensing applications in
direct response to specific program needs, especially those
of EMAP, GCRP, and the ORD Integrated Ecological Initiative.
ORD will establish remote sensing as an entity in the ORD
planning process. Clear responsibilities for coordination
and oversight of the program at EPA Headquarters will be
identified. ORD will also reevaluate how remote sensing
technical support is provided in EPA and establish an EPA
Remote Sensing/GIS Technical Support Center that engages the
Regions and Program Offices as active owners and
participants. The Regions and Program Offices will be
active partners in the planning process to ensure that the
Center will meet their current support requirements and that
the research program will address their future requirements
and effectively transfer new technologies to EPA users.
Staffing and resources already exist to initiate the
Research Program and the transition of the technical support
capability. In some cases, redirection of staff and
resources may be required for the initial implementation of
this proposal. Transition of the technical support program
to a joint activity with the Regional and Program Offices is
expected to free ORD resources that will be used in the
Research Program. Budget initiatives may be developed later
to address high priority requirements identified in the
planning process. As the EPA focal point for remote
sensing, ORD will take the following actions to organize
existing remote sensing projects into an EPA Remote Sensing
Program and to establish interagency relationships that
leverage remote sensing capabilities in other agencies.
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ORD Program Planning Process. To effectively utilize remote
sensing data, EPA must have an organized program to develop,
evaluate, standardize and transfer applications to its
users. This program cannot be established without effective
EPA Headquarters coordination and support in the ORD program
planning process.
Action 1. Name an OMMSQA Remote Sensing Program
Coordinator.
An OMMSQA manager will be named as the Remote Sensing
Program Coordinator to represent the laboratories and
the EPA Remote Sensing Program in the ORD planning and
budget process. This manager will provide key
coordination at the headquarters level in developing
and implementing the detailed actions that will be
necessary to establish the components of the Research
Program and the transition of the technical support
activity to a user supported Remote Sensing/GIS
Technical Support Center.
Remote Sensing Research Program. Remote sensing and
information technology are key tools for environmental
monitoring. EPA will not be able to use these tools to
maximum advantage without a Research Program that includes
core and applied research components. This program is
required to identify new technology and develop and evaluate
applications to environmental requirements; standardize
proven applications for use across the Agency; help transfer
this technology and applications to the EPA user; provide
guidance and help train the user in the applications; and,
provide quality assurance guidance to ensure that the
technology is being used in an appropriate manner.
Action 2. Establish a research program in remote
sensing and information technology.
Based on information from the ORD program planning and
budget process, existing resources will be identified
and assigned to the core and applied components of the
Research Program. A long term research plan will be
developed and implemented. This Research Program will
be organized and managed in two thematic areas, air
monitoring and terrestrial and aquatic monitoring.
AREAL will be the lead for air monitoring. The EMSL-LV
will be the lead for terrestrial and aquatic
monitoring. Within each thematic area, the research
and development (R&D) will address requirements in
three functional areas:
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1.	Systems Evaluation and Applications Research. This
area will focus on identification and evaluation of
available remote sensing technology for monitoring the
environment and for supporting the study of the
environmental processes and effects. The research will
develop, evaluate, and standardize methods for
application of the technology to environmental
requirements with the goal of transferring acceptable
applications to the EPA user.
The R&D program will not include in-house development
of new sensors or systems. ORD in-house efforts will
be limited to modifications to update existing EPA
aircraft or ground-based systems for improved
capability to support EMAP and the GCRP, and where
resources permit, direct support to the Regions and
Program Offices. The Program will leverage development
of sensors and systems in other agencies such as NOAA
and NASA and in the private sector.
2.	Information Technology. This area will focus on
techniques for data and image processing and for
management and analysis of remote sensing data. It
will evaluate new information technology for
integration, analysis, and visualization of remote
sensing data with other environmental information.
In close coordination with the Office of Information
Resources and Management (OIRM), ORD brought the GIS
concept to EPA and helped implement an Agency-wide GIS
capability. Since then, the Office of Administration
and Resources Management (OARM) has made resources and
training available to maintain a strong GIS capability
within EPA. There has been significant growth in this
information technology, which has enhanced the utility
of remote sensing data to all users in EPA. Because of
this growth, there continues to be a need for R&D
support to OARM to develop, evaluate and standardize
applications of new information technology in EPA.
These efforts will be closely coordinated with OARM to
assure that all EPA program requirements, including
data acquisition and management, are being addressed
and that the results of the research program will be
effectively utilized in the Agency's programs. They
will include interaction with the Supercomputer
Facility at Bay City, Michigan, to evaluate its
capability to process digital multispectral satellite
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imagery in support of Landscape Characterization in
EMAP and other EPA ecosystem and environmental
monitoring requirements.
3. Quality Assurance (QA). This is fundamental work
to determine what QA steps are required for both
collection and use of remotely sensed data. Many QA
factors need to be considered. Examples of factors
which may introduce errors are boundary and locational
problems, ambiguity in crop classification,
inconsistency between surveyors, time lapses between
the surveys and the acquisition of remotely sensed
data. The need for ground truth data to determine
accuracy or calibrate remotely sensed data will be
carefully evaluated. Procedures will be established
for determining the accuracy of interpretations made
from the data, i.e., for verifying or validating remote
sensing results.
The research will include efforts to understand the
impacts of integrating data of different quality and
from different sources. This is very important to
large research programs such as EMAP and GCRP and data
reporting activities such as those in the Office of
Policy. Planning and Evaluation (OPPE). who use and
integrate data from remote sensing and other sources.
Action 3. Identify and gain support for the Core
Components of the Remote Sensing Research Program in
the ORD Program Planning Process.
The core component of the Remote Sensing Research
Program in ORD will be focused in two Research Issues,
the Global Change Research Issue and the ORD Integrated
Ecological Research Initiative (which includes the EMAP
research component). A research plan will be prepared
to identify research requirements, the resources
available and a longer term research strategy to meet
the Agency's remote sensing requirements. This will be
fully coordinated in the Research Issue planning
process.
Global Change Research Issue.
Core research projects under this Research Issue will
evaluate feasibility and applications of remote sensing
systems and information technology for collection,
management, analysis and visualization of data and
information to help understand global climate change
and its impacts on the environment. The focus will be
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on identification and evaluation of potential
applications of NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) to
support EPA's efforts in the Global Change Research
Program, and the utilization of existing remote sensing
systems to provide relevant data that would improve the
decision making process for EPA's positions and actions
relative to global climate change. This research will
provide remote sensing applications that can
extrapolate field data to national or global scales,
interact with global climate/change models to predict
future conditions, and provide visual information that
is useful to decision makers in dealing with global
change issues. Specific projects identified in the
FY94 Global Change Research Plan are an agricultural
process pilot, a forest global change pilot study, and
development of the process for atmospheric correction
of terrestrial data obtained by remote sensing from
satellites.
ORD Integrated Ecological Research Initiative.
Core research projects under this Initiative will
evaluate feasibility of using remote sensing systems
and information technology for collection, management,
analysis and visualization of ecologically relevant
data to improve decisions related to the protection of
the Nation's ecosystems. The goal is to provide remote
sensing/information technology applications that will
enhance ecological research capabilities in ORD,
improve Regional ability to collect data to support
decisions at the ecosystem level, and improve
management's ability to understand and report
information on the condition of the Nation's
ecosystems. The research will result in systems that
provide and visualize information at watershed and
larger scales of fundamental knowledge. These decision
support systems will be used by environmental managers
in prediction of risk to ecosystems from (or assess the
consequences of) differing regulatory and management
practices. A Core Research Plan will be developed in
conjunction with development of the ORD Integrated
Ecological Research Initiative.
The research will provide remote sensing and
information technology tools to support the risk
assessment process in the protection of the Nation's
ecosystems. It will provide analytical approaches for
use of remote sensing data to measure and evaluate land
cover, land use, and "biotic" condition at multiple
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spatial scales in support of landscape characterization
and landscape ecology, and as input for models to
understand or predict changes in the condition of the
Nation's ecosystems. This includes applications of the
technology to support ecological processes and effects
research. These efforts will allow extrapolation of
data from field ecological monitoring activities to
regional or national scales and will provide base maps
of key information at multiple scales.
These research activities will be integrated with other
research efforts of the Initiative to identify
meaningful ecological indicators of stress or condition
that can be monitored by remote sensing. This effort
will also identify remote sensing responses that may be
used as indicators of condition or stress. Proposed
applications will be tested in joint field pilot
studies.
The research approach is to provide applications and
methodology for integration of remote sensing data with
data from other information sources in order to provide
structure and context to information collected in the
field. This will be accomplished by the integration of
characterization data (e.g., farm, field, watershed,
ecoregion, region, etc.) with stressor data
(pesticides, farm practice, landuse management, etc.)
and evaluate the impact on ecological resources through
simulation models. An example of such research is the
effort already underway with MASTER (Midwest
Agrichemical Surface/subsurface Transport and Effects
Research). This will enhance risk assessment
communications and management.
Examples of typical research projects include:
Site Specific Characterization. Explore the use of
airborne multispectral, hyperspectral, and video
imagery combined with advanced image processing and
data fusion for detecting and characterizing
environmentally significant sites.
Image Feature Extraction. Explore the use of
spatial/textural/contextual pattern recognition to
derive greater land cover and land use detail from
remotely sensed imagery.
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Change Detection. Enhance the ability to detect and
identify environmental changes occurring over time,
through use of multitemporal imagery.
Multi-sensor Data Fusion. Develop standard methods for
coregistering and processing image data from a variety
of platforms and sensors, including satellite and
airborne panchromatic, multispectral and hyperspectral
imagery.
Remote Sensing/GIS Information Integration. Develop a
methodology for the integration of raster imagery with
vector GIS data. This will provide data input for the
refinement of image information extraction and visual
reference for resource scientists and managers working
with GIS data.
Accuracy Assessment Methodologies - Airborne Video.
Develop a methodology for acquiring, digitizing,
georeferencing, and interpreting high resolution
airborne video for determining the thematic accuracy of
spectrally categorized satellite remotely sensed
imagery.
Accuracy Assessment. Assess and improve the thematic
and spatial accuracies of data derived from remotely
sensed imagery.
Action 3 will focus existing ORD remote sensing
research resources in two Research Issues to provide a
stable base budget for the core research component in
the EPA Remote Sensing Program.
Sufficient FTE are available in OMMSQA to implement the core
and applied components of this research program. The core
program will include the existing FY94 EOS Project of the
Global Change Research Issue and a new initiative in the
Research Plan for the ORD Integrated Ecological Research
Initiative. The overal Core Research Strategy will be
described in the Cross Program Research Issue. The applied
programs such as those funded for EMAP and GCRP will remain
as currently funded and managed but will be identified as
one applied research program in the research plan. The
transition of the technical support program to a joint
activity with the Regions and Program Offices is expected to
free ORD resources for redirection to the core component
(see Action 4). After the core component is in place and
the budget is stabilized, initiatives may be proposed to
address high priority but unfunded requirements identified
in the planning process.
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Technical Support and Training. There continues to be a
strong demand for aerial photo support in the Regions. The
new GIS capability in the Regions and Program Offices has
spurred their use of digital remote sensing data. The
growth in use of remote sensing in Regional and Program
Office activities has created an increased demand for
technical support and training from ORD. Unfortunately, the
demand for remote sensing support and training has exceeded
the staffing and funding that are available in the ORD
budget. Current requirements for contract management and
oversight have added to the work load for this effort, and
in many cases there are administrative and legal barriers
that prevent continued operation of the current technical
support capability as it exists. This proposal offers an
alternative program that would take advantage of the
expertise in ORD. while incorporating the Regions and
Program Offices as partners in the endeavor. It would
eventually replace most of the current ORD FTE and resources
with those from Regional and Program Offices.
The increased use of remote sensing data in EPA has also
created a new concern. Remote sensing technology is
becoming commercially available through EPA contractors and
is already being used in the Regions, sometimes by untrained
staff. There is an increasing danger that this may create
inconsistent results, which could lead to regulatory or
policy errors that may have significant costs and a
disastrous effect on the credibility of EPA. EPA needs
trained technical staff, as well as knowledgeable personnel
in management positions, who understand the utility and
limitations of remote sensing. A strong training effort and
quality assurance program will assure proper application of
the technology.
Action 4. Maintain a stable remote sensing technical
support and training capability.
OMMSQA and the Regional Operations Staff of the Office
of Science, Planning and Regulatory Evaluation (OSPRE)
will work with the Regional and Program Offices to
reevaluate and reorganize operation and management of
ORD's technical support program in remote sensing. The
objective will be to transition the capability for
routine remote sensing requirements to the EPA users
and to establish an intraagency Remote Sensing/GIS
Technical Support Center to provide unique capabilities
that would not normally exist with the user. The
Center will provide remote sensing and GIS technical
support and training in the technology used by EPA.
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The existing ORD-staffed operation in the Environmental
Photographic Interpretation Center (EPIC) will be
transitioned into this Center, which in time will be
staffed primarily by EPA users. Oversight and
expertise in specific technological areas will continue
to be provided by ORD because of its scientific
leadership in remote sensing and the need to maintain
state-of-the-art capability. The Center will be
closely tied to the research activities at AREAL and
the EMSL-LV and will have access to classified remote
sensing systems via a joint effort with the United
States Geological Survey (USGS).
The Center will establish regional contracts for remote
sensing support that will eventually be managed
directly by the local EPA users. The procurement of
services will require contractors that are located
close to the Regional Offices with the goal of
transitioning contractual responsibility to the
Regions. The transition period will allow time for
Regional staff to become technically qualified project
officers for such contracts.
There may be a need to continue centralized technical
support for technology that is too new, too costly, or
too technically complex for cost-effective
implementation at multiple EPA locations. The Center
will continue to provide this type of support with the
goal of transferring the technology and responsibility
for its use to the Regions and Program Offices as soon
as feasible.
One area of rapid growth in EPA has been the use of GIS
technology and the resulting increased demand for
access to data. The technology in this area is also
changing and improving at a fast pace. Unfortunately,
there are several organizations in EPA that have
responsibilities in this area; and, it is confusing to
the user as to where to go to get help. ORD will work
with the OARM to consolidate technical support
capabilities to provide "one stop shopping." This
consolidated team would also ensure availability of
appropriate data processing software and equipment;
ensure continued ability to maintain/update this
software and equipment; and, provide appropriate access
to remote sensing data from other organizations at a
reasonable cost. This may require co-location of OARM
staff at the Center to provide such information
management support.
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The Center will also provide training in remote sensing
and GIS and other information technology to ensure that
EPA users, including management, have the proper
expertise and understanding to utilize remote sensing
data. The training will help EPA staff and managers
become qualified in the use of remote sensing
and information technology for their technical and
management responsibilities. It will also help assure
that Regional staff are adequately trained to
technically manage their remote sensing contracts.
The current ORD FTE and resources are not adequate to meet
both the need for core research and the demand for remote
sensing technical support. The technical support approach
of this proposal will resolve this situation by replacing
ORD staff with Regional and Program staff and by reducing
workload through transition of routine operational
responsibilities directly to the user. The proposed Center,
if accepted by the Regions and Program Offices, will employ
FTE and resources provided the users, based on their demand
for support. In addition, many of the routine operational
remote sensing support activities will be transitioned
directly to the user, thus reducing overall demand for
support from the Center.
Considerable coordination, communication and planning will
be required to successfully develop and implement this
proposal for a joint Remote Sensing/GIS Technical Support
Center. It is anticipated that the transition could be
accomplished within EPA's budget and planning process over
the next five years. OMMSQA will work with the OSPRE
Regional Operations Staff to utilize the ORD Regional
Scientists and the ORD Regional Exchange Program to help
with this transition and the transfer of routine remote
sensing/information technology capabilities to the Regions.
Program Coordination. Coordination of remote sensing
activities in EPA will be improved with the appointment of a
Remote Sensing Program Coordinator in OMMSQA (Action 1).
However, additional technical expertise will be required to
respond to technical questions and to represent the research
program in daily technical planning activities at the
Headquarters level.
Remote sensing is an area where agencies and countries can
work together to leverage resources and obtain and
coordinate otherwise unavailable technology and data for
addressing national and global issues. EPA has not
effectively coordinated its requirements with other agencies
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to leverage their capabilities. For example, despite having
a critical interest in the development of remote sensing
technology, EPA has not been a key player in NASA's
development of the Earth Observing System (EOS) or other
earth monitoring systems. The 1993 EOS Reference Handbook
(2 5) defines the federal partners for EOS. EPA's role and
requirements receive little attention. At the project level
there has been some attempt to leverage resources in other
agencies. The Earth Resources observation System Data
Center (EDC), Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is a USGS center
that has access to Landsat data. EDC's resources are being
leveraged by EPA in the NALC/Pathfinder Project where EDC is
a working partner with the EMSL-LV. This relationship in
NALC/Pathfinder should be a model for interagency
cooperation on other remote sensing requirements.
Several actions will be taken to improve coordination of
EPA's Remote Sensing Program at EPA Headquarters, with other
agencies, and with the remote sensing technical community.
Action 5. Appoint a staff scientist trained in remote
sensing to support the Remote Sensing Program
Coordinator.
The Staff Scientist will be responsible for supporting
the Program Coordinator with the technical aspects of
headquarters coordination and will be OMMQSA's first
point of contact for technical issues on remote
sensing. This scientist will coordinate technical
activities between the OMMSQA labs and other agencies,
and with EPA Headquarters staff. Because of the
importance of remote sensing to EMAP and the GCRP, the
Staff Scientist may also be a key resource for the
OMMSQA coordination of GCRP and EMAP technical issues.
The ORD lead for the Remote Sensing/GIS Technical
Support Center will be assigned this responsibility.
This is appropriate because the Center is the focal
point for communication on Agency remote sensing
support requirements and for transfer of new technology
to Agency users. Rotational assignment(s) will be used
to bring in expertise from other Agencies to work with
the ORD lead in developing the Center's programs, help
in responding to questions concerning application of
remote sensing/information technology to environmental
requirements, and improve coordination with and
leverage of other agencies involved in remote
sensing/information technology operations or research.
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Action 6. Improve the Agency's ability to acquire and
manage remote sensing data.
ORD will coordinate more closely with OARM on the
acquisition and management of remotely sensed data,
especially satellite data. This will include
utilization of the EPA Bay City Facility for data
access and other remote sensing tasks that would
benefit ORD's program. EPA will also leverage other
programs in other agencies, such as the EDC of the
USGS, to acquire remote sensing data and services that
can be provided more cost-effectively by them. An
example of such leveraged coordination is the EMAP
Landscape Characterization partnership between six
federal programs to facilitate the production of
Landcover data for the conterminous U.S. based on
Thematic Mapper data. This partnership will
significantly reduce the cost of the data for each
agency and for others who might have need of the data
for environmental issues.
Action 7. Improve interactions with the Program
Offices.
The Program Offices are becoming direct users of remote
sensing data and the associated information management
technology. For example, OPPE has been using remote
sensing data in its Office of Strategic Planning and
Environmental Data and has been a strong proponent for
an organized capability in EPA to access and utilize
such data. In its leadership role in remote sensing,
ORD will routinely coordinate with the Program Offices
to assure that the research program is addressing their
needs and that appropriate training and technical
support are available.
Action 8. Establish closer interaction with other
agencies on remote sensing research, applications and
support.
Significant remote sensing research and technical
support capabilities are available through other
agencies such as NASA and NOAA but have not been
effectively utilized by EPA. Coordination and linkage
between EPA and these agencies has not been effective.
For example, EPA should have strong influence on the
development of EOS; however, there is no formal
mechanism beyond the EPA/NASA Memorandum of
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Understanding to accomplish this. In its leadership
role, ORD will represent EPA's remote sensing
requirements in interactions with NASA, NOAA and other
agencies. It will develop an understanding of the R&D
activities in those agencies and provide coordination
and planning to leverage those activities to meet EPA's
requirements.
The rotational assignment(s) described in Action 5 will
also be helpful with this interaction. These
assignments will bring in expertise from other Agencies
to help coordinate exchange of information and leverage
of existing capabilities and research in those agencies
to support EPA requirements.
Action 9. Establish closer interaction with
professional organizations and the private sector.
Remote sensing technology is developing at a rapid pace
and has tremendous potential for applications to EPA's
environmental monitoring requirements. ORD will
establish a process for encouraging development of new
technology in the private sector and taking advantage
of that technology once it becomes available for
application to EPA issues.
These program coordination actions are primarily an OMMSQA
headquarters function. They will be performed by the Remote
Sensing Program Coordinator and Staff Scientist. The
Program Coordinator will be the senior manager responsible
for representing the Program in the ORD planning and budget
process and for the OMMSQA coordination of Program
activities in EMSL-LV and AREAL. It is assumed that the
Program Coordinator will be an existing manager on the
OMMSQA staff. The Staff Scientist will be a member of the
Remote Sensing Research Program management team.
PRODUCTS
The EPA Remote Sensing Program will deliver several
categories of products. A short description of each is
given below.
New Systems
The Program will influence development of new remote sensing
systems in other agency programs such as the NASA EOS
Program. EPA scientists will participate on work groups
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that are responsible for the design of these systems. EPA
will also participate in R&D efforts to evaluate the systems
for environmental monitoring. This includes sharing
resources with participating agencies for pilot studies and
providing staff support as appropriate. The products will
be the reports from the pilot studies and the availability
of new systems that will support EPA programs.
Research Reports and Technical Guidance
Various types of publications will be provided, including
fact sheets and EPA, interagency, and peer reviewed
publications. Fact sheets are for technology transfer and
describe new capabilities (systems, applications, etc.) from
the Program. EPA and interagency publications are internal
documentation of the research results intended for the
agency user. Peer reviewed publications will be prepared to
assure that the research results reach the scientific
community and that the research program is recognized
outside of the Agency.
Technical guidance documents will be provided to assure that
the findings of the Program R&D activities are appropriately
applied in EPA's programs (technology transfer). This
includes guidance on system capabilities, standardized
applications of remote sensing data, and quality assurance
requirements for the use of remote sensing data.
Technical Support
Typical products from the Remote Sensing/GIS Technical
support Center are aerial photography, annotated digital
imagery, and response reports. A response report is an
internal report on a site- or problem-specific issue that is
delivered directly to the EPA requestor. Reports for
special studies that support the Research Program or
Regional and Program Office field studies will also be
provided as required. It is anticipated that responsibility
for routine aerial photography will be transferred to the
Regions and Program Offices by 1999 and will be discontinued
as an individual Center product at that time.
Training
Remote sensing workshops will be held on a regular basis to
promote interaction between personnel from the Center and
its users in EPA. Training will also be provided in
specific topical areas at these workshops. An EPA Remote
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Sensing Workgroup will also be organized. It will meet via
conference calls on a regular basis and will have semi-
annual meetings to discuss current issues and requirements,
exchange ideas, and transfer new technology and applications
from ORD to the EPA users.
OMMSQA CAPABILITY TO PROVIDE AN ORD REMOTE SENSING PROGRAM.
OMMSQA has an extensive capability in remote sensing. The
Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory Las Vegas (EMSL-
LV) has been performing remote sensing research, development
and technical support since 1971. The Atmospheric Research
and Exposure Assessment Laboratory (AREAL) has worked with
ground based systems for air monitoring since the mid
1980's. Both laboratories have computer capabilities for
systems support, data integration and analysis, and data
visualization. The EMSL-LV is the Agency's center for
research in the application of GIS technology to
environmental issues.
EMSL-LV. Two branches in its Advanced Monitoring Systems
Division are involved in remote sensing. The Remote and Air
Monitoring Branch (AMS) is responsible for research and
development (R&D) in remote sensing of the terrestrial and
aquatic environment. The Environmental Photographic
Interpretation Center (EPIC) is responsible for operational
remote sensing support to the Agency.
R&D activities in AMS include efforts in the application of
remote sensing to environmental monitoring and in
information technology for management, integration, analysis
and presentation of remote sensing data. AMS is developing
and standardizing remote sensing applications for ecological
monitoring, landscape characterization and landscape ecology
in support of EMAP and GCRP. It operates an airborne wide-
band multi-spectral scanner (MSS). In the future its suite
of sensors will also include a laser fluorosensor and a
hyperspectral imaging system. AMS has been developing and
evaluating sensor systems for air monitoring from aircraft
platforms; however, this responsibility was transferred to
the AREAL in FY94.
EPIC has provided remote sensing support to the Agency since
1974. This support has been primarily aerial photography
and photogrammetry. However, in recent years EPIC has added
digital imagery and GIS support capabilities. More than
6000 aerial photointerpretation reports (4) have been
produced by EPIC since 1974 in support of Superfund, RCRA,
CWA, and other EPA programs.
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AREAL. The Laboratory is responsible for air monitoring
activities. Major programs are the development of FTIR-
based OPMs for monitoring gases in the middle infrared and
evaluation of commercial DOAS systems for application as
inorganic gas monitors, particularly for the criteria
pollutants. An EPA guidance document for the use of FTIR
systems in regional, state and local agency applications has
been available since March 1993 with updates expected in
March 199 4 and a monitoring method for the AREAL Compendium
of Methods for the Determination of Toxic Organic Compounds
in Ambient Air is to be published late in 1994. Equivalency
status for a DOAS type instrument is currently being
considered, while DOAS system application to hazardous gases
is being coordinated with regional programs. Other programs
include operating a UV DIAL aircraft system for monitoring
ozone and developing ground-based methods for visibility
monitoring in national parks and for monitoring exhausts
from automobiles.
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Acronyms and Definitions
AES
AMS
AREAL
AVIRIS
CERCLA
COAST
DOAS
EDC
EMAP
EMSL-LV
EOS
EPIC
ERTS-1
FEAT
Airborne Emission Spectrometer, an aircraft active
remote sensor for air monitoring being developed
in the Dual Use Program with the Department of
Defense.
Air and Remote Monitoring Branch, a Branch of the
Advanced Monitoring Systems Division of the
Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory in Las
Vegas. It is responsible for R&D in remote
sensing of the terrestrial and aquatic
environment.
Atmospheric Research and Exposure Assessment Lab,
an ORD Laboratory located in Research Triangle
Park, North Carolina and responsible for R&D in
air monitoring and exposure assessment.
Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer, a
hyperspectral sensor flown by NASA.
Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation
and Liability Act, legislation that created
Superfund and was later amended and reauthorized
a s SARAH.
Coastal Oxidant Assessment for Southeast Texas
Project, a study of the transport of photochemical
oxidants in the coastal vicinity of Houston and
Beaumont, Texas.
Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy,
ground-based remote sensing system for air
monitoring.
Earth Resources Observations Systems Data Center
of the USGS.
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program in
ORD.
Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory - Las
Vegas, an ORD Laboratory responsible for research
in monitoring the terrestrial environment.
Earth Observing System, a series of satellites and
sensors for long-term monitoring the earth and its
environment for at least 10 years, originally
conceived by NASA in 1987.
Environmental Photographic Interpretation Center,
a Branch of the Advanced Monitoring Systems
Division of the Environmental Monitoring Systems
Laboratory in Las Vegas. It is responsible for
providing remote sensing technical support to EPA.
Earth Resources Technology Satellite or Landsat-1,
the first in the Landsat series of satellites.
Fuel Efficiency Automobile Test, a remote sensing
system developed by D.H. Stedman for monitoring
the tailpipe emissions from moving automobiles.
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FTIR	Fourier Transform Infrared System, a remote
sensing system that uses Fourier Transform
techniques to measure infrared signals from or
over the target.
GCRP	Global Change Research Program, EPA's research
program that is part of the USGCRP.
GIS	Geographic Information Systems, an information
management system for management, integration,
analysis and presentation of remote sensing data
and other spatial data.
GPS	Global Positioning System, a constellation of
satellites maintained by the Department of Defense
to provide accurate and precise location on the
ground.
HYDICE Hyperspectral Digital Imagery Exploitation
Collection Experiment, a project for the
development and evaluation of a hyperspectral
remote sensing system.
LIDAR Light Imaging Detection and Ranging remote sensing
system, "Radar-type" use of a laser in the
optical region of the electromagnetic spectrum.
MSS	Multispectral Scanner System, a passive remote
sensing system flown on aircraft and satellites
that measures several bands of radiation from the
target.
NALC	North American Landscape Characterization Project
of the USGCRP.
NASA	National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
NOAA	National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
OARM	Office of Administration and Resources Management
in EPA.
OIRM	Office of Information Resources Management in EPA.
OMMSQA Office of Modelling, Monitoring Systems and
Quality Assurance.
OPPE	Office of Policy, Planning and Evaluation in EPA.
ORD	Office of Research and Development in EPA.
QA	Quality Assurance.
RCRA	Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
USGS	United States Geological Survey.
UV DIAL Ultraviolet Differential Absorption Lidar.
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E.C. Barrett and L. F. Curtis, Introduction to
Environmental Remote Sensing (Third Edition^ . Chapman
and Hall, 1992.
A.P. Cracknell and L.W.B. Hayes, Introduction to Remote
Sensing. Taylor and Francis, 1991.
"A Land Use and Land Cover Classification System for
Use with Remote Sensor Data,11 Geological Survey
Professional Paper 964, J.R. Anderson, E. E. Hardy, J.
T. Roach and R. E. Witmer, United States Government
Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1976.
"Regional Remote Sensing Report Abstracts with Users
Guide." Regions 1-10. January 1990, updated through
May, 1993. Environmental Photographic Interpretation
Center, Warrenton, VA, 1993
EMSL-LV Fact Sheets:
A.	"Using Aerial Photography for Locating and
Investigating Hazardous Waste Sites," September
1981, 4pp.
B.	"Aerial Photography for Emergency Response,"
December 1982, 3pp.
C.	"Aerial Photography to Support Chemical Exposure
Assessments," October 1982, 4pp.
D.	"Aerial Photography for Inventories of Hazardous
Waste Sites," August 1983, 3pp.
E.	"Wetlands Delineation for Environmental
Assessment," October 1991, 2pp.
F.	"Topographic Mapping for Environmental
Assessment," February 1991, 2pp.
G.	"Photogrammetry for Environmental Measurement,"
September 1992, 2pp.
H.	"Remote Sensing Support for RCRA," February 1992,
2pp.
I.	"Remote Sensing in Environmental Enforcement
Actions," September 1992, 2pp.
J. "Historical Maps and Archiving for Environmental
Documentation," September 1992; 2pp.
"Use of Water Raman Emission to Correct Airborne Laser
Fluorosensor Data for Effects of Water Optical
Attenuation." M. Bristow, D. Nielsen, and D. Bundy.
Applied Optics 21, 2289-2906, 1981.
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7.	"Airborne Laser Fluorosensor Survey of the Columbia and
Snake Rivers: Simultaneous Measurements of Chlorophyll,
Dissolved Organics and Optical Attenuation." M.
Bristow, D. Bundy, C. Edmonds, P. Ponto, B. Frey, and
L. Small. Int. J. Remote Sensing .11, 1707-1734, 1985.
8.	"Remote Water Quality Monitoring with an Airborne Laser
Fluorosensor." M. Bristow and R. Zimmermann.
Proceedings of 7th International Conference on
Chemistry for Protection of the Environment, pp. 75-96.
September 4-7, 1989. Technical University of Lublin,
Lublin, Poland. Plenum Press, NY, 1991.
9.	"Application of Airborne Lidar in Particulate Air
Quality Problem Delineation, Monitoring Network Design,
and Control Strategy Development." McElroy, J.L. and
M.R. MCGown. J. Air and Waste Management Association,
42. 1186-1192, 1992.
10.	"Lidar Descriptions of Mixed Layer Thickness
Characteristics in a Complex Terrain/Coastal
Environment." McElroy, J.L. and T.B. Smith. J. Appl.
Meteor., 30, 585-597, 1991.
11.	"Estimation of Pollutant Transport and Concentration
Distributions of Complex Terrain of Southern California
Using Airborne Lidar." McElroy, J. L. J. Air Pollution
Control Association, 37_, 1046-1051, 1987.
12.	"Vertical Pollutant Distributions and Boundary Layer
Structure Observed by Airborne Lidar near the Complex
Souther California Coastline." McElroy, J.L. and T.B.
Smith. Atmospheric Environment, 2_0, 1555-1566, 1986.
13.	"Lidar Observation of Elevated Pollution Layers over
Los Angeles." Wakimoto, R. M. and J.L. McElroy. J. of
Climate and Applied Meteorology, 25, 1583-1599, 1986.
14.	"Airborne Downlooking Lidar Measurements during STATE
78." McElroy, J.L., Eckert, J.A., and C.J. Hager.
Atmospheric Environment, .15, 2223-2230, 1981.
15.	"Empirical Model of Vehicle Emissions." M. Pitchford
and B. Johnson. Environ. Sci. Technol. .27, 741-748,
1993 .
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16.	"Airborne Ozone Measurements with the USEPA UV-DIAL."
Moosmuller, H., Alvarez, R.J., Edmonds, C.M., Turner,
R.M., Bundy, D.H., and J.L. McElroy. Proceedings of the
OSA Topical Meeting on Optical Remote Sensing of the
Atmosphere, March 8-12, Salt Lake City, UT, 176-179,
1993 .
17.	"Ozone Measurements with the U.S. EPA UV-DIAL:
Preliminary Results." Moosmuller, H., Diebel, D.,
Bundy, D.H., Bristow, M.P., Alvarez, R.J., Kovalev,
V.A., Edmonds, C.M., Turner, R.M., and J.L. McElroy.
Proceedings of the 16th International Laser Radar
Conference, July 20-24, Cambridge, MA, 95-98, 1992.
18.	"Development of an Airborne Excimer-based UV-DIAL for
Monitoring Ozone and Sulphur Dioxide in the Lower
Troposphere." Bristow, M.P., Diebel, D., Bundy, D.H.,
Edmonds, C.M., Turner, R.M., and J.L. McElroy. in
Remote Sensing of Atmospheric Chemistry. J.L. McElroy
and R.J. McNeal, Editors, Proceedings of the
International Society for Optical engineering, 1491.
68-74, 1991.
19.	"Air Quality Monitoring with the Differential Optical
Absorption Spectrometer." Stevens, R.K. and T.L.
Conner, in Remote Sensing of Atmospheric Chemistry.
J.L. McElroy and R.J. McNeal, Editors, Proceedings of
the International Society for Optical Engineering,
1491. 56-67, 1991.
20.	"A Long Path Differential Optical Absorption
Spectrometer and EPA-Approved Fixed-Point Methods
Intercomparison." Stevens, R.K., R.J. Drago, and Y.
Mamane. Urban Atmospheric Environment, 2TB, 1-6, 1993.
21.	"Use of a Fourier Transform Spectrometer as a remote
sensor at Superfund Sites." Russwurm, G.M., R.H.
Kagann, O.A. Simpson, and W.A. McClenny. in Measurement
of Atmospheric Gases. Proceedings of the International
Society for Optical Engineering, 1433. 302-314, 1991.
22.	"FTIR Open-Path Monitoring Guidance Document."
Russwurm, G.M. and J.W. Childers, Report SP-4423-93-09,
EPA Contract 68-DO-0106, March, 1993. 89 pp.
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23.	"Long-path FTIR Measurements of Volatile Organic
Comopounds in an Industrial setting." Russwourm, G.M.,
R.H. Kagann, O.A. Simpson, W.A. McClenny, and W.F.
Herget. Journal of the Air & Waste Management
Association, 4_1, 1062-1066, 1991.
24.	"The Geographic Information Systems Primer: A Summary
of GIS Technology Used by the EPA," J. Pickus and M. J.
Hewitt, Draft Technical Memorandum of the Environmental
Monitoring Systems Laboratory - Las Vegas, 1993.
25.	1993 Reference Handbook. Earth Observing System. G.
Asrar and D. J. Dokken, Editors, Earth Science Support
Office Document Resource Facility, 300 D St., SW, Suite
840, Washington, DC
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